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Family Drama

Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love

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Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury and Reinventing Love by Abby Maslin
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

In August 2012, Abby and TC Maslin lived in the Capitol Hill area of Washington D.C. with their young son, Jack. TC worked as an energy analyst and Abby was a school teacher. TC was attacked while walking home from a Nationals game late at night.  TC was beaten nearly to death by three young men who took his cell phone and debit card.  They left him bleeding and hurt on a sidewalk a few blocks from his home.  When Abby woke up in the night to find out that her husband wasn’t home, panic set in.  Hours later Abby found out that her husband had been taken to the hospital but she didn’t know if he was alive or dead.

After many days and months of physical rehabilitation, TC did survive, but was unable to walk and talk.  Abby had to take over his complete care, teaching him to read and talk again.  There were no guarantees of his future life after the tragedy.  The two of them had to learn to trust and love each other again.  During their agonizing months both of them had changed.

This is a true story and has connections to St. Mary’s County, Maryland. Abby is a good writer and I was especially touched by her prologue that describes when she and TC met for the first time. This account is a raw and inspiring story with an amazing outcome. TC Maslin has an inner strength that helped him to beat the odds of not only surviving but conquering his disabilities. While still re-learning to walk and communicate, TC realized how much Abby did to take care of him, he said, “But you’ve done everything for me. Do you know that? I love you, honey. I love you so hard.”

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Gravity Falls

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Gravity Falls
Format: TV series on DVD
Who it’s for: Kids, Teens, Adults, Everyone

Twins Dipper and Mabel Pines have been sent to Gravity Falls, Oregon to spend the summer with their Great Uncle, or Grunkle, Stan, who runs the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap that peddles overpriced merchandise to anyone interested in Bigfoot, flying saucers, unicorns, and the like. But very soon after their arrival Dipper discovers a journal that leads him to believe the mythical things in Grunkle Stan’s shop could be based in reality, and Gravity Falls might be a hotbed of paranormal activity. It turns out there really are zombies, minotaurs, real live gnomes, and a number of other oddities in the woods surrounding the Mystery Shack, and Grunkle Stan may not be as oblivious to it all as he lets on!

This show is truly enjoyable for all ages. It’s got delightful humor for the kids and delicious mysteries for the grown-ups. The twins are the heart of the show: Dipper is slightly neurotic, Mabel is a bottomless well of effervescence, and they have a sweet, supportive sibling relationship. The cast includes the voices of Kristen Schaal, T.J. Miller, J.K. Simmons, Nathan Fillion, and Nick Offerman. It’s basically The X-Files meets Twin Peaks meets The Simpsons on the Disney channel and I am here for it. Are you? Find Gravity Falls in our catalog!

My Sister, the Serial Killer

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Recommended Book
My Sister, the Serial Killer by  Oyinkan Braithwaite
Publication/Release Date: November 20, 2018
Format: Book or ebook
Who it’s for: Adults

Below is the publisher’s blurb. I’d suggest only reading this much of it. It gives away too much of the story, IMHO. I picked this book based solely on the cover, title, and the author’s name.

Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.

“Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.”

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede’s practicality is the sisters’ saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning. -Publisher’s blurb

I read an Advanced Review Copy ebook from NetGalley. We call them ARC’s. If you subscribe to different services or get on publishers’ lists, you can receive ARC’s of books to review before they are released. It’s pretty cool. (NetGalley is a site where book reviewers and other professional readers can read books before they are published, in e-galley or digital galley form. Members register for free and can request review copies or be invited to review by the publisher).

I am not sure how to comment on this without giving anything away. Basically, I really like it even though I don’t like any of the characters in the book. Although I can’t really tell they are in Africa, I was glad it was a novel written by an African woman.  I was disappointed about that part. This story reads like any other story of a place I have never been in the USA; except for a few words (that I hope will have definitions in the finished publication), the traffic police, and a mention of a chief. As I read, I thought they must be in Nigeria because that is where the author lives but I never could recall the name of the city. Since it’s a great character driven story, not much detail about the city/country where they live.

Korede is the older sister who enables Ayoola, her younger spoiled sister (as does the entire world cuz she is just that pretty). Right off the bat, I am not that sympathetic to either of the sisters. Korede cuz she complains bitterly about Ayoola but says nothing and keeps enabling.  Ayoola cuz she is a killer and a spoiled brat. Yet I really liked this book. It was quite thrilling in some parts and the other parts were equally fascinating.  I did read parts out of order. The chapters titled Father intrigued me. I had a theory about his death and wanted to see if I was correct. I also read ahead because I wanted to know if Ayoola killed Korede’s crush. It’s a short read so I had already read a third of the book by the time I skipped around. It was a great, fun read. I hope she writes more and that they get published/released in the USA as well.

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Locke and Key

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Locke and Key Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez
Format: Graphic Novel
Who it’s for: Adults

The Locke family are keepers of magic keys that can do amazing things. The keys are kept safe in the Locke ancestral home of Keyhouse, by a rule that only innocent children can discover their magic, and forget it once they become corruptible adults. A malevolent creature called Dodge seeks the keys for nefarious purposes and the only thing standing between Dodge and those evil machinations are the current Locke children: teenagers Tyler and Kinsey, and their younger sibling Bode.

This is just the beginning of a six volume saga that is part horror, part fantasy, and part family drama. The Locke and Key series is great for any fans of Stranger Things, It, Twin Peaks, or H.P. Lovecraft. The books do feature scenes of violence, gore, abuse, and addiction, so I would only recommend them to adults, or mature teens. The series is also available on audio, with a stellar cast of voice actors, sound effects, and a haunting score. Find Locke and Key in our catalog