Fall Reading 2018 History vs. Women: The Defiant Lives that They Don't Want You to Know

Tired of damsels in distress? Ready for some rebels, artists, scholars, amazons, and even villains? Then this is the book for you. Some of the women profiled within these pages may be familiar - Margaret Thatcher, Annie Easley - but others you have probably never heard of. How about Wang Zhenyi, a poet from the Qing Dynasty? She was born in 1768 and studied everything from astronomy to martial arts. In 1994 a crater on the planet Venus was named for her. "When you look into the night sky, seek out Venus and be dazzled by the celestial body and the woman who saw the stars and felt the wonder of the universe."

If stargazing isn't your style, perhaps you prefer the arts? Maria Tallchief and her brilliant performance as Ballanchine's Firebird may be more to your tastes. The first Native American prima ballerina explained her achievements by saying, "You do what you have to do, and when you must, then you do a little more." Or there is Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji around the year 1000, and it is considered the first modern novel. She "filled her novel with multifaceted female characters who provided a rare glimpse into how it felt to be a woman in her world."

After something more aggressive? What about Khutulun of Mongolia (born around 1260), who was even mentioned in the journals of Marco Polo? He was impressed with the way she would ride into battle with her father's troops and could capture an enemy "as deftly as a hawk pounces on a bird." She was also a champion wrestler and  refused to marry anyone who could not defeat her. There are also tales of a female pirate who commanded an entire fleet, women who were directors and producers in the early days of Hollywood, and those who stood against the practices of lynching during Jim Crow.

Recommended for anyone with an interest in women's history or feminism. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. (Quotes are from that advance copy.)

Fall Reading 2018 Be a Changemaker: How to Start Something that Matters

"So what can young people do? Anything they set their minds to. And if they can do it, so can you."

This is a great book for young adults who are looking for a way to make a difference in their community or the larger world. Each chapter covers different aspects of putting together a program or group to make a change. Steps are covered such as figuring out your skills, your passion, and how to put that together into a plan of action. Within every chapter there is also a profile of a group or individual that has successfully accomplished their plan. Chapters also include an "In My Experience"section that shares insights from the author's own life with tidbits about launching a startup business, serving as a volunteer with different organizations, and becoming a group leader.

For adults working with youth in student government or other clubs, or for teens/tweens looking for guidance because they do not have an adult mentor (yet), this is a very useful guide with practical advice for each stage of the process. Back matter includes numerous resources such as websites, books, and even movies and television shows.

I usually share very recently released books or those pending release, but this book is so helpful that I had to spread the word. It was published in 2014.

Summer Reading 2018 Mecha Samurai Empire

In this complex story of alternate history in which Japan and Germany have conquered the world, teens in the United States of Japan are studying hard for their exams, hoping to finish high school and become mecha pilots. Being accepted as a crew member for one of the enormous combat robots is an incredible honor and highly competitive. Makoto Fujimoto is an orphan whose parents both served on mechas and died in combat. He and his friends spend their time playing video games on their porticals (a wireless device) when they aren't doing homework. In class they learn about things like "Abraham Lincoln, an old American warlord who savagely crushed a rebellion started by the southern half of the United States." What they don't seem to realize is how political the appointments to the military academy are, or how very slim their chances of earning a spot. 

As readers follow the fates of Mac (Makoto), Hideki, Griselda, Nori, and the others, the events that led to this alternate version of the U.S. are slowly revealed. There are rebels like the "George Washingtons" who want to free the states from Japanese rule, and there are tensions between the Japanese and German forces who divided North America after WWII. The Nazis have their own combat devices known as biomechs, which operate differently from the mecha warriors of the USJ. Not as much is disclosed about the biomechs since the story is told from a USJ citizen's point of view.

Between the historical changes, the resulting cultural changes (Vegas with a Japanese makeover for instance), and watching the struggles of an orphan without connections trying to compete with students who come from prominent families - there is plenty to hold the reader's attention. It may also cause some questioning and wondering what our world would look like today if WWII had ended differently.

Anyone who enjoys stories with a military setting, alternate history, or robot battles (major robot smackdowns), should give this a try. Recommended for ages 12 and up. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2018 Medallion of Murder

Senior year is supposed to be the best part of high school, but Terry is still recovering from the crazy summer at an archaeological dig where she nearly died. Her friends Maude and Fraser are supportive, but her boyfriend is off at college and the occasional weekend visits aren't enough. There is school and decisions about where to go to college or whether to take a break and work. Strange dreams are disturbing Terry's sleep and they also hear that Tanya, a fellow student, is being treated at the local hospital. A homeless man shows up in several locations, even in the lobby of Terry's building. Another man is found dead in the neighborhood. Weird graffiti appears and includes some of the images from Terry's dreams. And how does it all tie in with strange comments from Tanya about "the power of three"? Terry has the mark of the asp, and she encountered the diadem at the dig. What is this third artifact?

With a mix of teenage romance, Egyptian mythology, mystery and some action scenes, this is a book that will pull readers in and keep them quickly turning the pages to see what happens next. Whether readers enjoy the mystique of ancient artifacts, the suspense of coded messages, the dynamics of teenage dating, or just the real drama of navigating the move from high school on to college and career - there is plenty to hold their attention.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Giveaway - Autographed Copy of Furyborn

I was lucky enough to win a copy of  Furyborn from the JLG booth at ALA. Since I have already read the book, I am sharing my good fortune. Please enter to win. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer Reading 2018 Whatever's Been Going on at Mumblesby?

Sadly, this is the last of the Flaxborough Chronicles. In this final appearance, Inspector Purbright attends a funeral service as Chief Constable Chubb's representative only to find that the widow has been locked in her house. Going to the rescue leads to a mess of unanswered questions that stretch back several years. Why did the deceased have valuable antiques that he had not purchased, items that had previously been owned by others in the village? As Sgt. Love and the Inspector begin to speak to the residents of Mumblesby and those from Flaxborough with long memories, Purbright begins to feel something is going on beyond outraged family members. Inconsistencies in interviews from a previous inquest, possible arson, and an attack on a house with large machinery are just some of the oddities that crop up. All the traditions and prejudices of rural English life are present and influence the outcome of the investigation. 

For those who have followed the career of Inspector Purbright from the beginning of the Flaxborough mysteries, this book will be a fond farewell to beloved characters. Purbright, Love, Chubb, Malley, Teatime and the others are all part of finding the answer to what's been going on. If you haven't yet tried this series, but enjoy British mysteries that are not too political or inordinately long in length, then you should pick up one of the titles.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2018 Foundryside

This book starts off a new series with some very interesting characters and a lot of room to add others. The world is built on the ruins of a former civilization and the founders are using the scraps of what they have learned to create some amazing and some awful things. The protagonist, Sancia, is a thief - but readers will be very sympathetic to her as they learn more of her backstory and come to see why she is isolated, loath to touch anyone, and desperate to escape from her current location. She is not one of the fortunate who work directly for the Founders, and definitely not a member of one of the Founder families. So she has little hope of survival in their world of mechanical marvels that seem to run on magical inscriptions built into the mechanisms. But as we follow her path into an increasingly complicated situation, we can see how the traditions and customs of the Founders have created a strict class system, and how tightly controlled the power is within their world. The more hopeless the plight of those like Sancia seems, the more we root for her to succeed. As she weighs everyone she encounters to determine if they are ally or enemy, we look through her eyes and make those same judgments. We won't know if we are right, if she is right, until the very end. And even that is unsure, since it is only the first book in this new tale.

For those who like heroines who persist, even though they have been deeply wronged or hurt; for those who savor complicated plots and detailed settings; for those who have enjoyed stories such as The Court of Fives, or existing fans of Robert Jackson Bennett - give this book a try. 

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.