Staff Picks: Soul Searching by Sarah Stillman

Every once in a while, I pick up a non-fiction book and leaf through its Table of Contents to see if there is anything I might be interested in… Soul Searching  had so many chapter titles I liked, that I HAD to check it out and read it. From yoga to feng shui, aromatherapy to color therapy, safe cell phone usage to cyberbullying –  this book covers a multitude of what I think of as modern day coping skills. And I believe the more coping skills you have in your arsenal  the better you are able to handle any situation that comes up in life. And who doesn’t want that? Even if you don’t want to read the whole book, pick it up and glance at the chapters that DO interest you. You never know what you might learn.

Staff Picks: Rootless by Chris Howard

I picked up Rootless because the summary mentioned a future with no trees and a young man building “trees” for rich people out of metal and plastic. Environmental apocalypse and a protagonist artist building “trees” for those that oppress him? Yes please! Sadly, as I am often too impulsive with books, I did not check to see if the book was a “stand alone” or part of a series. Oops!  Read More..

Staff Picks: My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

I never would have picked this up if it hadn’t gotten a lot of buzz for being on three YALSA award lists: Alex Award, Quick Picks for Young Adults, and Great Graphic Novels. I’m very glad I did.

My Friend Dahmer is a terrible, dark story, and is even more horrifying because it is so accessible, even familiar, to those who grew up in a small town with one weird kid in your class. Read More..

Staff Picks: The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

I’m a HUGE Artemis Fowl and Airman fan, so when I ran across another book by Eoin Colfer… excitement! This book is about the battle for a soul. The soul belongs to 14 year old Meg Finn who has had a rough life and an even rougher death. As her soul moves from the mortal realm, Meg is surprised to find that she is perfectly balanced between good and evil and therefore, must go back. Her task is to help the man she was attempting to rob when she died unexpectedly. He has a wish list that she must help him fulfill if she has any hope of escaping Hell.  Read More..

Staff Picks: “Vessel” by Sarah Beth Durst

From the very beginning I was swept up in the desert sandstorm that is Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst. I anticipated enjoying this book, but I fell in LOVE. The unique setting, the fantastic characters, the overarching themes of faith and perseverance…it hit all of my sweet spots as a reader.

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How would you feel if caffeine was banned?

That was what initially hooked me into this series. Caffeine banned? I can’t imagine a morning without my regular cup of coffee or being able to treat myself to a Christopher Elbow chocolate at Au Marche. Have you seen them? Tiny pieces of delicious art! But I digress. All These Things I’ve Done is a mobster/love story set in a future where caffeine has been banned in the US. Like Prohibition in the 20′s, the masses will not be denied and crime bosses are made out of families that once were respectable chocolate business owners.

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Staff Picks: “Splintered” by A. G. Howard

I’ve always been intrigued by idea of falling down a rabbit hole to discover an otherworldly realm full of magical creatures, so I was excited to read Splintered by A. G. Howard, an updated re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland.

Alyssa is a skateboarding artist who makes murals out of dead bugs she captures herself. She hears the voices of flowers. She is also the descendant of Alice Liddell, the little girl who inspired Lewis Carroll’s original Alice in Wonderland. Read More..

Staff Pick: Fashion Plates!

I saw this book sitting on the adult new book shelf and immediately picked it up. I’m not artistically inclined, but I love looking at fashion drawings, especially if they are period dresses. If you have an artistic flair, How to Draw and Paint Fashion and Costume Design will give you step by step instructions for fashion styles from the 1920′s through the 1960s, and even some period costume ideas. This book could easily fit into the young adult collection, by why not explore the adult shelves as well? Of course, it’s checked out now, but put yourself on hold and you’re sure to get it soon after we open in our temporary space at 700 New Hampshire.

Staff Picks: A Fantastical Take on the Dust Bowl of the 1930s

Dust Girl is quite the fantastic journey. It centers around Callie who has grown up with an overprotective and somewhat mentally disabled mother. They run the only bed in breakfast in a small Kansas town that has been plagued by the dust storms of the 1930′s. During the worst storm, Callie’s mother disappears and out of the dust emerges a being who tells Callie she’s not quite human. Read More..

God is a teenaged boy?

What if Earth was ruled by a young being named Bob? And, what would happen to the world if he kept crushing on one Earth girl after another? Floods and droughts within the same week? Meg Rosoff posits just this type of world in her book, There is no Dog.  Read More..