May 2011 books

[dirtylibrarian]

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer
Lish McBride
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Paranormal. Seattle. Death. Family secrets. Humor. Violence. Skateboarding. College drop-outs. Decapitations. Werewolves. Fairies. Ghosts.
Good stuff. A bit too much sex and violence for middle school, but high school kids should enjoy it.

Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom
Marilyn Singer
Kids Poetry
Recommend?: Yes.
Poetry. Animals. Puns. Love.
Nearly unbearably cutesy. Might be good for class writing assignment inspirations.

Recovery Road
Blake Nelson
Teen Fiction
Recommend?: Yes.
Addiction. Alcoholism. Teens. Treatment. Recovery. Boredom. Frustration. Temptation. Slips. Support. Friendship. Disappointment. Hope.
Solid story of recovery. Does not glamorize addiction at all, but rather focuses on the hard work of staying sober.

Level Up
Gene Luen Yang
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Shrug.
College students. Video game addiction. Guilt. Angels. Parents. Death. Dreams. Goals.
I was really looking forward to this, but like the last GLY book, I found the mix of fantasy and message disjointing rather than satisfying.

Elephant Talk: The Surprising Science of Elephant Communication
Ann Downer
Tween Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Elephants. Communication. Anatomy. Mating. Baby elephants.
Really well done and interesting.

My Abandonment
Peter Rock
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Survival. Society. Homelessness. Choices. Family. Secrets. Mental illness. Veterans. Brainwashing.
Amazing book, and deeply chilling.

Axe Cop (Volume 1)
Malachai Nicolle
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Definitely!
Children's imagination. Justice. Good and evil. Violence. Cops. Dinosaurs. Dogs. Avocados. Poop. Advice columns.
Totally delightful, if sometimes disturbingly violent and gross.

Superman: Earth One
J. Michael Straczynski
Teen Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
Superman. Origin stories. Retellings.
Fresh take on well known story.

At Home: A Short History of Private Life
Bill Bryson
Adult Audiobook
Recommend?: Definitely!
Houses. Society. Evolution of the home. Comfort. Inventions. Cleanliness. England. Estates. Parsonages.
Absolutely fascinating and informative. Makes you really appreciate everything it took to get us to the level of comfort we have now.

Swan: Poems and Prose Poems
Mary Oliver
Adult Poetry
Recommend?: Yes.
Nature. Joy. Life. Mourning. Aging. Writing. Celebration. Words.
Lovely collection, though not her strongest, but a few outstanding poems and overall good.

The Burn Journals
Brent Runyon
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Teen boys. Depression. Suicide attempts. Fire. Burns. Hospitalization. Therapy. Recovery. Friendship. Family. Trauma.
Solid memoir invoking depressed and uncommunicative teenage boy. Should be fascinating to others, and likely helpful too.

Aaron and Ahmed: A Love Story
Jay Cantor
Adult Graphic Novel
Recommend?: Yes.
9/11. Loss. Guantanamo Bay. Torture. Psychological damage. Bonding. Trust. Brainwashing. Middle East. Terrorists.
Dark and twisted, but almost believable too. Very interesting read.

Half Brother
Kenneth Oppel
Teen Audiobook
Recommend?: Yes.
Family. Canada. Scientists. Chimps. Babies. Sign language. Feelings. Sacrifice. Sanctuary.
I've read other teen books on the subject, but this one was really well done and compelling.

Super Suckers: The Giant Pacific Octopus and Other Cephalopods of the Pacific Coast
James A. Cosgrove
Adult Non-Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Squid. Octopuses. Puget Sound. SCUBA. Science.
Delightfully informative with tons of great photos.

Little House in the Big Woods
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Kids Fiction
Recommend?: Definitely!
Pioneer life. Family. Childhood. Hard work. Cooking. Play. Survival. Seasons. Wisconsin.
Absolutely delightful and every bit as good as I remembered.