Langley-Adams Library Recommendations

" For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today.  The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k  is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—"not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Manson advises us to get to...

" Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out. Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack." (Goodreads.com) Dear Martin  by Nic Stone is worth the read. It sucks you in and you want to read it in one sitting. It does a great job at mirroring current events and the struggles that teens have dealing with double standards. Meghan McCabe Childr...

Given (Series)   by Natsuki Kizu Genre: LBGTQ+ Romance The Given manga series  is a beautifully illustrated story about LGBTQ+ youth creating music, trying to figure out their feelings, and processing grief. I don't really read manga or watch anime but this series really drew me in. It was refreshing to not have a coming out story as the main focus. Blue Flag  (Series)   by Kaito Genre: LBGTQ+ Romance Blue Flag  is a manga series demonstrates the struggles of teen friendships, unrequited love, and figuring out one's path in life. It does a good job at addressing difficult topics in the true, self-conscious voice of teens. Our Dining Table  by Ori Mita Genre: LBGTQ+ Romance Our Dining Table  was a cute story about found families, food, and a little romance. I really enjoyed this manga. The illustrations were great, and the story was very sweet. It's a standalone manga with a satisfying ending. Be still my heart!​ Blue Period  (Series)   by Tsu...

" Nunchi  ( noon -chee):  eye measure. The subtle art of gauging other people's thoughts, and feelings in order to build trust, harmony and connection. Why did  she  get promoted? Why does the party only start when  he  walks in? And why do  they  always catch the bartender’s eye?  It sounds like they’re all experts in the art of  nunchi , even if they don’t know it. Nunchi  is the guiding principle of Korean life, but anyone can use it: it’s the art of reading a room, your way of understanding what other people are thinking and feeling, and using that to get ahead. Korean parents believe that teaching their children  nunchi  is as important as teaching them to cross the road safely. With great  nunchi , it feels like the world is on your side. Without it, you might get hit by something you never saw coming. If you’re thinking ‘not another Eastern fad, Marie Kondo already made me throw half my clothes away’, don’t wor...

" 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...

"I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one's self on this earth is not a hardship, but a pastime, if we will live simply and wisely." So said Henry David Thoreau in 1845 when he began his famous experiment in living on Walden Pond. In this graphic masterpiece, John Porcellino uses only the words of Thoreau himself to tell the story of those two years off the beaten track. The pared-down text focuses on Thoreau's most profound ideas, and Porcellino's fresh, simple pictures bring the philosopher's sojourn at Walden to cinematic life. For readers who know  Walden  intimately, this graphic treatment will provide a vivid new interpretation of Thoreau's story. For those who have never read (or never completed!) the original, it presents a contemporary look at a few brave words to live by." (Goodreads.com) Thoreau at Walden  was a helpful graphic novel to pair with the full text version of Walden and Civil Disobedience. Its simplisti...

"Henry David Thoreau was a sturdy individualist and a lover of nature. In March, 1845, he built himself a wooden hut on the edge of Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts, where he lived until September 1847.  Walden  is Thoreaus autobiograophical account of his Robinson Crusoe existence, bare of creature comforts but rich in contemplation of the wonders of nature and the ways of man.  On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience  is the classic protest against government's interference with individual liberty, and is considered one of the most famous essays ever written." (Goodreads.com) Walden and Civil Disobedience   has been sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time waiting to be read. I decided to listen to the audio book which helped me get into the text. While it isn't a gripping read, I thought it was an interesting account of one man's personal experience. It's also a resource to look at the natural and political world of New England in the mid- 1800s. I rec...