Books! Live with Katie Reading Resolutions

Katie shares some tips and ideas on creating a reading resolution for 2021! Here are some of the resources shared: NPR's Book Concierge: https://apps.npr.org/best-books/#view=covers&year=2020 BookRiot's Best Books of 2020 and Reading Goals: https://bookriot.com/best-books-of-2020 https://bookriot.com/reading-goals Tips for reading more this year: https://www.inc.com/john-rampton/25-ways-to-read-a-lot-more-books-this-year.html

Sign up for the Library's Winter Reading Program: westallislibrary.beanstack.com

A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

If you're looking for a book series with outstanding world building and character development, Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses series is for you. Affectionally called ACOTAR by its fans, this book series follows Feyre, a poor human, as she is forced to go into the world of fairies after "accidentally" (you decide if it's actually an accident) killing a fey disguised as a wolf. While in the fairy world, Feyre finds trouble, but also love. This series has a lot of twists and turns throughout it so you will not want to put it down!

While it is currently listed as YA, there are some serious adult themes. The newest book in the series, A Court of Silver Flames, comes out next year and you can bet I will be one of the first on the holdlist when it comes out!

- Megan

Check out A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas @ the library!

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Title: Flowers for Algernon

Author: Daniel Keyes

Genre: Science Fiction

This book is a classic for a reason! Told in diary entries, we meet Charlie, a mentally disabled man who undergoes an experiment to increase his intelligence. As the experimental procedure takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered it. As time progresses, Algernon, the mouse who originated the experiment, starts to deteriorate. Will the same happen to Charlie?

A short read that is always impactful. Be aware that they do use some outdated offensive terminology for mental disabilities. Aside from this, Flowers for Algernon is a wonderful look into what is intelligence and how it can impact your life.

- Megan

Check out Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes @ the library!

A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Title: A Danger to Herself and Others

Author: Alyssa B. Sheinmel

Genre: Young Adult

It was an accident. Hannah will be released very soon. That is what she's telling herself as she waits for Dr. Lightfoot to evaluate her. She doesn't belong in a facility for mentally ill girls. It's all a big mistake.

Agnes, her best friend and roommate at the summer program, is hurt. Bad. Sure Hannah wanted Agnes's boyfriend - after all she saw him first, but she was smart enough to work that out on her own.

Now she's locked in a small room, which is so boring until her new roommate, Lucy, shows up. Lucy makes things bearable. Lucy gets her and shares some secrets of her own.

Will Hannah come to grips with what really happened to Agnes? Will Lucy be the one to send Hannah over the edge? Read A Danger to Herself and Others to find out.

- Sarah R.

Check out A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa B. Sheinmel @ the library!

The Mall by Megan McCafferty

Title: The Mall

Author: Megan McCafferty

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

The year is 1991, and the place to work in Pineville, New Jersey is the Parkway Center Mall. Cassie is looking forward to her last summer in New Jersey before the rest of her life starts in New York this fall. Her carefully planned out life includes her boyfriend Troy, and their futures at Barnard and Colombia. All that stands between her and her future is this summer and her job at America’s Best Cookie. Of course her day is better because it's her first day post 6-week mono quarantine.

Instead of a nice first day back into the real world, Cassie is assaulted by Cucumber Melon Bath and Body spray, delivered by Troy’s new girlfriend. To add insult to injury, she no longer is employed at America’s Best Cookie. With money for school on the line, and a summer that needs to be saved from her parents' expectations, Cassie ends up finding a job with former best friend Drea at Bellarosa, a boutique a little bit outside of Cassie’s tastes. Secret mall parties, a legend of lost money, and maybe a new crush at the Sam Goody, Cassie’s summer is turning out to be better than expected. Of course, as with anything that happens in Jersey, there is drama.

While this is a YA book, it is best suited for those readers who were teens in the 1990’s. If you ever went to a mall food court for a date, argued whether compact discs were the best way to listen to music, or participated in a mall fashion show, this is the book for you. For an extra double feature, watch Mall Rats and read The Mall by Megan McCafferty.

- Katie

Check out The Mall by Megan McCafferty @ the library!

Books! Live With Katie Books to Give

Looking for suggestions of books to give the readers in your life? Join Katie in this recording of December 2nd, 2020's Books! Live with Katie where she shares the following titles: Eat a Peach by David Chang The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson Dolly Parton Songteller by Dolly Parton She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History of David Linklater's Dazed and Confused by Melissa Maerz Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey Cary Grant by Scott Eyman Accidentally Wes Anderson by Wally Koval The Neil Gaiman Reader by Neil Gaiman The Best of Me by David Sedaris I Will Judge You By Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider #wapl #westallispubliclibrary #bookslivewithkatie #bookstogive #givebooks