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Recommended for Adults

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

May 11, 2018 by Andrea Burgess Leave a Comment

Title: The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
Format: Audiobook, also available in print and e-book
Who’s it for: Adults

Ladies and gentlemen, step right up and dive into the circus world of the 1800s through the eyes of Mercy Lavinia Warren Stratton (Bump) who stood only 32 inches tall as a full-grown adult woman.

Born as an average-sized newborn who stopped growing at the age of 10, she was a perfectly formed lady in miniature size. She grew up on a farm in Middleborough, MA. She become a teacher, but realized life called to her in other ways. Looking for a new adventure when who should knock upon the family’s door but someone claiming to be her cousin. This cousin offered up a grand opportunity for Miss Lavinia to join his traveling steamship performing show. This type of performing show was not what Lavinia wanted by way of adventure. By a stroke of odd luck, the Civil War interrupted the show and allowed Miss Lavinia to present herself to the greatest showman on earth, P.T. Barnum. Welcomed with open arms into P.T. Barnum’s various shows and endeavors, this novel takes on a platonic love story between P.T. Barnum and Lavinia. Lavinia went on to marry one of P.T. Barnum’s very best friends, General Tom Thumb, and while she was a loyal wife, he was not her dream husband. Join Lavinia, General Tom Thumb, and P.T. Barnum in an intimate look at their personal and professional lives.

A novel of triumphant and heartbreak that remains painfully beautiful. Anyone who enjoys circus literature or enjoyed watching The Greatest Showman should give this historical fictionalized biography a try. Read or listen through to the author’s notes at the end, and learn to accept the humbugs for what they are: entertainment. Check out the audio or print version in our catalog.

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults Tagged With: Being Different, Circus, Family, Famous Figures, Friendship

Lilac Girls

May 9, 2018 by Belinda Lloyd Leave a Comment

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Format: Audio Book
Who it’s for: Adults

World War II has always fascinated me and it has always been my favorite genre.  The Lilac Girls is definitely a new favorite of mine.  Set in World War II, the author takes you through the lives of three different women during the war.  The women are from three different countries and with three completely different perspectives.  Each woman’s character:  a Polish woman who is sent to Ravensbruk internment camp, a German doctor and an American debutante is fully developed and it is easy to become enveloped into the mindset of each woman.  You experience the war from three different viewpoints.  Eventually the women’s stories collide as the war ends.

Although this is fiction, the characters are based on three actual women of the time period.  The author takes you into each woman’s life and makes you feel like you are there with them.  If you are a WWII era fan, this is a can’t miss book.

I love to sit down with a good book, but I also love a well done audio.  This audio book was narrated by three different women.  As the novel switched between narrators, the readers each did a wonderful job creating their character which makes it easy to follow each storyline.

Find the book in our catalog

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults Tagged With: Audiobook, Historical Fiction

Big Little Lies Season 1

May 7, 2018 by Trina Jacobs Leave a Comment

Book: Big Little Lies by Moriarty, Liane
TV Series: Big Little Lies
TV Series Release Date: 19 February 2017
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspooon, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgard, Laura Dern, Jeffrey Nordling, Adam Scott, Zoe Kravitz and James Tupper
Rated: TV-MA
This is the perfect TV show for anyone who loves a brilliant, mind bending, edge of your seat mystery.

The show is a bit confusing at first. But once you settle in hang on to your seat! All is not what it seems in the perfect lives of three mothers of first graders. It all starts when a new single mom named Jane moves into a seaside California town. Madeline and Celeste take Jane under their wing and quickly form a close friendship. No one realizes that the arrival of Jane and her little boy will begin the downward spiral that leads to murder. Things are definitely not as they seem in the lives of these almighty powerful families.  Watch as their lives unravel revealing scandal, ex-husbands and ex-wives and lies that we tell just to survive. Big Little Lies will keep you in suspense all the way to the end. I must warn you….. you will want to watch the entire season in one sitting. Find it on the Library catalog.

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults Tagged With: Bullying, Domestic Violence, Infidelity, Murder

The Magicians

April 30, 2018 by Mr.Eric 1 Comment

The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Adults and Teens

Do you remember what it felt like to believe, to truly believe from the aching bottom of your heart to the tip of your nose, in the impossible?  When I was a kid the Chronicles of Narnia books lit up my imagination like a Christmas tree.  I was one of those kids that felt the back of every wardrobe, closet and medicine cabinet just to make sure there wasn’t a magical world waiting just out of sight.  Over time I stopped checking, and as I grew up I stopped believing as well.  The world, the one I could see around me with my own eyes, was exactly what it seemed to be and I discovered a hard truth: there was no magic door waiting for me.

That feeling of having naive belief only to discover, heartbreakingly, that there never was and never will be a magical world, is what makes Quentin Coldwater’s story so special.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman, follows Quentin’s journey from brilliant, but also brilliantly distracted, high school student to new enrollee in the Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy.  He discovers a hidden layer to the world, one that when pulled back reveals the fantastic.  Magic is real.  And if magic is real, what else might be real as well?  This is one of my favorite books of all time, and I would hate to ruin the story by revealing any more than that, but I will say that although Brakebills may be the start of Quentin’s journey it is certainly not the end.

Part Harry Potter, part Narnia, but with a realistic and decidedly adult edge, Quentin’s story explores the topics of human desire, depression, and the harm of having unchecked power in a narrative that is absolutely enchanting.

Recommended for: fans of realistic fantasy, Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Magicians T.V. show.

Find it in the catalog

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Book, Book to T.V., Realistic Fantasy

A Wrinkle In Time

April 27, 2018 by Shannon Leave a Comment

Book: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle
Movie: A Wrinkle In Time
Movie Release Date: February 26, 2018
Starring: Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peña, Storm Reid, Zach Galifianakis, Chris Pine

Meg Murry hasn’t seen her father in years. He mysteriously disappeared while working on a top secret scientific experiment. Ever since, Meg has lived with her mother, her brother Charles Wallace, and the twins Sandy and Dennys. One dark and stormy night, Meg’s life changes completely. Her neighbor, Mrs. Whatsit, explains the existence of tesseracts or manipulations in space that allow travel to different worlds and dimensions. This discovery sets Meg, Charles Wallace, and her neighbor Calvin on an interplanetary adventure. During the quest to find her missing father, Meg encounters amazing creatures, new friends, and terrible foes. Join her as she endeavors to overcome the forces of darkness and bring her family back together. Find it in the catalog 

Filed Under: Recommended for Adults, Recommended for Kids, Recommended for Teens Tagged With: Adventure, Book, Book to Movie, Fiction, Movie, Outer Space, Science Fiction, Space

What to Do When I’m Gone: A Mother’s Wisdom to Her Daughter

April 25, 2018 by Cecelia Leave a Comment

What to Do when I’m Gone: A Mother’s Wisdom to Her Daughter By Suzy Hopkins & Hallie Bateman (illustrator)
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

This is a nonfiction book written and illustrated by a mother-daughter duo. Bateman has the sudden realization that her mother, writer Suzy Hopkins, will not live forever. Unable to imagine life without her mother’s guiding voice, Bateman asks her mother to write step-by-step instructions to follow in the event of her mom’s death. Hopkins agrees, and the end result is an illustrated, day-by-day instruction manual on navigating life’s up and downs, including everything from making new holiday traditions to making the decision to have children. Despite the solemn topic, Hopkins maintains a lighthearted tone and sprinkles her writing with bits of humor and recipes, including fajitas, chocolate brownies, chili, chicken and dumplings, and curry to cure your heartbreak. Find this book in our catalog.

Filed Under: New for Adults, Recommended for Adults Tagged With: Book, Family, Food, Humor, Nonfiction

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