Our Patrons Pick Their Favorite Books of 2014

February 3, 2015January 16, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

For the last several years, The Department of Human Services of Cheshire has had a mitten tree in the library’s lobby, requesting the public to donate holiday gifts for needy girls and boys. Our patrons have always been very generous and we thank you very much!

This year, after the gifts were gathered up to be delivered, we turned the mitten tree into ‘what was your favorite book of 2014′ tree.

Here’s what you said:

Children:

A Cheese Colored Camper – Geronimo Stilton
Because of Mr. Terupt – Rob Buyea
Biscuit – Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Daddy Hugs – Karen Katz
Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Jeff Kinney (3)
Dragons – Lucille Recht Penner
Frozen adapted by Sarah Nathan and Sela Roman
Gathering Blue – Lois Lowery (YA)
Humphrey Series – Betty Birney
I Spy series – Jean Marzollo & Walter Wick
I Survived Series – Lauren Tarshis
I’m Too Fond of My Fur – Geronimo Stilton
Isabelle – Lawrence Yep
It’s Hard to be 5 – Jamie Lee Curtis
Junie B., First Grader At Last – Barbara Park
Last Olympian – Rick Riordon (YA)
Little House on the Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Women – Louisa May Alcott
Looking for Alaska – John Green (YA)
Miss Daisy is Crazy – Dan Gutman
Molly Moon Series– Georgia Byng
Number the Stars – Lois Lowry
Okay for Now – Gary Schmidt (YA)
One For The Murphys – Lynda Mullaly Hunt (YA)
Out of My Mind – Sharon M. Draper
Polar Express – Chris Van Allsburg
Rainbow Fairy Series – Daisy Meadows
Rangers Apprentice Series – John Flanagan
The BFG – Roald Dahl
The Blood of Olympus – Rick Riordan (YA)
The Fault in Our Stars – John Green (YA)
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien (YA)
The Last Battle – C.S. Lewis
The Lost Warrior – Erin Hunter (Graphic Novel)
The Maze Runner – James Dashner (YA)
The Penultimate Peril – Lemony Snicket
The Secret of the Snow – Thea Stilton
Warriors: Bramble Star’s Storm – Erin Hunter

Adult:

A Man Called Ove – Frederick Backman
A Week in Winter – Maeve Binchy
All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
Being Mortal – Atul Gawande (Nonfiction)
Child of Mine – David & Beverly Lewis
Clifton Chronicles – Jeffrey Archer
Daughter of Fortune – Isabel Allende
I Am Malala – Malala Yousafzai (Nonfiction)
Pegasus – Danielle Steel
Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
Sin Undone – Larissa Ione
Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good – Jan Karon
Summerset Abbey – T.J. Brown
The Aviator’s Wife – Melanie Benjamin
The Bible
The Boys in the Boat – Dan Brown (Nonfiction)
The First Phone Call From Heaven – Mitch Albom
The Invention of Wings – Sue Monk Kidd
The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Leftovers – Tom Perrotta
The Lost Empire of Atlantis – Gavin Menzies (Nonfiction)
The Silkworm – Robert Galbraith
The Spirit of Steamboat – Craig Johnson
The Walk Series – Richard Evans
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – John LeCarre
Vienna Prelude – Bodie Thoene
Written in My Own Heart’s Blood – Diana Gabaldon

If you don’t see your title here, there were a few mittens that we could not decipher.

If You Liked The Book, Unbroken…

January 13, 2015January 8, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

If you enjoyed reading the book, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, here’s a selection of read-alike books that you might also enjoy.

Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder – Presents the story of Burundi civil war survivor Deo, who endures homelessness before pursuing an education at Columbia and eventually returning to his native land to help people in both countries.

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall – Recounts the author’s experiences with the reclusive Tarahumara Indians, whose techniques allow them to run long distances with ease, and describes his training for a fifty-mile race with the tribe and a number of ultra-marathoners.

The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood – Draws on inspirational stories about survivors of accidents, crime, and serious illness to investigate why some people succumb to life-threatening hardships while others rally, in a report that includes coverage of the higher survival rates of right-handed people, the science of luck, and emergency room probability rates.

Broken Jewel by David Robbins – Presents a tale of war, love, and survival set against the backdrop of the U.S. 11th Airborne’s raid on the Japanese-run Los Baänos prison in the Philippines–one of the most daring episodes of World War II.

Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides – Chronicles the daring mission of the elite U.S. Army Sixth Ranger Battalion to slip behind enemy lines in the Philippines and rescue the 513 American and British POWs who had spent over three years in a hellish, Japanese-run camp near Cabanatuan.

Krakatoa by Simon Winchester – Considers the global impact of the 1883 eruption of the Krakatoa volcano, documenting its cause of an immense tsunami that killed 40,000 people, its impact on the weather for several years, and its role in anti-Western Islamic fundamentalism.

Lost In Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff – Describes the 1945 odyssey of three plane crash survivors in New Guinea who endured a harrowing journey through the jungle to seek help, their encounter with a primitive tribe who had never seen white people, and their eventual rescue by a band of paratroopers.

Ordinary Heroes by Scott Turow – Stewart Dubinsky plunges into the mystery of his family’s secret history when he discovers his deceased father’s wartime letters to his former fiancâee, revealing his court-martial and imprisonment during World World II.

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk – Developments on board an American naval destroyer during World War II compel the crew members to relieve the captain of his command.

Pacific Glory by P.T. Deutermann – A thrilling, multi-layered World War II adventure following two men and an unforgettable woman, from Pearl Harbor through the most dramatic air and sea battles of the war.

Also, see our display on one of the end caps in our lobby.

Do You Love a Great Tear-Jerker?

January 4, 2015December 22, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Do you love a book that just tears down all your walls and makes you cry? Some weekends or holidays set people in the mood for a book that they need to read alone because books that sad do not make for good company. These are books that just might leave you curled up in a ball, eating too much ice cream, and all out of tissues. Books that make your eyes well up just thinking about them. these are books that make you really cry, not just the token two or three tears or sniffles, I am talking full blown ugly crying. Sounds like torture, I know, but sometimes you just need a good cry. If you find yourself needing that kind of read, these books are sure to deliver.

1. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

2. Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

3. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

4. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

6. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

8. Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

9. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

10. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

For more sob worthy reads that stick with you check out: Night by Elie Wiesel, Where the red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, Room by Emma Donoghue, The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles, Islands in the Stream by Ernest Hemingway, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, A Widow’s Story: a Memoir by Joyce Carol Oates, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson, The Giver by Lois Lowry, or Where She Went by Gayle Forman. This is far from a comprehensive list, so if you have a book that you love that also happened to make you cry ugly tears please share it in the comments!

Sharon Reads: Centaur Rising by Jane Yolan

November 13, 2014October 24, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Centaur Rising is a middle grade to young adult novel by Jane Yolen. Arianne has always wished for magic in her life, a meteor shower and some team work might just make that reality. During the Perseid meteor shower, Arianne thinks she sees a shooting star land in the fields surrounding her family’s horse farm. About a year later, one of their horses gives birth to a baby centaur. The family wants to protect the young boy and has had enough attention already. Arianne’s six-year-old brother was born with birth defects caused by an experimental drug, and their rock-star father has deserted them. They do not want the limelight, but soon the horse farm’s clients growing suspicious. How long can they keep their secret and everyone safe? What will happen if the world learns about the miracle on the farm?

Centaur Rising keeps with the record of Yolan never disappointing me. I really enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the premise. Arianne is a girl that has grown up faster than she should, and is still both compassionate and weary. Her father left the family when her younger brother was born with birth defects. Her outlook was realistic with still a wistful hope for magic and better things. I loved her younger brother’s determination and resilience, and her mothers efforts to protect them both. I will say that my favorite character is still Martha, a employee that is more of a family member on the horse farm. I think that the description of the centaur foal and his development was key to the story. It kept the wonder of his very existence, but also dealt with the practicalities and truth that made him much more human and real than most people here in reality, This is much more than a fantasy, more than a coming of age story, this is a look at how real people facing extraordinary circumstances still have to keep moving forward and dealing with the minute details that are often left out of books and television. I also have to say that I got a bit of a kick out of the fact that the farm where this all takes place just happens to be right here in Connecticut.

I really enjoyed Centaur Rising. Yolan, as usual, brings her characters to life. She leaves readers with a feeling that this family, this farm, could really be out there somewhere. Her characters are so real. Like in real life, there are funny moments, moments that make you want to scream, and moments that make it all worth while.

I gave this book 4 stars in my review, which was previously published on Sharon the Librarian and Goodreads.

Great Graphic Novels for Young Adults

October 23, 2014October 16, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

If you have not been in our teen or children’s area lately you might not know that we have a solid collection of graphic novels for both age groups. The collections include the expected superhero books, but there are also classic stories and non fiction books in graphic novel format. There is also a large collection of Manga in the teen section that garners a large amount of attention for older children and teens. I would highly suggest taking a look at these collections and checking out the wide variety and high quality of graphic novels that have been released in the last few years. Just because the book is shelved in the teen section, that does not mean adults of all ages cannot enjoy them as well. However, if you are uncomfortable checking these out yourself we also have a growing collection of adult graphic novels.

1.The King’s Dragon by Scott Chantler

2.Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

3. Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan

4. Primates: the Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani & Maris Wicks

5. The War Within these Walls by Aline Sax

6. The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks

7. War Brothers: the Graphic Novel by Sharon E. McKay, Daniel Lafrance ; art by Daniel Lafrance

8.Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi

9. The Sea-Wolf by Jack London ; adapted by Riff Reb’s

10. Bad Machinery. Vol. 1, The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison

This list barely scratches the surface of great graphic novels that are currently gracing our shelves. In fact, the happens to be a brand new order of graphic novels that need a little attention and then will be ready for you to check out as well. Here are some more books in our collection that are well worth reading as you wait the next batch of new additions; The Undertaking of Lily Chen by Danica Novgorodoff, Hidden: a child’s story of the Holocaust by Loïc Dauvillier, Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi, Laddertop. Books 1-2 by Orson Scott Card, Battling Boy by Paul Pope, Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen & Faith Erin Hicks, Peanut by Ayun Halliday, The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet: a play by William Shakespeare by adapted by Gareth Hinds, Saints and Boxers by Gene Luen Yang, Templar by Jordan Mechner, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: theGgraphic Novel by Ransom Riggs, and Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and other Things that Happened by Allie Brosh.