Recommended Reading: The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

Book Description: 

This much-anticipated follow-up to Jonathan Auxier’s exceptional debut, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, is a Victorian ghost story with shades of Washington Irving and Henry James. More than just a spooky tale, it’s also a moral fable about human greed and the power of storytelling.

The Night Gardener follows two abandoned Irish siblings who travel to work as servants at a creepy, crumbling English manor house. But the house and its family are not quite what they seem. Soon the children are confronted by a mysterious spectre and an ancient curse that threatens their very lives. With Auxier’s exquisite command of language, The Night Gardener is a mesmerizing read and a classic in the making.

This 2014 release is the perfect horror novel for middle graders -- creepy, with its share of gross-out moments, but not terrifying. The focus is on the two orphans as characters, and they're more nuanced than in most other middle-grade books... In fact, all the characters have dominant personality traits, but those traits aren't random. They go along with whole personalities and backstories. The characters got where they are not because they've just always been that way, but because they've made specific choices over time, so this would be great opportunity to discuss choices and consequences with your child! Altogether, The Night Gardener is a super-fun book that's satisfying on many levels, from old-fashioned spookiness to well-written prose and a compelling plot.

Winter Wellness with Essential Oils

Prepare Your Body and Your Family for the Coming Months

JOIN US FOR THIS SPECIAL EVENT!

We are excited to have Christine Nishimura back at the library. She uses DoTerra Essential Oils and she will share with you how to prepare your immune system, your home, and
your family for the winter months. Christine will be able to answer any questions you may have.

The weather is getting colder and germs are on the rise.
Come learn how to support your immune system, your respiratory
system, and lower the toxic load in your body and home. Make
sure your home is prepared for anything that may come this
winter!!

Winter Wellness

WHEN:

Tuesday, Feb. 3rd 6pm – 7pm

WHERE:
North Shelby Library | Meeting Room

MORE INFORMATION:

Join us as we learn how to prepare for the Winter Cold & Flu Season. Just like eating well and exercising regularly, essential oils can be another great way to help support a healthy body.

DoTERRA essential oils are unique in that they are sourced from their indigenous region from all around the world, and third party tested to insure quality and efficacy

Recommended Reading: Julie Kagawa

Julie Kagawa has firmly cemented herself as one of best young adult fantasy writers.

First came The Iron Fey series. We follow Meghan Chase, a half-human teenage girl pulled into the Faery realms and trapped in between the clashes of the Winter and Summer Fey against a terrifying new kind of faery, the Iron Fey. She also battles her way through a love triangle that rivals Twilight's Team Edward/Team Jacob. 

Then The Blood of Eden trilogy. These vampires definitely don't sparkle. In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities. Outside city walls: a vast wilderness, stalked by terrifying creatures called rabids. Created when humans and vampires attempted to cure Red Lung, rabids prowl by night, mindless and ravenous for human blood. Allison Sekemoto is a life-long Fringer: always hunted, always hungry. But when forced to choose between agonizing death and becoming what she hates…Allie takes immortality.

And now Kagawa is launching a new fantasy series all about dragons. Talon, released in 2014, revolves around dragons with the ability to disguise themselves as humans and an order of warriors sworn to eradicate them. The dragons of TALON and the Order of St. George have been at war with each other for centuries. The fabled creatures, whose existence is unknown by the general public, are determined to rule the world. Their foes, a legendary society of dragon slayers, are equally bent on driving the fabled beasts into extinction. However, when a young dragon and a hardened slayer unknowingly befriend each other, it has severe repercussions for both organizations.

Rogue, book two in the series, will be hitting selves in April 2015. 

You can check all of these excellent fantasy titles out from the library! 

Stop by and see us soon.

Recommended Reading: The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker

Book Description: 

Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence. For most of history, war, slavery, infanticide, child abuse, assassinations, pogroms, gruesome punishments, deadly quarrels, and genocide were ordinary features of life. But today, Pinker shows (with the help of more than a hundred graphs and maps) all these forms of violence have dwindled and are widely condemned. How has this happened?

This groundbreaking book continues Pinker's exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly nonviolent world. The key, he explains, is to understand our intrinsic motives- the inner demons that incline us toward violence and the better angels that steer us away-and how changing circumstances have allowed our better angels to prevail. Exploding fatalist myths about humankind's inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious and provocative book is sure to be hotly debated in living rooms and the Pentagon alike, and will challenge and change the way we think about our society.

The central thesis of Steven Pinker’s 2011 book is that, contrary to popular belief, violence in the world has actually decreased over time. He deals with changes over time as well as specific historical time periods and human neurological qualities, not only demonstrating his point but also discussing reasons and mechanisms for the historical change he's observed. 

This is a big ol' book, but I still highly recommend that everyone read it, because it really will change the way you think about the world. Historians and political scientists will find plenty to talk about here, plus this book will be invaluable for novelists who want to understand historical societies or create their own. You don't have to be any of those things to appreciate Pinker's work, though. He demonstrates that despite fatalistic news reports, the human race is less violent than ever before and optimism can be well-founded!

Recommended Reading: Hawkeye Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon

Book Description:

The breakout star of this summer's blockbuster Avengers film, Clint Barton - aka the self-made hero Hawkeye - fights for justice! With ex-Young Avenger Kate Bishop by his side, he's out to prove himself as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes! SHIELD recruits Clint to intercept a packet of incriminating evidence - before he becomes the most wanted man in the world. You won't believe what is on The Tape! What is the Vagabond Code? Matt Fraction pens a Hawkeye thriller that spans the globe...and the darkest parts of Hawkeye's mind. Barton and Bishop mean double the Hawkeye and double the trouble...and stealing from the rich never looked so good.

Collects issues 1-11.

If you loved the Avengers movie and want to start reading comics, this award-winning volume is a perfect choice. Each issue follows Hawkeye's day-to-day life while he's not on missions with the Avengers, but the book tells its own story -- you won't need to read any other comics for this one to make sense. Hawkeye is funny, the art is cool, and one issue is narrated by his dog! Launched in 2013, Hawkeye is now in its fourth volume, so if you like this one there's plenty more. Find it in the YA department!

Children's Dept Reading Ideas for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr Day the library will be closed on Monday, January 19th. Before that happens here are some suggested books for kids about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement. Keep in mind this is not a comprehensive list, for more titles stop by the children's department.

Non-Fiction

Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement by Ann Bausum

Freedom Walkers: the Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech in Translation: What It Really Means by Leslie J. Holland

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip M. Hoose

Who was Rosa Parks? by Yona Zeldis McDonough 

Remember: The Journey to School Integration by Toni Morrison

Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Picture Books

We March by Shane W. Evans

March On!: The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Farris

Martin and Mahalia: His Words, Her Song by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by Doreen Rappaport

Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds

As Fast as Words Could Fly by Pamela M. Tuck

Fiction

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson 

Recommended Reading: Frostborn by Lou Anders

Book Description:

Meet Karn. He is destined to take over the family farm in Norrøngard. His only problem? He’d rather be playing the board game Thrones and Bones.

Enter Thianna. Half human, half frost giantess. She’s too tall to blend in with other humans but too short to be taken seriously as a giant.

When family intrigues force Karn and Thianna to flee into the wilderness, they have to keep their sense of humor and their wits about them. But survival can be challenging when you’re being chased by a 1,500-year-old dragon, Helltoppr the undead warrior and his undead minions, an evil uncle, wyverns, and an assortment of trolls and giants.

Frostborn is Lou Anders' debut novel, a fantasy for middle graders and young adults. Advantageously placed in a trend of interest in Norse mythology and ice -- Thor, the Loki craze, and Frozen, to name a few -- Frostborn is similar enough to those things to make a good recommendation, but it's not a knockoff. As with all the best books for kids, it’s full of substance. It’s well-written and well-plotted. It’s clear what’s happening and accessible for those who are just getting into longer books, but complex enough for teens to enjoy. It’s light and fun, but contains serious themes about acceptance, family, and loyalty (both when you should have it and when you shouldn’t). Written with both of Anders' children in mind, the book is explicitly for both boys and girls -- Karn and Thianna always get equal billing, and they’re always equally important!