Staff Review: Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory

Spoonbenders, by Daryl Gregory made me laugh more than any other book I've read lately. Gregory’s story about the Amazing Telemachus family has clever dialog and plot, interesting characters, a tight-knit riotous family, and suspense. All these varying elements come together in a cohesive and enjoyable read.

In the '60s, the Telemachus family were on the verge of stardom with their psychic act. Telekinesis, telepathy, time traveling, lie-detecting, astral-projection – each person had their own specialty. Their glimmer of fame was abruptly doused after being discredited on national television by their soon-to-be nemesis Archibald. Fast forward to the '90s – the family are leading an average existence of working small jobs and supporting the next generation. Two of the three psychic children from the '60s now have children of their own. Hormonally charged 14-year-old Matty is beginning to find out who his family was as he stumbles upon his own power. His single mother Irene is working at ALDI to support the family and flirting with the idea of love in the age of dial-up Internet and chat rooms. Buddy has withdrawn into himself and behaves erratically. Frankie is scheming to get money he owes the mob. Maureen is communicating beyond the grave with letters she left the family to open at specific intervals. Teddy is associating with a CIA agent from his past. 

The novel goes back and forth between the decades of the '60s and the '90s. In the '60s, the family’s origins are explained as Teddy the patriarch meets his wife-to-be, Maureen, at a CIA-sponsored psychic-screening test. The seeds for later developments get planted as well. In the '90s, we get the drama and humor that goes along with the next generation (Teddy and Maureen’s three kids) trying to make sense of their present and reconcile their past. 

All the characters are fully realized and likable. I found myself especially drawn to Frankie. Although he puts the family in danger, he’s a lovable misfit with an optimistic outlook. His short fuse and funny lines are frequently the cause of comic relief. 

Gregory’s novel has a lot going for it. There’s a bit of nostalgia for millennials, and to a lesser extent, a bit for baby-boomers. There’s enough suspense to make it a page-turner with humor to keep you grinning throughout. The writing is intelligent and the characters quirky. Those who might be leery of the science fiction themes can rest assured that the psychic element is more of a backdrop in this family drama. The powers often prove more of a burden than a gift. Spoonbenders offers a bit of escapism as well as an affirmation of the bonds of family, no matter how disorderly.  

~Ben, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: Broadchurch

The British crime drama Broadchurch has an impressive cast of talented actors, and viewers are likely to recognize several faces including David Tennant and Olivia Colman, who play the main investigators. The series is set in a fictional coastal town of Broadchurch whose small community is rocked by the murder of an 11-year-old boy.

Ellie Miller (Colman) has recently returned from a family vacation to discover that she's been passed over for promotion in favor of Alec Hardy (Tennant), an outsider with a poor reputation. So tensions are already high when Danny Latimer's body is discovered. The ensuing investigation uncovers painful secrets and divides the town.

Broadchurch is an incredibly tense and rather depressing series, so the use of striking natural visuals (and occasional bits of humor) helped greatly. After the emotional roller coaster of the first season, it took me some time before I was able to pick up the second season, which delves into the trail of Danny's murderer. And while it's hard to revisit these characters and their pain, the compelling storytelling provides a rewarding experience.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Review: "The Wanderers" by Meg Howrey

The Wanderers by Meg Howrey was one of the books I most enjoyed reading in 2017, and like The Martian by Andy Weir, I think it's a book that will appeal to readers who ordinarily wouldn't pick up a book described as "science fiction." However, unlike the fast-paced survival story of The Martian, The Wanderers is a quieter, more character-driven book.

In the near future, the multinational company Prime Space (think SpaceX) is in the final stages of preparing a manned mission to Mars. They've selected a crew of potential astronauts who will undergo an incredibly realistic 17-month simulation called Eidolon. Eidolon will serve as a test of both the equipment and the humans involved. The three astronauts serve as our primary narrators, but chapters are also told from the perspectives of four other characters tied to the project.

Helen Kane is a well-respected and experienced American astronaut (I couldn't help but picture Iowa's own Peggy Whitson), and her adult daughter Mireille (a struggling actress) also narrates. Sergei Kuznetsov is a stoic cosmonaut whose ex-wife and teen sons recently moved to the United States, one of whom also narrates. Yoshihiro Tanaka is our third and youngest astronaut and his wife Madoka is the sixth narrator. The final narrator is a Prime Space employee involved in monitoring Eidolon.

Howrey's writing is poetic or dreamlike, and I greatly admire her ability to explore the internal workings of her characters' minds while creating a sense of tension. It's interesting to experience a significant scientific achievement from such an emotional and psychological perspective. There's a lot to chew on in this book, and I think it would make a great selection for a book club discussion.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: The Good Place

When I saw the previews for The Good Place I figured it would last five or six episodes and then be cancelled. A show about people dying and then waking up in a utopia doesn't sound very exciting or funny.  But, I love Kristen Bell so I thought I would give it a chance.

Wow, this show is just a fantastic way to spend 30 minutes.  The cast is incredible, especially Kristen Bell as "Eleanor" and D'Arcy Carden as "Janet."

Eleanor Shellstrop wakes up in the The Good Place and is so confused.  She wasn't a good person, why is she in The Good Place? Michael, the architect of The Good Place (essentially an angel), has her confused with another Eleanor Shellstrop, one who should be in The Good Place.  He introduces her to Chidi, Tahani, and Jianyu, other recent additions. They all seem to have been wonderful people when alive, or were they?  Then there is Janet. Janet is basically the computer that runs The Good Place.  In The Good Place, everything is wonderful, you find your soulmate, you live in your dream house, everything is coming up sunshine, roses, and unicorns.

Except it isn't. The Good Place seems to be broken so Eleanor and crew try to figure out how to
fix the problem.  To that end, Eleanor decides that she has to learn to be a better person, with Chidi as her teacher.  The alternative to The Good Place is The Bad Place and nobody wants to end up there.  I'm so glad this show was picked up for a second season, because season two has been every bit as fantastic as season one. 

As a side note, one of the things that makes this show so amazing is that nobody can swear in The Good Place.  Eleanor, in particular, likes to swear and the words don't come out as she intends (e.g., mother forking shirt balls). It seems so effortless for Kristin Bell that I find myself wondering if the swearing system from The Good Place has seeped into her real life. 

~Amy, Adult Services

Lazy Day Reading

What do I do when it is really cold out and I have some free time? I hang out with my cat, Gizmo, and read cozy mysteries by the fire. Lately I’ve been on a library mystery kick and here are three that I’d recommend for some lazy day reading.  

Blue Ridge Library Mystery Series by Victoria Gilbert 

A Murder for the Books is the first book (and only book to date) in this series.  Librarian Amy Gilbert moves in with her aunt in a quiet, historic town in Virginia.  Amy left her previous job at an academic library under embarrassing circumstances and running a small town public library is new for her.  She uses her research skills and some logic to dig into the library archives to solve a murder.  

I enjoyed Gilbert’s writing.  The mystery was interesting and honestly I didn’t figure out who the villain was or the reason for the murder before the conclusion of the book.  Unlike the other two series, there isn’t a dog or cat involved with any of the characters.  Props to Victoria Gilbert for staying away from that cozy mystery trope. 

Lighthouse Library Series by Eva Gates

This series currently has three books -- start with By Book or by Crook.  Librarian Lucy Richardson works and lives in the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library with her roommate and library cat Charles.  After leaving her job at Harvard Library, she is thrilled to find a job in this small Outer Banks library.  Then a priceless first edition of a Jane Austen novel disappears and the chair of the library board is murdered. Lucy suddenly finds herself involved in a murder investigation.  

Of the three series, this one was probably my least favorite.  However, I love the idea of a library in a lighthouse. How amazing would it be to work and live there?  There is, of course, a bit of a love triangle and your typical cozy mystery quirky characters make appearances.  I thought the series had concluded after the third book; it looks like a fourth book will be published in June 2018. 

Library Lovers Mystery Series by Jenn McKinlay

This is the most robust series on the list.  There are eight books to date and the series starts with Books Can Be Deceiving.  Lindsay Norris is the new director of the Briar Creek Public Library and is enjoying working with her best friend Beth, the children’s librarian.  She faces a bit of an uphill battle with her library board and one particularly bitter employee.  Things get a little bit more exciting when Beth’s boyfriend, a famous author, is found murdered and Beth is the main suspect.  

This is my favorite series of the three.  The depiction of library life is pretty realistic and as a librarian I appreciate that.  Lindsay has a Crafternoon group that meets once a week at the library to talk about a book and work on a craft.  The group is made up of mostly women and they discuss pretty much everything including the book of the month.  McKinlay includes recipes at the end of her book along with discussion questions for the Crafternoon monthly book.  There are also instructions for some of the craft projects.  I highly recommend McKinlay’s other book series, The Cupcake Bakery mysteries, and the Hat Shop mysteries.  McKinlay’s writing is full of humor and likeable protagonists. 

Pick up one of these mysteries, get yourself a cat, and enjoy an afternoon of reading books about books.  

 

(cat not available for check-out)

~ Amy, Adult Services

Bingeworthy TV: iZombie

iZombie, a zombie series for people who do not really like the zombie genre.  I am not a fan of The Walking Dead and I do not generally appreciate zombie guts and gore, but if you can make me laugh its all good.  My daughters recommended iZombie to me and after about 3 episodes I was hooked.

The premise is that there are zombies among us but if they are well fed, spray tanned and properly coifed you would never recognize them as the un-dead.  The main character is Liv, a newly minted doctor who had her life all figured out. Surgeon, check; hot fiance, check; awesome best friend, check.  Perfect life, not so fast.  One night at a yacht party there were some funky drugs being passed around and before you know the ship is blowing up and zombies are making a mess of things.  Liv gets scratched and when she wakes up on the beach she is deathly pale, has a white streak in her hair and is oddly starving for brains.  So her saga begins.

She ends up getting a job in the coroner's office because of the steady supply of brains and her co-worker quickly catches her having a snack.  But he's on board in keeping her secret and even begins trying to come up with a cure for zombism.  Liv discovers that she takes on the personality of the person whose brain she has eaten and suddenly she's a magician, a gambler or a dominatrix. Whoever she is channeling is usually very different than her true self.  With the visions she has while on each brain she is spurred to  begin helping a local detective solve crimes.  

The dialog is clever and often funny.  Watching Liv come up with new brain recipes is one of my favorite little bits of each show.  The show isn't all fun and games and there are some tense moments but overall this is more Zombieland than Night Of The Living Dead. I must say I have binged the whole series and am anxiously awaiting the new season!

~Michelle, Circulation