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The Wicked + The Divine

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The Wicked + The Divine
Format: eBook, Book
Who it’s for: Adults

The Wicked + The Divine takes place in a world much like the one we are familiar with, but with a unique twist: Every ninety years, a phenomenon called the Recurrence takes place, and 12 deities – gods and goddesses – incarnate the bodies of young people, imbuing them with supernatural powers. For two years these members of the “Pantheon” use their powers to create superhuman art, inventions, and inspiration. They are loved and hated. Then they die. And it’s happening again.

It’s the 2010’s, and our gateway to the Pantheon is Laura, a “fangirl.” Laura adores the Pantheon and would do anything to be among them. She attends a deity’s performance, gets to meet some, befriends one, and is then swept up into a vast conspiracy involving the all the gods, the mysterious person who discovers/awakens them, and the truth behind the Recurrence and what causes it.

The Wicked + The Divine is a story about life and death. It’s a story about music and how it can speak to us and through us. It’s a story about the desire to create, and how consuming that drive can be. It’s a story about the cult of celebrity: how we worship them, or attempt to “cancel” them. (The Pantheon are the ultimate stars; they even bare resemblance to pop music icons to reinforce this idea.)

If you like mythology, music, and mystery, check out the graphic novel series The Wicked + The Divine, starting with Vol. 1 The Faust Act. We have the complete series at the library, and digitally via Hoopla. See it in our catalog.

Another Run Around The Sun

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Another Run Around The Sun by Ben Taylor
Format: Digital Music
Who it’s for: Teens, Adults

If summer has you ready to unwind with peaceful melodies, Ben Taylor’s Another Run Around The Sun is one you’ll want to check out. His soothing vocals and acoustic guitar require little of listeners but if one wishes to pay more attention, Taylor’s lyrics are pure poetry.

From the song, Digest:

Now times change & the game plays on
And the truth remains but the rules have all gone wrong
Life rises, now here we are
Still looking for the place where we belong

No worries – the songs aren’t all wistful.

From the song, You Must’ve Fallen

And through the absence of light I can hear you enchant in the night so
It’s perfectly clear that I got nothing to lose and nothing to fear and
I got nothing to do except want to want be near

If you’re still on the fence, let me add one more thing to consider. Ben Taylor, while an extraordinary singer/songwriter in his own right, is the son of music royalty, Carly Simon and James Taylor. You will undoubtedly recognize the similarity of his voice with his father’s. If you are a fan of either parent (or both) you’ll enjoy Ben Taylor’s music. Find it on hoopla digital

The Music Shop

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The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Frank loves music.  Frank loves vinyl.   He can look at his customers and “hear” exactly the record they need for the events occurring in their lives.

It’s 1988 and CD’s are the newest thing.  One music shop on a run-down, dead end street refuses to sell anything but vinyl.  Frank, the music shop owner, has created a family around his shop with the shopkeepers and residents on his street.   As shopkeepers on the street struggle to stay open, many begin to sell out to a local development company.  As the street empties, those that are left are inspired by the sudden appearance of a young, beautiful and mysterious woman who’s fainting spell outside the shop ignites questions and excitement on their block.

As the story alternates from Frank’s present in 1988 and his past with his enigmatic mother, he struggles with his desire to love this mysterious woman and his fear of becoming close with anyone.

Joyce has done her research on the music pieces that she weaves into the story.  It’s just as interesting to learn about the background of the music as it is to follow Frank through his present and past life.  This story taps in to the power of music to speak to a person and touch their feelings like nothing else can.

If you loved The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, you will love this book.

You can find it here!

Rock-a-bye Baby

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Submitted by Ms. Sue!

Rock-a bye Baby written and illustrated by Jane Cabrera. Rock a bye baby on the tree top, when the wind blows the cradle will rock. A familiar and popular lullaby is put to use in this beautiful story using woodland animals. Rock-a-bye squirrel cozy as can be. Baby Robin in a nook in the tree is as snug as can be. Caterpillar hangs, gently swaying and cocooned. While Owl in his hidey hole is as safe as can be. Spider in his delicate web is as sparkly as can be and Bat is nestled upside down as dark as can be. Rock-a-bye snake on the branch of the tree, coiled round and round and tight as can be. Little Mouse is under the roots; he gets rocked to and fro. Fawn is in the shade of the tree in sweet scented flowers. Bunny burrows under the tree and is hidden away warm as can be. Last of all is Baby: Happy as can be. See this book listed in our catalog

Also an Octopus

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

Also an Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Benji Davies starts like every story does: with nothing. It needs a character. Why not an octopus? Who plays the ukulele? And wants to travel to space in a shiny purple spaceship? Why not? But you can’t get a spaceship at the drug store. And the octopus isn’t a rocket scientist. And neither is his friend, the adorable bunny. The octopus is despondent. He’ll never get to travel to other galaxies. Or will he? When the octopus is sad, he plays his ukulele, “because music is good for the heart.” And when he plays, people come to listen, and some of those people are rocket scientists! Yes, it’s true! And you know what happens next? Well, that’s really up to you to decide. Because the ending of one story is the beginning of another, and everyone has what it takes to tell a story, because every story, like we said, starts with nothing! If you’ve got a little storyteller in your life, I’m sure they’ll love this book! See this book listed in our catalog

One Bear Extraordinaire

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Submitted by Ms. Tess!

In One Bear Extraordinaire by Jayme McGowan, Bear wakes up with a song in his head, as usual. See, Bear is a rambling musician, traveling through the forest, entertaining all the creatures there. But this song needs something unique. He’s not sure what it’s missing, so he goes looking for it! Along the way he meets a banjo playing fox, an accordion playing raccoon, and a fiddle playing rabbit. They all sound mighty fine making music together but there’s still something missing! The band meets a wolf pup who’s an aspiring musician. Bear unloads his supply of instruments, but none of them quite strike Wolf Pup’s fancy. But that night, when the band is gathered around a cozy campfire, jamming, they discover Wolf Pup is a great singer! And that’s just what the song needed! And now, not only does Bear have a great song on his hands, he’s also made some pretty great friends! See this book listed in our catalog