Sky Masters

Sky Masters by Dale Brown
Adult Fiction – Main Level – BROWN

Brown is a popular and fairly prolific author in the action-adventure category. As a former U.S. Air Force Captain, he brings his inside knowledge of the action and technology of the Air Force into his books. In this book, a conflict over a small island between China and the Philippines brings the U.S. Air Force into play with new, secret and super-powerful planes and miniature, nearly invisible satellites. The technology is described in detail, and the action moves rapidly from one locale to another with cinematic precision. Those who love tales of military action with a focus on the plot and the machines will blast through this and come back for more.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. Read by Janet Song
Youth CD Books – Lower Level - LIN

Once upon a time in China, there was a village on Fruitless Mountain where everything was brown with dust and nothing grew. In that village, the only thing with color is Minli, a girl whose hair is glossy black and whose cheeks are pink. Although she works just as hard in the rice fields as anyone else, her joy is listening to the tales of magic that her Da tells her every evening, even though her mother is convinced that they are a waste of time. One day, a goldfish seller comes into town. This sets off a chain of events that leads to Minli going on a journey to find the Old Man of the Moon, who has the Book of Fortune, so that Minli can ask him how to bring life to Fruitless Mountain. On the way, she meets a dragon who wants to ask the Old Man of the Moon why he can’t fly. The main narrative is woven through with other stories, those that Da tells or that Minli hears along the way. At first, they seem to be just another poetic detail in an already lyrical story, but as Minli’s journey goes on, she meets more and more characters from the stories, all of them interconnected in ways that the original stories didn’t hint at. This was a Newbury Honor book, and I’m not sure how I missed it when it first came out last year. Janet Song’s resonant voice conveys the story beautifully. I listened to it in the car with my son and had to force myself switch to my own book after dropping him off. Though he might enjoy this more when he's a bit older than five, I'd recommend this now to fans of Donna Jo Napoli.

Blind Submission

Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg
Adult Fiction - Main Level – GINSBERG

Angel Robinson is a voracious reader. Her new job at the Lucy Fiamma Literary Agency allows her to read many of the submissions coming in. As it turns out, Angel has a knack for editing and picking the next big bestseller, too. One particular manuscript catches Angel's attention: Blind Submission. It is set in a literary agency, which peaks her interest immediately. The author wishes to remain anonymous, so Angel plays along. She edits each chapter submitted, then emails it back to Anonymous. The story starts to become more and more familiar, more coincidental; more like Angel's own life. She can't figure out if Anonymous is her boyfriend, who is angry that Angel won't use her new position to help him get published, or a new author they signed who seems a bit infatuated with her.

This is a light, easy read that is fun to watch unfold. Who is writing Blind Submission? What will happen when the murder chapter, promised by the author, is submitted? Of course, Lucy Fiamma herself is a difficult person to work for, in a "Devil Wears Prada" sort of way. This is a great weekend or vacation read!

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
Youth Cd Books - Lower Level - GANTOS

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos is the first book in a series of four books about delightfully hyper Joey Pigza. The other books are:
Joey Pigza Loses Control, What Would Joey Do?, and I Am Not Joey Pigza.

Joey's parents are divorced, and when he was quite young his mother left him with his ornery grandmother to look for Joey's alcoholic father, Carter Pigza. Thus, for a few years of his life, Joey is raised by his grandma (his father's mother). Joey's grandma is mean and grouchy and is unable to help Joey with his own problematic behavior which is a result of his ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

As a result, when Joey's mom returns one day, Joey is kind of a mess. He is on "dud meds" and has caused many problems at school. Poor Joey means well, but he gets so curious and energized that he often makes poor decisions. Eventually, there is an accident at school, and Joey is sent to a special education center.

While at the center, Joey is given thorough attention and learns some positive tools to use in order to be successful in life. Most importantly, with the help of new medication, Joey learns he isn't "bad" or "crazy." He's just a bit different.

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key is interesting and well told. It is a great book to read for all those curious about what it is like to have ADHD. Also, the audio version which is read by Jack Gantos is extremely entertaining. Mr. Gantos really knows Joey and brings the story to complete life. I love this series and would highly recommend it to anyone!

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

The Big Short By Michael Lewis

New Adult Nonfiction 330.973 L


Michael Lewis, author of The Blind Side, Moneyball, and Liar’s Poker revisits the topic that began his writing career, Wall Street. In The Big Short Lewis explores the collapse of the U.S. financial system in 2008 from the viewpoint of those who saw it coming and profited from it. Lewis does an excellent job at detailing the technical aspect of the financial systems woes that revolved around the creation of exotic financial instruments that consisted of bonds created from home mortgages. Those who saw this collapse coming for years included a lawyer turned financial analyst, an Asperger’s stricken neurologist turned money manager with one glass eye, and an obnoxious Deutsche Bank bond trader. Their various interactions with large U.S. and European banks make for great reading as both sides think they are getting over on the other. In the end, the biggest losers turn out to be the bondholders, stockholders, homeowners, and taxpayers stuck with the bill from these outrageous gambles. This is an excellent addition to the growing literature on our country’s financial system collapse.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy 2
Youth Video Games-Lower Level – VG SUP

Princess Peach is kidnapped and it is up to Mario to rescue her in Super Mario Galaxy 2. The space based fun continues from Super Mario Galaxy (2007). There are all new galaxies and a new feature of special power up abilities when teamed up with Yoshi. There is Cloud Mario, where Mario can create clouds to jump on. There is Rock Mario, where Mario can turn into a boulder and roll around to break objects. Drill Mario lets you drill through objects. As an added bonus there is Yoshi who can gobble up enemies. There are some stages of the game where you can play as Luigi as well. The goal of the game is to collect stars from planet to planet. To unlock harder levels with more challenges you will need to collect Comet Metals. Super Mario Galaxy 2 improved on all the greatness and fun that Super Mario Galaxy offered.

Roast Figs Sugar Snow

Roast Figs Sugar Snow: Winter Food to Warm the Soul by Mitchell Beazley
Cooking Collection - Upper Level – 641.5 H


My husband likes figs. That's an understatement. He loves figs, and has asked repeatedly to plant a fig tree in our yard. I like figs as much as the next person, but other than eating dried figs out of the bag, I'm not sure what to do with them. When I saw this cookbook, I had to investigate.

What a treat! This book is filled with some of the most beautiful, delicious-looking food photography I've ever seen! One can enjoy just poring over the pictures in this book, whether you like figs or not. Not every recipe has a photo, but those scattered throughout the book are gorgeous.

Some of the recipes...ok, if I'm being honest, many of the recipes are not things I would cook at home. I'm a pretty adventurous eater, and would not hesitate to order most of them in a restaurant, but "Salad of Smoked Duck with Farro, Red Chicory, and Pomegranates" and "Smoked Eel with Poppy Seed Cakes and Apple and Beet Relish" are just not going to come out of my kitchen. "Roast Figs, Shallots, and Chestnuts with Gorgonzola Polenta" just might. "Roast Figs and Plums in Vodka with Cardamom Cream" might, too.

This is more than just a cookbook. It includes descriptions and short essays that are really interesting and describe various ingredients and techniques, as well as food culture and history. I found this a fascinating book to browse through and soak up little tidbits here and there througout. You don't have to be a foodie to get into this one, but what a treat for those interested in food and interesting ingredients!

The Nobodies Album

 The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst

Adult New Fiction Parkhurst

Octavia Frost is a novelist whose life is once again thrown upside down when her rock star son, Milo, is accused of murdering his girlfriend. Did he do it? Did he not do it? Even Milo himself is not sure. Octavia is still recovering from the pain of having lost both her husband and young daughter in a tragic accident when Milo was just 9 years old. Mother and son have become estranged ever since Milo read the line “They were exactly the wrong two to die” in one of Octavia’s novels. Octavia thought she was only writing fiction but now she’s not sure.
In what seems to be an attempt to rewrite her own history, Octavia has decided that she needs to rewrite the endings to all her previous books. Her publisher is willing to support this experiment and publish a book consisting solely of new endings. Octavia submits her new book and heads to see her son. She wants to rewrite real life, as well. Confused and in pain, Milo eventually accepts Octavia’s gentle attempts to reconcile and find out what really happened the night of his girlfriend Bettina’s murder.
Parkhurst intersperses Octavia’s new endings as chapters throughout The Nobodies Album. Sounds confusing, right? This is where Parkhurst really proves her skill as a writer. Rather than come across as confusing, they add to the story’s emotional complexity.
This is a book that works on many levels, and which convincingly explores the concepts of guilt and innocence… and forgiveness. Oh, and it’s a pretty decent little mystery, too.

Power Hungry: The Myths of "Green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future by Robert Bryce

Power Hungry: the Myths of “Green” Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future
by Robert Bryce Adult Nonfiction – New Book Shelves Upper Level 333.79 B



“Power Hungry” explains and runs the numbers on various types of “Green” energy generation, and the math doesn’t turn out the way supporters would prefer. Anyone interested in the energy debate in this country should read this book; it will open their eyes even if they disagree with the conclusions Bryce reaches. Simply put, he does not feel that solar and wind power are sufficient in their current forms to even begin taking over supplying the world’s power needs and will not be anytime soon. In his opinion the logical choice is Natural Gas in the short term and increased Nuclear power in the long term. He explains the terminology and science understandably without condescending to the reader, and even manages to make it interesting. Bryce notes the inconvenient realities that most authors overlook, such as the need for building natural gas generators alongside windmills to supply power when the wind doesn’t blow. Unfortunately, flipping them on and off reduces their efficiency to the point that leaving them on all the time would use no more fuel and supply enough additional power to make the windmills unnecessary. Heresies like these win Bryce few friends among environmentalists, but it does make for educational reading. For those desiring further reading or disputing what he says, Bryce includes seventy pages of fully cited notes and documentation, with web addresses for the source articles and a full bibliography.

Fallen

Fallen by Lauren Kate
Teen Zone New Fiction-Main Level – KATE

Luce has been seeing dark shadows her entire life. She does not talk about them because she knows that no one else can see them. Luce is spending her senior year of high school at a Sword and Cross Reform School. She is not happy about being there but after the tragedy that took place the year before she has no choice. Luce’s boyfriend died in a mysterious fire and the only thing that Luce really remembers is the dark shadows that surrounded them before the fire. Luce’s new school is interesting, the dress code is all black and there are strict rules to follow. Luce’s new classmates are intriguing as well. She is not sure who to trust and who is her friend. Luce first sees Daniel and feels an instant pull toward him. At first Daniel wants nothing to do with her. The sweet and sensitive Cam is also quite smitten with Luce and will do anything and everything for her. Luce will do anything in her power to get to know Daniel, even if it kills her and eventually they develop a strong bond. Now that Luce is at Sword and Cross the strange dark shadows are appearing more frequently. The triangle between Cam, Daniel and Luce has astonishing twists and turns. Some questions are answered but a lot more are left unanswered leaving the reader wondering what will happen next. Torment (due out September 2010) is the next book is this new paranormal teen fiction series.

Torment by Lauren Kate