The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

I have always loved Alice Hoffman because she manages to mix realistic characters, a strong sense of place, and a spiritual or magical element all into a fascinating, believable story that stays with me forever. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is another of these extraordinary stories.

Coralie Sardie is extraordinary for many reasons. She lives with her father, the mastermind and owner of a boardwalk "freak show." Coralie herself is one of the "freaks" billed as the Mermaid Girl, floating in a tank of water for many hours at a time to entertain the masses and swimming for hours in the dark, dangerous waters of the Hudson. She lives among the other acts including a "wolf man" and a "butterfly girl" who all have extraordinary looks and talents, but are, as Coralie knows, just people.

Eddie Cohen is not a sideshow act but a photographer trying to find his way in a confusing world where he feels alone and unworthy until he happens upon Coralie, who seems to him like a dream in every way. He also happens upon a mystery involving a missing girl and all the characters who played a role in her disappearance. He cannot shake the need to solve the mystery for the parents of the girl, and he can't shake his longing for Coralie.

When Coralie and Eddie find each other, it is more than a simple romance. It is a mysterious and dangerous tangle of past, present, and future. It is two people simply trying to have ordinary love when their lives and bodies and friends are almost too extraordinary to hold it.

If it's magic, mystery, and great characters you want, then Alice Hoffman will never fail you. Give this, or one of her other wonderful books a try. Great summer reads!

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Another librarian friend of mine told me about this new series, and it's truly amazing. If you like post-apocalyptic YA, you will love Ashfall, the first in a trilogy set in our very own Iowa.

In the first chapter of the novel, a teen boy named Alex is left home alone for the weekend. While he is innocently trying decide which computer games to play without interruption, the house begins to shake, thunder sounds louder than he's ever heard, and he ends up pulling himself from the rubble pile that is his home. No one in his small town seems to know what is going on, but a strange substance begins to fall from the sky and doesn't quit - the ash from a distant mega-volcano. The struggle that ensues for Alex, who tries desperately to get back to his family a couple hours away, is mesmerizing. The ash becomes like the dust in the American Dust Bowl era, covering everything and killing people and animals who breathe it in and destroying the natural resources by suffocating them. Along the road, Alex is met with struggles of violence both from other people and the desolate environment and altered weather patterns that follow the volcano's destruction. He does find a friend, Darla, along the way, who is both a hindrance and a help in his survival but who helps him retain his humanity in a very inhumane setting.

I'm not quite sure why I couldn't put Ashfall down. It was dark and dystopian, yes, but the idea of the ash and the struggle and randomness of the characters Alex meets was like no other. It seemed very real and unbelievable at the same time, and while the journey had a pattern and rhythm to it, it was so exciting, I couldn't wait to see if he made it to his family.  I also can't wait to read the second in the series, Ashen Winter, and all Mullin's fans anxiously await the newest and last book, Sunrise, which comes out soon.

The Bat by Jo Nesbo

 

So I couldn't help myself and thought I'd start at the beginning, with the first Harry Hole mystery. Getting to see the inspector as a young pup just starting out and beginning his good-natured self-destruction was very fun and dark at the same time, and the premise of this one was every bit as intriguing as The Snowman.

In The Bat, Harry travels to Australia after the movie of a celebrity from Norway is killed. He befriends his "partner" in the police department and learns about the lives and prejudices regarding modern Aboriginals. He also becomes romantically involved with a witness, which adds some spice to Harry's character. Will these relationships get in the way of the investigation? 

This first novel, while a little less polished perhaps than Nesbo's The Snowman, was nonetheless completely readable and unpredictable, and we can really see why everyone fell in love with Harry Hole. Give this series a try!

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

The Valley Book Club chose this Norwegian thriller for its discussion in February, and I was so glad. I had always wanted to read one by this very popular author, and I was not disappointed. It was filled with suspense, cool characters (no pun intended), and a little gore thrown in for good measure. Love it!

Inspector Harry Hole is known for his stellar insights and knowledge of serial killers. (Note that this is the 7th Harry Hole mystery by Nesbo, but don't let that deter you from reading anywhere on the list. It was my first and didn't bother me a bit that I hadn't read others.)This new case began with a little boy discovering that his mother was not at home, and she had left without her pink scarf, an item she cherished. When police find the scarf wrapped around a snowman in the back yard, they discover the gruesome truth, and this calling card leads them to other murders. The last of which gets very personal for Harry.

If you like creepy, dark, and spell-binding, then Jo Nesbo and The Snowman are for you. You may want to go back and read all the Harry Hole mysteries. I know I do.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant is the 3rd and final book in Roth's brilliant, dystopian Divergent series. Divergent fans like me have been waiting what seems like a lifetime for this installment, and although the ending had me almost crying and gasping for air, it did not disappoint.

The post-apocalyptic world in which Tris and Tobias must now live is one divided between the divided Chicago that they knew, where groups or factions were determined by one personality trait, and one they never knew existed. Those who showed proclivity for more than one trait were considered "divergent" and therefore dangerous - that is until now. Tris and Tobias find out that there is whole other world where the government watches the city, researching their lives as part of a huge "experiment" to see if people with "damaged genes" can eventually get back to their genetically ideal or divergent state. Divergence is the only good state to be in, according to this government which wants to abolish the factions altogether. While this seems liberating and just to Tris and Tobias and their rebel friends at first, the means by which genetic purity will be obtained is not so liberating. The labels for people are changed, but the outcomes and civil strife that result are just as damaging as the "experiment."

This is the complicated moral landscape that the characters in Roth's world must navigate. Real-life societal issues come into play when one talks about genetic purity, cleansing, war, and human experimentation. When does the end justify the means, etc.? All of this fascinating stuff is wrapped up in a band of very interesting young characters, Tris and Tobias's love story, and their ongoing family battles over power, love, and acceptance.

The intoxicating combination of these elements is what makes this series one of today's hottest tickets, soon to be a ticket at theaters everywhere. So before the first movie comes out in March, do yourself a favor and get lost in the Divergent world. Read the books. You won't be able to put them down until they're done.

The Power by Rhonda Byrne

When I first heard about the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, I thought to myself, "Oh, my gosh. Another dumb self help book full of fake spirituality." Obviously I wasn't ready for it. Then there came a time when I was. I read The Secret with an open heart - a heart that wanted to change my life for the better. And it helped me do just that. This new book in the series, The Power, is a wonderful extension of the teachings of the "law of attraction" which is now a law I try to live by every day.

When you say the term "law of attraction" to people, they immediately think of romance. But that is really not what the law is about at all. It is, simply put, a way to become a happier person by concentrating and visualizing, using positive thought as a means to draw more positive aspects into your life. If your life is full of negativity, people complaining, adversity, illness, or other struggles, then learning the law of attraction is for you. This book helped to reiterate all the practices and also gave them a deeper and more usable meaning in my life. It teaches that by visualizing and living as though your perfect life has already happened to you, those things can come into being. If you are a positive person, positive people, opportunities, and even wealth and properity will come to you.

So, some of you might say that these ideas are still "dumb self-help mumbo jumbo" but unless you try it, you won't see what it can do for you.If you can't do it, or it doesn't work, what have you lost?

Champion by Marie Lu

This third and final book in Lu's Legend series was much anticipated, and I couldn't wait to start it. I was not disappointed in this YA dystopian thriller which contains romance, sci-fi, and lots of twists.

June and Day are estranged at the beginning of the novel, each struggling to make sense of a new government with new military forces. Day tries to adjust to life with his younger brother who now suffers from the left-over symptoms of the plague. June adjusts to her power and influence as the Princepts-Elect, a high ranking military position. They long to be together, but it doesn't seem possible until new horrors in the government threaten them both, and June must ask Day to make a huge sacrifice in order to save their country.

While there are a lot of dystopian novels and series out there right now, Legend is still one of the most exciting. The books got better with each installment, ending with this one, which I think was my favorite. Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

Take a woman who literally changes her name to "Strayed" after her divorce and put her on the Pacific Crest Trail - by herself- and see what happens. This is the experiment that the author puts herself through in this unique memoir about the quest for truth, personal understanding, and perseverance.

 When I first heard the premise behind this book, I thought it was extremely fascinating. It almost sounded like something I could do. It almost sounded fun. And then I read the book. The journey that Strayed undertakes is not something I could ever do. It did not sound fun. But what it was to Strayed was a life-changing experience where she learned a lot about herself, other people, and nature. She literally gives up all her worldly possessions except for those in a huge pack on her back. She has so little money, that she sends it to herself in boxes along the trail, $20 at a time, so that she can buy certain necessities, like Snapple and hamburgers.This is not something I could do. But it is something I can learn from.

However, it is Strayed's feet that give her the most trouble on this journey. They betray her at every turn, becoming sore and bleeding, until at many points she has to delay her trek just to give them time to heal. But this battle with her feet is, indeed, the most horrifying part of her journey. And that is what I found most amazing.The people along the trail never disappointed her (well, ok, only once). They were friendly, supportive, and positive, including her and making her part of a strung out family of hikers all doing the same thing for different reasons. No one tried to rob her or kill her or harm her in any way. Nature was her cruelest enemy, and that was a very big, and wonderful surprise to me.

While Strayed was too young to be called "middle aged" in the book, her journey is one that screams "mid-life crisis" or "flower child trying to find herself." But it worked for her. The demons that haunted her throughout life, making her seem like a narcissistic flake to some of our book club readers, came to the surface and hiked along with her. And while she may not have gained closure in all aspects of her life (I mean, that would be pretty difficult for most of us to achieve), the journey gave her a kind of peace that allowed her to move on. And isn't that what we all want to do? So, give Strayed's story a try. You might just find yourself in the pages.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

 

 

I was a little leery of starting a book about flowers. I am not a gardener. I love flowers, but I do not love taking care of them. But this book happens to be about much more than flowers or gardening. It's about the love of flowers, beauty, words, children, and life itself.

 

Victoria Jones was raised in foster homes. Some bad, some OK, and one very good. It is in her brief stay with one motherless mother-figure who teaches her the names and "meanings" of all the flowers that Victoria is able to blossom herself. But the rest of her life is so filled with hurt and tragedy and isolation, that when she is finally emancipated from the social system, she is at a loss of what to do with her life. But then she comes across a florist and her shop. The florist gives her a job arranging bouquets and delivering to weddings, but it is Victoria's knowledge of just what the flowers mean that people are searching for, longing for. The boy from Victoria's past is also longing for her, and as they reconnect, we discover how different people are but how there is, indeed, love in the world for everyone.

 

There is a dictionary of flower meanings in the back of this book that I will treasure forever. What a wonderful language to share with others about how you're feeling and how you're feeling about them. I'll never forget this powerful, beautiful book. Give it a try and let me know which flowers speak to you.

 

 

We're starting off the Valley Book Club this year with this wildly popular legal drama/mystery by William Landay. The characters and situation are very unique, and they really made me think about how far we should go to protect our children, how deeply we can NOT know someone close to us, and how terrible things can, indeed, happen to good people.

 

First, there is a murder victim, a teenaged boy, found in a park. Then there is a DA who tries to approach and solve the case as he would any other, despite the fact that he has a son at the same school as the victim. Next comes the realization by the DA that his son was actually being bullied by the victim. This is followed by a lot of Facebook stalking by the DA, some damning evidence,  and a trial that tears apart their family and the community.

 

Finally, this is the part where you come to the library and pick up this fascinating book and read it for yourself. And better yet, come to the Valley Book Club's discussion on Sept. 5th.  We'd love to hear your insights!