Library Staff Reads - Spring 2020

A novel about standing tall in a world full of challenges in search of independence, freedom & love. One of my favorite classics I've re-read many times.

Art and Arcana is a visually stunning history of Dungeons & Dragons, its founding company TSR, and the people behind the game through its art. You’ll see how character and creature ideas evolved over time, giving D&D its unique astethic. Easily one of the best pop culture books of the past five years.

"Westover has a story to tell that shouldn’t be ignored. Her background says something important about the US: that even in a place of great opportunity, you can grow up without any idea of how to touch its white-hot [center]. This memoir tracks all the ways that traditional American life puts up roadblocks and actively dissuades you from outgrowing your 'roots'." --Michelle Dean, writing for The Guardian

What would your pet say about your life? How do you think they would react to your emotions and actions? She and Her Cat perfectly captures the melancholy and occasional sadness of a woman in her early adulthood, all through the eyes of her cat. I'm not typically a fan of manga like this but Shinkai does a great job at highlighting the solitude of this woman's life. If you're looking for a moody manga read, this is the one for you.

"Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s Monstress might be the most ambitious comic book on the market... Liu and Takeda have created a world that’s as gorgeous — think the dreamy steampunk aesthetic of the best Final Fantasy games — as it is gruesome and a story that’s as urgent as it is enduring. Our heroine is Maika, a girl with a literal hairy monster inside of her. We get to watch her learn, and she teaches us about survival. Maika’s monster is what she needs to survive when the world around her wishes she wouldn’t. It gives her great power, but it also makes her feared by some and hunted by others. And all her life, she’s been taught to be scared of it. Make no mistake, Monstress is a political book. It asks questions about how society treats powerful women and about the war women face on a daily basis. And it offers no tidy answers." --Alex Abad-Santos, writing for Vox

"A Survival Guide for the Misinformation Age is an impassioned plea for science literacy. Given the state of the world today, in which scientifically underinformed voters elect scientifically illiterate politicians, David Helfand has written the right book at the right time with the right message. Read it now. The future of our civilization may depend on it." --Neil deGrasse Tyson

"This is an engaging look at the broader social implications of ignoring poverty as well as a very personal look at individuals struggling to overcome it." --American Library Association

It's totes adorbs and the story was plagiarized from my life.

I recommend the book Ancient Chinese Warfare, by Ralph D. Sawyer. The title is pretty clear, but this book also contains a wealth of information about early Chinese history. ACW fills a void in your knowledge base that you didn’t know existed, so get reading. It’s a page turner! To paraphrase Christopher Walken on Saturday Night Live: “I got a fever! And the only prescription is more [knowledge about ancient Chinese warfare]!”

It just goes to show, you never know who is a serial killer--so suspect everyone.

The sudden death of renowned Ghanaian Surgeon Kweku Sai forces his four children to return back home to Ghana from America. At home in Accra, the family faces past secrets, lies told, and learn about each other. The story is about love, forgiveness, the strong bonds of family and learning to move forward.