Langley-Adams Library Recommendations

It's 2061, and a comet is about to hit Earth, wiping out the world's population and making the planet inhabitable. Only a privileged few get the opportunity to go to space and live on a new planet. Twelve-year-old Petra Peña and her family are given this rare opportunity because her parents are scientists who will be able to help make the new planet habitable for humans. The catch is that getting to the new planet, Sagan, will take 380 years, so Petra, her brother Javier, her parents, and the many other passengers on the ship will be put in a cryogenic sleep until they reach the new planet.  When Petra wakes up, she realizes something is wrong immediately. Instead of waking up and seeing her family, she realizes that everyone on the ship is now brainwashed. Her family is gone and the ship is now ruled by The Collective, which is determined to erase all information about and artifacts from Earth. Petra is the only one who remembers Earth and the stories her grandmother told her....

When Claire Kovalik and her crew intercept a distress call at the edge of known space, the message leads them to a luxury cruiser, the Aurora, which had been lost for decades. Eager to claim the wreck and cash in on their find, the team boards the vessel only to encounter a horrific scene of mayhem and death. Dead Silence kept me entertained from the very beginning as I was determined to learn what happened to Claire and her crew aboard the Aurora, and what caused the violent scene they encountered.  Not only was this book a real page turner, it also tackled topics including corporate greed, mental illness, and how people deal with stressful/traumatizing experiences. S.A. Barnes did a great job developing her characters, particularly the main character Claire Kovalik, whose experiences at a Mars colony as a child directly influence how she handles the situations she finds herself in throughout the book. I highly recommend this book for any fan of either science fiction or horror as...

"One October morning, Laina gets the news that her brother was shot and killed by Boston cops. But what looks like a case of police brutality soon reveals something much stranger. Monsters are real. And they want everyone to know it. As creatures from myth and legend come out of the shadows, seeking safety through visibility, their emergence sets off a chain of seemingly unrelated events. Members of a local werewolf pack are threatened into silence. A professor follows a missing friend’s trail of bread crumbs to a mysterious secret society. And a young boy with unique abilities seeks refuge in a pro-monster organization with secrets of its own. Meanwhile, more people start disappearing, suicides and hate crimes increase, and protests erupt globally, both for and against the monsters. At the center is a mystery no one thinks to ask: Why now? What has frightened the monsters out of the dark? The world will soon find out." (goodreads.com) No Gods, No Monsters  is a weird book. H...

  Lost Stars by Claudia Gray is a coming of age story of love and war. This young adult Star Wars novel starts off eleven years before the events of A New Hope, when the two main characters, Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree, meet for the first time at a ceremony being held by the Galactic Empire on their home planet. The two of them quickly become friends, and, later on, join the imperial academy on Couruscant. After both of them gain a substantial amount of experience fighting for the Empire in the actual Galactic Civil War, Thane eventually realizes that he disagrees with the Empire’s ways so much so that he would rather be on the other side of the war, the Rebel Alliance. Thane joins the rebellion and continues to fight in the war despite Ciena still being on the opposite side. The book follows Thane and Ciena until after the events of Return of the Jedi. As an experienced storyteller, and someone who has gained a positive reputation among hardcore Star Wars fans, Claudia Gray unde...

" In Garner County, girls are told they have the power to lure grown men from their beds, to drive women mad with jealousy. They believe their very skin emits a powerful aphrodisiac, the potent essence of youth, of a girl on the edge of womanhood. That’s why they’re banished for their sixteenth year, to release their magic into the wild so they can return purified and ready for marriage. But not all of them will make it home alive. Sixteen-year-old Tierney James dreams of a better life—a society that doesn’t pit friend against friend or woman against woman, but as her own grace year draws near, she quickly realizes that it’s not just the brutal elements they must fear. It’s not even the poachers in the woods, men who are waiting for a chance to grab one of the girls in order to make a fortune on the black market. Their greatest threat may very well be each other." (Goodreads.com) The Grace Year is a story that makes you roll your eyes at the ridiculous traditions and stereot...

" Klara and the Sun , the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her. Klara and the Sun  is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?" (Goodreads.com) There are a lot of sci-fi robot stories out there but I'm sure they're not as wholesome as this one. Klara truly just wants the best for those around her and to understand her world. She observes many instances throughout the story that allow the reader to examine scenarios including faith, love, social standing, loneliness and more with fresh eyes. Ishiguro leave...

" S.T., a domesticated crow, is a bird of simple pleasures: hanging out with his owner Big Jim, trading insults with Seattle's wild crows (those idiots), and enjoying the finest food humankind has to offer: Cheetos ®. Then Big Jim's eyeball falls out of his head, and S.T. starts to feel like something isn't quite right. His most tried-and-true remedies--from beak-delivered beer to the slobbering affection of Big Jim's loyal but dim-witted dog, Dennis--fail to cure Big Jim's debilitating malady. S.T. is left with no choice but to abandon his old life and venture out into a wild and frightening new world with his trusty steed Dennis, where he discovers that the neighbors are devouring each other and the local wildlife is abuzz with rumors of dangerous new predators roaming Seattle. Humanity's extinction has seemingly arrived, and the only one determined to save it is a foul-mouthed crow whose knowledge of the world around him comes from his TV-watching educat...

"On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident." (IMDB.com) I stumbled upon the film "Another Earth" after looking for movies that starred the writer/actress/storyteller Brit Marling. When Netflix cancelled Marling's TV series The OA, which I highly recommend, I decided I needed more of this fantastic person in my life. After looking past the shaky homemade early 2010s movie style, this science fiction movie asks us to wonder what would happen if suddenly everyone was aware of the existence of  a parallel universe. And if there was another Earth, would you being willing to travel there? That all depends on your point of view and it's mostly certainly never the same answer for everyone. Marling's characters reasoning for why she would go is deeply moving, despite the tragic reasons she ended up in her situation. I would definitely recommen...

" Memory makes reality.   That’s what New York City cop Barry Sutton is learning as he investigates the devastating phenomenon the media has dubbed False Memory Syndrome—a mysterious affliction that drives its victims mad with memories of a life they never lived.  That's what neuroscientist Helena Smith believes. It’s why she’s dedicated her life to creating a technology that will let us preserve our most precious memories. If she succeeds, anyone will be able to re-experience a first kiss, the birth of a child, the final moment with a dying parent.  As Barry searches for the truth, he comes face-to-face with an opponent more terrifying than any disease—a force that attacks not just our minds but the very fabric of the past. And as its effects begin to unmake the world as we know it, only he and Helena, working together, will stand a chance at defeating it. But how can they make a stand when reality itself is shifting and crumbling all around them?" (Goodreads.com) Blak...

"In the early hours after Halloween of 1988, four 12-year-old newspaper delivery girls uncover the most important story of all time. Suburban drama and otherworldly mysteries collide in this critically acclaimed story about nostalgia, first jobs, and the last days of childhood."* This graphic novel series has it all, amazing artwork, cool characters and an interesting story line. I really enjoyed it because this group of girls unexpectedly comes together to go on the adventure of a lifetime, that none of them had ever expected. There are currently five volumes in this series with more to come. Kelsey Fitzgerald Library Assistant Available  at the Langley Adams Library *Paper Girls - Goodreads

"Westworld isn't your typical amusement park. Intended for rich vacationers, the futuristic park -- which is looked after by robotic "hosts" -- allows its visitors to live out their fantasies through artificial consciousness. No matter how illicit the fantasy may be, there are no consequences for the  park's guests, allowing for any wish to be indulged. "Westworld" -- which is based on the 1973 Michael Crichton movie of the same name -- features an all-star cast that includes Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins and Golden Globe winner Ed Harris." (Google) If you haven't heard of Westworld it is a must see for those who are into the sci-fi and fantasy genres. It does an amazing job of keeping you guessing because in Westworld things aren't always what they seem. The season is only 10 episodes but the writers pack a lot of information into them. No episode is wasted trying to help the story line along. Westworld deals with themes of blurred rea...

"Based on the best-selling novel by Margaret Atwood, this series is set in Gilead, a totalitarian society in what used to be part of the United States. Gilead is ruled by a fundamentalist regime that treats women as property of the state, and is faced with environmental disasters and a plummeting bir th rate. In a desperate attempt to repopulate a devastated world, the few remaining fertile women are forced into sexual servitude. One of these women, Offred, is determined to survive the terrifying world she lives in, and find the daughter that was taken from her."(Google.com) If you haven't read the novel, Season 1 stays true to the original book with Season 2 expanding the universe that Margaret Atwood built. This is a story of love and survival that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Even though there are times I wish it wasn't relevant, it becomes even more compelling because of current events. Kelsey Fitzgerald Library Assistant Seasons 1 & 2 Availabl...

"In  The Power  the world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian kid who lounges around the family pool; a foster girl whose religious parents hide their true nature; a local American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But something vital has changed, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power - they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world changes utterly."* When I started reading this book I thought it would be more fast paced but I'm glad it wasn't because of the attention to detail put into all the character's stories. This was a deeply  interesting read when you consider all the what ifs that the book's story poses especially in a world were women continue to fight for equal rights everyday. If you are a fan of Margaret Atwood, author of the Handmaid's Tale, I would recommend this to you since she mentored the ...

Girls with Sharp Sticks  takes place at Innovations Academy, a private high school where the students, all girls, are trained to be perfect, beautiful, obedient, and to defer to men. If they “act out” they know that they will receive impulse control therapy, and that will fix them.  Philomena is a student at Innovations Academy. She is well-adjusted, loves her friends, and trusts in the academy’s mission. But after a field trip where she ends up with an injury at the hand of the students’ Guardian, she starts to question whether the academy’s mission is really the right thing. Mena starts to notice strange, scary, things about her school. She starts to notice how important it is to the men running the place that women be controlled. She starts to notice that she hasn’t been able to get in touch with her parents since starting at Innovations Academy.  As she and her friends start to put pieces of the truth together, life at the academy becomes more and more dangerous. Bu...

“Are you happy with your life?”    Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.   Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.  Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.”   In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His   wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.  Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.* ...

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...

The book follows a team of four women (a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor) who set out into an area known as Area X. The area is abandoned and cut off from the rest of civilization. They are the 12th expedition. The other expeditions have been fraught with disappearances, suicides, aggressive cancers, and mental trauma. This is the first book of the Southern Reach trilogy and won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2014.* This is the most original science fiction book I have read this year. It is a thrilling book that borders on horror at times. VanderMeer’s writing is very descriptive with small details that really matter. The book also delivers a cast of complex female characters that are good, bad and everything in between. The story will keep you guessing until the very end. Kelsey Fitzgerald Library Assistant Available on Libby in  eBook  and  audio book  format. *Annihilation (VanderMeer Novel) - Wikipedia