Langley-Adams Library Recommendations

The story, “Catching Fire” by Suzanne Collins is the second of a three book series, in which the two main characters Katniss and Peeta safely return home, now rich, after their victory of the 74 th annual hunger games. However President Snow pays them a visit, expressing his concerns about Peeta and Katniss’s threat of suicide, may spark an uprising in the Districts.  I recommend this story because I feel it is a very intriguing continuation of the first book. There are rumors about a possible rebellion against the capitol, that Katniss and Peeta may have had a part in developing it. This story has lots of action to keep the reader wanting to come back to find out what happens next. Jenna Krisiak Library Volunteer Available at the Langley Adams Library

"Set in 1935 when the Englishwoman Louisa Durrell, whose life had fallen apart, decided to move from Bournemouth to the Greek island of Corfu. Her husband had died some years earlier and she has financial problems, when she suddenly announces that she and her four children will move to the island and a Homeric battle ensues as the family adapt to life on the island, especially when they discover that Corfu does not even have electricity at that time. But it is cheap, an earthly paradise and the Durrell family make the big step that will change their lives."* This TV Series is based on the The Corfu Trilogy by Gerald Durrell. It was very easy to get invested in this show between the beautiful scenery, variety of animals and the antics of the main characters. The Durrell family is quite the dysfunctional one, with each child always getting into something and Mrs. Durrell learning how to appreciate life again. I enjoyed getting to see the family grow from being in this new en...

Alice’s grandmother, Althea Proserpine, is an author with a cult following. A long time ago she wrote a book of dark fairy tales called  Tales from the Hinterland . As long as Alice can remember she and her mom, Ella, have been on the run because of her grandmother’s weird cult following. Once, Alice was even kidnapped by one of her grandmother’s supposed fans. But now that Althea has died, Alice and her mom have settled into a life in New York City with Ella’s rich new husband Harold and Harold’s daughter, Audrey. But then weird things start happening. Alice starts experiencing inexpiable things, including seeing the guy who kidnapped her when she was really young. And then her mom disappears. Scared and turned out from her home, she turns to the only person her age she knows who might be able to help her – a classmate of hers, Ellery Finch, one of Althea’s fans. Together, they start making their way to Althea’s estate, The Hazel Wood. It’s the only place Alice can think of where...

"Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn't seen or heard from in 20 years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye. Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce's remarkable debut. Harold Fry is determined to walk 600 miles from Kingsbridge to the hospice in Berwick-upon-Tweed because, he believes, as long as he walks, Queenie Hennessey will live."* I actually stumbled...

Book 1:  The Diviners Book 2:  Lair of Dreams Book 3:  Before the Devil Breaks You In 1926, Evie O’Neill is sent to live in New York City with her bachelor, supernatural-obsessed uncle Will. Evie is excited – New York is everything that her home in Ohio is not. It’s glittering, there are speakeasies, and there’s the opportunity for Evie to make a big name for herself. But Evie has a secret. When she picks up an object, she can  read  it. She can see into the history of its owner and learn that person’s secrets. But she’s been doing her best to hide this ability from people. After all, it’s what got her in trouble and sent to New York in the first place. But soon after she arrives, people start dying in mysterious ways, and Evie fears she may be one of the only ones who can help.    Throughout the series, she also makes friends with a great, diverse cast of characters. Mabel, Sam, Jericho, Memphis, Theta, Henry, and Ling. Each of these characters...

I recommend the book"Finding Dorothy" by Elizabeth Letts. Inspired by the iconic film "The Wizard of Oz", Elizabeth Letts has written a captivating historical fiction about the Oz author L. Frank Baum's wife, Maud. Set in 1939, the story opens with L. Frank Baum's widow getting onto the MGM lot where the studio is in the midst of filming "The Wizard of Oz". While listening to Judy (Garland) practice "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"(noting that there is NO mention of a rainbow in any of Frank's books), Maud's memories of their years of before Oz are triggered.  Letts successfully alternates between Maud's past and the present (1939).   Based on fact, Letts masterfully shares how Maud grew up the rebellious daughter of leading suffragette Matilda Josyln Gage (best friends with Susan B. Anthony) in Fayetteville, New York and attended Cornell University-before marrying L. Frank Baum. Knowing Baum's widow did meet Judy Garland a...

Jasmine and Chelsea are best friends who attend a progressive New York City high school that preaches and values social justice. But that doesn’t meant that there isn’t work to be done there. Jasmine encounters microaggressions as a black female student, and Chelsea encounters sexual harassment that the boys at her school get away with. And Jasmine and Chelsea have had enough! They decide to start a club called  Write Like a Girl , where they can post online and raise awareness about feminist issues at their school, in their community, and in society in general. But when their blog becomes the target of trolls, their principal threatens to shut down their club. I loved this book because it looks at feminist issues through an inter sectional lens. So much of feminist history erases what black women have encountered and still encounter in society throughout their lives. But this book brings it many feminist issues together, which is the way it should be. Renee Watson’s chapters...

A Star Is Born starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, follows Jackson Maine (Cooper) and Ally (Gaga). Throughout the movie, the audience follows the musician duo as Jackson progresses further into drug addiction and alcoholism, and Ally rises into stardom as a musician more popular than ever before. Obviously, Jackson and Ally fall in love. The music, acting, and cinematography that exist throughout the movie feels very authentic. Lady Gaga has stated many times that her most major strategy as an actress is not to fake it; whenever she says that, she explains what she means by saying that when acting, it’s always best to put yourself in the character’s position by feeling what they feel, rather than thinking about what they feel. I find it amazing for her to have discovered this philosophy as someone who hasn’t acted in a feature film before A Star Is Born. In addition to Gaga becoming an actress in her first feature film, Bradley Cooper was able to become a musician for the first ...

“In this graphic memoir, Alison Bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her late father.”* I received this graphic memoir in a book swap. The art was very intricate. It was interesting to see a personal story told in this fashion. Bechdel has a very vivid memory of her life growing up. I wasn’t really into this memoir. Since it was so dense with text and information it took longer to read. There were a lot of words that most people, myself included, would have to pull out a dictionary often to understand. No room for “lazy” reading. It felt very academic to me. This closely mirrors Bechdel’s interactions with her father, so maybe it was written this way on purpose. Overall, it wasn’t my cup of tea. I recommend you read this if you like coming of age LGBTQ+ characters, graphic memoirs, and stories of family dynamics. Meghan McCabe Youth Service Librarian Available through the MVLC Catalog *Goodreads.com