Langley-Adams Library Recommendations

Demigods and monsters and quests, oh my! I loved the first Percy Jackson series, ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ . I recommend it to everyone. It has great character development, fun adventures, and cool Greek mythology twists. When I heard that there was another series I was more then ready to join Percy and his crew on their new adventure. The first book in the ‘Heroes of Olympus’ series doesn’t start with the characters we already know and love, but introduces the reader to three new characters: Jason, Piper, and Leo. Each has their own secret they carry, and it’s exciting to see how each one unfolds. The reader gets a short stop at Camp Half-Blood, but as soon as they arrive they are sent on a quest. In true demigod fashion. The book draws you in much like the first series and your on the edge of your seat asking yourself: How will they save the world, again!? Wait, there are demigods who don’t live at Camp Half-Blood? Can the monsters get any worse? I’m excited to see wh...

A couple of years ago the buzz word seemed to be happiness. How does one find it, or even feel it? Meik Wiking, the CEO of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, took on the task of trying to explain happiness through a Danish perspective in his books ‘Hygge’ and ‘Lykke’ . I chose to listen to the audiobooks, read by Wiking himself. It was a quick listen. It wasn’t bogged down by too much jargon or dense facts. It was explained in a simple down to earth way, helping the listener to realize that by taking simple steps happiness can be easily  achieved. Wiking’s personality definitely comes out in both books. It was like listening to a friend talk about his passions. To me, it doesn’t matter the order in which you read or listen to these books. I started with ‘Lykke’ and then moved on to ‘Hygge’ . They both gave good reminders to be mindful and present in our everyday lives. I recommend you read these two books if you want to bring a little happiness into your lif...

‘Call Me by Your Name’ is about a romance that grows between a seventeen year-old boy and an older man that his father highered as a research assistant in 1980s Italy. Let me paint a picture for you. It was a cold winter day. The wind was blowing and the snow was whipping against my window. I was getting settled in with a warm blanket, about to watch a movie, when suddenly the power went out. While the sounds of my neighbours generators revved up I sat in despair, not having one of my own, and knew it was going to be a long day. I lit the stove, made some tea, put on all of my warm clothes, and settled in on the couch. Reading a book seemed like the best remedy to my predicament. As my fingers got colder, I put on gloves. As the day grew darker, I lit some candles. When the candles weren’t enough, I got my flashlight. I devoured the book. By the end of the freezing day I had four pages left. I decided to save them for the next day. Not only did I need to sleep, but I also nee...

The Raging Ones has three points of view: Franny, Court, and Mykal. They live in a world where everyone knows the day that they will die. To not die on the day determined for you is unheard of, but somehow all three of them dodge their deathdays. As each one of them dodges their deathday, they find themselves mentally (and somewhat physically) linked to each other. For better or worse, they can feel what the other two feel. Dodging their death days puts them in danger, so they all work together toward a particular goal: Getting away from their planet so no one discovers their secret. Between the world-building and the writing, you will have a difficult time waiting for the next book in this duology, which comes out in August 2019! Darcy Lepore Library Director Available at the Langley Adams Library

The Boston Girl is "[a] novel about family ties and values, friendship and feminism told through the eyes of a young Jewish woman growing up in Boston in the early twentieth century."* What initially drew me to this book was its setting in Boston and other North Shore towns. I like reading about places I've visited before and getting a chance to see them through other people's eyes. Diamant's writing easily pulls the reader in. I couldn't put the book down. I really enjoyed reading from the perspective of the main character Addie Baum. Seeing how she found her place in the world mirrors my own journey of searching for knowledge and purpose. In the book Addie became a Simmons College student. This connected me to the text immediately, being a Simmons Alumnae myself. Without giving away the story, I enjoyed the twists and turns that Addie experienced growing up as a woman in the early 1900s. I recommend that you read this book if you like strong female char...

Orphan Black follows an outsider and orphan named Sarah. After witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks identical to her, Sarah assumes the stranger's identity. Expecting to solve her problems by cleaning out the dead woman's savings, Sarah is instead thrust into a mystery when she realizes the dizzying truth that she and the dead woman are clones. While searching for answers, she discovers the chilling fact that there are more people like her out there. With no idea who created the clones she'll need to discover the reason in a hurry as an assassin is killing them one by one.* This show is a science fiction thriller that is fast paced and addictive, by the end of the first episode I was hooked. The lead actress plays multiple complex roles in the show so well that you forget that it is one person. Although it deals with topics such as personal identity, cloning, and morality it also has funny and heartwarming moments. With so many characters there will be at least on...

“For four young immigrant women living in Boston’s North End in the early 1900s, escaping tradition doesn’t come easy. But at least they have one another and the Saturday Evening Girls Club, a social pottery-making group offering respite from their hectic home lives—and hope for a better future. Ambitious Caprice dreams of opening her own hat shop, which clashes with the expectations of her Sicilian-born parents. Brilliant Ada secretly takes college classes despite the disapproval of her Russian Jewish father. Stunning Maria could marry anyone yet guards her heart to avoid the fate of her Italian Catholic mother, broken down by an alcoholic husband. And shy Thea is torn between asserting herself and embracing an antiquated Jewish tradition. The friends face family clashes and romantic entanglements, career struggles and cultural prejudice. But through their unfailing bond, forged through their weekly gathering, they’ll draw strength—and the courage to transform their immigrant stories ...