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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
At a recent book discussion of the Mystery Book Group at Lakeview we talked about Dennis Lehane's powerful (though incredibly tough to read) novel, Small Mercies. One description of the books says "this novel dives into the dark heart of American racism, weaving a complex tale of family, power, and revenge set against the backdrop of Boston's tumultuous history.
This is a touching story that starts with a day that is not like the others. Eleven-year-old Sophie Winslow is best friends with her neighbor, eighty-eight-year-old Sophie Gershowitz. Eleven-year-old Sophie is an unusual child - she's an old soul and hypochondriac. She loves using traditional library reference tools such as looking up medical ailments in the Merck Manual and memorizing quotes from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.
Is it November yet? While the air might be filled with anticipation about a major event on November 5, there is the anticipation that comes of finding something new to read. With October offering an abundance of big titles and notable debuts, November and December might be a bit thin by comparison, but there’s still plenty look forward to. The highlights:
I used to love to wander through a bookstore and feed my reading need (this on top of checking many stacks of books out of the library). But at some point I stopped buying all those print copies, partially for space reasons, partially because of the changing bookstore landscape and partially because I was reading more and more digitally. So what's my version of strolling through the bookstore aisles? Late in the evening I look for ebook deals online to see if there's anything that catches my fancy (this on top of the library books I check out electronically and read on Libby!).
This picture book is perfect for sharing during farmers' market season, especially when pumpkins are ripe. A boy and his Papa head to the last remaining stall at the farmers' market with their pumpkins, peppers, plums and eggs. A year ago, there were two vendors. The year before there were five. The community still needs the fresh produce and the boy and his Papa head to the market every Saturday while Granny makes baskets from sweetgrass on the front porch of the farmhouse. Familiar, friendly faces start lining up and their orders are ready before they even have to ask.
Feel the playful and rhythmic beat in One, Two, Grandpa Loves You. The story starts with a child packing her unicorn backpack for a visit with grandpa. They are ready for many outdoor adventures! They hike, explore, find baby birds, and munch trail mix. All the while repeating the phrase: “One, two, Grandpa loves you!” like a sweet reassuring hug. The illustrations are bold and colorful and show each vignette of the grandpa and grandchild’s time spent together. Green and leafy trails, star-filled skies, and majestic purple mountains set the scene.
Every month there are new titles purchased for the Too Good to Miss collections at our libraries. If you're not familiar with TGTM (as we call it here in library-world), it's a special collection of popular books that are truly too good to miss. Some are new and popular titles, others are older titles that might not have had as much media attention as a bestseller or celebrity book club selection but are still great reads that deserve another look.
Laxmi’s Mooch introduces us to Laxmi, a delightful and confident child, who has never paid much attention to the little hairs that grow on her upper lip – until a classmate points them out during a playground game of farm animals. After that, Laxmi becomes very aware of the hair that grows on her upper lip, arms, legs, and between her eyebrows.
Only Child opens with a tense and heartbreaking scene as Zach Taylor and the rest of his first grade class huddle in a closet waiting for the gunfire of an active shooter in their school to stop. Zach is six and though his class has practiced hiding like this, he and his classmates don't really know what's happening. They just know that they're scared and confused. Once Zach leaves that closet, he'll find the world as he knew it has irrevocably changed - because while Zach has survived, his older brother Andy has not.
Do you love Dragons? Do you love silly picture books? Do you love excellent read-alouds that get more and more ridiculous until you're a giggles on the floor? Do you love books that sneakily teach concepts like MATH to little kiddos so you can give yourself a "I am a great parent!" pat on the back? This book is for you!!
