Reviews

Teen Review

Blue Lily, Lily Blue

By Maggie Stiefvater
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Jennifer R.
Apr 23, 2015

Blue Lily, Lily Blue takes place shortly after the events of The Dream Thieves, with the characters recovering from their fight against Kavinsky. Summer is over and school is starting, but the raven boys and Blue have many other things on their minds, particularly Blue who has been searching for her mother lost in the tunnels following the ley line.

Staff Review

The Dinner that Cooked Itself

By Hsyu, J. C.
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Hilary S.
Apr 23, 2015

Tuan is an orphan, raised by his neighbors. He is a hard worker and buys himself a small house and field, but he is lonely and unable to find a suitable match even with the help of a matchmaker. Yet Tuan continues to work hard and, one day, finds a large snail in his garden that he begins to care for. Shortly thereafter, he finds delicious meals prepared for him when he returns home from work. Every night, the meals become larger and more delicious. Tuan cannot seem to find out who is cooking for him, so he decides to return home early to catch the generous cook.

Staff Review

Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil

By Jeff Smith
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Josh N.
Apr 21, 2015

I love superhero comics, but I must confess, I don't like a lot of contemporary superhero comics. The trend has overwhelmingly become oriented towards grim and serious. There are some terrific, well done stories, full of high imagination and smart storytelling, but there's a distinct lack of whimsy and unabashed optimism.

Staff Review

The Five Love Languages

By Gary Chapman
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Caitlin P
Apr 20, 2015

Quality time. Words of affirmation. Physical touch. Receiving gifts. Acts of service. These are the five ways that people give and receive love according to relationship counselor Dr. Gary Chapman. This book guides you in how to “fill the love tank,” as Chapman words it, of your partner by learning how to assess the way your partner wants to receive love. By knowing which love language your partner speaks (i.e. which way they want to receive love), you can improve even the healthiest of relationships.

Staff Review

The Rest of Her Life

By Laura Moriarty
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by Becky C.
Apr 20, 2015

Before heading to the self-help books looking for psychological insight, be aware that reading fiction can also have strong therapeutic benefits. One example is local author Laura Moriarty’s The Rest of Her Life. Moriarty received a degree in social work from KU, which is excellent training for the themes she explores in her novel: social status and crime, parent/child relationships, and cyclical family dynamics.

Staff Review

The Brass Verdict

By Michael Connelly
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Hilary S.
Apr 19, 2015

Michael Haller is starting back to work as a lawyer, after taking a year off. A year spent in recovery from an injury, as an addict, and then in rehab. Mickey's ready to take on a couple of cases, and get his feet wet again when a long-time friend is killed, leaving Haller & Associates his business and current caseload. Among the 31 cases Mickey inherits is a high profile murder case. Archway Studios owner and movie mogul, Walter Elliot is accused of murdering his wife and her boyfriend.

Staff Review

Unbecoming

By Rebecca Scherm

Rated by Library Staff (not verified)
Apr 18, 2015

Grace has a problem, well several problems to be exact. She’s a liar and she can’t stop lying not only to herself but also to the people with whom she surrounds herself. She’s a thief but again doesn’t see herself as one, at least not at first. She can never be normal, not after what she has put everyone else through. And she is terrified that two men who are about to be set free on parole for robbing a historic mansion back in Garland, Tennessee are going to find her.

Teen Review

The Fifth Wave

By Rick Yancey

Rated by Jennifer R.
Apr 17, 2015

On a day like any other day, the Others arrived. Their mothership lit up the sky and the human race was forever changed. The Others came in waves taking away electricity, bringing upon the world a plague, sending out evil drones to take care of the survivors, and now, they have taken on the form of humans. The idea of trust (or lack thereof) and the depths that humans will sink to survive are constantly replayed over and over through the actions of the multiple protagonists that Yancey introduces in the story.

Teen Review

Red Queen

By Victoria Aveyard
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by Kate M.
Apr 17, 2015

Mare Barrow's fate is sealed. She is a lowly red, born to work hard and serve the ruling silvers. With her birthday approaching and no job prospects, Mare will be conscripted in to the army like her older brothers. Fighting in an endless war, Mare will surely die on the battlefield. Desperate and out of options, Mare takes a big risk to sneak into the castle for a chance to pick pocket from the rich and powerful silvers that hold her fate in their hands. Stealing from silvers isn't as easy as it sounds as each is gifted with an ability due to their silver blood.

Staff Review

The Hunt

By Vinterberg, Thomas
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Megan C.
Apr 16, 2015

What are the limits of friendship? The Hunt explores this question when a misinterpretation of facts unleashes a chain of consequences in a small town in Denmark. Lucas, a newly divorced father and kindergarten teacher, is tested to the limits of his emotional endurance as he slowly becomes an object of suspicion and mistrust among his coworkers, the townspeople, and even his closest friends.