Blog

Strange planet: [imagine pleasant nonsense] by: Nathan W Pyle is an easy read graphic novel that has funny themes to it. The aliens are put in a human position and know a little bit about our everyday items and how we live, but are still very funny guessing them and how they work.

Available as an ebook on Hoopla.

Human beings are "the host" for space parasites in this sci-fi novel. Most of the human race has been taken over by the "souls" from space. These invaders destroy human consciousness but leave human memories. That is, until a soul named Wanderer is implanted in Melanie. Her consciousness fights back, leaving her with a kind of split personality. Wanderer has a superior named Seeker. Seeker wants to make sure all humans have been converted and nags Wanderer to hurry up and get on with Melanie's take over.

There is so much more to tell, but I don't want to give away too much. It's really good. The unique aspect of the story is that it's told from the viewpoint of Wanderer, the parasite.

The Host (2008) by Stephenie Meyer is available via Overdrive. You can read the ebook or listen to the audiobook. If you choose to listen, you're in for a treat: narrator Kate Reading does a good job matching voices with personalities.

Yes, the title of this novel is correct. This is how most of the writing is in this book, but it is for a specific reason. The aliebn Jonny has come to Earth to learn what it is like to be a human being. This journey as to what it means to be a human being and how to make friends. The author Jomny Sun does an amazing job with showing some deep feeling and resonating with the people who are reading it who might not fit in where they are in life. A quote from this book that I believe sums up the tone is, "look. life is bad. everyone is sad. we're all gona die. but i alredy bought this inflatable bouncy castle so are u gona take ur shoes off or wat". I loved this book.

Everyone's an aliebn when you're an aliebn too is available as an eBook and eAudiobook on Hoopla.

The terrific second book in the Zulu series tells of Mameena, a Zulu girl of hypnotic beauty. Her name means Child of Storm in English. Mameena uses her unparalleled beauty and charm on men to climb up the Zulu social ladder, leaving misery and death in her wake. She even tests her wiles on young but stalwart Allan Quatermain.

Child of Storm (1913) is a nonstop thrilling tale of revenge, jealousy, witchcraft, and war. Very interesting and exciting stuff written with H. Rider Haggard's poetic description of 19th century Africa. Some characters in the book are real historical persons and some of the events actually happened, including the descriptions of the tribal battles.

While this audiobook is very hard to put down on its own, listeners would benefit from first reading Marie, the first book in the trilogy. Check out my review of Marie. 

Visit Hoopla to listen to the audiobook or read the ebook.

The Book of Unknown Americans follows the Rivera family as they move from Mexico to the United States in order to get the best care for their daughter. The novel includes a cast of characters from throughout Latin America each with a unique and telling story to share. Grappling with issues like anti-immigrant sentiment, poverty, and the difficulties of assimilating into a new culture, this well written book puts a human face onto every person who ever tried to come to this country in search of a better life.

The library will have a book discussion on this title on February 17, 2022.

Laila Lalami, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, interweaves her personal experiences as a Muslim immigrant from Morocco with the realities that all migrants to this country must face. She argues that people who do not look the right way or do not practice the right religion have their citizenship called into doubt.

The library will have a book discussion on this nonfiction title on February 3, 2022.

Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America is also available as an ebook on eMediaLibrary.

City Monster is my favorite graphic novel from this author. The story seemed to fly by and was nothing what I expected it to be. The artists did a great job with the subtle facial expressions and with the dialog with the images on the pages. There wasn't too much wording, but there also was just enough where it made the story progress. This was kind of like a Pixar short and was written perfectly. I would definitely read this book again and suggest for people to read it as well.

A rip-roaring adventure from the creator of Tarzan. It's 1916 and the Great War is raging. The U-33 has been sinking allied ships and capturing survivors. A series of twists leaves the survivors in charge and the U-33 off course and lost. The sub, following an underwater passage, surfaces to find itself on a thermal crater lake in a strange land and almost out of fuel. There is high drama, double cross, and dirty tricks as the German crew and their English and American captors fight dinosaurs, sub-humans, and each other.

The Land That Time Forgot (1918) by Edgar Rice Burroughs is told in first person from a manuscript found in a bottle at the Greenland coast. The manuscript was written by an American from California but it is a British citizen that finds the bottle and reads the manuscript. Narrator Raymond Todd reads the story with a British accent.

This is the first book in the Caspak trilogy. Listen to the audiobook or read the ebook via Hoopla.

Falling by T.J Newman is a suspense filled on-stop flight from Los Angeles to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The Captain of the flight is Bill Hoffman and his First Officer Ben are in the cockpit of Coastal Airway airlines. After the plane takes off from L.A., the Captain finds out that his family has been taken hostage. The terrorist is making Bill make a decision. He has to crash the plan with 149 souls on board or save his family. Bill won't make this decision and decides that he will try to save both. Little does he know that someone onboard is part of the plan to help him decide. Great action packed book. I couldn't stop reading once I started.

Available as an eaudiobook and ebook on eMediaLibrary (Libby).

If you're in the mood for a Halloween story, I recommend reading The House by the Cemetery by John Everson. It's the story of an abandoned house near the Midlothian turnpike by Bachelor's Grove, IL. Over many decades, teenagers have vandalized the old cemetery and have broken into the abandoned house to perform satanic rituals. Many residents in the area believed that there is a ghost of a witch that haunts the abandoned house. A young entrepreneur sees this as a business opportunity to create a haunted house (from an actual haunted house) for Halloween's month of October. He employs a carpenter, named Mike, to fix up the house. Mike soon discovers two trespassers who are eager to help him fix up the house. Many people are excited and are drawn to the house but many disappear. After the house is fixed and decorated for the haunted house, the ghosts are awakened. A few customers disappear during the haunted nights and the witch gets stronger as it gets closer to Halloween.