MADreads

Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

Read for the food, stay for the murder (or perhaps vice versa)

Cover of Arsenic and Adobo
A review of Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala

"My name is Lila Macapagal and my life has become a rom-com cliche'.
Not many romantic comedies feature an Asian-American lead (or dead bodies, but more on that later), but all the trademarks are there.
Girl from an improbably named small town in the Midwest moves to the big city to make a name for herself and find love? Check.
Girl achieves these things only for the world to come crashing down when she walks in on her fiance' getting down and dirty with their next door neighbors (yes, plural)? Double check.

Posted by Jane J on Apr 8, 2021

The sixth and youngest and most dazzling poet

Cover of The Hill We Climb: An Inau
A review of The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

Just in time for National Poetry Month!  This is an exquisite special edition of National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman's presidential inauguration poem given on January 20, 2021 with a foreword by Oprah Winfrey. I've watched and listened to this spectacular young poet recite "The Hill We Climb" numerous times, now, and each time I'm left feeling hopeful for our country and a democratic society. This poem is honest and looking towards a brighter future.

Posted by Molly W on Apr 7, 2021

Let's read some poetry, part 2

Cover of New Poetry Books
New Poetry Books

National Poetry Month was launched by the Academy of American Poets to remind "the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters." Since I don't read much poetry, I try every April to challenge myself to read some poetry. To help myself (and you) out I've put together some lists of poetry from last year and some new titles from the the first quarter of this year. This is the second of four lists. Let's read some poetry!

Posted by Kathy K on Apr 5, 2021

Feeling distant / Sentirse lejano

Cover of Lejos = Far
A review of Lejos = Far by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Blanca Gomez

Right now, we all feel far away from one another. This bilingual board book helps little ones understand what it means for something to be "far." Using simple text and tranquil illustrations, Lejos = Far describes places and things by their distance from one another. If you're looking to teach spatial concepts and get a little language practice in too, I recommend this book.

There is also a companion book that covers the concept of "close": Cerca = Close
_ _ _ _ _ _ _

Posted by on Apr 2, 2021

Opening the floodgates about PTSD

Cover of The Valley and the Flood
A review of The Valley and the Flood by Rebecca Mahoney

Somewhere in the Nevada desert, Rose Colter hears her best friend’s last voicemail message broadcasted on the radio. With her car broken down, she runs towards the broadcast tower into a town called Lotus Valley. The townspeople have been waiting for her; in fact, she was prophesied to arrive and in doing so would bring about a great flood within the next three days. Is Rose the cause of the flood and if so, why?

Posted by Jody M on Mar 31, 2021

Still stealing the show

Cover of How Y'all Doing? Misadvent
A review of How Y'all Doing? Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived by Leslie Jordan

As we've all hunkered down over this past year there have been a few bright spots in our social network. One of the brightest (and most surprising to many) was the instagram posts that veteran character actor Leslie Jordan started posting while he was sheltering in place in Tennessee. Leslie is best known for his guest appearances on Will and Grace, but he has appeared in many, many things. And as was the case for everyone, the pandemic shut down the bulk of his work and life.

Posted by Jane J on Mar 30, 2021

Let's Read Some Poetry

Cover of April is Poetry Month
April is Poetry Month

Did you know that National Poetry Month has been around since April 1996?  It was launched by the Academy of American Poets to remind "the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters." Since I don't read much poetry, I try every April to challenge myself to read some poetry. To help myself (and you) out I've put together some lists of poetry from last year and some new titles from the the first quarter of this year.

Posted by Kathy K on Mar 29, 2021

The humanity in history

Cover of A Light in the Darkness: J
A review of A Light in the Darkness: Janusz Korczak, His Orphans, and the Holocaust by Janusz Korczak

Albert Marrin has crafted a gripping narrative of the life and death of Janusz Korczak, a Polish Jewish doctor in the Warsaw Ghetto. He was not only a physician, he ran an orphanage in Warsaw for Jewish children. As the horrors of the Nazi regime moved closer, Dr. Korczak was given numerous opportunities to escape, but he would not go without his charges. Ultimately, he led them to Treblinka Camp, dying by gas along with the children in 1942.

Posted by on Mar 26, 2021

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