• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

On the Shelf

Header Right

  • Library Home
  • My Account
  • How Do I?
  • Contact Us
  • Get a Library Card!

Header Right Social

FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

Header Right Search

  • Read, Listen, Watch
    • Search the Catalog
    • eBooks and Audiobooks
    • Streaming Movies and Music
    • eMagazines
    • Search MD Libraries
    • Check Out a Hotspot
    • Check Out a Ukulele
    • Suggest a Title for Purchase
    • Recommended Reading
    • On the Shelf
    • Local Newspaper Archive
  • Library Services
    • Get a Library Card
    • Using Your Library Card
    • SMART Card
    • Curbside Pickup
    • Computers and Printing
    • 3D Printing
    • Meeting and Study Rooms
    • Makerspace at Leonardtown Library
    • Donate to the Library
    • Exam Proctoring
    • Notary Service
    • Tell Us Your Library Story
  • Research and Learn
    • All Online Resources
    • Genealogy and Local History
    • Language Learning
    • LinkedIn Learning
    • Cisco Networking Academy
    • Job Seeker’s Toolkit
    • Resources for Grant Seekers
    • Computer and Technology Instruction
    • Homework Help
    • Local Newspaper Archive
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Kids Events
    • Teen Events
    • Adult Events
    • Book Discussions
    • Computer and Technology Instruction
  • Kids
    • Kids Events
    • Virtual Storytime
    • Homework Help
    • Recommended Reading
    • Tumble Book Library
    • 500 by Five
    • Ready to Read
    • Resources for Parents and Educators
  • Teens
    • Teens at the Library
    • Teen Events
    • Homework Help
    • SMART Card
    • Recommended Reading
    • Resources for Parents and Educators
  • About Us
    • Locations and Hours
    • Library Policies
    • Library Administration
    • Board of Library Trustees
    • Strategic Plan
    • Libraries Stand Against Racism
    • Donate to the Library
    • Jobs at the Library
    • Volunteer at the Library
    • Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library
    • St. Mary’s County Library Foundation
    • Community Partners

Kati

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy

March 2, 2022 by Kati Leave a Comment

In the small frontier town of Woodsburgh, during the Klondike Goldrush, an enthralling stranger appears. She wants to purchase the demolished mineshaft on the outskirts of town. Meanwhile, when the streets are cloaked in darkness, something abhorrent and violent is targeting the unwary townspeople, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. There are monsters in this town, human and otherwise, and the strange new visitor might know something about it.

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy is Victorian gothic meets sci-fi horror with equal parts gore, romance, and tragedy. The plot could be considered obscure and so the reader is left to interpret what exactly is going on all one their own. I didn’t mind being repeatedly confused because the art is gorgeous! How often can you call a parasitic entity beautiful? If you like carriage rides, tragic love stories and interdimensional realms, I suggest you find Mercy in the Library’s catalog or for instant download on Hoopla.

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults Tagged With: Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction, Horror, Romance, Sci-fi

Something is Killing the Children

February 21, 2022 by Kati Leave a Comment

Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV
Format: Graphic Novel and eBook on Hoopla
Who’s it for?: Adults & Young Adults

Do you remember when you were a kid and that monster was hiding in your closet? Remember how your mind would run wild with thoughts of the most forbidding and insidious creature imaginable? Maybe it had sharp claws, long fangs, and garish yellow eyes. Now, imagine if this creature were real?

The children of Archer’s Peak, WI are being preyed upon by something brought to life by their most terrifying fears. The worst part? This is an evil only the children can see. The people of this small town can’t be expected to defeat an enemy they can’t even see. But the mysterious Erica Slaughter can see them and she kills monsters. Is there hope?

I recommend this enthralling and gruesome horror story to anyone who loves a good monster tale and doesn’t mind the carnage that comes with it. You can find Something is Killing the Children in the Library’s catalog or for instant download on Hoopla Digital.

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Graphic Novel, Horror, Monsters

Snotgirl

January 31, 2022 by Kati Leave a Comment

Snotgirl by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Format: Graphic Novel & eBook on Hoopla
Who’s it for?: Adults and Young Adults

Lottie Person is a self-infatuated, attention-seeking, LA fashion blogger and social media influencer. On the surface, she’s perfect. She’s glamorous. She’s the woman all her fans aspire to be, but on the inside…she’s kind of a mess. She’s actually super insecure and her so-called friends rival her vanity. She’s called “Snotgirl” not because of her outrageous hair, but because of her raging allergies. #rude. When Lottie meets Caroline, she’s super happy to try out her new, in-clinical-trials allergy medication. I mean, she doesn’t want to be known as “Snottie Lottie” by the coolest girl she’s ever met. I mean, Caroline could be her first IRL bestie in, like, forever. But when a night out turns odd, Lottie witnesses something strange…or maybe she imagined it? Are her new allergy meds playing with her head? #cliffhanger

The art is gorgeous! The fluorescent color scheme and dry humor teeter-totter with the dark moods and sinister themes. With characters you love to hate and a plot with more twists than the Pacific Coastal Highway, I highly recommend Snotigirl by Bryan Lee O’Malley. There are currently three volumes to the series with hopefully more to come. #fingerscrossed

Find Snotgirl in the library’s Catalog or for instant download on Hoopla Digital.

 

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Comedy, Fashion, Graphic Novel, Murder, Social Media, Thriller

The Tea Dragon Society

October 13, 2021 by Kati Leave a Comment

The Tea Dragon Society Series by Kay O’neill
Format: Book & eBook on Hoopla
Who is it for?: Everyone

Prepare yourself for an overload of adorable in a world where tea leaves grow on the antlers of tiny dragons. In volume one, Greta a blacksmith’s apprentice, meets new friends and the tea dragons that they care for. Minette is a former prophetess with a mysterious past. Hesekiel and Erik, retired adventurers, are the last remaining members of The Tea Dragon Society. Together they work to keep the knowledge of tea dragon care alive. In volume two, The Tea Dragon Festival, we meet Rinn, a forager from a small village in the mountains. On one of their quests, they meet Aedhan, a dragon from the Silver Wing Clan that accidentally took an 80-year nap. In volume three, The Tea Dragon Tapestry, Greta pursues an apprenticeship with a famous blacksmith from a faraway city and Minette has reoccurring dreams of memories she thought were lost to her.

The series touches on a lot of very important themes such as friendship, grief, and personal growth. Each volume includes pages from the Tea Dragon Handbook. Kay O’neill’s art is warm and charming. I enjoyed seeing how they “dragonified” the different kinds of teas. Chamomile is cute and sleepy while Jasmine is regal and well-groomed. This graphic novel series is perfect for someone who wants something calm, endearing, and lovely to read. Find The Tea Dragon Society in the catalog or on Hoopla!

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults, Recommended for Kids, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Adventure, Dragons, Graphic Novel, Grief, Love, Magic, Memories, Tea

Inkblot

September 20, 2021 by Kati Leave a Comment

Inkblot by Emma Kubert, Art by Rusty Gladd
Format: Book & eBook on Hoopla
Who’s it for?: Teens and Young Adults

Meet Inkblot! Anyone who cohabitates with a cat knows that our feline friends are going to do what they want, when they want. Inkblot is no exception. Seeker, a bookkeeping sorceress, accidentally summons this magical black cat, a “space-distorting demon” that has “no regard for any established law of nature, magic or otherwise.” As Seeker chases Inkblot through time and space, he leads them into chaos, from a pirate mutiny to battling giants and dragons and even solving a sphynx’s riddle. If you’re a cat person who happens to enjoy space travel, I highly recommend.

Find Inkblot in the catalog or on Hoopla!

Filed Under: New for Teens, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Cats, Fantasy, Graphic Novel, Time Travel

Giant Days

July 28, 2021 by Kati Leave a Comment

Giant Days by John Allison
Art by: Max Sarin, Lissa Treiman, Liz Flemming, Jim Campbell, and Julia Madrigal
Format: eBook, Graphic Novel
Who’s it for?: Teens and Young Adults

This is a super fun slice-of-life graphic novel series about the shenanigans of UK college students. It’s funny, charming, and features strong female relationships between wildly dissimilar, but believable characters. In the first volume: Esther, gorgeous and goth, is a chaos magnet who is dealing with the heartache of a recent breakup. Daisy, homeschooled, wicked smart, and incredibly kind, does a bit of self-discovery. Susan, fiercely independent and kind of cranky, comes face-to-face with her hometown nemesis on campus. Throughout the 14-volume series, readers experience the wins and woes of university, from sickness to housing drama, from part-time jobs to exams. The art is adorable and the plot stays relatable, but light-hearted at the same time. I definitely recommend. Find it on Hoopla!

Filed Under: Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Award Winner, Best Friends, College, Comedy, Graphic Novel

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

On the Shelf Home

 

Welcome to On the Shelf! Find reviews and recommendations for books, movies, music, library resources, and more. All posts from the Kid’s Book Blog have been brought over to On the Shelf, so your old favorites are still here!

Subscribe so you don’t miss a post!

Recent Posts

  • Chunky
  • Light of the Jedi
  • The Guest List
  • The Passover Guest
  • The Silent Patient

Categories

Tags

Adventure African American Animals Audiobook Award Winner Bears Bedtime Being Different Birds Book Cats Classic Clothes Colors Counting Dogs Emotions Family Fantasy Fiction Food Foreign Culture Friendship Go Green History Holidays Humour Interactive Jobs Libraries or Books Mice Monsters Music Mystery Nonfiction On the Farm Picture Book Rhyming Romance School Seasons Things That Go Tough Stuff True Stories Weather

Archives

St. Mary's County Library

Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 – 5 p.m. (Lexington Park Library only)

 

Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library

St. Mary’s County Library Foundation

Locations

Charlotte Hall Library
37600 New Market Rd., Charlotte Hall, MD
301-884-2211

Leonardtown Library
23630 Hayden Farm Ln., Leonardtown, MD
301-475-2846

Lexington Park Library
21677 FDR Blvd., Lexington Park, MD
301-863-8188

Quick Links

  • My Account
  • Search the Catalog
  • eBooks and Audiobooks
  • Streaming Movies and Music
  • Search MD Libraries
  • Online Resources
  • Events
  • Meeting Rooms
  • Mobile Print Service
Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Accessibility
FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog