‘Tis the season for reflection and giving thanks for the good things in our lives. Of course your library friends are thankful for many things, but we especially want to mention books that have made a difference in our lives. These are some of the books our Floyd County Library Blog Team is most thankful for this year. Feel free to share books you’re thankful for in the comments!
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (2017; 152 pages). Also available on e-book via Overdrive and downloadable audiobook via Hoopla.
Melinda says: Like a lot of people, I’ve had difficulty concentrating at some points over the last year-plus. But someone I was getting to know this summer recommended this book to me, and they were right! It’s got a fun and smart and unique voice which really lifted me out of my own head, but perhaps best of all: it was short. I’m working my way through the rest of the series now, and I’ve been enjoying the chance to bond with new characters in bite-sized pieces while using that to bond with someone new in real life. Anyone who’s ever felt out of place will find something to connect with in Murderbot, a strangely funny and wholesome character for someone contractually obligated to kill on command. After hearing good things about these books for several years, I’m glad I finally got to them and hope you do too!
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay (2018; 272 pages). Also available on e-book via Overdrive and downloadable audiobook via Hoopla.
Joe says: I love mystery, thriller, suspense, and horror novels. I have since I was a teenager, which is when I read ‘Salem’s Lot for the first time, and was immediately hooked. When I picked up this book, I didn’t really know the premise but, as it is a Paul Tremblay novel, I knew I would at least want to try it out. Not only was it a phenomenal thriller, but it also had a direct impact on me. For the first time, I could see myself and my spouse being recognized in a genre that I grew up loving but didn’t feel included in. Recent authors have started to incorporate LBGTQ+ characters in more and more works, but Tremblay put a same-sex couple with a child at the forefront of this page-turning, keep the lights on, never take a vacation again novel. While The Cabin at the End of the World is a horror/thriller, it also emphasizes the love parents have for their family, for each other, and it’s heartwarming to see my family depicted as we truly are. Mr. Tremblay, thank you.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (2020; 398 pages). Also available on e-book via Overdrive and downloadable audiobook via Hoopla.
Abby says: 2021 has been a difficult reading year for me and it’s been hard to concentrate. The House in the Cerulean Sea was one of the first books I read that I truly could not put down and it helped spark my interest in reading again. Not only is it an engrossing, unusual fantasy but it has such a wonderful, sweet love story. It’s a story about embracing differences, seeing beyond first impressions, and figuring out what’s important in life. I definitely recommend it if you need a book that will warm your heart.
The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi (2020; 217 pages). Also available on e-book via Hoopla.
Adrienne says: I am so grateful I found this book! Much different from typical self-help gurus, there is absolutely nothing prescriptive within this book. Instead, Kendra gently guides you through a new thought process to help you figure out for yourself where you want to expend your energy and conversely what you can cut corners on. If that sounds vague, that’s because it is truly designed to be applicable to anything! She covers her own story of trying to do it all and be a perfectionist about every little detail, to getting burnt out, swinging in the complete opposite direction and giving up trying altogether. From here she teaches how much sanity-saving value there is in simply naming what matters to you, investing your efforts there, and being lazy about all the other things you could or “should” care about. Let her 13 principles shift the way you think about tackling problems in your life, trust me you won’t regret it.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (2017; 306 pages). Also available on e-book and downloadable audiobook via Overdrive and in graphic novel format.
Rachel says: I am a huge fan of everything Jason Reynolds! All of Reynolds’ books are based on real human experiences and drawn from conversations with real kids and teens across the country. In Long Way Down, Reynolds confronts youth gun violence and the perceived duties of young men head on. Will and his friends watch as his brother is gunned down in the street, and thinks he knows who the killer is. Armed with a weapon he wasn’t supposed to find, Will boards the elevator for a 60-second ride to the ground to get revenge as the ghosts of other victims visit him along the way. Each challenges Will’s conscience, questioning his aim, his anger, and the rules of the street. Long Way Down is a fast read written in verse, and it’s now a graphic novel. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook version in Reynolds’ own electrifying voice. This book is unforgettable!
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga (2019; 342 pages). Also available on e-book via Overdrive and downloadable audiobook via Hoopla.
Ashley says: I’m truly thankful this book exists in the current world we are living in today. Warga writes this novel in verse about what it is like to be an immigrant and the difficulty of becoming integrated into a society who thinks you don’t belong. Like the main character Jude says “I’m learning to be sad and happy at the same time”. This book was also a Newbery Award Nominee in 2020, and I am very passionate about Children’s Book Awards. So, I hope you will pick this book up and enjoy it just as much as I did.
A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos. Available on e-book or downloadable audiobook via Hoopla.
Heather says: A Winter’s Promise is the first book in the French fantasy series The Mirror Visitor Quartet. Ophelia is a museum curator on her world who suddenly finds herself engaged to Thorn, a prickly lord from another. This story is complicated by the special abilities possessed by all of the unique characters in this book, and the strange politics that revolve around having powers, or not. This book is more of a combining-of-power story as Ophelia finds herself and learns to navigate this new world. Christelle Dabos is a fantastic world builder, and this story is rich with new and exciting ideas, characters, and settings. I reread this series every time a new book comes out, and every reading reveals a new detail I didn’t catch before. The last book was finally translated and released in English in October. I can’t wait to read it!
