Wednesday, August 31, 2022
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Lily of the Valley
Saturday, August 27, 2022
After Life
By Melissa De La Cruz
Hyperion, 2022. 344 pages. Young Adult Fiction
After defeating Lucifer and sacrificing the love of her life, Schuyler wakes up back in New York but soon discovers she is in an alternate reality where Lucifer is alive and well and she is the only person who can defeat him.
I was very excited when I saw that Melissa De La Cruz was releasing a new book in the Blue Bloods series. It was nostalgic to re-acquaint myself with characters that I was first introduced to in 2006. I was happy to see the new diversity added into the characters and thought it was an intriguing plot that De La Cruz worked to accomplish. If you are still feeling triggered from Pandemic related stories then this is one to avoid, but if you are as excited as I am to get back into the Blue Bloods universe with Schuyler be sure to snag a copy at the library!
If you like After Life, you might also like:
When alchemist Sydney is ordered into hiding to protect the life of Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the last place she expects to be sent is a human private school in Palm Springs, California. But at their new school, the drama is only just beginning.
Sixteen-year-old Bianca, a new girl at the sinister Evernight boarding school, finds herself drawn to another outsider, Jared, but dark forces threaten to tear them apart and destroy Bianca's entire world.
Friday, August 26, 2022
The Angel Room
by Lee Call
J. Emrys Press, 2022. 434 pages. Young Adult Fiction
Everyone has demons, but fifteen-year-old Eleanor can actually talk to hers. Creep's always been there, her childhood bestie and the only one who knows her secret. Fish-bone teeth and gravel voiced. The monster under her bed. When Eleanor's family moves to a new neighborhood, Creep won't be left behind. Eleanor feels like she'll be stuck with him forever. After all, Creep is her oldest friend. Then she meets Virgil, a reformed bad boy with a stable full of horses, and Mia, a queer goth girl in lipstick and army boots, and Eleanor begins to question everything. What love really looks like. Her own identity. Who she could be without Creep. Can she find the courage to share her story and be rid of him forever?
Lee Call's luminous debut is full of characters that I just love. This is a character driven book. The story follows them as they come together and start to grow into the humans that someday they will be become. That sense of "found" family is really appealing. The writing is so relatable that readers will find themselves cheering for Elle, loving to hate Creep, maybe swooning over Virgil, and applauding everything that comes out of Mia's mouth. Elle's trauma becomes our own trauma, our own tender wounds. Seeing her work through it and come out on the other side a wiser human gives us all hope that we can do so too. One minute I was crying, the other I was belly-laughing. If you love complex, character driven books, with a little bit of horror, and a lot of heart, this may be the one for you. For fans of Becky Albertalli, Sara Zarr, and Adam Silvera.
If you like The Angel Room, you might also like:
The Girls I've Been
by Tess Sharpe
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2021. 356 pages. Young Adult Fiction
When seventeen-year-old Nora O'Malley, the daughter of a con artist, is taken hostage in a bank heist, every secret she is keeping close begins to unravel.
And They Lived . . .
by Steven Salvatore
Bloomsbury, 2022. 374 pages. Young Adult Fiction
Chase Arthur is a hopeless romantic, but he's also struggling to figure out his gender identity and recover from an eating disorder. When Chase starts his freshman year of college, he has to navigate being away from home and missing his sister, finding his squad, and will have to learn to love--and be enough for--himself, while discovering what it means to truly live.
AG
Thursday, August 25, 2022
The Blue Castle
By L.M. Montgomery
Bantam, 1989. 218 pages. Fiction
At twenty-nine Valancy had never been in love, and it seemed romance had passed her by. Living with her overbearing mother and meddlesome aunt, she found her only consolations in the "forbidden" books of John Foster and her daydreams of the Blue Castle. Then a letter arrived from Dr. Trent -- and Valancy decided to throw caution to the winds. For the first time in her life Valancy did and said exactly what she wanted. Soon she discovered a surprising new world, full of love and adventures far beyond her most secret dreams.
This novel is fresh and funny and has delightful 1920s flapper vibes (unlike the cover!). I really resonated with Valancy, and her initial struggle to say and do what she really wants, especially around family. There's a lot to learn from Valancy: how she comes to speak her mind, as well as her acceptance of people that aren't seen as good or right in her uptight family and community.
If you like The Blue Castle, you might also like:
By Elizabeth Von Arnim
New York Review Books, 2007. 247 pages. Fiction
The four women at the center of The Enchanted April are alike only in their dissatisfaction with their everyday lives. They find each other--and the castle of their dreams--through a classified ad in a London newspaper one rainy February afternoon. The ladies expect a pleasant holiday, but they don't anticipate that the month they spend in Portofino will reintroduce them to their true natures and reacquaint them with joy.
I Capture the Castle
By Dodie Smith
St Martin's Griffin, 1998. 343 pages. Fiction
Through six turbulent months of 1934, 17-year-old Cassandra Mortmain keeps a journal, filling three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries about her home, a ruined Suffolk castle, and her eccentric and penniless family. By the time the last diary shuts, there have been great changes in the Mortmain household, not the least of which is that Cassandra is deeply, hopelessly, in love.
MGB
Friday, August 19, 2022
The No-Show
By Beth O'Leary
Berkley, 2022. 352 pages
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Lulu and Milagro’s Search for Clarity
By Angela Velez
Balzer & Bray, 2022. 391 pages. Young Adult Fiction
Monday, August 15, 2022
When You Get the Chance
By Emma Lord
Wednesday Books, 2022. 308 pages. Young Adult Fiction
Friday, August 12, 2022
GuĆa para Hablar y Comunicarse en Estados Unidos de AmĆ©rica
Por Blas Delfin Castano
El autor es un profesional de la ingenierĆa de calidad de productos. Junto a su capacidad tĆ©cnica y su gran experiencia, el factor de la buena comunicaciĆ³n forma parte de estas credenciales.
La capacidad de hablar inglĆ©s americano, es muy esencial e importante. Abarca todos los aspectos de las conversaciones en el trabajo, los negocios, la escuela, los medios de comunicaciĆ³n, la radiodifusiĆ³n, las compras, las relaciones, los conocidos sociales, el comercio, las reuniones, las negociaciones, etc.
Sin embargo, el inglĆ©s varĆa mucho de un paĆs a otro. De hecho, los hablantes nativos de cualquier lugar acuƱan (o "inventan") palabras o conjuntos de palabras por diversas razones. Puede deberse a la localizaciĆ³n, a la facilidad para hablar, a la adopciĆ³n o a motivos propios. Por lo tanto, las diferencias debidas a la geografĆa son enormes.
El autor se animĆ³ a escribir este libro para ayudar a cualquier hablante de inglĆ©s americano no nativo. ResumiĆ³ estas palabras o afirmaciones comunes clasificadas como "jergas, frases o modismos estadounidenses".
Los ejemplos eran sencillos y estaban estructurados de forma eficaz para una rĆ”pida comprensiĆ³n, facilidad de uso durante la aplicaciĆ³n y practicidad.
¡Felicidades por adelantado! Ponte a la altura de un nuevo estĆ”ndar y conviĆ©rtete en un orgulloso hablante de inglĆ©s americano.
Si le gusta «GuĆa para Hablar y Comunicarse en Estados Unidos de AmĆ©rica» le recomendamos:
Por Thomas Booth
Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2021. 256 pƔginas. ESL
Los phrasal verbs o verbos compuestos marcan la diferencia entre comunicarse en inglƩs y dominar el idioma. Saber cuƔndo emplear get at, get back, get by o get on, por ejemplo, es bƔsico para hablar con fluidez y comprender todos los matices. Los ejercicios y el audio gratuito te ayudaran a interiorizar estos verbos y conseguir que tu inglƩs gane en fluidez y naturalidad.
Por Thomas Booth
Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2020. 320 pƔginas. ESL
¿Los phrasal verbs te resultan confusos? ¿No acabas de entender la diferencia entre ciertos tiempos verbales? Este libro contiene 3.000 ejercicios estructurados para aprender, recordar y usar la gramĆ”tica inglesa.
Etiquetas: EspaƱol, No FicciĆ³n, ESL
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
The Kaiju Preservation Society
Saturday, August 6, 2022
Solving Sophronia
Blade of Secrets
by Tricia Levenseller
Feiwel and Friends, 2021. 324 pages. Young Adult
Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power. She receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims' secrets--a sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord's intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees. Now they're on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder-- or a way to destroy it entirely.
Levenseller delivers again with this fast-paced YA adventure. She spends lots of time on the character development, relationships, and dialogue. I like that Ziva, while totally competent and skilled at her trade, is no warrior/princess/chosen one. She does have magical capabilities, but also deals with severe social anxiety, and so is a fairly relatable protagonist. While the story does take place in a magical world, it's easy enough to follow along as the worldbuilding is not complex. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that it ends on quite the cliffhanger so I've already put the second book on hold!
If you like Blade of Secrets you may also like:
Cursedby Thomas Wheeler
Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2019. 408 pages.
Nimue grew up an outcast. Her connection to dark magic made her something to be feared in her Druid village, and that made her desperate to leave. That is, until Red Paladins slaughter her entire village, and Nimue's fate is forever altered. Charged by her dying mother to reunite an ancient sword with a legendary sorcerer, Nimue is now her people's only hope.
The Noviceby Taran Matharu
Feiwel and Friends, 2015. 355 pages. Young Adult
When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy where must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands.
The Traitor's Gameby Jennifer A. Nielsen
Scholastic Press, 2018. 388 pages. Young Adult
Embroiled in a cruel immortal king's politics in spite of having spent three years in exile, Kestra Dallisor, daughter of a high-ranking official, is kidnapped by a group of rebels. They require her to search for a lost weapon capable of destroying the throne, a plan that she endeavors to sabotage despite conflicting loyalties.
sr
Thursday, August 4, 2022
The Sun Down Motel
Monday, August 1, 2022
The Intersectional Environmentalist
If you like The Intersectional Environmentalist you might also like...
Fresh Banana Leaves
by Jessica Hernandez
North Atlantic Books, 2022. 256 p. Nonfiction
An Indigenous environmental scientist breaks down why western conservationism isn't working--and offers Indigenous models informed by case studies, personal stories, and family histories that center the voices of Latin American women and land protectors.
Beacon Press, 2019. 212 p. Nonfiction
NS