New Books News

Welcome to New Books News, a semi-regular column featuring new additions to the Calarco Library. This fall, we are highlighting some popular new items as well as books that should be popular, but aren’t getting very much play.

For a full list of new books, please visit Calarco’s What’s New LibGuide.

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Fiction

The Goblin Emperor -Katherine Addison

Need convincing? Read Mr. Gette’s book review.

The Magician’s Land -Lev Grossman

EVERYONE thinks this book is the best installment in Grossman’s trilogy. Need convincing? Read the NYT review.

Ancillary Sword -Ann Leckie

A sequel to Ancillary Justice (which won all the awards).

We Were Liars -E. Lockhart

John Green gave Lockhart’s newest book his stamp of approval. Last time Green did that, it was Eleanor & Park. The guys is usually right.

Station Eleven -Emily St. John Mandel

A National Book Award finalist

The Winter People -Jennifer McMahon

Ghosts + Vermont farmhouses + creepiness = a promising story

Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen -Garth Nix

Fans of the Old Kingdom series will be quick to read this prequel. Interested in starting the series? Check out the Nix’s other installments.

Lock In -John Scalzi

Check out Mr. Gette’s book review. The short version is, “This book is awesome.”

Nora Webster -Colm Toibin

This guy is such a heavyweight that it is always worth checking out his latest book.

The Paying Guests -Sarah Waters

After reading The Little Stranger, I’m ready to read anything by Waters.

Frog Music -Emma Donoghue

If you loved Room, you should give Donoghue’s new (and very different) book a try.

Everything Rick Riordan

Graphic Novels

Smile -Raina Telgemeier

Sisters -Raina Telgemeier

Follow Raina’s story in this graphic novel series.

Book Review: Mercury, by Hope Larson

Dear Hope Larson,

Please do not mislead me with pirates. The blurb on the back of Mercury  talks about two girls living 150 years apart, blah blah blah, LOST GOLD. And then, on the second page, you have a group of pirates carrying a locked chest into the woods.

Do we ever see the pirates again? No, we do not.

Do we ever see that chest again? No, we do not.

Ms. Larson, you cannot get my hopes up with pirates and then not have pirates! There were no X’s marking any spots. There were no sea shanties. There were no chests overflowing with pilfered doubloons and shiny gems. There was a skeleton, so that was cool. But did it have an eyepatch or a peg leg? No and no.

And yeah, so maybe there’s a necklace that can find lost things, and ok, there are crows with human faces, and those are both pretty rad, but they are not pirates.

No pirates, Ms. Larson.

Do not think you can win me over with your magical realism and your awesome drawings and your pits full of snakes. Okay. Maybe you can win me over with the snakes. And everything else. Look, this was a really good book. The illustrations seem simple but have such detail. Look at the cover up there. I just noticed the crows. Isn’t that cool? Sure, there are some unanswered questions (like why are there pirates on the second page, and nowhere else) and extraneous details that don’t seem to fit (pirates), but it was still pretty great. Even without pirates.

…it would have been better with pirates.

Read if you like: Stories split between two time periods, Canada, cross country, lost treasure, spirits.

Avoid if you don’t like: graphic novels, books without enough pirates.

-Signing off, Kit Gette (it’s not a pirate-obsession. Really). 

Vagabond Librarians Day 3: You Know What Else We Miss? Super Powers.

^^(alteration of statement made by Joss Whedon, creator of awesomeness)^^

Batman: The Long Halloween. Scott Pilgrim. Watchmen. Fun Home. Owly. Sandman: Season of Mist.

Yes. You heard me. I listed a bunch of graphic novels and italicized them. I promise, it was harder than it appears.

Why was it harder, might you ask? Well, because the Vagabond Librarians have officially started adding graphic novels to the 6 Vagabond Library Kindle Fires. This is a difficult task for the following reasons: 1. We have to sort through dozens of lists claiming to be  “The Most Accurate List Ever of Awesome Graphic Novels,” 2. We have to resist reading the beautifully displayed graphic novels all day, and 3. We really have to stop patting ourselves on the backs (shout out to Mr. Kit Gette for being the driving force behind this initiative).

So, here’s a fun scenario:

• Awesome Student: Hi, Vagabond Librarian. I am really interested in reading graphic novels on Kindle Fires for two reasons: 1. I hear the display is excellent and 2. Since you and your cohorts are extremely talented selectors of books, I am confident that the graphic novels on the Kindle Fires are great reads.
• Vagabond Librarian:  That is great to hear, Awesome Student. I will absolutely assist you in checking out a Kindle Fire and learning the panel view feature.
• Awesome Student: Thank you, Vagabond Librarian. By the way, you and your cohorts should really pat yourselves on the backs for this great initiative.

Don’t you want to be that awesome student?! Visit the Vagabond Library and fulfill your dreams.

In other Vagabond Library news: 2 students seeking quiet hid in the Dining Hall to study, and Dr. Kellie Cox is “The Law”.

I will leave you with this inspirational quote:

STOP

This is the back of the book.
What do you think you’re doing?
Who do you think you are?
Go to the other end of the book and start at page 1.
Your mother and I are very disappointed in you.

Reading your new graphic novel: some options

OPTION 1: Follow the balloons from left to right and top to bottom, then move on to the next panel, the way you learned it at that sissy school of yours.

OPTION 2: Read each balloon in whatever order appeals to you most. Freestyle! It’s your book now! Don’t let the man tell you which direction to read!

WARNING: for entertainment use only. Do not attempt to learn anything from this page. (O’Malley, v. 4)

Signing off: Jenny Barrows (who had to fight 7 evil ex-librarians to get this gig)