Alvin Ho : allergic to camping, hiking, and other natural disasters by Lenore Look

Review by:  Linda B.

Title:  Alvin Ho : allergic to camping, hiking, and other natural disasters

Author:  Lenore Look ; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Collection:  Juvenile Fiction

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters is one of the funniest books I’ve read in years.  This book is one of Lenore Look’s easy chapter books for 2^nd graders, but  an adult would enjoy reading this book along with their beginning reader –especially any father who is planning on taking a child camping in the near future.

Alvin Ho and his siblings remind me of many families I’ve known: with Alvin scared of everything, the young Anibelly wise and afraid of nothing, and the oldest Calvin always practicing karate kicks.  Look has written the dad as a strong character in his books; but if they ever make this book into a movie, I would cast Chevy Chase as the dad.

The book is brilliantly illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

Heroes: Volume One (Heroes Graphic Novels) by Tim Sale, Jim Lee, Michael Layne Turner

    Review by:  Linda J.

Title: Heroes: Volume One (Heroes Graphic Novels)

Authors:  Tim Sale, Jim Lee, Michael Layne Turner

Collection:  Teen Books

 

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the TV show “Heroes”.  The TV show was written around a comic book and so a graphic novel just makes sense.  There are thirty four complete stories inside this book based on the characters in the TV show.  The paintings used as props on the television show are included in this book before each chapter.  The novel is a ‘between the scenes’ look at the TV show.  It goes beyond what people saw on the screen and enhances their experience.  But you don’t have to have seen the program to enjoy this book.  Everybody will enjoy the exciting story about modern day heroes who use their special powers to save the world.

I would also recommend this book to manga fans.  I was impressed by the forward written by the Japanese actor, Masi Oka, who plays Hiro Nakamura on the show.  He talks about the impact of comics or Manga in Japan and how Japanese business men would get the latest installments of their favorite manga magazines and read all the way home on the subways and buses.

There is an interview at the end between the executive producer, Jeph Loeb, and the series writers, Aron Eli Coleite and Joe Pokaski.  The interview gives the reader (and the series watcher) extra value for their buck!  We find out this book is the result of an online comic series.  They worked in cooperation with the creator of the television series to produce a weekly Webcomic.  This book is well written and well thought out, and if one is not careful, they just might learn something new!

This blurb is from Amazon.com:

 

Written by Aron Eli Coleite, Chuck Kim, Joe Pokaski, Oliver Grigsby, Pierluigi Cothran, Andrew Chambliss, Harrison Wilcox, Jesse Alexander, Christopher Zatta, Mark Warshaw and others Art by Phil Jimenez, Michael Turner, Koi Turnbull, Marcus To, Peter Steigerwald, David Moran, Micah Gunnell, Travis Kotzebue, Jordan Kotzebue, Jason Badower, Staz Johnson, Steve Lejeune, Adam Archer, Mark Roslan and others Cover by Alex Ross This stunning softcover edition collects the amazing online comics based on the smash-hit, Emmy Award-nominated NBC show HEROES! This volume – featuring two stunning covers by comics legends Jim Lee and Alex Ross – also includes an introduction by Masi Oka (Hiro), all 34 chapters of Season One, and Tim Sale’s artwork as seen on the show. The comics included have been written and illustrated by some of comics’ and television’s top writers and artists, including Michael Turner, Phil Jimenez, Marcus To, and more!

This blurb is from the Heroes Wiki:

Much of the design of the collection is credited to JG Roshell of Comicraft. He decided to follow the basic design of 9thWonders.com, making the interior look like the “classic silver age comics, including aging the pages as if the comics have been around for years.” To prevent the long list of credits from being boring, he made the credits look like “those old classified ads for x-ray specs and whatnot” with clip art from Mostly Happy Clip Art of the 30′S, 40′S, and 50′s. The introduction is made to look like a “Bullpen Bulletins” page, and the interview at the end is designed to look like a letters column. The chapters are divided by Tim Sale‘s art from the show, presented as fake “covers” to 9th Wonders! comics.

 

Finnikin of the rock by Melina Marchetta

    Review by:  Lisa

Title:  Finnikin of the rock

Author:  Melina Marchetta

Collection:  Teen Fiction

 

2008 Printz Award Winner Melina Marchetta crafts an epic fantasy of ancient magic, exile, feudal intrigue, and romance that rivets from the first page.

Finnikin was only a child during the five days of the unspeakable, when the royal family of Lumatere were brutally murdered, and an imposter seized the throne. Now a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere’s walls, and those who escaped roam the surrounding lands as exiles, persecuted and despairing, dying by the thousands in fever camps. In a narrative crackling with the tension of an imminent storm, Finnikin, now on the cusp of manhood, is compelled to join forces with an arrogant and enigmatic young novice named Evanjalin, who claims that her dark dreams will lead the exiles to a surviving royal child and a way to pierce the cursed barrier and regain the land of Lumatere. But Evanjalin’s unpredictable behavior suggests that she is not what she seems — and the startling truth will test Finnikin’s faith not only in her, but in all he knows to be true about himself and his destiny.

Be forewarned:  once you start to read this book, you will be unable to put it down.  Author Marchetta has created a tale of romance and adventure, but more importantly, by the end of the story, you will be enamored of all of the characters and their relationships with one another.  I couldn’t wait to begin the sequel, Froi of the Exiles.

 

Tapestry of fortunes : a novel by Elizabeth Berg

    Review by:  Regina

Title: Tapestry of fortunes : a novel

Author:  Elizabeth Berg

Collection:  Adult Fiction

 

Cecilia, a motivational speaker always on the road, lost so much when cancer claimed her best friend  Penny. Their lives were so intertwined that to move ahead seems unthinkable. How can Cecilia give inspirational, feel-good speeches when she herself can not get out of her funk? How many years had Penny asked her to slow down and enjoy life in the moment? In a moment of clear thought, Cecilia knows it’s time to move on. She downsizes, sells her lovely home in Michigan, and moves in with three other women. She also decides to volunteer at a palliative care home and search for an old boyfriend. Things get interesting when the four women decide to take a road trip to look for answers to their life questions.

Elizabeth Berg is well-known for getting inside a woman’s head and putting the thoughts to paper for us to enjoy…

New York Times Best Sellers at ACLS for June 9, 2013

Get the latest NYT Best Sellers at the Allegany County Library System.

FICTION (Combined Print & E-BOOK)

INFERNO, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday.) The symbologist Robert Langdon, on the run in Florence, must decipher a series of codes created by a Dante-loving scientist.

AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, by Khaled Hosseini. (Riverhead.) A multigenerational family saga centers on a brother and sister born in Afghanistan; from the author of “The Kite Runner.”

THE HIT, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central.) The government hitman Will Robie uncovers a serious threat as he attempts to take out a fellow assassin who has gone rogue.

DEEPLY ODD, by Dean Koontz. (Bantam.) Odd Thomas, who can communicate with the dead, must forestall a crime by discovering the three innocent people who have been targeted by an evil killer.

THE FOREVER OF ELLA AND MICHA, by Jessica Sorensen. (Forever.) When a new tragedy strikes Ella and Micha, one will make a choice that could break them apart forever.

ZERO HOUR, by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown. (Putnam.) Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala and the rest of the Numa team search for a physicist’s machine, buried in an ocean trench, that can cause deadly earthquakes; the 11th Numa Files novel.

WORLD WAR Z, by Max Brooks. (Broadway.) An “oral history” of an imagined Zombie War that nearly destroys civilization

SEA GLASS ISLAND, by Sherryl Woods. (Harlequin Mira.) With her two sisters heading for the altar, Samantha is finding it hard to ignore her feelings for Ethan, the local war hero.

SILKEN PREY, by John Sandford. (Putnam.) Lucas Davenport is drawn into the investigation of a Minnesota political scandal and the disappearance of an operative.

12TH OF NEVER, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown.) A week after giving birth, Detective Lindsay Boxer returns to work to investigate some grisly murders.

NONFICTION (Combined Print & E-BOOK)

LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence.

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach. (Howard Books.) The Duck Commander pays tribute to “faith, family and ducks.”

PROOF OF HEAVEN, by Eben Alexander. (Simon & Schuster.) A neurosurgeon recounts his near death experience during a coma from bacterial meningitis.

LET’S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS, by David Sedaris. (Little, Brown.) Essays from the humorist on subjects like French dentistry and a North Carolina Costco and his father’s dinner attire.

ELEVEN RINGS, by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. (Penguin Press.) An autobiography by the coach who led the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers to multiple N.B.A. championships.

THE GUNS AT LAST LIGHT, by Rick Atkinson. (Holt.) The final volume of the Liberation Trilogy describes the Allied victory in Europe, from D-Day in June 1944 to the German surrender 11 months later.

THE UNWINDING, by George Packer. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux.) The collapse of American institutions, politics and culture and their replacement by organized money, told through the stories of ordinary people and significant figures.

WILD, by Cheryl Strayed. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing.) A woman’s account of a life-changing 1,100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail during the summer of 1995.

DAD IS FAT, by Jim Gaffigan. (Crown Archetype.) The comedian’s life with five kids in a two-bedroom New York City apartment.

AMERICAN SNIPER, by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. (Morrow/HarperCollins.) A member of the Navy SEALs discusses his childhood, his marriage and his battlefield experiences during the Iraq war. Kyle was recently shot to death in Texas.

 

Boston Public Radio Summer Reading Picks

Memorial Day weekend is coming up, marking the unofficial start of summer. We know the weather doesn’t feel very summery right now. But the long weekend invites us to start slowing down, thinking about the hot weather ahead, and maybe even an opportunity to relax and enjoy a good book or two…or three.

We have some great reading recommendations from a couple of literary locals – and many of the books have a connection to Boston and New England.

Good Reads For The Summer as selected by WBUR and their listeners.

New York Times Best Sellers at ACLS for June 2, 2013

Get the latest NYT Best Sellers at the Allegany County Library System.

FICTION (Combined Print & E-BOOK)

INFERNO, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday.) The symbologist Robert Langdon, on the run in Florence, must decipher a series of codes created by a Dante-loving scientist.

AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED, by Khaled Hosseini. (Riverhead.) A multigenerational family saga centers on a brother and sister born in Afghanistan; from the author of “The Kite Runner.”

THE HIT, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central.) The government hitman Will Robie uncovers a serious threat as he attempts to take out a fellow assassin who has gone rogue.

12TH OF NEVER, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown.) A week after giving birth, Detective Lindsay Boxer returns to work to investigate some grisly murders.

DON’T SAY A WORD, by Barbara Freethy. (Barbara Freethy.) A reckless photographer helps a woman delve into the mysteries of her past.

SILKEN PREY, by John Sandford. (Putnam.) Lucas Davenport is drawn into the investigation of a Minnesota political scandal and the disappearance of an operative.

DEAD EVER AFTER, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace.) The telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse searches for the truth about the death of the former barmaid Arlene.

WHISKEY BEACH, by Nora Roberts. (Putnam.) A former criminal attorney who has been acquitted of his wife’s murder retreats to his family estate on a rocky New England cliff, where he is comforted by the house’s caretaker amid continuing danger.

BINDING AGREEMENT, by Kyra Davis. (Pocket Star.) Kasie has to figure out if her passion for the billionaire Robert Dade is leading her down the wrong path; Part 3 of “Just One Night.”

 ENDER’S GAME, by Orson Scott Card. (Tor/Tom Doherty.) Government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers.

NONFICTION (Combined Print & E-BOOK)

ELEVEN RINGS, by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. (Penguin Press.) An autobiography by the coach who led the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers to multiple N.B.A. championships.

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach. (Howard Books.) The Duck Commander pays tribute to “faith, family and ducks.”

LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence.

PROOF OF HEAVEN, by Eben Alexander. (Simon & Schuster.) A neurosurgeon recounts his near death experience during a coma from bacterial meningitis.

LET’S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS, by David Sedaris. (Little, Brown.) Essays from the humorist on subjects like French dentistry and a North Carolina Costco and his father’s dinner attire.

THE GUNS AT LAST LIGHT, by Rick Atkinson. (Holt.) The final volume of the Liberation Trilogy describes the Allied victory in Europe, from D-Day in June 1944 to the German surrender 11 months later.

MY GREEK DRAMA, by Gianna Angelopoulos. (Greenleaf.) A memoir by a lawyer who was instrumental in rescuing the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens from possible disaster.

CONTROL, by Glenn Beck and others. (Threshold Editions/Mercury Radio Arts.) An argument against gun restriction laws.

BOSSYPANTS, by Tina Fey. (Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown.) A memoir from the former “Saturday Night Live” star and creator of “30 Rock.”

WILD, by Cheryl Strayed. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing.) A woman’s account of a life-changing 1,100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail during the summer of 1995.

 

News from heaven : the Bakerton stories by Jennifer Haigh

    Review by:  Regina

Title:  News from heaven : the Bakerton stories

Author:  Jennifer Haigh

Collection:  Adult Fiction

News from Heaven returns to the once booming, coal mining town of Bakerton, PA and steps back into the lives of family members Haigh had written about in the Baker Towers. (an exceptional read)As with other small declining towns across America, Bakerton has yet to reinvent itself – the young are leaving or dreaming of leaving, the older unemployed are trying to hang on by the skin of their teeth, and the retired, those that aren’t ill, are glad they made it this far but wondering what it would have been like if they left. Ten short stories are compiled into one book, all interrelated to each other – Haigh once again captures the allure and spirit of home and family, amidst depression and loss.

As with other readers, News from Heaven and Baker Towers, struck a chord with me – my once booming coal and ore mining town was a flurry with jobs locally and at nearby industrial plants that have now left for greener pastures. Our young people struggle to obtain work and earn a decent wage. At the middle of it all is family that hold us together…

The death of bees : a novel by Lisa O’Donnell

    Review by:  Regina

Title:  The death of bees : a novel

Author:  Lisa O’Donnell

Collection:  Adult Fiction

Blunt with a touch of humor. Grim and gritty. Edgy. Haunting. This is O’Donnell’s first novel and from the very first page of the prologue – it’s an eye-opener. I could not put this book down for the sheer horror of how Marnie, almost sixteen, and her little sister, Nelly, had to live with and without their drug addicted parents. Living in the projects of Glasgow, Scotland, the girls have never known any other kind of life than what they are living – never known the sweetness of a happy birthday or a family filled holiday, let alone the true and bonding love from a parent/child relationship. From page to page you will learn how each sister copes with her loss and reluctantly cheer when their neighbor, Lenny, steps in to give a hand and guidance. A new author that leaves you eager to see her next work.

Not for the faint of heart – rough language/crude humor…

New York Times Best Sellers at ACLS for May 26, 2013

Get the latest NYT Best Sellers at the Allegany County Library System.

FICTION (Combined Print & E-BOOK)

DEAD EVER AFTER, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace.) The telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse searches for the truth about the death of the former barmaid Arlene.

SILKEN PREY, by John Sandford. (Putnam.) Lucas Davenport is drawn into the investigation of a Minnesota political scandal and the disappearance of an operative.

THE HIT, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central.) The government hitman Will Robie uncovers a serious threat as he attempts to take out a fellow assassin who has gone rogue.

12TH OF NEVER, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown.) A week after giving birth, Detective Lindsay Boxer returns to work to investigate some grisly murders.

WHISKEY BEACH, by Nora Roberts. (Putnam.) A former criminal attorney who has been acquitted of his wife’s murder retreats to his family estate on a rocky New England cliff, where he is comforted by the house’s caretaker amid continuing danger.

THE BET, by Rachel Van Dyken. (Rachel Van Dyken.) Jake, a Seattle millionaire, asks his formerly estranged childhood friend Kacey to pretend to be engaged to him. But she reckoned without Jake’s brother, Travis.

A STEP OF FAITH, by Richard Paul Evans. (Simon & Schuster.) In the fourth book of the “Walk” series, Alan faces new challenges on his walk to Key West.

THE ORACLE GLASS, by Judith Merkle Riley. (Sourcebooks Landmark.) In 17th-century France, a fortuneteller hides more behind her black robes than people know.

A DELICATE TRUTH, by John le Carré. (Viking.) A young man investigates a private-public antiterrorist operation, supposedly a great success but actually a disaster.

GONE GIRL, by Gillian Flynn. (Crown.) A woman disappears on the day of her fifth anniversary; is her husband a killer?

 

NONFICTION (Combined Print & E-BOOK)

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach. (Howard Books.) The Duck Commander pays tribute to “faith, family and ducks.”

LET’S EXPLORE DIABETES WITH OWLS, by David Sedaris. (Little, Brown.) Essays from the humorist on subjects like French dentistry and a North Carolina Costco and his father’s dinner attire.

LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence.

CONTROL, by Glenn Beck and others. (Threshold Editions/Mercury Radio Arts.) An argument against gun restriction laws.

PROOF OF HEAVEN, by Eben Alexander. (Simon & Schuster.) A neurosurgeon recounts his near death experience during a coma from bacterial meningitis.

WAITING TO BE HEARD, by Amanda Knox. (Harper.) Knox, who was convicted of the murder of her roommate in 2009 when she was an American student in Italy, a conviction that was overturned in 2011, tells her story.

COOKED, by Michael Pollan. (Penguin Press.) The writer masters recipes and argues that regaining control of cooking will make Americans healthier.

DAD IS FAT, by Jim Gaffigan. (Crown Archetype.) The comedian’s life with five kids in a two-bedroom New York City apartment.

OBSESSED, by Mika Brzezinski with Diane Smith. (Weinstein.) The “Morning Joe” co-host discusses the obesity epidemic and her own struggles around food.

WILD, by Cheryl Strayed. (Knopf Doubleday Publishing.) A woman’s account of a life-changing 1,100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail during the summer of 1995.