On the Shelf

Header Right Social

FacebookInstagramYoutubeMeetupOn the Shelf Blog

Header Right Search

Mary Anne

Warmer in the Winter

by Leave a Comment

Warmer In The Winter by Lindsey Stirling
Format:  Music
Who it’s for:  Everyone

I love Lindsey Stirling’s music, but I especially love her holiday album, Warmer in the Winter.  You will recognize a lot of old favorites like Carol of the Bells, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Jingle Bell Rock.  All songs are played in Lindsey’s signature violin style.  This is the perfect music to listen to while wrapping gifts, snuggling under a blanket, while reading a book, in the car or anywhere!

Some of us are struggling to read during this COVID-19 pandemic.  If you need an uplifting and pretty way to get into the holiday spirit, check out this holiday album on Hoopla. Happy Holidays!

Find it on hoopla digital.

The Shadows Between Us

by Leave a Comment

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Young Adults, Adults

Alessandra is the second daughter and must wait until her older sister is engaged before she can attend any royal social gatherings.  While she waits for her turn, she plots.  She wants to marry the Shadow King and then kill him so that she can take over the kingdom.  She plans how she is going to catch the eye of the King – what she will wear and how she will act.  When she does, she soon learns that she is not the only one trying to kill him.  She gets to know him and even begins to like him.  Liking the King was not part of her plan.

Alessandra is not your ordinary noblewoman.  She likes to design her own outfits and she doesn’t follow society’s rules.  She does as she pleases which includes having some relationships before she is married.  She is determined to do her own thing and her goal is to change the way women are made to follow the rules made by men.  And, if someone displeases her, she just might kill them.

Someone on Good Reads described this as a “Slytherin Romance” and I think that is a good description.  You want to hate Alessandra because she is so unapologetically evil, but you like her anyway.  She knows what she wants and she is going to get it!

Find it in the catalog.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

by Leave a Comment

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

Based on the true story of the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky, this story is a love letter to Appalachia (Appa-latch-uh, not Appa-lay-cha) heritage, librarians and the blue skinned people.  Cussy Carter, otherwise known as Bluet, is one of the last remaining blue people of Kentucky and she doesn’t want to marry.  She wants to be a pack horse librarian delivering books to the mountain people in her town of Troublesome Creek.  Her father wants to make sure she is taken care of so he marries her off anyway.  The marriage does not go well and soon Cussy is living her dream delivering books and meeting all the people in her mountain community.

However, Cussy must deal with racism, poverty and the unforgiving hardship of living in 1930s Appalachia.  Cussy has blue skin and like others that are not white, she runs into the cruelty of racism.  She wants to be white and in exchange for food and protection decides to undergo experiments and experimental treatment for her blue skin which is in fact a genetic disorder called, Methemoglobinemia.

Cussy is one of the strongest, kindest characters I’ve read about recently.  She is beautiful inside and out and you want to wrap her up in a warm hug.  I really enjoyed this story of strength, compassion and, of course, librarians on horses!  I was also lucky to hear the author interviewed and found the history of the Pack Horse Library Project fascinating.  Check out her website for more information – https://www.kimmichelerichardson.com/the-book-woman-of-troublesome-creek

Find it in the catalog

 

The Happy Ever After Playlist

by Leave a Comment

The Happy Every After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
Who it’s for: Adults
Format: eBook

After two years of grieving for her fiancé, Sloan finds a lost dog that steals her heart.  Sloan tries to contact Tucker’s owner with no luck, so she is hopeful that she will get to keep him.  Unfortunately, just when she thinks Tucker is hers to keep, his owner, Jason, contacts her and he definitely wants his dog back.  Jason is on a music tour in Australia and so the two decide that Sloan will keep Tucker until his return.  A long distance romance starts to develop between them.

When Jason returns, they quickly develop a relationship.  However, is Sloan ready to give her heart to another after losing her fiancé?  With Jason’s music career taking off, will they be able to stick together while he is on tour?

This was a fun, flirty romance with lots of heart.  A great escape during quarantine.  This is a standalone romance, but you may want to read about Sloan’s friend, Kristen, first in, The Friend Zone. 

Find the eBook of The Happy Ever After Playlist on Overdrive/Libby and The Friend Zone on Overdrive/Libby.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown

by Leave a Comment

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

Chloe Brown lives with chronic pain, an invisible disease that people don’t understand.  After almost getting hit by a car, she decides she needs to cross some things off her bucket list and live her best life.  She starts by moving out of her parents’ house and into an apartment.  She soon finds that she can cross a few other things off her list by getting to know her new neighbor and handyman, Red.

Red is tattooed, drives a motorcycle and is too handsome for his own good.  Chloe enjoys spying on him while he paints in his apartment.  This crosses off “do something bad” from her bucket list.  Soon Chloe and Red become friends and he begins helping her rebel a little.  She learns that there is a lot more to this bad boy than she imagined.  And, he learns to understand what it is like to be in pain constantly.

This was a cute romance that was surprisingly meaningful.  Chloe and Red are both living with their own issues and find a way to overcome them and in the process find romance.  If you enjoy reading authors Helen Hoang, Katherine Center and Christina Lauren, you will like this author too!

Find it in the catalog

New Kid

by 1 Comment

New Kid by Jerry Craft
Format: Graphic Novel
Who it’s for:  Kids, Teens, Adults

Jordan Banks is starting his 7th grade year in a new school.  A new PRIVATE school with lots of privilege and not a lot of diversity.  He really wishes to go to art school, but his parents think this new private school will be good for him.  It’s never easy for a new kid in any school, but this one isn’t in his neighborhood and none of his friends go there.  The first person he meets doesn’t even talk to him.  He quickly notices that he is one of the few black kids.  And yet, he makes friends and soon finds his way navigating the new school.  Now he’s worried he is going to lose his friends in his neighborhood.

Jerry Craft shows us what it is like to be the new kid.  And, he teaches us about micro-aggressions against marginalized groups.  We see the white teacher that can never get the black kids’ names right   And, we see the black kid getting the blame for what the bad white kid did.  Craft teaches us about racism and bias.  Jordan finds out that even he is biased when he has to sit with the weird girl and finds out more about her.

While there wasn’t a big story line other than what it is like to be a new kid in middle school, I think this is an important read for kids today.  You see Jordan’s perspective as a black kid, as a minority.  It’s funny and relatable and I think kids will like it.  I hope that Jerry Craft makes this a series so that we can learn more about Jordan and his friends.

Find it in the catalog.