The Opposite of Hallelujah

Caro's older sister, Hannah, has returned home after an 8 year absence.  Something drove her to become a nun at the Sisters of Grace Convent, but something has now sent her home.  Caro doesn't even remember her sister -- she left home when Caro was 8 years old.  Now she has returned, both anorexic and withdrawn.  Caro is embarrassed and tells her friends that her sister has returned home from the Peace Corps.....a "fib" which costs her her new boyfriend.
Read the book --- feel not only Hannah's pain, but the pain of the entire family.

Two Memoirs

I've read two books lately with similar titles; Heart of Iron by Kyle Garlett and Iron Heart by Brian Boyle.  It's interesting ---- both are memoirs, both deal with young men who dealt with tragedy in their lives.  In one case it was a horrific car accident, in another it was cancer and a transplant.  Both overcame their obstacles and trained for the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.  That is a lot of coincidences!!
Do you want to read something inspiring?  Both really fit the bill.  It is amazing how small your problems become when you read about others who face much more in their lives.

T

Zoo

Another great book by a favorite author, James Patterson.  I think I especially liked this thriller because it threw in a little bit of dystopia.  What if "something" was causing usually docile pets, zoo and wild animals to attack?  That is the premise of this book.  Jackson, AKA "Oz" predicted that something was happening, but no one took him seriously.  Now, pets are brutally attacking owners.  Wild animals --- not just lions and bears, but even whales and dolphins, are turning on people.  The world certainly is different when "man's best friend" turns into a killer!

Panic by Sharon Draper

Draper is a well-known young adult author.  While I liked her newest book, Panic...it did seem to overload the issues.  The main character, Diamond, is abducted by a pedofile and finds herself held captive as a sex slave.  It that doesn't seem like enough there is sexting, abusive relationships and bullying thrown in!  It's a bit much, but it is done well and certainly will appeal to the female readers.    Do you like dance?  Diamond and her tight-knit group of friends are dancers at the Crystal Pointe Dance Academy.  
Give it a try....you have to find out how Diamond escapes the situation.

Warm Bodies

I didn't like this book, turned movie, by Isaac Marion.....at first.  The idea, that as zombies consumed their victims they would live out their memories, sort of "creeped" me out.  After I got over that, R, the zombie in the story grew on me.  I don't think I would go as far as Stephanie Meyer who said, "I never thought I could care so passionately for a zombie", but  nonetheless....the relationship between R and Julie, a human, is a love story.
There is hope for humanity ... and I like that.  Now I can see the movie:)

Reconstructing Amelia

A heartbreaking, "adult for young adult" book.  Maybe I'm naive, but I really didn't think bullying was this out of control.  I guess I am wrong:{  In this new book, Kate, a lawyer, receives a call from daughter Amelia's exclusive private school. Apparently Amelia, an excellent student plagiarized an English paper.  By the time Kate gets to school, she finds out Amelia has committed suicide and jumped off the roof of the school building.  An investigation leads to cyberbullying and hazing accusations.  Did Amelia committ suicide or not?  You'll have to read the book.....I hope it makes people think about how they treat others.

First zombie book of the summer!

I'm back .....I missed blogging.:)  Devil's Wake by Steven Barnes is my first book of the summer.    It's a good zombie thriller.
Remind me NOT to get the flu shot.  The zombie apocalypse starts with the simple, preventative shot.  As the world predictably implodes, the infected are turning into monsters.  Barnes certainly has enough gore in his descriptions for horror fans.  Kendra meets up with a motley bunch of characters.  As they drive their school bus full of supplies through the Pacific Northwest there is danger at every turn.
If you love a good zombie book, you'll have to add this to your list.

Life Happens Next

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman has always been one of my favorite books.  It's also been one of the most frustrating books.  Why?  I could never figure out if Shawn's dad killed Shawn.  The book was published in 2001 -- I've been waiting a lot of years to find out what happened!!

 

Life Happens Next does continue Shawn's story.  It is a quick, insightful read.  Like the first book you really are able to "get in the mind" of a disabled person.  If you've read the first, you definitely want to follow up with this one.  It's new in the LMC.

Pinterest

So many tools, so little time.  I'm also on Pinterest.  I've started pinning technology ideas, inspiration and lots of other "cool" library stuff.  Take a look!

Twitter

Did you think I stopped reading?  Never!!!  The thing is I've been tweeting more than blogging. Follow me 

@oshkoshwestread

11/22/63

I just finished reading all 849 pages of Stephen King's latest!!!  Was I intrigued? Yes......the idea of going back and changing history is fascinating.  The main character in 2011 is Jake Epping.  His 1958 persona is George Amberson.  Jake is shown a portal to the past in the back of an old diner.  His mission?  Try to stop President Kennedy's assassination.  I couldn't help but put myself in Jake/George's situation.  Is there anything to the butterfly theory?  Will one tiny change in one place at one time have any effect on the future?  You have to read the book to find out if George is successful.  I guarantee it will keep you reading until the end!!

My new favorite book

There have been lots and lots of new books coming in.  I wasn't able to put down  Dead To You, by Lisa McMann.
Ethan was abducted while playing in his front yard nine years ago.  As the story begins he is sixteen and has just been reunited with his family.  A lot has happened since he was seven years old.  He even has a new sister.  The family welcomes him back with open arms, all except his brother, Blake.  Blake doesn't trust him.  The entire family is trying to put their lives back together. There are many secrets buried in the past.
Did you read The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney?  This book is similar, but definitely for young adult readers.  I couldn't stop reading!

Anya's Ghost

Any book that Neil Gaiman calls "a masterpiece" is one I have to read. Neil is quoted on the front cover of this graphic novel by Vera Brosgol.

Anya is a Russian girl who desperately wants to fit in at her American high school. It's not happening. She is leaving school ---- actually skipping --- when she falls down into an abandoned well. As she lights a match to look at her surroundings she finds a skeleton. Emily tells Anya she was murdered 90 years ago and thrown down the well. She's missed out on a lot of teenage living. Emily's ghostly spirit follows Anya. At first it seems Emily has only good intentions. As she infiltrates Anya's life, her intentions are questionable. It becomes more frightening.

This slightly creepy book will have you cheering Anya on!

The Body Finder

I read this book by Kimberly Dertling over spring break and LOVED it!

The main character, Violet, has always been able to sense dead things. Usually it is an animal ---- a mouse that has been killed by her cat, or an animal from the forest surrounding her home. But now, the "pull" is more than that. At an end-0f-summer party Violet and Jay are canoeing. Violet steers the canoe into a marshy area and discovers a body. Soon there is another body and it is learned that a serial killer is at work.

It is most definitely a page-turner. Not only because you need to know how Violet is going to help resolve the murder mystery, but also because you want to know how the relationship between Jay and Violet will play out.

Rubber Houses by Ellen Yeomans

Do you like novels in verse? Do you know what a novel in verse is? It's a book -- fiction or nonfiction, written like poetry. I just did booktalks and was reminded again how much I like this style.

Rubber Houses is heartbreaking. Kit's younger brother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. How can cancer take a vibrant, baseball-loving 9 year old boy? Kit and her parents try to live without Buddy. The grieving process is shared through the seasons of baseball that Buddy loved. Sad and realistic.......hopefully you won't experience the sadness that this family does.

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Love this new book by a Wisconsin author!!! Love the genre ---- Dystopia! Love the setting --- Upper Michigan. Enough said?

As the book begins there is an EMP ---electromagnetic pulse that kills off most of the world's population. The people who remain, like the main character Alex, have greatly enhanced senses. It turns others into zombies.

Did you like Hunger Games? I bet you'll like this book.

The Glass Castle

This memoir by Jeannette Walls certainly isn't new. The copyright date is 2005. It is one of those books that I've been meaning to read for a long time. I started it last night about 7:30 and read until after midnight. I couldn't put it down.

Jeannette had a childhood unlike mine. She and her family traveled across the United States --- from the deserts of Arizona and Nevada to the mountains of West Virginia. When her dad, Rex, was sober he was a fascinating man -- a great father and teacher. But more often than not, he was drunk and out of work. Mom, Rose Mary, was an eccentric artist. She homeschooled the 4 kids.....but was really most interested in her art.

From the beginning of the book when Jeannette recounts an event when she was 3 years old, I was hooked. She was boiling hotdogs on the stove of their camper/home and she was terribly burned. The dysfunction of the family escalates....no food, terrible living conditions.....yet the kids persevered. You have to read the book!!

The Vow

I know many of you are eagerly waiting for the movie, The Vow, starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum. Here is the book that inspired the true events.

Kim and Krickitt Carpenter were married in September, 1993. Two months later on Thanksgiving weekend, a terrible car accident left both fighting for their lives. Krickett was in worse shape. A massive head injury kept her in a coma for weeks. When she finally woke up she had no idea who her husband was.

It is a tear-jerker.........

Chemical Garden Trilogy by Lauren DeStefano

Fever - Book 2 - is here!!

Book 1 ended as Rhine and Gabriel escaped the mansion. Now their story continues.

Rhine is as determined as ever to reach Manhattan and find her twin brother, but many obstacles are in the way. They are taken captive by Madame, an old woman who captures girls and sells them. Vaughn, Rhine's father-in-law, has an uncanny way of finding Rhine.

The book certainly does not resolve anything.........but you are left wondering whether Rhine will survive Vaughn's most recent experiment.

Coming Soon........

Have you noticed the Hunger Games window outside the library? Thanks to Katie for all the creative touches!!

We have several new "Hunger Games" themed books for overnight checkout. Are you hungry? Check out the Hunger Games Cookbook. In the Hunger Games Movie Companion you can see the fashions in the Capitol. Effie really does have bright pink hair. We even have a parody, Hunger Pains, for checkout.

The trivia contest is coming soon. Listen to announcements for more details. You can win movie tickets and posters.