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.

Hooray For Print Books!

November 11, 2014November 11, 2014 / Linda / 2 Comments

It was recently announced by Nielsen Books & Consumer that both hardcovers and paperbacks outsold ebooks in the first half of 2014. According to Nielsen’s survey, ebooks made up only 23 percent of sales, while hardcovers made up 25 percent and paperbacks 42 percent. In other words, hardcovers and paperbacks individually outsold ebooks. Yeah!

I may be among the meager few, but I do not own any kind of e-reader. I will never own any kind of e-reader. It’s not that I don’t like technology, I just love books printed on paper. I love how they feel – even how they smell! There’s something about holding a book in your hand and physically turning the page that’s more appealing than looking at pixels on a screen. I love the convenience of them. Just the other day, I was in a doctor’s waiting room and a woman was reading from an ereader. When she was called in, she struggled to mark her place, then turn the device off, flip the cover on, then dropping it on the floor before being able to put it in her purse. I, on the other hand, was reading a paperback. When my name was called, I put in my cute little bookmark and that was that! Another great thing about printed books is not having to worry about battery life, finding your power cord, or losing your electricity before you can power up your reader. I especially like that I don’t have to spend money to buy a device to read a book or dropping and breaking an expensive electronic device. When you get your books from the library, it doesn’t cost a cent to read them!

Apparently, I’m not alone in preferring print books. In a recent survey, 65% of those polled reported they like the feel of a real book, 61% say physical books help them learn better (can use post-its, highlighters), 58% like to be able to lend and borrow books, 53% said they like the visual aspect of printed books (covers, pictures, maps), 45% reported they like to be able to resell their books, 44% like to collect and display their books (they are a great decorating tool), 44% enjoying giving books as gifts, 42% prefer browsing bookstores and 9% like to show off what they are reading.

Oh, I know there are some benefits to ereaders. Like you can load multiple books on them. But, how many books can you read at one time? Some people like to save books so they can read them over again. But once I know how the story ends, it kind of takes the fun out of reading it again.

We can debate the pros and cons between printed and ebooks, but the important thing to remember is that reading is a great activity and it’s wonderful that we have a variety of formats to choose from. Whichever format you prefer, printed book, audiobook or ebook, the Cheshire Public Library has the best selection to choose from!

(Source: Various, including edudemic, Publisher’s Weekly, Huffington Post)

10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in November

November 9, 2014October 29, 2014 / Louise / Leave a comment

It’s November, time to put on a sweater, throw another log on the fire, and give thanks for a lot of great new books coming your way!

Every month, librarians from around the country pick the top ten new books they’d most like to share with readers. The results are published on LibraryReads.org. One of the goals of LibraryReads is to highlight the important role public libraries play in building buzz for new books and new authors. Click through to read more about what new and upcoming books librarians consider buzzworthy this month. The top ten titles for November are:

Us by David Nicholls
Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean
Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble by Marilyn Johnson
The Burning Room by Michael Connelly
Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes
The Forgers by Bradford Morrow
In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon edited by Leslie S. Klinger and Laurie R. King
Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron
Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet

Linda Reads: Mean Streak by Sandra Brown

November 6, 2014October 24, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Combining the nail-biting suspense and potent storytelling that has made Sandra Brown one of the world’s best loved authors, Mean Streak is a wildly compelling novel about love, deceit, and the choices we must make in order to survive.

Summary

Dr. Emory Charbonneau, a pediatrician and marathon runner, disappears on a mountain road in North Carolina. By the time her husband Jeff, miffed over a recent argument, reports her missing, the trail has grown cold. Literally. Fog and ice encapsulate the mountainous wilderness and paralyze the search for her.

While police suspect Jeff of “instant divorce,” Emory, suffering from an unexplained head injury, regains consciousness and finds herself the captive of a man whose violent past is so dark that he won’t even tell her his name. She’s determined to escape him, and willing to take any risks necessary to survive.

Unexpectedly, however, the two have a dangerous encounter with people who adhere to a code of justice all their own. At the center of the dispute is a desperate young woman whom Emory can’t turn her back on, even if it means breaking the law. Wrong becomes right at the hands of the man who strikes fear, but also sparks passion.

As her husband’s deception is revealed, and the FBI closes in on her captor, Emory begins to wonder if the man with no name is, in fact, her rescuer from those who wish her dead – and from heartbreak.

My Thoughts

Be prepared to keep reading this book until you’re done. I started the book before my plan to clean my bathroom, but wound up reading it until I finished it! The suspense was nonstop and there were many twists that I just didn’t see coming. The story is fast-paced, the characters are likeable and believable. The suspense has you on the edge of your seat, the humor puts a smile on your face, the drama has you gasping in surprise and when you’re finished, you’ve been thoroughly and exquisitely entertained. It makes my top ten favorite books.

Author Biography

Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers. She began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into thirty-three languages.

A lifelong Texan, Sandra Brown was born in Waco, grew up in Fort Worth and attended Texas Christian University, majoring in English. Before embarking on her writing career, she worked as a model at the Dallas Apparel Mart, and in television, including weathercasting for WFAA-TV in Dallas, and feature reporting on the nationally syndicated program “PM Magazine.”

She is much in demand as a speaker and guest television hostess. Her episode on truTV’s “Murder by the Book” premiered the series in 2008 and she was one of the launch authors for Investigation Discovery’s new series, “Hardcover Mysteries.”

In 2009 Brown detoured from her thrillers to write Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.
Brown recently was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Source: Amazon

You Can Turn Endless Political Talk into Election Education

November 4, 2014November 4, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

With the political ads practically inescapable lately and midterm elections happening today, it is a perfect time to talk about voting with our children. Introducing the history, responsibilities, reasoning and ideals behind voting, and maybe a few laughs along the way, can turn the political ad season into a more enjoyable prospect for readers of all ages. I have broken the subject into two short lists, non fiction books and fiction.