It’s History, only not…..

April brings rain and history. Well, history in story form. It’s Historical fiction month here at MPL and of course we have suggestions for you. Did you really need to ask?


Novels:
Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbel Bartoletti
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Elizabeth Miller
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
In darkness, Death by Dorothy Hoobler
My brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier

Graphic Novels:

Maus : A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman
Peace Maker by Nanae Chrono
Laika by Mick Abadzis
300 by Frank Miller
Ruse by Mark Waid
Samurai Champloo by Masaru Gotsubo

Falling into Garth Nix

The Fall by Garth Nix

Imagine that you live in a world completely encased in darkness because a magical Veil blocks out the sun. The world is so cold and destitute that the land is covered in ice. They only way to destroy the Veil is to dismantle the Keystones that keep it in place found at the top of a castle's towers. Oh yeah, and that castle has a room for people to be punished, called the Hall of Nightmares. Ever wonder it would be like to not be able to wake up from your worst dream? Talk about punishment.

If you think your life is rough, check out this series. The Seventh Tower books were recommended to me by a guy who knows the difference between good fantasy and a wonderfully consuming story. Nix creates a world so complex and intriguing that you actually get chills as you read them.

Want to climb the towers? Then check this series out.

Miraculous Journey of Edward Trulane

"Miraculous Journey of Edward Trulane" by Kate DiCamillo.

The heart breaks and breaks

and lives by breaking

It is necessary to go through

dark and deeper dark

and not to turn

- Stanley Kunitz

I was visiting some friends of ours at Fairfax when someone recommended I review Edward Trulane. I love this book, and I'm glad they brought it to the front of my mind.

I could tell you that the reason why this book is so exciting is that you watch a toy bunny go all over the world, or that I'm fascinated by the fact that people can be connected to one another over generations by a solitary item. Or maybe confess that as a kid I secretly thought my stuffed animals were alive and couldn't let the unicorn be next to the elephant on my bed because, well, you know, they had "issues". But really, I think this book is rocks beause of the poem that starts off the whole book. It says it all.

It is necessary to go through the hard stuff to get the good stuff. One is not mutually exclusive to the other. And deep down, we all love it. There's a reason why people watch dramas. I was talking to a friend last week who told me that he thought my life story was really interesting and that on some level he was jealous. And the whole time he said it, I was thinking how I was jealous of his life story. I think its safe to say that everyone who reads this book will be a little jealous of Edward's story. We all want to be taken on an adventure.

So thanks to my Fairfax friends for helping me get refocused. As always, I love hearing suggestions on what book I can't live my life not knowing, so please keep them coming.

That is my necessity for going through the dark.

Judging Coraline

Being the time of love and romance (Happy V-day, by the way) I know it's socially appropriate to be saying we like what's within, and that image isn't everything. That is good advice for people, but I have to admit, I totally judge a book by it's cover. But I mean actual books and actual covers. It's my firm philosophy that if a publishing company doesn't want to invest money for an interesting cover, then they probably don't have much faith for the content within.

My love of the superficial is what attracted me to Neil Gaiman's Coraline. I discovered this book at an outlet bookstore about five years ago, and I'll be honest, if it wasn't for the creepy image of girl holding a candle I probably wouldn't have given it a second glance. What sold me on it, (quite literally, in fact, this book is in my personal collection) was the craziest review printed on the back cover from one of my all-time favorite authors, Terry Pratchet. He said, "this book will send a shiver down your spine, out through your shoes, and into a taxi to the airport". There was no way I could pass up a book with that review!

A little love goes a long way, and I'm really glad to see the movie industry showing some love to Neil Gaiman. It's about time someone realized how fantastically creepy his work is and made something into a film. Talk about paying it forawrd, thanks to the film launching, they just releaser the Coraline graphic novel and audio book.

I'm doing my part to spread the joy. I am going to this movie in a matter of hours and am stoked. I am so pumped I re-read the book this morning. I'm dying to know if the movie's look matches the book.

Heck yeah!

Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye

Have you ever wondered what happens to good kids who do bad things? I like the bad guys to suffer as much as the next guy, but I've always wondered what happens to a good person who makes a few mistakes. According to Basye, not all crimes are created equal, and Heck is the place to sort that stuff out.

While this book was definitely not written for the older folks, similar to Harry Potter it can really be enjoyed at any age. It is funny, quick witted and you don't have to be a Dante fan to get a kick out of this story (however, for those of you who are, this books gives the D man some props). It pokes fun at all of those boring "masterpieces" you read in school that talk about death. For heavens sake, if you pardon the pun, the main characters are named Milton and Marlo! Paradise Lost, anyone?

For all of you who think there should be an upside to afterlife, this book is for you. It is definitely not of this world.

(kind of) Twilight junkie

I hopped on the Twilight bandwagon pretty early. I didn't pick it up because I heard it was good, the plot intrigued me so I decided to read it (actually I listened to the first three. Ilyana Kadushin, the narrator, isn't the greatest but she's not bad. She has an interesting voice and tries to distinguish between the characters). Then we heard a movie was being made. And you know, I'm not much for following the crowds, but I think the popularity has actually created more of an appeal for me. Seeing the actors grace the covers of all the rags that I see when I'm checking out at the grocery store stirred my desire to see the movie. And I'm gonna see the movie. Except, from the pictures I've seen of the actors, Rosalie doesn't quite live up to the person I was picturing in my mind. Actually, none of the other vampires do either. Their puffy coats and ultra coiffed hair don't scream "seasoned vampire" to me. Let's just hope their acting makes up for it. Are you going to see the movie? Have you already? Tell me what you thought! And please agree that Jasper needs to get a haircut.

I want to read it!! (Get in line, sister)

Get ready to be transported.

The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson

"The words were scribbled on the wall with thoughts of friends you didn't have" - Coheed and Cambria

Welcome to a series where not fitting in actually makes you a hero! This is the most refreshing trilogy that I have read in a long time. It's as if Harry Potter met Indiana Jones in medieval times. As I read this series, I found myself saying "wow" over and over again. The series also answers a lot of life long questions. Have you ever met someone for the first time and but feel as if you've known them your whole life? Batson and his very motivating characters have a reason for you.

If you're like me and like to listen to music when you curl up with a good book, this series goes great with the Muse's Black Holes and Revelations, in particular the song "Knights of Cydonia". Get your hands on both the CD and the book series by visiting our catalog.