Tag: recommendations

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Recommendations Staff Book Reviews

Leah Recommends Award-Winning Young Adult Fiction

by Associate Librarian Leah Boyden

Earlier this year I took a course on engaging teens within libraries. As a lover and reader of young adult material and former middle school teacher, this task was right up my alley. A former student of mine encouraged me to write a blog post for the library and because of their encouragement I signed up!

The major assignment of the course was a reading project that involved reading, rating, and critiquing twenty-two young adult texts from various award-winning lists and differing criteria. Formats included physical books, audiobooks, graphic novels, and more. Our professor outlined certain criteria we had to meet, with some free choice aspects as well. The award-winning lists and criteria list from the assignment are listed at the end of this post.

While this assignment was lengthy and involved procrastination on my end, I loved it. It pushed me to read out of my comfort zone and explore new genres. I read my first ever graphic novel because of this assignment! It also gave me personal recommendations that I have suggested to teen patrons, teen volunteers, and some of my coworkers in the library. This project has sparked a lot of good (and fun) conversations. Instead of sharing my entire seventeen-page paper with you, I will share my top read from this assignment. This book ended up being one of my top favorite reads of 2024. 

The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho, New York, Harper Teen, 2022, 448 pages | Book | Libby Audiobook

Personal rating: 5/5    

Recommended age range of teen reader: 14+

Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Literature Awards Young Adult category

Summary

This novel is rich in content and discusses mental health, suicide, racism, family, cultural expectations, personal narratives, stereotypes, high school, and more. May (Maybelline) is a Chinese Taiwanese American high school student. She faces many challenges in her life, especially after her brother dies by suicide. This is a story of owning your narrative and speaking your truth. 

Critical Evaluation

This is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. I am still in awe of this writing and this story months after reading it. I have recommended this book to so many people and have looked for other works by this author as well. The way the author portrays the heartbreak and emotions in this story is so raw. I felt like I lost Danny. I felt like I was in high school again and could hear myself at the train tracks with May. This award is meant to highlight the experiences and cultures of Asian and Pacific Americans and this book is the rightful recipient. This book has so many strengths, as I have mentioned. I think this book would appeal to teens for many reasons – content, relatability, and more. This book could also fit under the May is National Mental Health Awareness Month book list. This was the best book I read from this assignment!

Cover Art

This book cover is simply stunning. Teens would definitely be drawn to choose this book solely because of the cover. The use of color, light, text, and pictures leave the viewer with so many questions that need answering. Teens will be drawn to the beauty and curiosity that this cover displays. 

Awards List

  • Michael L. Printz Award Winners
  • Margaret A. Edwards Award
  • YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
  • Banned Books 
  • YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens
  • Indigenous Reads Rising 
  • YALSA Excellence in Non-fiction 
  • Manga 
  • Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production
  • Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) Literature Awards Young Adult category
  • May is National Mental Health Awareness Month  
  • Historical Fiction
  • Buckeye Children & Teen Book Award 
  • Classic Revisited 

If you’ve made it to this point, thank you for reading along! I encourage you to diversify your reading list by checking out some of the above lists and the titles within them. 

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Booklists Recommendations

Fantastical Detectives in Magical Realms

by Public Service Associate Autumn

I love a good mystery novel, though I came to them much later than I should have. As a teen, when I had run out of my own books to read (for the week) and my family could not make it to the library, my grandfather gave me several Agatha Christie novels from his collection.1 But I didn’t read them that week. In fact, I didn’t read them until after I watched BBC’s wonderful adaptation, Poirot. But then, I was hooked: the twists and turns, the rooting out of each motive and link, fishing through all the red herrings, and perhaps most importantly, the satisfaction of knowing how all the pieces fit together in the end. It warms my order-loving soul.2 I immediately went back and read the Agatha Christie originals, then moved on to Arther Conan Doyle, Rex Stout, Stephen Spotswood and many more.

Sometimes though, I feel as though I have read every possible combination of who done it, why, how, with what, and how it affected the neighbors. For all the cleverness and brilliance of my favorite mystery writers, they are still bound by annoying practical restraints, like physics and the nature of the space time continuum. On occasion, I just need something a little out of the box. I still want the mystery, just a very non-traditional one. What better way than to find a mystery set in worlds not governed by our laws? If you’re like me and need an occasional fantasy kick to your mystery enjoyment, pursue these novels and be transported. I have read most of them, and several are completely off the wall.3 And if you’re only willing to try one, I highly recommend The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet.

  • The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet Book | eBook
  • Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovich Book | eBook
  • A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake Book | eBook
  • The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall Book | eBook
  • Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty Book | eBook
  • The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older Book | eBook
  • Guards! Guards! By Terry Pratchett Book | eBook
  • The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth Book | eBook
  • Titanshade by Dan Stout Book | eBook

Footnotes

1The scarring of that day may be why I generally have thirty books checked out at a time.

 2Which I desperately need, as it’s getting colder out now.

3My comment about the space-time continuum? You’re looking for The Affair of the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall.

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Recommendations staff favorites

Lots of Love

by Public Service Associate Juliana

I was fourteen years old and obsessed with Kurt Cobain. His song, “Heart-Shaped Box”, inspired me to dump my Valentine candy into a bag and use the empty heart-shaped box for safekeeping. Shiny red, about the size of a dinner plate, it was perfect for love notes, by which I mean literally notes of “Things I Love.”

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Booklists Recommendations

Don’t Panic!

by Public Service Associate Hannah

September is National Preparedness Month — a time to prepare for natural and man-made disasters and emergencies. As a library user*, this PSA gets me thinking of all the thrilling apocalypse-type plot lines and thought-provoking stories on our shelves. But Hannah, you say, very real water, fire, and wind cause devastation every day. Where’s the entertainment in that?! Well, without making light of very real situations, think of these books and movies like you would visiting a haunted house or riding a roller coaster. A part of you is scared, and in my case screaming regret, while another part of you knows this is a manageable way to experience hardship and fear in a safe environment. Studies have even shown natural disaster films might teach us to take climate emergencies more seriously while providing tips for how to act in similar circumstances. Plus, it’s cathartic and rewarding to root for a protagonist as they seek shelter and find hope. 

Now set your solar flashlight out to charge as we dive into my disaster book and movie recommendations.

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Recommendations staff favorites

Tolkien’s 50th Death-iversary and Hobbit Day Celebration

by Public Service Associate Luke

September is an important month for Tolkien fans. On the 2nd, his loyal readers celebrate the 50th anniversary of the famed author’s death, both mourning the loss of the greatest fantasy writer to ever live and taking the opportunity to honor the greatest fantasy world to ever exist. Twenty days later, on the 22nd, Tolkien lovers observe the fictional birthdays of two of Tolkien’s central characters: Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins, a day known as Hobbit Day.

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Book Spotlight Recommendations staff favorites

Book Spotlight: Aug 9–Fog

by Public Service Associate Juliana

Aug 9–Fog by Kathryn Scanlan (2019) | print

Spare • Experimental fiction • Literary realism

Welcome to another Book Spotlight! Today’s feature, Aug 9–Fog, will appeal to those who gravitate toward literary realism.

Literary realism: a literary movement that represents reality by portraying mundane, everyday experiences as they are in real life. (Master Class)

All the books currently checked out on my library card contain the subject “everyday life”, books by Tove Jansson, Virginia Woolf, Kathryn Scanlan. These books highlight the beauty of the day-to-day, the minutiae of real life. This results in leisurely paced narratives that focus on character rather than plot; nothing much happens; characters talk about the weather, daily routines and what they’ll watch later on TV.

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Recommendations staff favorites

Gonzo Journalism: Dark, Funny, Strange, and Mostly True

by Public Service Associate Luke

One of the core tenets of journalism is to remove yourself from the story and keep that sense of detachment in order to avoid any kind of bias or personal involvement. This rule is what allows journalists to maintain an air of neutrality in their reporting. “Gonzo Journalism” is the direct breaking of and sometimes flippant disregard for that rule. These stories often become more about the writing itself, rather than just the objective of the article or book. The term “Gonzo” has several disputed origins, from the semi-translation of a French term to a 1960s jazz song (no, none of them relate to the blue-beaked Muppet).

Gonzo Journalism was first mentioned by the editor of Scanlan’s Monthly when describing the seminal piece “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” by the creator of the movement, Hunter S. Thompson. This journalistic style is known for its writers being directly involved in the act they are meant to be observing. Think of embedded journalism, if the journalist also fired the rifle, smoked the drugs, or engaged in otherwise frowned-upon activities. The ethics of such a style are questionable, but they certainly bring about excellent and extremely detailed product. Hunter S. Thompson would begin and continue to add to the movement, while many other journalists and authors took influence from him and began getting involved in their own subject material. I first found Thompson in junior high, and I now own a copy (or two) of each of his works. I love this type of writing, and so I’ve collected a list of some of my favorites.

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Recommendations

Iconic Reading Glasses

by Public Service Associate Hannah

When I say glasses, what comes to mind? The pair you place on your nose each morning? A pair of cheaters left behind at some restaurant? Or maybe a celebrity’s iconic look. As someone who has worn glasses since the fifth grade, with no interest in adding contact hygiene to my daily routine, glasses mean the world to me. They go hand in hand (eye in eye?) with my love of reading! So naturally, I decided to write a BPL Blog about glasses.

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Recommendations staff favorites

Six Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month

by Public Service Associate Juliana

It’s time to celebrate poets! Do you find poetry intimidating? Does your experience extend beyond Shakespeare’s sonnets you read in high school? This April is the perfect time to give poetry another chance. Read on for six ways to infuse your month with an appreciation for verse.

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Recommendations

The Irish-American Novel

by Public Service Associate Owen

St. Patrick’s Day may have come and gone, but, in the spirit of Irish-American History Month, I’d still like to highlight some of the great contributions that Irish-Americans have made to the tapestry of American literature. What makes American literature so unique is the sheer variety and diversity of its authors; writers of all different creeds, classes, and backgrounds have contributed (and will continue to contribute) their work, and the Irish-Americans are no exception. From F. Scott Fitzgerald to John O’Hara to Colum McCann, Irish-Americans of all stripes and generations have accorded us their literary talents. So to honor them, and all other past and prospective Irish-American authors, I’d like to present a brief history of Irish emigration to America, as well as recommend some archetypal Irish-American novels.

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