Monday, March 25, 2024

Stories you won't believe are true!


Have you ever felt that something that happened to you was so bizaare, nobody would ever believe it was true?  These amazing stories are all true, though some feel a bit like a Hollywood movie.

 

Tell Me Everything by Erika Krouse

Erika has a face that everyone bares secrets to.  When a lawyer finds himself telling her secrets, he offers her a job as a private detective.  Her first case is working on a college rape case that has national implications, but Erika’s own past history threatens her composure and she wonders if she is strong enough to dive into the case.

 

Under the Same Sky by Joseph Kim

Joseph lived as the son of a general in North Korea until he was 5 years old. When his father is exiled, the family is left penniless to starve on the streets. Abandoned by his parents, Joseph survives in street gangs until he finds a path to a better life under a very unusual meeting.

 

Passport by Sophia Glock

A graphic memoir, Sophia recounts her childhood spent traveling with her family, then finding a letter that divulges her parents are CIA agents.  Suddenly questioning everything she thought she knew, Sophia examines her self-identity and all the lies she swallowed as truths.


Unlikely Warrior: a Jewish Soldier in Hitler’s Army by Georg Rauch

At 19, Georg is drafted into Hitler’s army, despite the fact that he is Jewish and admits it to his recruiting officer.  While his mother hides other Jews in their attic, Georg is sent to the front lines, where his fascination with radios comes in handy.  Undergoing tremendous challenges, Georg manages to survive, recounting the battles and injuries he sustains.

 

Good Morning, Monster: A Therapist Shares Five Heroic Stories of Emotional Recovery by Catherine Gildiner

A therapist shares the stories of five clients who overcame incredible odds. A woman who was abandoned with her siblings in the middle of winter, a musician with sexual dysfunction. Five heroes that survived atrocities beyond belief in a gripping read that explores ways to cope with unimaginable horrors.

Monday, March 18, 2024

Spring Break Cat Craziness

 Are your kids a little cat crazy?  We are too!  Don’t miss our Purr-fect Kitty Cat Pawty on Tuesday, March 26 at 2 pm. (During Spring Break week!)  Welcome to a pawty where the kids are the cats!  We’ll turn up the mew-sic and let the yarn fly, with kitty crafts, a mouse toss, and a meowing competition.

We’ll also be bringing out the games for Spring Break! Join us on Wed (March 27) at 2 pm to try our Meta Quest VR games. (Group play available through cell phones with Acron app.) On Thursday (March 28) at 2 pm, we’ll bring out the board games.  Feel free to bring a favorite board game from home if you like.

Do you have a favorite cat book?  Here are some ideas to keep you feline fine:

Picture books

Pete the Cat series by James Dean

Fluffy McWhiskers, Cuteness Explosion by Stephen Martin

Itty Bitty Kitty Corn by Shannon Hale

This Story is not about a Kitten by Randall de Seve

Early Reader

Magic Kitten series by Sue Bentley

Middle School

Warrior series by Erin Hunter

Cat Wings

Evil Secret Society of Cats by Pandania

Max Meow series by John Gallagher

Cat Kid series by Dav Pilkey

Teens

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Adults

Lara the Runaway Cat by Dion Leonard

Hidden Language of Cats: How they have us at meow by Sarah Brown

A Street Cat Named Bob: And How He Saved My Life by James Bowen 

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa 



Monday, March 11, 2024

Time Twisters

Do you ever wish you could go back in time and change things? Or be young longer?  Here are a few books that imagine time a bit differently:

 

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig

Tom just found work as a high school history teacher, a subject that comes easily to him, as he’s lived through a lot of it.  Born with a medical condition that ages him incredibly slowly, he looks to be in his 40s, but has lived over 5 centuries. Tom has found a secret society of people like him, and they only have one rule: do not fall in love. 

 

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

When Addie is faced with an unbearable choice, she makes a deal with the devil.  Literally.  She requests  a life of freedom and to live as long as she desires-- in return for her soul. The wish is granted. But wishes have a way of going awry, and her freedom means no one remembers her as soon as she is out of sight. From 1714 France, she continues into present day, determined to make the devil suffer as long as possible.

 

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

Ever have a day you wish you could erase and do over?  Cassandra has the worst day of her life: she is fired, dumped by her boyfriend, and finds out her roommates hate her. Then she discovers she can go back in time and do things differently…

 

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister

Could you prevent a murder? Jen is waiting for her son to come home when she witnesses a murder. When she wakes up the next day, she is living the day before the murder, then weeks before…  What does she need to know to prevent the murder?

 

Thrust by Lidia Yuknavitch

Laisve is a carrier, someone who can harness the power of objects to move her through time. She uses her gifts to help vulnerable historical figures and to save a world that in her present is destroyed by greed.  A raw, lyrical story about slavery, feminism, immigration, power systems and a world turned upside down.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Delicious Reads: Foodie fiction books you’ll love to savor

 

Do you hunger for a book that dishes up culinary delights?  Whether you’re craving one that inspires you to try new recipes, teases you with tantalizing descriptions, or just make your mouth water, here are a few foodie books to whet your appetite:

 

Recipe for a Charmed Life

Georgia’s dream is to open her own restaurant in France, but when her tastebuds suddenly go bitter, she accepts an invitation to reconnect with her estranged mother.  On a mysterious island, Georgia uncovers a family legacy that make her reconsider her choices.

 

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

(April 2024 release) A food novel by a famous food critic? Yes, please!  Stella is not the adventurous type, but when her mother passes away and leaves her funds for a trip to Paris, Stella follows her request. Culinary adventures combined with museums and an amazing vintage dress lure Stella into stepping outside her comfort zone.

 

Heartburn by Nora Efron

Seven months pregnant, Rachel discovers her husband is in love with another woman. A cookbook writer, she turns to food for comfort.

 

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

Emoni dreams of becoming a chef and has talent to spare, but as a high school student with a young child to raise, her path is full of obstacles.

 

Ramón and Julieta  by Alana Quintana Albertson

Stolen recipes and a simmering family feud should make them bitter enemies. Julieta has worked hard to become a celebrity chef and wouldn’t dream of jeopardizing it, but when she meets Ramon, the son of her family’s worst enemy, sparks fly.