#ComicsWednesday: The Wicked + The Divine by Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie, and Matthew Wilson

Gear up, folks, for a #TagTeamComicsWednesday review!

This week Libby and Sarah team up to gush about one of their favorite comic series: The Wicked + The Divine by writer Kieron Gillen, artist Jamie Mckelvie, and colorist Matthew Wilson (plus some notable guest artists along the way).

PLOT SUMMARY

Twelve gods are incarnated as humans every ninety years. They become famous for what they are, treated like the ultimate celebrities. Within two years, all twelve of them are dead. We follow teen and ultimate fangirl Laura as she is given the chance to meet her heroes. Upfront warning: there is violence, death, sex, drug use, and all sorts of things that make this comic very much for adults.

If you’re waiting for the American Gods television series to premiere at the end of this month, The Wicked + The Divine might help tide you over. Likewise, if you’re waiting for The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 5 to hit the library shelves in June, check out American Gods by Neil Gaiman (if you haven't already).

OUR THOUGHTS

Okay, I'm just going to state right up front that avoiding spoilers is going to be SO HARD. But for any readers who have managed to exist on the internet without encountering major spoilers for this series, I do not want to ruin the experience for you. Even though I'm pretty sure Libby and I could fill this entire post with our favorite fan theories and unanswered questions.

SO MANY QUESTIONS. SO FEW ANSWERS. It's one of the best and most frustrating things about this series. If you're a fan of cliffhangers, TW+TD has you covered.

But oh boy, do tiny, cryptic references pay off BIG later on down the line.

Yeah, like “I hope you were paying attention to that random one-liner in the first issue because THAT MEANS EVERYTHING NOW AND NOTHING WILL EVER BE OKAY AGAIN.” I mean, that might be an exaggeration, but that’s how it makes me feel.

Haha. No. You were right: nothing WILL ever be okay again. Don’t get too attached to anyone. This is some Game of Thrones level of say goodbye to your favorites...

Best idea: don’t pick favorites. Easier said than done, but it’s the only way to escape emotional trauma. But before the reader gets the wrong idea, this series is 100% worth the emotional trauma. I think one of my favorite things about this series is the worldbuilding

The worldbuilding starts subtle. This feels like a very contemporary England, with fairly regular people, but they gradually add in the history and depth through bits and pieces and cryptic hints until before you know it you’re signed up for a fictional character’s mailing list.

I knew I wasn’t the only one who signed up for that list. I also learned more about gods and goddesses than I ever thought I would, and I went through a mythology phase as a child, so...

That mythology phase must be a librarian thing ;) But this is some Advanced Level mythology. Some of these gods and goddesses were totally new to me.

The array of gods and goddesses from different cultures, as well as how they interact, is fascinating. UGH, there is so much I want to type in all caps here, but there is only so much flailing we can put on the official library blog.

Okay, sure, but. The characters. How can I not flail when there are such dimensional, human, fallible yet lovable characters? EVEN MIRROR FACE THE AWFUL. Even him. A little.

Daft Punk Is Playing At My Pantheon? I KNOW. I can’t even pick a favorite character to talk about. They are all so realistic while somehow still being otherworldly. I think we have to at least talk about Laura, our POV character.

Laura is right up there in my genuine favs. Not just because she’s the regular human fangirl view to this whole supernatural circus that we’re MEANT to identify with as readers completely new to this universe, but because she has a self-awareness and is just so totally herself.

We identify with Laura right away, but her growth through the series is why I love her so much. She starts out as a fangirl, blogging and tweeting about this Pantheon, but when she meets them, they’re much more human than she expected.

And she handles that, both the excitement of meeting her heroes and the disappointment of their not being quite the people she imagined, so very well. So much better than I would’ve at 18.

This comic is, in a word, intense.

#ComicsWednesday: Princeless Vol. 1 Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley & M. Goodwin

A princess, locked in a tower, guarded by a dragon, waiting for a prince to save her so she can marry him and they can live Happily Ever After. It's a familiar story, which is why it is such a delight when Princeless by Jeremy Whitley and M. Goodwin turns the trope on its head.

Princess Adrienne is sick of waiting for a knight to come rescue her. In fact, she never wanted to be rescued in the first place. In an attempt to get their daughters married off, her father has locked up Adrienne and all of her sisters in different prisons around the land. Guarded by fearsome beasts and tricky riddles, this will make sure that they are only rescued by someone strong enough to rule.

After berating a knight who attempts to rescue her, Adrienne finds a sword hidden in her tower. She decides to make an escape, and flies off on Sparky, the dragon who guarded her tower. Adrienne sets off to rescue her sisters on her own.

Adrienne has a few misadventures before she gets to her sisters, and she picks up help along the way. When she needs armor, she runs into Bedelia Smith, a half-dwarf blacksmith. (Their
hilarious discussion about the practicality of armor for women has been distributed in geek circles for a few years now.) Once Adrienne's father finds out she is missing, and that the "knight" responsible probably killed her, he sends the most vicious bounty hunters in the kingdom after her.

Princeless is a great all-ages comic. It's perfect for parents and kids to read together. Adrienne and Bedelia are funny, and are great role models for young kids. It explores gender roles in a fun and accessible way that is sure to spark conversations about why there are "girl things" and "boy things." Most of all, you will cheer for Adrienne as she makes her way to each sister and finds out that nothing is as clear as it seems.

- Libby, Youth Services

Staff Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

If you were a child in the 80's or 90's, you are probably familiar with the Jim Henson movie Labyrinth starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. You might have gone through an obsessive phase and written fanfiction about the movie, and it is possible you still have the movie memorized. I am definitely not speaking from experience or anything. Nope, not me.

So, ANYWAY, when I saw the following quote about Wintersong from the author, S. Jae-Jones, I knew I had to read it.

"In November 2013, I decided to write 50 Shades of Labyrinth for NaNoWriMo. The rest is history."*

Wintersong is a pretty obvious play on the themes behind the movie Labyrinth, but it draws inspiration from many other cultural touchstones. The Phantom of the Opera, the works of Mozart, Rossetti's Goblin Market, even the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast.

If the "50 Shades" description is a turn-off for you, fear not. This book is firmly in the Young Adult category, and while there are some sexy-ish scenes, there's nothing above PG-13. It's definitely not erotica. It's also set in Bavaria in the 19th century, so there's a more repressed emotion and longing than anything else.

Liesl has always been the one to look after of her sister Käthe and brother Josef. Her father is a drunk and her mother works too hard, but Liesl puts her family first. Though she believed in der Erlkönig (the Goblin King) as a young child, she has outgrown the old superstitions. When Käthe is taken by the Goblin King, he makes a wager with Liesl. It's up to her to find Käthe in the Goblin Kingdom and get her back to safety. The question is, will Liesl be able to do it? And what will happen if she loses the game?

I got lost in this book. The characters are rich, and there is enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. S. Jae-Jones has a way with words, and the world she creates is one that you want to live in. Macmillan have already announced a companion novel due out next year. Is it 2018 yet?

- Libby, Youth Services

If you like Wintersong, try these:

Beauty: a retelling of the story of Beauty & the Beast by Robin McKinley
As Old As Time by Liz Braswell
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman



* No, really, she said that.

Look at this man and tell me you didn't have a crush on him when you were 13.
You didn't?
I don't believe you. 

#ComicsWednesday: Mooncop by Tom Gauld

Someone probably already said this, but Mooncop by Tom Gauld is The Little Prince of our times.

Like The Little Prince, this new, tiny book is elegant and beautiful. It expresses in a few short pages what it means to be human, not only in an imagined future where we fly through space and colonize the moon, but in the present, at this very moment.

Mooncop is sad and lovely. Don't let it slip by!

~Mike, Adult Services

#ComicsWednesday: Lucky Penny by Ananth Hirsh & Yuko Ota

Penny Brighton has made some poor choices in her life (see tattoo of a snake on her neck); add in a string of terrible luck (fired on the same day her roommate moves out and Penny can't afford the rent on her own). Lucky Penny, written by Ananth Hirsh and illustrated by Yuko Ota, has a blend of optimism and dark humor that will appeal to anyone familiar with the struggle that is your twenties. I'm especially fond of Ota's art, which has an appealing balance of realistic detail and cartoony movement. It works especially well in the sections illustrating Penny's active imagination. The team behind this graphic novel scores bonus points for respecting the romance novel genre, even as they poke gentle fun (see alternate cover design below).

~Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Review: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by Rowling, Thorne and Tiffany

Where do I begin? To review something that you have undying affection for is harder than you might think. I suspect I need to delve a bit deeper than: I ♥ Harry Potter ♥ always.

As most of you know, the Harry Potter stories were published in seven books and through these
books, we see the whole story arc of wizard Harry's teen years (the glorious triumphs and far too many tragedies) and the ultimate fight of good versus evil, love versus hate. The last book came out in July 2007. Nine years ago! For those of us who are super-fans, that is eons. My love for Harry Potter knows no bounds and I was beyond thrilled when I realized that there was to be "the eighth Harry Potter story" coming out.

What surprised so many people was that this eighth story is a written as a play. It is being performed this summer in London. So many of us will never get the chance to see this play across the pond, but we do get the script for it.

I knew it was going to be a play script. I knew it would be different. But what I didn't expect was how quickly the story jumps right into the action. But that makes sense, I realized, because a play is all dialogue. All the words need to count and they need to propel the action forward.

I can only hope that someday the play will come to Iowa. I'd even be happy with a DVD of the stage production in London. I think that there must be so much visual storytelling here that we miss a lot of the drama of the words in the script: all the meaningful looks, pregnant pauses, no-doubt gorgeous and magical set pieces. I miss J.K.'s ability to bring you into the story by her fantastic descriptions of magical locations, also the peeks into the minds of the characters and how they are feeling. All of these things are burned in my memory, but for someone who hasn't read these books *cough* so many times, they might not get it at all.

...Angie, may I hijack your review for a moment? This is Amy.  I'm also a huge Harry Potter fan, but nowhere near as obsessed as Angie.  Though I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I feel cheated.  I feel cheated because J.K. Rowling is a masterful story teller and I really want to return to the world of Harry Potter and see Hogwarts as it is now.  With Harry, Hermione, Ron and yes, even Malfoy's children attending school, learning spells, getting into shenanigans and forging their own path in the world.  But alas I don't think that will ever happen. So curse you J.K. Rowling for dangling this carrot and then just taking it away.  Okay, selfish rant over.  You may return to Angie's review now...

Thanks, Amy, for that insight. I will say that I always hold out hope that there will be more written about the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling. This seems to be the case on her website "Pottermore" After the heaviness of what happened in the last few books, however, I don't think we will be able to get our innocence back. Sigh. That doesn't mean I won't keep reading them however. These books are like family to us super-fans.

Update: Rumors are flying that some film producers want to make this play into one, or some say even three movies. Who knows if this is true, but we can always dream.

~Angie (and Amy), Adult Services

Staff Review: Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by Rowling, Thorne and Tiffany

Where do I begin? To review something that you have undying affection for is harder than you might think. I suspect I need to delve a bit deeper than: I ♥ Harry Potter ♥ always.

As most of you know, the Harry Potter stories were published in seven books and through these
books, we see the whole story arc of wizard Harry's teen years (the glorious triumphs and far too many tragedies) and the ultimate fight of good versus evil, love versus hate. The last book came out in July 2007. Nine years ago! For those of us who are super-fans, that is eons. My love for Harry Potter knows no bounds and I was beyond thrilled when I realized that there was to be "the eighth Harry Potter story" coming out.

What surprised so many people was that this eighth story is a written as a play. It is being performed this summer in London. So many of us will never get the chance to see this play across the pond, but we do get the script for it.

I knew it was going to be a play script. I knew it would be different. But what I didn't expect was how quickly the story jumps right into the action. But that makes sense, I realized, because a play is all dialogue. All the words need to count and they need to propel the action forward.

I can only hope that someday the play will come to Iowa. I'd even be happy with a DVD of the stage production in London. I think that there must be so much visual storytelling here that we miss a lot of the drama of the words in the script: all the meaningful looks, pregnant pauses, no-doubt gorgeous and magical set pieces. I miss J.K.'s ability to bring you into the story by her fantastic descriptions of magical locations, also the peeks into the minds of the characters and how they are feeling. All of these things are burned in my memory, but for someone who hasn't read these books *cough* so many times, they might not get it at all.

...Angie, may I hijack your review for a moment? This is Amy.  I'm also a huge Harry Potter fan, but nowhere near as obsessed as Angie.  Though I enjoyed Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I feel cheated.  I feel cheated because J.K. Rowling is a masterful story teller and I really want to return to the world of Harry Potter and see Hogwarts as it is now.  With Harry, Hermione, Ron and yes, even Malfoy's children attending school, learning spells, getting into shenanigans and forging their own path in the world.  But alas I don't think that will ever happen. So curse you J.K. Rowling for dangling this carrot and then just taking it away.  Okay, selfish rant over.  You may return to Angie's review now...

Thanks, Amy, for that insight. I will say that I always hold out hope that there will be more written about the wizarding world of J.K. Rowling. This seems to be the case on her website "Pottermore" After the heaviness of what happened in the last few books, however, I don't think we will be able to get our innocence back. Sigh. That doesn't mean I won't keep reading them however. These books are like family to us super-fans.

Update: Rumors are flying that some film producers want to make this play into one, or some say even three movies. Who knows if this is true, but we can always dream.

~Angie (and Amy), Adult Services

Staff Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a young adult fantasy novel - the first in a series by the same name. It was published in 2012 and book number five is due out later this year (Empire of Storms). I heard the author speak last year and the audience went wild when she discussed the main character - Celaena Sardothien. My interest was piqued. This book has been hovering at the top of my to-be-read list ever since.

The story begins with our main character, seventeen year old Celaena Sardothien as she is being escorted out of the Endovier Salt Mines and into an audience with the crown prince of the country Erilea. Celaena was sentenced to Endovier - which is basically a death camp. People rarely last a month there. Celaena has been there for one year.

Celaena's crime? She is an assassin. Indeed, a notorious assassin who is considered to be the best in all of Erilea. She is brought before the prince and given an offer she can't refuse. Due to her notoriety and skill set, the royal offers her a chance to be in a competition to become the King's Assassin. If she wins, she works for the King for three years and is set free. If she loses, she has to go back to a bleak and short future at Endovier.

Celaena agrees to the proposition and lives in the castle under guard and an alias - so her competitors aren't intimidated by her reputation. Soon, one by one, the other competitors are killed in the same most gruesome manner. Who or what is killing Celaena's competition? Is she next? As Celaena begins to investigate, she finds there are dark and dangerous elements that are infecting the Kingdom. When Celaena finds herself in the center of this mystery, we want to know more. Celaena's epic story is firmly established in this first book. I have just checked out the second book (Crown of Midnight) to find out what happens next.

Throne of Glass has elements of action, danger, supernatural fantasy, mystery and touches on issues of war, violence, power and social injustice. The story moves at a nice clip and keeps you guessing. Celaena holds her own among some of the better tough and flawed female protagonists in young adult fiction.

If you like your fantasy novels to have adventure, fighting and forbidden romance, you might also like:

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Legend by Marie Lu

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Shatter Me by Teherah Mafi

Poison Study by Marie V. Snyder

Blood Red Road by Moira Young 

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

One of the Best Books I Read in 2015: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Uprooted starts with a fairly predictable fantasy novel set up: the unremarkable main character, Agnieszka, has lived an unremarkable life, in an unremarkable small village, and has every reason to believe that her talented and beautiful best friend is the one destined for greatness. Of course it's Agnieszka who is tapped by fate for something more, assuming she can learn to trust in her own abilities.

Uprooted is Naomi Novik's first stand-alone fantasy novel (she's well know for her Temeraire series), and it is a delightful story with tons of appeal. I was impressed by the way she captured the feel of a familiar fairy tale while still telling an inventive and original story. I especially enjoyed the way that Novik handled the romantic subplot (warning: things do get rather steamy).

And because I can't limit myself to just one fantasy recommendation, here are two of my other favorites from 2015:

• The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
• The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

~Sarah, Adult Services

Seven Reasons to Meet Mary Robinette Kowal at Carnegie-Stout Public Library

What are you doing on Saturday, October 17 at 2 p.m.?

We think you should be at Carnegie-Stout Public Library to meet award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal, and we've got seven reasons to help convince you.

ONE: Jane Austen

Mary Robinette Kowal's first novel, Shades of Milk and Honey, draws on Jane Austen for inspiration, while still creating a unique fantasy setting. Have you always thought that Elizabeth Bennett would do well to learn a few magic spells? This is the book for you. Seriously, she created her own spellcheck from a list she compiled of every word Jane Austen used to ensure that the language she uses in her own books is period appropriate.

Plus, it's entirely possible that Mary Robinette Kowal is time travelling Jane Austen (time lady?)

Left: Mary Robinette Kowal. Right: Jane Austen, photo by TV West Country/Katie Rowlett from Tor.com

TWO: Patrick Rothfuss

Jane Austen isn't the only author whose style Mary Robinette Kowal can channel, she also once out-Rothfussed Patrick Rothfuss. In a 2013 contest to raise money for charity, readers were asked to pick out Patrick Rothfuss's real Twitter account from a half-dozen fakes, and Kowal won handily with 41% of the votes (Rothfuss got 15%). You can read the behind-the-scenes story of her win on her blog.

Patrick Rothfuss & Mary Robinette Kowal. Photo by Wesley Chu

THREE: Regency Fashion

Mary Robinette Kowal doesn't limit herself to period accuracy in her vocabulary, she does research to make sure that her characters' fashion choices are accurate too. Not only that, she makes her own Regency dresses, including the dress on the cover of her most recent novel Of Noble Family. 

On the left, Mary Robineet Kowal models the dress she made. On the right, the cover created by Larry Rostant.

Her dresses have even been worn by other award-winning speculative fiction authors, like John Scalzi.

Photo and caption by John Scalzi.

FOUR: Writing Excuses

At this point, you might be asking yourself, how can I learn to write like Mary Robinette Kowal? Well, first, you should come to Carnegie-Stout Public Library on Saturday, October 17th to hear her advice in person. But, obviously, she can't fit all of her advice into one afternoon, which is why you should check out Writing Excuses, the writing advice podcast she hosts along with Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells. Their podcast won a Hugo Award.

FIVE: NaNoWriMo

Mary Robinette Kowal isn't just a published author, she's a published author who wrote her first novel during NaNoWriMo. If you're thinking about doing NaNoWriMo this year, there is your chance to get advice from someone who's been there. Not sure what I'm talking about? National Novel Writing Month is an annual event where people around the world attempt to write an entire 50,000 word novel in just one month: November.

SIX: Puppets

In addition to writing amazing books, creating beautiful dresses, and sharing her writing wisdom, Mary Robinette Kowal is an accomplished puppeteer. Just check out her audition video for the Sesame Street Puppetry Workshop. 

SEVEN: Audiobooks

With the voice actings skills required by puppeteering, it's no surprise that Mary Robinette Kowal is also an audiobook narrator. She's narrated books by authors like Sherryl Woods, Seanan McGuire, and Susan Wittig Albert. Check out this behind the scenes video of Mary Robinette Kowal recording audio for Of Noble Family.



Now that we've given you seven reasons to be there, you'll have to try hard to come up with a reason to miss out on meeting Mary Robinette Kowal on Saturday, October 17th at 2 p.m. at Carnegie-Stout Public Library!

#WCW Woman Crush Wednesday: Ursula K. Le Guin

Photo Copyright © by Marian Wood Kolisch

When Rachel wrote her review of The Dispossessed this weekend, I was reminded of how much I love Ursula K Le Guin's writing, which made her an obvious pick for this week's #WCW

I'm not a native Dubuquer, and I attended high school in a small Wisconsin town where the public library was small enough that the entire building would've fit in Carnegie-Stout's children's department. As a teenager who loved fantasy novels, I would check out any book with a unicorn sticker on the spine, so it wasn't long before I stumbled across A Wizard of Earthsea. I liked Earthsea okay, but it was her stories of the Hainish Ekumen that I returned to again and again.

The attention and detail she put into the people and societies in her stories captured my imagination. Her writing was a significant influence in my decision to major in anthropology as an undergrad, and I was only a little surprised that the "K" in her name stands for Kroeber. Her parents, Alfred and Theodora Kroeber, were early anthropologists of some note. Alfred Kroeber was, fittingly enough, one of the topics for my senior research paper on the history of anthropological theories.

Le Guin remains the standard by which I judge science fiction to this day, even as my tastes have changed and grown over time. I suspect that I wouldn't have quite the same reaction to reading her books for the first time today as I did when I was a teen, but it's equally true that if I hadn't read her books as a teen, I would not have become the person that I am today.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Books for a Blizzard

We've pulled together a few favorites for you to check out before the first real winter storm of the season hits. Stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor to grab one from the display.

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Also available as an OverDrive eBook.

Kitty Cornered by Bob Tarte

Marley and Me by John Grogan
Also available as an OverDrive eBook.

Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
Also available as an OverDrive eBook.

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Staff Review: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Robert Jackson Bennett’s earlier books combined elements from the horror, fantasy, and mystery genres to create a creepy, bleak alternate early 20th century small town America. In City of Stairs, he presents a more straightforward fantasy novel, complete with imaginative world-building, while still incorporating elements from the pages of spy thrillers and mysteries. The use of a suspenseful mystery plot and a cast of very colorful characters makes this book a great choice for readers who are relatively new to fantasy.

The story is set in a world dominated by the island nation of Saypur, whose technological advancements (on par with the early 20th century) have completely upended the former world order. Saypur used their science to overthrow their former conquerors, the Continentals. The Continent was once gifted with divine magic, until those gods were killed by the Saypuri. Bennett explores the lasting impacts of colonialism and the ways that we define our cultural identities, while still maintaining an action-packed plot.

Shara has spent most of her adult life in exile on the Continent as an employee of the Saypuri Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically, as a spy for the Ministry. She is accompanied by Sigrud, her imposing and violent “secretary” with a mysterious past. Shara and Sigrud come to city of Bulikov to solve the murder of Effrem Pangyui, a Saypuri historian whose controversial research earned him no shortage of enemies. Bulikov was once a city of wonders, the cultural and religious center of the Continent, but now wallows in poverty and disease.

At 450 pages, this is not a short book, though the plot moves along so quickly I found it difficult to put down. Another point in City of Stairs’s favor is that it is not part of a larger series, so readers aren’t being asked to commit to three or more books that may or may not have been written yet. By the last pages, most of the plot threads are wrapped up more or less neatly, but between the imaginative setting and the interesting characters (the foul-mouthed female military commander, Mulaghesh, was probably my favorite), I would be perfectly happy if Bennett did write a sequel some day.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, you might also enjoy:

Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone: Gladstone’s debut is a mix of fantasy and steampunk with a fast-paced mystery plot. Tara, a first-year necromancer, is assigned to revive a dead god, but discovers a murder.




The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg: First in a series set around the Collegia Magica, the last college of magic in a world where science has gradually gained supremacy. Portier de Savin-Duplais, a Collegia librarian, is asked to investigate an attempted murder that quickly becomes more complicated.



Cast in Shadow by Michelle Sagara: A gritty work of fantasy, and the first in a series of mysteries. Hawks are the equivalent to police in the City of Elantra, and Kaylin is a new patrol officer out to find a serial murderer of children.

Staff Review: The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I thoroughly enjoyed The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. The story line is one of a young princess, Kelsea, who comes of age and then has to begin to rule her kingdom. The difficulty is that she has been in hiding since her infancy, and her dead mother left their kingdom weak and at the mercy of an evil “Red Queen.”

Kelsea must figure out how to gain the respect and loyalty of the people she rules over and face the Red Queen's anger when she decides to not honor the agreement made years earlier by her mother.

Besides the political challenges that Kelsea faces, there is also the challenge of realizing that she has some magic present in her life. She must figure out how to use this magic in positive ways without destroying herself or those around her.

Some of the story was a little awkward to follow, for example, the unexplained catastrophe that caused the previous world to end (comparable to present day Earth) leading the world in the book to be at a level similar to the Middle Ages and yet there are discussion of organ transplants and the development of drugs, such as heroin. Questions of what exactly happened are not answered and I just decided to “go with it.”

The characters are well developed and I was able to envision them all in my mind quite well. It was definitely a book that I rushed home to read each day!

~Jackie, Circulation

Staff Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling by Kristin Cashore was recommended to me and I'm so glad it was! I REALLY, REALLY loved this book! The main character is a young woman named Katsa who KICKS BUTT!

The story revolves around Katsa and her ability or “grace” of fighting. The world is in a Middle Ages setting with kings and kingdoms. Katsa's uncle is one of the Kings and she is used by him to punish those who he feels deserves it. She struggles with this role and behind her uncle's back, begins to perform heroic acts all around the seven kingdoms with the help of her close friends and allies.

As the story progresses she comes across others who also have “graces” and begins to understand that she is not alone in the world. After years of being sheltered and feared by those around her, the reader sees her develop into someone who is less closed off and begins to trust herself and others.

I loved the action in this book as well as the romance. In my opinion, it's well rounded and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy!

~Jackie, Circulation

Eleanor & Park VS The Ocean at the End of the Lane: Dubuque Tournament of Books, round 3

We've reached the semi-finals of the Dubuque Tournament of Books, and there's still time for you to enter the prize drawing by submitting your guess for which book will win the Tournament.

Today's match-up is between Eleanore & Park by Rainbow Rowell and The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, and our judges are:

• Becky (University of Dubuque)
• Sue (Clarke University)
• Megan (Telegraph-Herald)
• and Bob (Dubuque 365Ink)

Click here to see the round 2 decision for Eleanor & Park.

Click here to see the round 2 decision for The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

Each week these decisions get tougher. Partially because of the books--Eleanor & Park and Ocean at the End of the Lane, also because of the number of judges--4 this round: Bob, Sue, Becky and Megan. We sat down, (ok sent emails) to decide which of these 2 award winning books (Printz Honor and British National Book Award winner respectively) should advance. Written by two amazingly talented and dynamic authors who have both written for YA and adult audiences, AND in both print and graphic formats (Rainbow will partner with Faith Erin Hicks on a pair of forthcoming graphic novels.), these two books are books to be reckoned with.

If you’re interested in learning more about the plots, check out the previous rounds’ reviews.   We decided to give you some of our favorite quotes from the books so you can sample the flavor of the books.

Eleanor & Park

“She saw him after seventh hour in a place she'd never seen him before, carrying a microscope down the hall on the third floor. It was at least twice as nice as seeing him somewhere she expected him to be.”

“If you don't want people to look at you, Park had thought at the time, don't wear fishing lures in your hair. Her jewelry box must look like a junk drawer.”

“Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.”

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

“‘Nothing’s ever the same,’ she said. ‘Be it a second later or a hundred years. It’s always churning and roiling. And people change as much as oceans.’”

“Growing up, I took so many cues from books. They taught me most of what I knew about what people did, about how to behave. They were my teachers and my advisers.”

“Adults follow paths. Children explore. Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands; perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath rhododendrons, to find the spaces between fences.”

Now for the decision. It wasn’t an easy one, but in the end we decided to advance Eleanor & Park over Ocean at the End of the Lane. Here is some of our rationale:

• In Ocean, the reader never finds out where any of the supernatural beings really came from or what their motivation was.  I kept reading because I thought that at the end all would be explained. But, alas, the last pages really did not leave me with a tangible explanation.I chose Eleanor & Park over The Ocean at the End of the Lane because the story of Eleanor & Park was more engaging and had a better developed plot.  I was rooting for them both.  It was easy to like and relate to the characters in Eleanor & Park.
• I need to start by saying, I think I liked Ocean at the End of the Lane. I say I think because I’m still feeling a bit shortchanged by the book as a whole even a week after reading it. Gaimain asks so much of his readers with this one. He tells us children meander and adults move in straight lines. I have been accused many times of reading books ‘for’ children, but this book I just couldn’t read it ‘as a child’ like I felt Gaiman wanted from me. I wanted answers and a return on the emotional and mental investment I made in the book. Eleanor & Park required a lot emotionally as well, but it repaid its dividends in tears, hope, and a sense of nostalgia for a time I didn’t even really live through the first time. Any book that can make me nostalgic for batteries and my college discman has to win.
• Eleanor & Park is a terrific book. I surprised myself by liking it as much as I did. Some of the reviews mention that it will make you think of the first time you fell in love. It did that for me but my situation turned out a lot different than the one in the book. My girl was very pretty and she turned out to be a viper, more commonly referred to by me as the Ice Witch From Hell. Well, it rhymes with “witch.” I got over it.I really liked Eleanor & Park but not as much as I liked The Ocean at the End of the Lane. In this round I voted for Ocean. Unfortunately for me and the book, the other three judges voted for Eleanor & Park. So, with a heavy heart I have to wave goodbye to Ocean at the End of the Lane, one of the best books I’ve read all year.