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Showing posts from January, 2022

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow

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In this alternate, fantastical history, witches are real. Or, they were real. Now, women's ability to do witching has been made illegal for women. While women can do magic, it is frowned upon, and the only thing they are allowed to do is little charms to help themselves with "women's" or household work. In 1893, James Juniper is on the run and ends up in New Salem, where her estranged sisters Beatrice Belladona and Agnes Amaranth reside (and yes, there is a reason for those names!). She soon finds a purpose and joins the local women's rights movement - first interested in women's suffrage, but wanting  more . She wants to bring witching back. Agnes finds herself pregnant and is first hesitant to join the movement her sister wants to create in case she puts her baby in danger. Beatrice is an assistant librarian at the New Salem College, but has secretly been delving into research about women's witching, and how to bring it back. Juniper's sisters end up...

Me (Moth) by Amber McBride

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Me (Moth) is a beautifully written book that flows so elegantly. Amber McBride grabs your attention straight away from the first page through the end, tugging at all your feelings throughout the whole book. This petite book is a great example of a novel-in-verse and Amber McBride is a virtuoso at it. Even if you are not into poetry or written verse, this would be a great way to test it out, and the story won't fail to keep you engrossed. Me (Moth) follows two teens learning about life, love, death, racism and their history. I don't want to spoil anything more from this masterwork, or give away any of its secrets, but it's definitely a must-read and you won't regret picking it up. Sherry Sabins Library Assistant This book is available at the Langley-Adams Library, as well as other libraries in the MVLC. If you enjoyed this book, you might also like:

The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2) by Richard Osman

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The Man Who Died Twice is the second offering from British comedian Richard Osman, and if you haven’t already read his first book, The Thursday Murder Club , stop what you’re doing and get it now. Seriously. It’s that good.   This second book picks up a week after the first one ends and brings back all of the best characters from the first book. The group of four septuagenarians, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim, set off to solve their next mystery after Elizabeth receives a letter from a new resident at Cooper’s Chase retirement community with whom she shares a bit of history. Osman’s talent at combining humor and the quaintness of a retirement community in the English countryside with more “gritty” topics like murder, drug dealing, jewel theft, and the mafia really shines in this novel, and you can really tell that he enjoys writing these characters as much as the readers love reading them. Matthew McNichol Library Assistant This book is available in regular and large print...

The Last Season by Jenny Judson & Danielle Mahfood

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I was fortunate enough to have been invited to a zoom program with these two new authors. Their book caught my interest thus I checked our library’s copy out. On the night of their program, I had read the first 5 chapters. Needless to say, I was hooked! While listening to Jenny and Danielle, it made sense that these two women are huge fans of Jane Austen-Pride & Prejudice being their favorite!     So…with this said, if you enjoy historical fictions, Downton Abbey and are a fan of Jane Austen novels/movies, “The Last Season” is for you!        Well to do Cassandra Drayton first met Crispin St. John when they were adolescents. At that time, Crispin was working as her father’s stable boy. A friendship forms between them only to be forbidden when discovered by Cassandra’s father. Crispin is sent packing and ends up traveling to India while Cassie is locked in her father’s world. Years later, they meet up again.       Have their circ...