Hollow city - Ransom Riggs

Hollow city - Riggs, Ransom

Summary: Having escaped Miss Peregrine's island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London (circa 1940), the "peculiar" capital of the world. Illustrations feature vintage photography.


Kirkus Reviews
Along with picking up the action where it left off in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2011), Riggs fills in background detail while adding both talking animals and more children with magical powers to the cast. With evil wights and murderous hollowgasts in hot pursuit—and only days to save their beloved Miss Peregrine from permanently becoming a bird—Jacob and his nine young (in body, if not age) companions fling themselves through time loops to Blitz-torn London. The growing attachment between Jacob and kindhearted fire-conjurer Emma turns out to play a crucial role in the plot. After a brisk round of chases, captures, escapes and bombings—capped by a devastating reversal—the two end up separated from most of their allies but with a new talent that just might save "peculiardom" from its seemingly all-powerful enemies. As before, the author spins his tale in part around a crop of enigmatic vintage trick or portrait photographs, including two men (corpses?) sharing a bed with skeletons, a pipe-smoking dog and a staring girl with a huge hole through her midsection. Though less of a novelty here than in the opener, these still add distinctly creepy notes (even when the subject is supposedly comical) to a tale already well-stocked with soul eaters and tentacled monsters. Less a straightforward horrorfest than a tasty adventure for any reader with an appetite for the…peculiar. (Fantasy. 11-14) Copyright Kirkus 2014 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

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Zoobiquity - Barbara Natterson-Horowitz

Zoobiquity: what animals can teach us about health and the science of healing - Natterson-Horowitz, Barbara

Summary: In the tradition of Temple Grandin, Oliver Sacks, and Neil Shubin, cardiologist and psychiatrist Natterson-Horowitz and science writer Bowers look at the remarkable correspondences between the way human beings and animals live, die, get sick, and heal in their natural settings.

Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Our ancestors knew that animals suffer the same diseases as humans, but as modern medicine developed, a great schism grew between physicians and veterinarians. Cardiologist and psychiatrist Natterson-Horowitz now calls for a new species-spanning approach to medicine and health. She and science writer Bowers coined the term zoobiquity for this emerging field, and they present their case with winning enthusiasm and expertise. Natterson-Horowitz, astute and funny, recounts her mind-expanding zoobiquitous expeditions involving a remarkable array of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and insects and explicates the genetic and evolutionary roots of her revelatory discoveries. Not only do animals faint but fainting can be essential to survival, leading Natterson-Horowitz to modify a classic phrase to Fight, flight, or faint. Even more arresting are her revelations about animals, intoxication, and addiction (including a Texan cocker spaniel who loved to lick cane toads for the hallucinogenic toxin in their skin). Her investigation into animal sex redefines natural acts, and her coverage of animal adolescence and eating disorders is fascinating and instructive. Clearly, we have much to learn from animals and from this profoundly illuminating new fusion of veterinary, human, and evolutionary medicine. Zoobiquity is as clarion and perception-altering as works by Oliver Sacks, Michael Pollan, and E. O. Wilson. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

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Far far away - Tom McNeal

Far far away - McNeal, Tom

Summary: "When Jeremy Johnson Johnson's strange ability to speak to the ghost of Jacob Grimm draws the interest of his classmate Ginger Boltinghouse, the two find themselves at the center of a series of disappearances in their hometown"-- Provided by publisher.


Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* So it begins: What follows is the strange and fateful tale of a boy, a girl, and a ghost. Ghostly Jacob Grimm, of the famous Brothers, narrates this tale of Jeremy and Ginger and their near-tragic encounter with town baker Sten Blix, whose long-held grudges figure in the disappearance of several village children. Unappreciated as a youngster, Blix has elevated revenge to a sweet art, and he holds Jeremy, Ginger, and an additional victim, Frank Bailey, in a hidden dungeon under the bakery, while Jacob desperately tries to tell parents and friends of the predicament. If he fails, the three may become grist in the baker's next batch of Prince Cakes. Reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel and rife with allusions to the Brothers Grimm tales, this is a masterful story of outcasts, the power of faith, and the triumph of good over evil. McNeal's deft touch extends to the characterizations, where the ritual speech of traditional tales (Listen, if you will) establishes Jacob's phantasmagoric presence amid the modernist American West. There are moments of horror (as there were in the Brothers Grimm original tales), but they are accomplished through the power of suggestion. Details aplenty about Jacob and his famous sibling make this a fiction connector to both fairy tales and Grimm biographies, too. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

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Cress - Marissa Meyer

Cress - Meyer, Marissa

Summary: Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth. Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company.


Horn Book Magazine Reviews
Meyer's fairy tale/sci-fi hybrid series (Cinder, rev. 1/12; Scarlet, rev. 3/13) continues with a "Rapunzel"-inspired story. Cress, taken from her Lunar parents as a baby, is forced to live alone on a satellite, spying on the Earthens for Queen Levana. But her real loyalty lies with cyborg Cinder's plan to protect Earth by dethroning Levana. After a rescue attempt of Cress goes awry, Cinder and an injured Wolf head to Africa in search of Dr. Erland; Scarlet becomes Levana's prisoner on Luna; and Cress and a temporarily blinded Thorne survive a crash landing on Earth and subsequent desert trek. Eventually everyone but Scarlet reunites, and they return to New Beijing to stop Emperor Kai's wedding to Levana. This multilayered, action-packed page-turner is sure to please series fans. Cress is a sympathetic protagonist, socially awkward due to her isolated youth but highly skilled in technology, and her teenage crush on Thorne evolves into a believable romance. And balanced nicely with Cress's story is Cinder's continuing journey -- she accepts her new identity as Princess Selene, the long-lost Lunar heir, but must find the inner strength she'll need in order to lead a revolution in the upcoming final installment, Winter. cynthia k. ritte Copyright 2014 Horn Book Magazine.

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The roads to Santiago - Derry Brabbs

The roads to Santiago: the medieval pilgrim routes through France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela - Brabbs, Derry

Summary: Brabbs traces the four main routes within France leading to Santiago de Compostella, the third most important pilgrimage destination for medieval travelers. His photographs of the journeys are breathtaking, showing the tiny towns and grand cathedrals where the pilgrims took, and still take, shelter. In many towns of France and Spain the scallop symbol of St. James can still be found at wayside inns and hostels. Brabbs has written an informative and lively text to accompany his photos. This not only gives the background of the pilgrimage sites and the purpose behind the journey, but also describes the personal reactions of one who followed the same path as thousands over the centuries. Today there are more than religious reasons for making a pilgrimage to Compostella, but, as Brabbs shows so beautifully, anyone who follows the old roads there cannot avoid being affected by the journey.

Derry Brabbs is regarded as one of England's finest photographers within the sphere of heritage and landscape, with over 20 illustrated books to his credit. His stunning color photographs for the worldwide best-seller James Herriot's Yorkshire contributed to its success. He is the author of several beautifully photographed titles celebrating England's landscape and architectural legacy. His other titles for Frances Lincoln include The River Thames, Hadrian's Wall, A Year in the Life of Rutland, A Year in the Life of the Welsh Marches and Coast to Coast with Wainwright.
- (Mbi Pub Co)

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The extraordinary adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (DVD)

The extraordinary adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (DVD)

Summary: In 1912, author Adèle Blanc-Sec journeys to ancient Egyptian tombs to find a mummified doctor to help heal her ailing sister.

Video Librarian Reviews
Inspired by Jacques Tardi's European comic book series, director Luc Besson's Edwardian special-effects-laden whimsical fantasy set in 1912 stars Louise Bourgoin as a one-woman, uh, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Adèle Blanc-Sec is a fearless French Nellie Bly-style globetrotting reporter, who travels to Egypt in order to steal the 4,000-year-old mummy of ancient Egypt's greatest physician. Her ultimate objective: revive the long-dead doctor to help heal Adèle's comatose twin sister. Unfortunately, the eccentric old professor who is actually able to resurrect the trussed-up dead Egyptian is stuck in prison, although he is psychically bonded to a newly-hatched pterodactyl that is terrorizing Paris. Elements of Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, the Brendan Fraser Mummy romps and Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy (makeup distorts many character's faces into funny-papers dimensions) combine here to make for a giddy, lighthearted, comedy-fantasy family-fare bonbon. Highly recommended. (C. Cassady)Copyright Video Librarian Reviews 2011.

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Blood song - Anthony Ryan

Blood song - Ryan, Anthony

Summary: Raised by the Brothers of the Sixth Order, Vaelin Al Sorna, a Warrior of the Faith, must battle the Empire and even his own father.

Booklist Reviews
The first of a trilogy, Blood Song is this British author's first fantasy novel, and the first one to be printed. It was originally an e-book, as were three science-fiction novels Ryan has also written. The plot is standard: a young boy's father abandons him at the door of the Sixth, or fighting, Order of the national faith. He is raised to be a warrior, and becomes one of the most effective in the forces of his king, Janus, of the Unified Realm. But a number of vital questions arise as the story progresses, starting with why his father cast him out of the family and into the Faith in the first place. While the plot is standard, it is deftly and originally executed, as are the characters. They are complex characters, not archetypes. The setting is medieval-based, but with a number of original differences (especially the religion!). Ryan's style makes Blood Song a page-turner. Apt turns of phrase, descriptions that linger, questions answered at unexpected times all make the story definitely superior to much of the genre. It should please a wide audience, but those who do not care for gory fantasy adventure are hereby warned. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

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Zealot - Reza Aslan

Zealot: the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth - Aslan, Reza

Summary: Presents a meticulously researched biography of Jesus that draws on biblical and historical sources to place his achievements and influence against the turbulent backdrop of his time.

Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Aslan brings a fine popular style, shorn of all jargon, to bear on the presentation of Jesus of Nazareth as only a man. What's more, as he pares the supernatural or divine away from Jesus, he refrains from deriding it. He isn't interested in attacking religion or even the church, much less in comparing Christianity unfavorably to another religion. He would have us admire Jesus as one of the many would-be messiahs who sprang up during Rome's occupation of Palestine, animated by zeal for "strict adherence to the Torah and the Law," refusal to serve a human master, and devotion to God, and therefore dedicated to throwing off Rome and repudiating Roman religion. Before and after Jesus, such zeal entailed violent revolution, but Jesus proceeded against Rome in the conviction that zealous spirit was sufficient. It wasn't, and Rome executed him. This depiction of Jesus makes sense, as we say, though many Christians will find holes in its fabric; indeed, Aslan grants one of the largest, the fact that no one who attested to the Resurrection recanted. But you don't have to lose your religion to learn much that's vitally germane to its history from Aslan's absorbing, reader-friendly book. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.

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Gravity (DVD)

Gravity (DVD)

Summary: Dr. Ryan Stone is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky. On a seemingly routine spacewalk, the shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left, and the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

An astronaut's guide to life on Earth - Chris Hadfield

An astronaut's guide to life on Earth - Hadfield, Chris

Summary: Colonel Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4000 hours in space. Through stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement and happiness.

Kirkus Reviews
Hadfield chronicles what it took to achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut. The author explains how the excitement of watching Neil Armstrong's televised moon landing changed his life. At age 9, he "knew, with absolute clarity that I wanted to be an astronaut." Though the odds were particularly slim due to the fact that he was (and remains) a Canadian, he succeeded in becoming a top NASA astronaut. The author explains how he charted his career with fierce determination. He joined the Canadian air force, studied engineering with a military scholarship and then volunteered to be a test pilot. He was then chosen to be one of a few fortunate Canadian airmen tracked into NASA. By the time of his retirement in 2012, he had served as director of NASA operations in Russia and chief of International Space Station Operations. On his last space mission, Hadfield served as commander of the International Space Station, where he spent 146 days in space while making 2,336 orbits around the Earth. The author provides a satisfying behind-the-scenes look at the life of an astronaut, which is a useful corrective to the popular celebrity image. He explains that being in space helped him to keep his perspective even while enjoying the excitement of his job--"most people, including me, tend to applaud the wrong things: the showy, dramatic record-setting sprint rather than the years of dogged preparation or the unwavering grace displayed during a string of losses." The author emphasizes that becoming an astronaut involved developing physical capabilities and technical skills through tireless practice and a fanatic attention to detail. However, he also delivers a lively account of his experiences with the joys of weightlessness as well as the discomfort of leaving the ship for a space walk. A page-turning memoir of life as a decorated astronaut. Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

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Salinger - David Shields

Salinger - Shields, David

Summary: Draws on extensive research and exclusive interviews to share previously undisclosed aspects of the enigmatic writer's life, from his private relationships and service in World War II to his legal concerns and innermost secrets.

Publishers Weekly Reviews
The culmination of over 200 interviews and almost a decade of research, Shields (How Literature Saved My Life) and Salerno, director of the documentary accompanying the book, offer an oral history, effectively blended with narrative and analysis of the iconic writer and his body of work. In lesser hands, this approach could quickly spiral out of control, but Shields and Salerno keep the story on track. Granted, many mileposts and lore—such as Salinger's predilection for young girls or Catcher in the Rye's influence on high-profile assassinations—will not be all that revelatory but the authors' impressive collection of first-person accounts by those who were there gives readers greater insight into the writer and his place in the world. Literary snippets, such as "I'm Crazy," a short story Salinger wrote in Europe that was the first story narrated by Holden Caulfield, and asides—"Jesus, he has a helluva talent," Hemingway is reported to have said of Salinger—combined with a number of photos will make this a must-read for fans of the celebrated author. Photos. (Sept.)

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Out of their minds - Luis Humberto Crosthwaite

Out of their minds: the incredible and (sometimes) sad story of Ramon and Cornelio - Crosthwaite, Luis Humberto

Summary: Ramon and Cornelio are best friends, driven by boredom as teenagers to start a band. Not just any band. A norteño band, playing God's favorite music. God even pitches in to write the songs. Success, disaster and good music follow.

"Hey, what's up, come a little closer, I have something to tell you," God said to Cornelio. The deal was simple: God would be the silent partner in the norteño band that Cornelio had started with his best friend Ramon. Cornelio would sing and play the bajo sexto, Ramon the accordion, and God would write the songs. Cornelio agreed; he would sell his soul to God.

Success and disaster followed. The band went from playing bars in Tijuana to playing the biggest stadiums in Mexico. Women started fan clubs dedicated to their heroes Ramon and Cornelio. It seemed to Cornelio and Ramon that they had everything, but fame was a cruel mistress. Ramon and Cornelio’s story has some loose parallels to a real Mexican band, but it’s also the apocryphal story of the Beatles and the kids tuning up in the garage down the street.

Luis Humberto Crosthwaite is an award-winning writer, editor, and journalist who teaches at the University of Iowa. His fiction has garnered critical attention for his ability to express the complexities of living on the US/Mexico border. Among his best known books are Estrella de la Calle Sexta, Aparta de mí este Cáliz, Idos de la Mente, Instrucciones para Cruzar la Frontera, and Tijuana: Crimen y Olvido. His translated novels are The Moon will Forever be a Distant Love and Out of their Minds. He is also co-editor of Puro Border: Dispatches, Snapshots, & Graffiti from the US/Mexico Border.

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Rosie Revere, engineer - Andrea Beaty

Rosie Revere, engineer - Beaty, Andrea

Summary: A young aspiring engineer must first conquer her fear of failure.

Horn Book Guide Reviews
After a confidence-shattering incident when she was younger, little budding engineer Rosie Revere is too timid to show anyone her machines. Then great-great-aunt Rose, an engineer herself, teaches Rosie the true meaning of a successful invention. Beaty's rhymes are cleverly constructed, and Roberts's meticulous illustrations, some on drafting paper, capture the quirkiness of the girl and her gizmos.

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The book of Mormon original Broadway cast recording (CD)

The book of Mormon original Broadway cast recording (CD)

The 2011 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and nine 2011 Tony Awards® say it's the Best Musical of the Year. Vogue says, "It's the funniest musical of all time." And The New York Times says, "It's the best musical of this century." It's THE BOOK OF MORMON, the Broadway musical from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q co-creator Robert Lopez. The Daily Show's Jon Stewart calls it "A crowning achievement. So good, it makes me angry."

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Everything is perfect when you're a liar - Kelly Oxford

Everything is perfect when you're a liar - Oxford, Kelly

Summary: A Twitter sensation and popular writer uses her trademark blend of biting wit and self-deprecation to find hilarity in everyday life.

Kirkus Reviews
Autobiographical vignettes from Twitter comedian Oxford. These stories fall into roughly three stages of the author's life: obnoxiously precocious childhood, confused young adulthood and parenthood. When Oxford tells us about her childhood and teen years, she doesn't hold back, giving us mortifying stories about wetting herself in a gas station and puking in her friend's father's car before a party. She also comes across as somewhat bratty and entitled. Her young adulthood was appropriately wacky. She flew from Canada to Los Angeles on a whim in a desperate attempt to meet Leonardo DiCaprio and bought, then sold, a dilapidated camper van. When describing her adulthood and parenthood, she grows into her precociousness. "An Open Letter to the Nurse Who Gave Me an Enema Bottle" is entertaining, and the last sentence is genuinely funny and unexpected. "How I Met Your Father" is sweetly raunchy, the kind of story that will horrify her children but delight her grandchildren. As amusing as some of these stories are, Oxford is a mostly unremarkable writer with a remarkable claim to fame: her successful use of Twitter to gain an audience for her humor and writing. Yet this, the most interesting fact about her, receives very little attention in the book. She does share her experience meeting David Copperfield as a result of a Twitter exchange, but the story readers will most likely want to hear--how she got started with Twitter and how her tweets got the attention of significant public figures like Copperfield and Roger Ebert--is absent from the narrative. Alternately grating and amusing, Oxford skips the most interesting part of her life: her canny use of Twitter. Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

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Twenty feet from stardom (DVD)

Twenty feet from stardom (DVD)

Summary: They are the voices behind the greatest rock, pop and R&B hits of all time, but no one knows their names. Now, in this award-winning documentary, director Morgan Neville shines the spotlight on the untold stories of such legendary background singers as Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, and more.

"While the lead singers in rock, pop, and R&B are the ones who get the glory, knowledgeable music fans will tell you the backing vocalists often add the touches that make a performance truly memorable, and though many backup singers have the respect of their peers in the music business, they're all but unknown to the average listener. Twenty Feet From Stardom pays homage to some of these unsung heroes, including Darlene Love (the un-credited lead voice on some of Phil Spector's most memorable productions of the 1960s), Merry Clayton (who contributed a striking vocal cameo on the Rolling Stones' ""Gimme Shelter"", Lisa Fischer (who has appeared on albums by Sting, Tina Turner, and Aretha Franklin, as well as touring with the Rolling Stones), and the Waters Family (they sang with Michael Jackson on the album Thriller and lent their voices to the films The Lion King and Avatar)." - (Alert)

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The second half of life - Angeles Arrien

The second half of life: opening the eight gates of wisdom - Arrien, Angeles

Summary: When you find the courage to change at midlife," Angeles Arrien teaches, "a miracle happens." Your character is opened, deepened, strengthened, softened. You return to your soul's highest values. You are now prepared to create your legacy: an imprint of your dream for our world-a dream that can fully come true in The Second Half of Life. Working with images, poetry, metaphors, and other forms of symbolic language from diverse world cultures, Dr. Arrien introduces us to the Eight Gates of Initiation. By mastering their lessons and gifts, you harvest the meaning and purpose of your life, and come into spiritual maturity. With The Second Half of Life, she takes you step-by-step through each gate to deepen your most valuable relationships, reclaim your untended creative talents, and shift your focus from ambition to meaning to grow into the exceptional elder you've always imagined you would one day become. Book jacket. - (Soundstrue)

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The sweetness at the bottom of the pie - Alan C. Bradley

The sweetness at the bottom of the pie - Bradley, Alan C.

Series: Flavia de Luce Mysteries

Summary: Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, must exonerate her father of murder. Armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together and examine new suspects, she begins a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself.


Booklist Reviews
*Starred Review* Canadian Alan Bradley's first full-length crime novel is delightful. Like fellow Canadian Louise Penny, his book is the recipient of the Debut Dagger Award from Canada's Crime Writers' Association. Sweetness introduces a charming and engaging sleuth who is only 11 years old. Flavia is one of three precocious and extremely literate daughters being raised by English widower Colonel de Luce in 1950. Flavia's passion is chemistry (with a special interest in poisons). She is able to pursue her passion in the fully equipped Victorian laboratory in Buckshaw, the English mansion where the de Luce family lives. The story begins with a dead snipe (with a rare stamp embedded on its beak) found on the back doorstep. This is followed by a dead human body in the garden and, later, by a poisonous custard pie. Revelations about the mysterious past of Colonel de Luce complicate matters. Others supporting players include the housekeeper, Mrs. Mullet, and the gardener, Dogger, who suffers from shell shock. When Colonel de Luce is arrested for murder, it's up to Flavia to solve the mystery. The 11-year-old claims she is not afraid because "this was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life." Only those who dislike precocious young heroines with extraordinary vocabulary and audacious courage can fail to like this amazingly entertaining book. Expect more from the talented Bradley. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.

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The Vogue years - Francoise Hardy (CD)

The Vogue years - Francoise Hardy (CD)

Summary: Compiled from her recordings for the prestigious French record label Vogue, this definitive 49 track collection includes her international million-selling hit, the self-penned 'Tous Les Garcons Et Les Filles'. All tracks here are gorgeously sung in her native French. During her time, on Vogue,Hardy was able to to blend American and British production sophistication with a Continental European sensibility, with almost operatic backing vocals, sounding sometimes Spector-esque. Includes extensive sleevenotes and rare photos.

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