Books recently received.
Some Kind of Normal, by Juliana Stone
Grieving musician is tutored by pastor's-daughter-with-a-secret. This might be JUST THE THING to read during tomorrow's blizzard. (Yes, BLIZZARD. Yes, ANOTHER ONE.)
Dove Arising, by Karen Bao
THIS BOOK IS SET ON THE MOON. I APPROVE OF BOOKS SET ON THE MOON. Heroine Phaet Theta works in a greenhouse and keeps herself to herself. But when her mother is arrested, she has to join the Moon Militia (MOON MILITIA) to keep her younger siblings from being relocated into the local poverty district. Sounds like it'll be an easy pick for the Divergent crowd, and DID I MENTION IT'S SET ON THE MOON?
Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story, by David Levithan
I appear to be one of the few people out there who has still not read Will Grayson, Will Grayson. This is the story of Tiny Cooper—a character from Will Grayson, Will Grayson—told in musical form.
This Side of Home, by Renee Watson
Back in November, I said this about the advance review copy: Ethnic and cultural identity, gentrification, friendship and college and a pair of close-knit twins beginning to explore life apart from each other. HOLY COW, GET IN MY EYEBALLS RIGHT NOW. I am sad to say that it did NOT get in my eyeballs when I asked it to, but I'm thinking that this weekend IS THE WEEKEND to get caught up.
Prince of Shadows, by Rachel Caine
A retelling of Romeo and Juliet that focuses on Benvolio... who is secretly a THIEF.
The Gnome Project, by Jessica Peill-Meininghaus
A memoir about making a gnome a day for a year. Yes, there are gnome-making instructions. Am I going to make the hell out of a gnome? YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE IT, BUDDY.
Apple and Rain, by Sarah Crossan
Apple's mother comes home after abandoning the family eleven years ago... with another daughter in tow. Man, if I read all of the books I want to this weekend...
Chaos, by Lanie Bross
Sequel to Fates. I was only iffy on Fates, so I won't be jumping on it immediately... but I have a couple of patrons who'll be ALL OVER IT. So that's good.
A Love Like Blood, by Marcus Sedgwick
Sedgwick's first adult-market book. IT'S ABOUT VAMPIRES. VAMPIRES IN THE 1950s.
The Agency: Rivals in the City, by Y. S. Lee
I ILLED THE FIRST THREE IN THE SERIES SO I CAN RE-READ/CATCH UP/SQUEE ALL OVER AGAIN. I LOVE THESE BOOKS.
The Notorious Pagan Jones, by Nina Berry
Set in 1960. A starlet kills her whole family while driving drunk, and ends up in a reformatory. Her former agent shows up and says he can get her sprung if she agrees to star in a new comedy being shot in West Berlin... and to travel with a handsome-but-possibly-untrustworthy court-appointed 'guardian'. It sounds like there's a LOT going on in this one, and I am most definitely INTRIGUED.
The Last Good Day of the Year, by Jessica Warman
Ten years ago, Samantha's sister was kidnapped and murdered. Samantha identified the killer, and he was sent to prison. Now, she has returned to her childhood home, and suddenly, memories have started to resurface... memories that suggest that the wrong man may have been arrested. OOOOOOOOooooooo, thriller-y! Fingers crossed that it'll be an April Henry readalike, because it's always good to have more of those around.
The Invention of Fire, by Bruce Holsinger
Mystery set in medieval London starring a poet with failing vision. Sixteen people are dead, and the weapon is one never seen before now: handgonnes. APPARENTLY GEOFFREY CHAUCER SHOWS UP.
Trigger Warning, by Neil Gaiman
Short stories and poetry, mostly previously published—like that fiftieth anniversary Doctor Who story and "A Case of Death and Honey", which appeared in A Study in Sherlock—and also an entirely NEW story set in the American Gods world. I've always enjoyed his short pieces—I love how he switches up genres and formats and voices so often and so successfully—so I'm looking forward to reading this.
Bet Your Life, by Jane Casey
Second in the Jess Tennant series, about a girl who lives in a small town on the English coast. A boy is found with a head injury, and while Jess isn't his biggest fan, when the police don't seem interested in finding the perpetrator(s), she begins an investigation. As I have a hard time starting mystery series partway through, I just went ahead and bought the first one. THIS IS WHY I'M ALWAYS BROKE.
The Six, by Mark Alpert
An artificial intelligence program goes rogue and is determined to take over the world. The hero—who has muscular dystrophy—and five other teens sacrifice their bodies and upload their minds into robots to fight it. The pub info calls it Avatar meets The Terminator, but I'm hoping for Voltron.
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