Staff Review: The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo, book 1) by Rick Riordan

Are you a Rick Riordan fan?  Do you impatiently wait for him to publish his next book?  I am, and I do!  I LOVED the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Heroes of Olympus series.  Riordan does an amazing job of bringing the Greek (and Roman) gods to life, giving them personality and making them relevant in the modern world.  These books are informative and incredibly fun.  I had a hold on The Hidden Oracle, I think I was number 3 on the list.  The book came out, I decided I couldn’t wait and I bought it.  I’ve read it twice already, and then I went back and re-read the two previous series about the Greek gods.  Yes, I’m obsessive.  Anyway, on to The Hidden Oracle.  Please be warned that this post will contain spoilers from previous books. 

At the end of The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus, book 5), Zeus expressed his displeasure with Apollo by sending him…somewhere.  Apollo just disappeared and nobody knew what happened to him.  To be fair, he is immortal so I’m pretty sure Percy and crew didn’t really give him a second thought.  Well, 6 months after the events of The Blood of Olympus, Apollo has fallen to Earth.  He is mortal, a 16- year-old boy, he no longer has 8-pack abs and he has ACNE!  The horror!  Oh, and in his pocket is a wallet that says his name is Lester.  When it comes to punishing Apollo, this time Zeus isn’t messing around. 

Apollo appears in a back alley somewhere in New York City.  He is promptly attacked by some hooligans and is saved by a young girl named Meg. She appears to be about 12.  Apollo decides that he is in her debt and must do her bidding since she saved his life.  He also realizes he needs help and the best place to get said help is Camp Half-Blood.  He makes his way to Percy’s apartment and from there to Camp Half-Blood.  When he arrives at camp, all is not well. All of the oracles have gone silent.  There hasn’t been a prophecy since the battle with Gaea.  The oracles are Apollo’s thing so he now knows it is up to him to figure out what is going on.  To make matters worse, half-bloods are disappearing from camp.

Apollo isn’t really a likeable guy.  He is full of himself, spouts haikus all the time and truly believes the world should revolve around him.  But, he isn’t quite as cold and heartless as many of the Greek gods and as the book progresses he makes great strides towards becoming more “human”.  Two of the campers who disappear are children of Apollo and he is truly concerned about their well-being.  He genuinely likes them and they in turn treat him kindly even though he is no longer an immortal god.  He also expresses great concern for Meg and takes his self-induced servitude towards her very seriously.  I can’t wait to see how this series progresses.  There is, of course, the mystery of what happened to the oracles and the big bad is revealed. 

Rick Riordan tweeted that we will catch up with all the main characters from the previous Greek books.  What role will they play in the story?  Well, you will just have to read the book to find out. 

A few notes: 

• Early on Percy mentions that Annabeth is in Boston dealing with some family issues – have you read The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard, book 1)?  Those family issues are kind of a big deal. 

• Did everything that happened to Nico in all the previous books just break your heart?  Well, this book made my heart swell to 3 times its size, just like the Grinch.  Nico is happy y’all…and it is about dang time! 

•  A co-worker of mine is listening to The Hidden Oracle on audio. She highly recommends it because the reader (Robbie Daymond) does an excellent job of portraying Apollo's lack of understanding of the mortal world and his ever growing humanity.  

I'm giving this on 4.5 out of 5 stars.  I'm deducting half a star due to not loving Apollo as a lead character, yet.   

~Amy, Adult Services

Nine Mysteries You Should Read for the Pun of It

One of the fun parts of my job as a librarian here at Carnegie-Stout is selecting the new mystery books, which means I get to sit in the workroom and giggle at all of the terrible puns. If you don't read many mysteries, you might not be familiar with the cozy mystery sub-genre. Cozy mysteries tend to be lighter in tone and less violent (though there will still be murders to solve). The main character in a cozy mystery is usually an amateur sleuth who has a day job as a baker, a pet sitter, or a baker who specializes in dog treats, but spends their free time investigating crimes.

I've gathered together a list of some of our newer mystery novels with especially clever titles. Check one out for a fun read on a relaxing summer weekend!

Nine Mysteries You Should Read for the Pun of It:

And Then There Were Nuns by Kylie Logan

B&B owner Bea Cartwright has taken on the responsibility of taking meals to ten visiting nuns, but the peace of the retreat is shattered when one of the nuns is found at the water's edge--murdered. And when a second nun is killed, Bea and the other members of the League of Literary Ladies start to wonder about eerie parallels with the Agatha Christie mystery classic And Then There Were None. 

Breach of Crust by Ellery Adams

Socialite Beatrice Burbank hires Ella Mae to teach the tasty tricks of her trade to the members of the Camellia Club, but when Bea's body is found floating in Lake Havenwood Ella Mae must find the killer.

Fifty Shades of Greyhound by Sparkle Abbey

It was a killer party. Caro Lamont, Laguna Beach’s favorite pet therapist, is thrilled to support the elite fundraising gala for Greys Matter, a SoCal greyhound rescue group. The champagne and donations are flowing, and there are fifty gorgeous greyhounds in attendance. But before the evening ends a stranger in their midst is dead. 

For Cheddar or Worse by Avery Aames

Lara Berry, pretentious cheese whiz, pompous bestselling author, and pungent critic whose extra sharp tongue can crumble a reputation, has been murdered, and Charlotte Bessette is determined to clear her friend's name of the crime.

Foreign Éclairs by Julie Hyzy

White House executive chef Ollie Paras has served plenty of meals to foreign dignitaries from around the world. But someone is ready to serve her an ice-cold dish of revenge... 

Laying Down the Paw by Diane Kelly
When a raging tornado hits Forth Worth, Megan's squad car is flipped over-and her devoted police dog, Brigit, is not amused. But that's not all that's upside-down. The streets are littered with looters-and members of a violent street gang-and no local business is safe. It's time to get back on all fours and see that the job of protecting the public is done.

Silence of the Lamps by Karen Rose Smith

Business has never been better for home stager Caprice De Luca, until her main rival is found bludgeoned to death with one of his grandmother's antique Tiffany lamps. Now, Caprice must act fast to illuminate the truth before a cold-blooded killer puts her lights out next...

Tea with Jam and Dread by Tamar Myers
Deciding that the PennDutch Inn needs to go more upmarket, Magdalena Yoder is delighted to welcome the Earl and Countess Grimsley-Snodgrass and their family as honoured guests. But, as Magdalena is about to find out, the Grimsley-Snodgrasses are by no means the easiest of guests, and at the same time she has to contend with the discovery of a mummified corpse trapped in her elevator shaft.

Thread and Gone by Lea Wait
Angie investigates after a piece of embroidery the Mainely Needlepointers identified as possibly knitted by Mary, Queen of Scots, is stolen and the lawyer who was safeguarding the precious antique is murdered.

~Sarah, Adult Services

New Item Tuesday

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The Great Reading Challenge: Read a Classic!

"Read a classic novel" is one of the categories in C-SPL's Great Reading Challenge. I decided it was time to read Light in August by William Faulkner, which my son has been urging me to read. So I read it and I'm not sure I'll ever recover.  

Light in August may be the grimmest, darkest, most harrowing novel I have ever read. Written in 1932, it examines issues of race, gender, religion, and social class in the American South -- and not in any way that makes you want to re-locate. It's Southern Gothic on steroids. I'm not sure I can recommend it except to say that Faulkner is brilliant, he writes like some higher order of angel (a dark angel, that is), and if you like Cormac McCarthy, you may very well like Faulkner.

If you'd like to check off the Classic Novel box but don't want anything that makes you lose the will to live, here are a few more-upbeat suggestions:

Middlemarch, arguably the greatest novel in the English language,
is George Eliot's masterpiece. The novel examines the lives, struggles,
failures, and redemptions of a fascinating network of characters inhabiting the Midlands town of Middlemarch as the industrial age approaches. Its centerpiece is Dorothea Brooke, a beautiful and intelligent young woman seeking a life of significance at a tough time for women. (George Eliot, by the way, was a woman.) At 800-plus pages, this one is not for the faint of heart but it's worth every minute of the effort.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, who was Charles Dicken's good friend, is often called the first detective novel in English. The Moonstone's crime is the theft of the Tippoo diamond after the fall of Seringapatam in India in 1799. The Indian element imbues this very British, very Victorian novel, told by way of letters, with an exotic and sinister atmosphere. There's a great cast of characters and as with all good Victorian reads, romance is definitely in the air (or will be once the villain is identified).

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is surely one of the world's most beloved novels. It's one of those classics nobody gripes about having to read. That's because it's got everything: a Gothic atmosphere, an evil orphanage, a clever, bright, unconventional heroine (she's neither gorgeous nor splendidly wealthy), a brooding lord of the manor, a romantic competitor who is lovely and rich, a catastrophic fire, something sinister and creepy in the attic, and more! The intelligent and witty dialogue between Jane, a mere governness, and Mr. Edward Rochester, master of Thornfield Hall, makes for some wonderfully gripping (and, dare I say, romantic?) reading.

~Ann, Adult Services

Nine Books for Plant Lovers with Black Thumbs

It's the time of year that even the blackest of thumbs start thinking about gardening. We here at Carnegie-Stout are getting in the gardening spirit too with a Tin Can Planter workshop on Saturday, May 28. Attendees will decorate a recycled tin can into an attractive planter. Registration is required for this program. You can register online on our Program Calendar, or you can call the Reference Desk at 563-589-4225.

To help you brainstorm what you might grow in your tin can planter, we've put together a container gardening reading list in our catalog.

And for anyone who thinks they might prefer to put cut flowers or even artificial flowers in their tin can planter, or who would rather read about gardeners than garden themselves, we've put together a reading list of Nine Books for Plant Lovers with Black Thumbs:

The flower chef: a modern guide to do-it-yourself floral arrangements by Carly Cylinder
A modern, comprehensive guide to floral design that caters to all readers--from beginners who have never worked with flowers before and are looking for a new creative outlet, to decorators, party planners and photographers looking to liven up their spaces.

My first ladies: twenty-five years as the White House chief floral designer by Nancy Clarke
For six administrations, Clarke designed the flowers and decorations for state dinners and planned the floral arrangements for the first family's private living quarters and weddings. She describes the inside story of her remarkable life at the White House, working with each first lady to help her find her own personal style for state dinners and holiday festivities.

The flower workshop: lessons in arranging blooms, branches, fruits, and foraged materials by Ariella Chezar
A master floral designer who has appeared in numerous magazines and is known for her hands-on flower workshops at FlowerSchool New York presents this lavishly illustrated guide to creating a vast array of floral projects, for all skill levels, that will enhance any surrounding with abundant beauty.

Japanese fabric flowers: 65 decorative kanzashi flowers to make by Sylvie Blondeau
Sylvie Blondeau shows you how to make 65 of these simply stunning designs. The projects are so easy and fun to make that you will soon be making them for every occasion.

Origami ikebana: create lifelike floral sculptures from paper by Benjamin John Coleman

The Japanese art of flower arranging is an age-old practice that honors nature and creates beauty through harmony and balance. This brand new book, Origami Ikebana, shows you how to create unique ikebana-inspired paper flower arrangements any time of the year.

Bloom and Doom by Beverly Allen
As the co-owner of the Rose in Bloom, Audrey Bloom creates magnificent flower arrangements for brides to be. Though helping to plan a wedding can be stressful, it's nothing compared to the groom turning up dead.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
A mesmerizing, moving, and elegantly written debut novel, The Language of Flowers beautifully weaves past and present, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past.

Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert
Eager to open up an herb shop and get closer to the earth, China Bayles leaves behind her career in corporate law and moves to Pecan Springs, Texas, but a close friend's tragic death could end her happy plans.

Backyard by Norman Draper
When a local nursery introduces a gardening contest, the gardeners of Livia jump into the competition with a vengeance, including a middle-aged couple who risk their retirement savings, a garden witch, and a self-styled gardening expert.

New Item Tuesday

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