Posts Tagged ‘Fiction’
All Hallows Read 2011
Posted on: October 20, 2011
All Hallows Read 2011
Created in 2010 by spooky author Neil Gaiman, All Hallows Read is celebrated during the week leading up to Halloween. How do you celebrate All Hallows Read? It’s easy: you give someone a book that scares you. The Lake Bluff Library staff invites you to celebrate this little known holiday with some of our favorite scary books.
Carlen’s All Hallows Read Picks
American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Stephen King (Graphic Fiction, c. 2010)
Carlen says: All American vampires doing what vampires do best. With terrifying graphics, intriguing characters, and plenty of blood, this graphic novel will satisfy any true vampire fan!
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (Adult Fiction, c. 1954)
Carlen says: Robert Neville is literally the last man on Earth, as the rest of the world has turned into vampires via a global pandemic. He attempts to find a cure, with unique results. Written in 1954, this is a classic horror novel.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Adult Fiction, c. 2006)
Carlen says: In a post-apocalyptic world, a father and son embark on the most dangerous journey of all: living. In a world where there is no food and supplies, this is the ultimate survival tale.
Stitches by David Small (Teen Fiction and Graphic Fiction, c. 2009)
Carlen says: Though not a traditional “scary story,” Small takes the reader into the horrors of his childhood, his health, and his mind. A very engaging graphic autobiographical novel!
Donna’s All Hallows Read Picks
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury (Adult Fiction and Juvenile Paperback, c. 1962)
Donna says: Love this scary book, shows the thrill of the carnival and the dark creepy side we always sense is lurking there. “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!”
Martha’s All Hallows Read Picks
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Adult Non-Fiction, c. 2006)
Martha says: There are some terrifying things in your refrigerator…excluding the ancient leftovers. While not scary in the traditional sense, Michael Pollan’s book will definitely send shivers up your spine. Who knew that corn could be so nefarious?
In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien (Adult Fiction, c. 1994)
Martha says: Do not, under any circumstances, read this book in the dark and especially not in a cabin in the woods in the dark. This book is packed with suspense and will be sure to leave you jumping at shadows.
Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman (Adult Fiction, c. 1997)
Martha says: Neil Gaiman is very good at freaking you out without relying on the kind of spectacle that is usually associated with the horror genre. This collection of short stories is an example of what Gaiman does best—beautifully crafted stories that will make you sleep with the light on.
Matt’s All Hallows Read Picks
1984 by George Orwell (Adult Fiction and Juvenile Paperback, c. 1949)
Matt says: No dystopian novel terrifies me like this one. The state of constant surveillance is frightening enough, but the punishments are, quite literally, the worst you can imagine.
Rummanah’s All Hallows Read Picks
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (Adult Non-Fiction, c. 1966)
Rummanah says: A chilling and true account of a family being murdered for a few cents.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (Adult Fiction, c. 1962)
Rummanah says: I had to read this for my Brit Lit class junior year of high school. It’s mainly about a sociopath who relishes violence. He is taken in by the government and is “conditioned” not to harm anyone, which is equally disturbing. The last chapter made my jaw drop. I only saw a few clips of the movie in class, but I can never hear ‘Singing in the Rain’ without freaking out. I couldn’t sleep for weeks after reading this book.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (Juvenile Fiction, c. 2002)
Rummanah says: Going to a parallel universe where your parents want to capture you and stuff you…yeah. Creepy as heck. Not to mention buttons for eyes.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman (Teen Fiction, c. 2009)
Rummanah says: One of my favorite YA books. I had goosebumps while reading this book. Just the thought of being torn apart and your body parts used for something else. *shivers*
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (Adult Fiction, c. 1886)
Rummanah says: Split personality and murder, how much worse can it get?
Compiled by Martha
Get It!
Author: Preston, Douglas & Child, Lincoln
Title: Gideon’s Sword
Genre: Suspense
Publication Date: 2011
Number of Discs: 9 CDs, 10 Hours.
Geographical Setting: United States and various European countries
Time Period: 1980s to Present
Series: Gideon Crew, Book 1
Plot Summary: Gideon Crew, computer technology genius and all-around thief, spends his entire development undertaking the challenge of vindicating his deceased father from the shame of a crime he did not commit. Having succeeded eventually, after many years of study with the sole purpose of acquitting his father, Gideon looks forward to a normal life at long last. Unfortunately for him, a man named Manuel Garza literally steals him away and introduces him to someone who can pay him $100,000 to perform one task. The problem, as with many undercover activities, is that obstacles immediately jump in Gideon’s path, launching the listener into a fast-paced race against the clock, to prevent the shift of power among world nations.
The reader, Broadway actor and television star John Glover, highlights the sense of urgency in the book. His even-toned voice often leaves the listener hanging on by a thread, and in constant suspense.
Subject Headings: Children of murder victims, Fiction; Revenge, Fiction; Suspense fiction; Secrets; Murder witnesses; Fathers – death; Wrongful death.
Appeal: Engrossing, engaging, intriguing, multiple points of view, well-drawn, action-oriented, character-centered, investigative, linear, details of computer science and physics, political, dangerous, smart, unusual, witty.
3 Terms that Best Describe this Book: Plot-centered, vivid, contemporary.
Similar Fiction Authors and Works:
Lee Child’s The Hard Way: Suspenseful, plot-centered, and fast-paced; a series read-a-like as well with a similar focus on revenge.
Brad Meltzer’s The Book of Fate: Suspenseful, plot-driven, and richly detailed; a legal thriller with government conspiracy.
Robin Cook’s Foreign Body: Suspenseful, plot-driven, and dramatic; a medical thriller dealing with unexplained deaths, also a series.
Relevant Non-Fiction Work:
Ben Macintyre’s Agent Zigzag: Intriguing, meticulously researched, and exhilarating; a biography of German WWII spy Eddie Chapman.
Annotation by Carlen
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Adult Fiction, eBook, eAudiobook
c. 2010
A forkful of her mother’s homemade lemon cake changes everything for eight-year-old Rose Edelstein. Overpowering the sugar, lemon, and chocolate frosting is the taste of her mother’s sadness. From that point forward, Rose’s meals become defined by a single ingredient: the emotions of the cook. Her unusual ability casts a revealing light on the inner lives of her family, ultimately forcing her to analyze and explore the nature of human relationships in a fascinating and original way.
Aimee Bender’s talent for gorgeous and evocative prose shines in her latest offering. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is a novel that is more about the journey than the destination. Fans of magical realism will enjoy this quirky, thoughtful read.
If The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is right up your alley, you might also like Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, and Blindness by Jose Saramago.
Review by Martha
Get It!
Author: De Robertis, Carolina
Title: The Invisible Mountain
Genre: Latino/a
Publication Date: 2009
Number of Pages: 364 p.
Geographical Setting: Uruguay and Argentina
Time Period: Spans the 20th Century
Series: Not Applicable
Plot Summary: Three extraordinary women, grandmother, mother, and daughter, and their experiences span the 20th century. Pajarita, the Uruguayan miracle of 1900, Eva, her rebellious daughter with a traumatic past, and Salomé, the political rebel who cannot be contained during a political age. Pajarita endures a life of loneliness but filled with love for her children, especially her daughter Eva. Eva, whose traumatic childhood is disturbing and heart wrenching, yields way to a talented poet. Her daughter, Salomé, a political rebel, completes the lineage of women. Though plot-centered at times, this story is truly a tale of family, culture, and the bitter sweetness of life.
Subject Headings: Mothers and daughters, Fiction; Uruguay, Fiction; Miracles; Mothers and daughters; Family relationships; Survival; Motherhood; Daughters
Appeal: Engrossing, measured, engaging, well-developed, episodic, strong language, detailed setting, accurate, intimate, political, contemplative, dramatic, emotionally-charged, unpretentious, complex, frank, smart, vivid.
3 Terms that Best Describe this Book: Character-centered, bittersweet, lyrical.
Similar Fiction Authors and Works:
Amy Green’s Bloodroot: Literary, lyrical, interwoven; a similar style, but with more perspectives following an American family over generations.
Jean M. Auel’s The Land of Painted Caves: Character-centered, strong sense of place, family relationships; a look at family relationships, but in a prehistoric setting.
Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors
Jung Chang’s Wild Swans: Heart wrenching, researched, unhurried; Chang’s family saga, including her grandmother, her mother, and herself in China.
Annotation by Carlen
Shanghai Girls (by Lisa See) c.2009
Posted on: March 2, 2011
Check Our Catalog!
Author: See, Lisa
Title: Shanghai Girls
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: 2009
Number of Pages: 314 p.
Geographical Setting: Shanghai, China and Los Angeles, United States
Time Period: 1937-1957
Series: Not Applicable
Plot Summary: Two sisters, Pearl and May Chin, are beautiful girls who live life to the fullest in 1937 Shanghai. Unfortunately for the girls, their father has arranged marriages for them to reconcile his debts. Additionally, the Japanese open fire on China. Under great difficulty, Pearl and May immigrate to the United States to meet up with their husbands, but suffer countless delays and tragedies. Many historical characters and events fill the book. The engaging narrative, with powerful descriptions, well-developed characters, and heart wrenching events, creates a richly detailed account.
Subject Headings: Sisters, Fiction ; Chinese, United States, Fiction; Immigrants, United States, Fiction; Family secrets, Fiction; Chinese, California, Los Angeles, Fiction; Arranged marriage, Fiction; Historical fiction.
Appeal: Engrossing, measured, deliberate; atmospheric, candid, dangerous, evocative, introspective, melancholy, moving, thoughtful, unsettling; detailed character development, detailed secondary character(s) development, realistic, sympathetic; family-centered, linear, resolved ending, thought-provoking; intimate; classic, unpretentious.
3 Terms that Best Describe this Book: Character-centered, bittersweet, detailed setting.
Similar Fiction Authors and Works:
Jamie Ford, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, examines a Chinese coming-of-age story during World War II. Similar theme, complete with family relationships, but with a multi-layered plot.
Jeannette Walls, Half Broke Horses, is a true-life novel set in the American West at the turn of the 20th century. Comparable with respect to character development and frame detail.
Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors
Rhoda Janzen, Mennonite in a Little Black Dress : A Memoir of Going Home, follows the introspective journey of a Mennonite who returns to her childhood roots.
Christopher Buckley, Losing Mum and Pup : A Memoir, examines Christopher’s self-discovery after losing his parents in his fifties.
Annotation by Carlen
Get Item!
[Teen Fiction]
[MyMediaMall eAudiobook]
[MyMediaMall eBook]
Teen Miles Halter has just switched schools and is now attending exclusive Culver Creek. He is quickly befriended by roommate Chip (aka, the Colonel). He also meets Alaska Young, who he immediately falls for. Much of the first part of the novel consists of Miles, Chip, and Alaska wreaking havoc on the Culver Creek campus (smoking, drinking, pranking, etc.).
The book is laid out in a countdown format, beginning at 136 days “before,” and growing smaller as the event nears. Said event is unknown until it happens (at which point the book switches to days “after”), and when it does the lives of the students will change forever. The countdown adds suspense to the novel, as readers will know something is going to happen, but there are few clues as to what “it” is.
Chip is a believable character, focused solely on the object of his affection, Alaska, for nearly the entire novel. Green draws the reader into this relationship on a very intimate level. Without giving any spoilers away, the consequences of the event that occurs force the students of Culver Creek to evaluate what, and more importantly, who, is most important in life.
If you enjoy Looking for Alaska, try:
Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
For something DIFFERENT, try:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Review by Carlen
Get Item!
[Teen Fiction]
This English-translated graphic novel presents a serene and spiritual view of the life of young Ehwa. Over the course of three novels, Ehwa grows from a small child to an adult woman in early 20th century Korea. The first book focuses on her childhood, her development, and her relationship with her mother. On a side note, the story of Ehwa is based on the life of the author’s mother growing up in Korea.
Ehwa is a well-developed character, and readers will appreciate her innocence and confusion at many things that are widely-known and taught nowadays. Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the novel is Ehwa’s relationship with her mother, a widow. Her mother guides her and helps her when she has trouble or confusion.
The book is beautifully illustrated, with many panels having a softness often lost in graphic novels. The balance between the story and the illustrations is skillfully done.
All in all, this graphic novel provides an interesting perspective of a lost time. Readers that enjoy this book should read the sequels, The Color of Water and The Color of Heaven. Also, try American Born Chinese and Maus: A Survivor’s Tale.
For something different, try:
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Review by Carlen
Check Our Catalog!
The Professor’s Daughter is a French graphic novel depicting the Victorian romance of Egyptologist’s daughter Lillian and Imhotep IV, former pharaoh of Egypt and living mummy. Humorously, Imhotep IV becomes inebriated from tea he drinks while out with Lillian and inadvertently injures a man in the restaurant. While resting at home, Imhotep IV’s children come to him in a vision, explaining that Imhotep IV’s wife closely resembles Lillian. When the injured man from the restaurant shows up with a police officer trying to press charges, Lillian mistakenly poisons and kills the men. Following this tragedy, Lillian and Imhotep IV embark on a humorous escapade to exonerate themselves.
The novel, written by Sfar and illustrated by Guibert, skillfully balances the absurdity of the plot with the faded, delicate illustrations. Guibert effectively uses subtle changes in color to switch both scenes and moods from the story.
The book takes place over a short period of time, only a matter of days. Pacing in the plot is well done and lacks lulls. However, the traditional panel layout prevents any extensive use of perspective or creative action sequences. Character development is minimal, but this is largely due to the fact that the novel is only sixty-four pages in length.
Imhotep IV and his father Imhotep III have bizarre personalities, but these do not evolve much throughout. Lillian is likeable, but at times her character is overshadowed by the presence of others. Still, Guibert’s illustrations successfully portray Lillian’s despair throughout the novel, which brings her emotional side to life. All in all, the quirky plot, absurd characters, and engaging artwork produce a respectful graphic novel.
Review by Carlen
Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore [Electronic Resource (My Media Mall eBook)]
I am sorry to say that I have set this aside. I read the first couple pages and was very annoyed by the immature writing style. I think it may appeal to readers who would prefer a more casual tone to a novel. In my neverending search for a really well-written vampire novel, I may give Martha’s suggestion of Sunshine a try.
Review by Carlen
Olive Kitteridge (2008) by Elizabeth Strout [Adult Fiction]
In this uniquely-written, Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Elizabeth Strout relates the lives of characters from thirteen different stories in the book to the main character, Olive Kitteridge, who affects the characters in one way or another. While I was not the greatest fan of the actual stories in the novel, which at times appeared forced, I was intrigued with the character development of Olive throughout the timeline.
All in all, the character “quirks” of Olive always proved interesting, even if the plot of that particular section was not very engaging. At times I felt myself pitying Olive, relating to a tragedy she encountered that I have experienced, and at times, wishing to slap her silly! Olive’s ability to be extremely profound at certain times kept my interest throughout the stories.
Description: Thought-provoking, Intense Character Development, Tense
If you liked Olive Kitteridge, try:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Book Club Book)
Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (Book Club Book)
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Review by Carlen
