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"I didn’t destroy young love. I just sped up the inevitable." ~ from Philip Siegel's The Break-Up Artist
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| Truthwitch by Susan DennardFantasy. Though Safi and Iseult have different magical gifts -- Truthwitch Safi sees truth or lies in speech, while Threadwitch Iseult sees human relationships -- they're bound together by fierce friendship. When the Twenty Year Truce ends and the Witchlands erupt into war, three clashing empires all seek to control Safi's valuable power, forcing Safi and Iseult to flee. Pursued by a deadly Bloodwitch mercenary, the girls set sail with Merik, a Windwitch privateer whose loyalties might not align with their own. Alternating points of view add even more depth to the compelling characters, intricate world-building, and breathtaking adventure in this series debut. |
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| This Raging Light by Estelle LaureFiction. A few months ago, Lucille's dad attacked her mom and was institutionalized. A few weeks ago, Lucille's mom left and didn't come back. Now, too scared and too stubborn to ask for help, Lucille is stuck paying the bills and taking care of her 10-year-old sister Wren. Thankfully, she's got her best friend Eden to lean on. But even that relationship gets complicated when Lucille begins to fall painfully, inconveniently in love with Digby, Eden's twin brother. Pairing Lucille's poetic voice with her tough situation, This Raging Light is an emotionally charged story about strength, loss, and finding first love when you least expect it. |
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| The Trouble with Destiny by Lauren MorrillFiction. Drum major Liza and her high school marching band aren't on a Destiny cruise ship for fun -- they're there to win the $25,000 Ship of Dreams performing arts prize before school budget cuts force them to disband. Energetic Liza feels upbeat about her band's chances... at least until her ex-friend Demi shows up with an annoyingly talented dance team, and Liza is distracted by confusing feelings for both bandmate Russ AND former crush Lenny. Bursting with breezy romance and slapstick humor, this comedy about competing to save beloved school activities is perfect for fans of Prudence Chen's Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong. |
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| This Is Where It Ends by Marieke NijkampFiction. It's the first day of classes at Opportunity High School, which means that everyone is gathered in the auditorium when the shooting starts. Tyler, a former student, has returned with a gun, and the next 54 minutes of terror unspool from the perspective of four students: Autumn, Tyler's sister; Sylv, her secret girlfriend; Tomás, Sylv's brother; and Claire, Tyler's ex-girlfriend. Though this unflinching, minute-by-minute account of a school shooting may be overwhelming for some, those who are drawn to raw, all-too-realistic fiction won't be able to put it down. For a broader range of reactions to similar events, try the short story collection Violent Ends. |
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| The Devil's Engine: Hellraisers by Alexander Gordon SmithHorror. Asthmatic 15-year-old Marlow Green may be a petty criminal with a nose for trouble, but he never expected to face a deal with the devil: he just stumbled into a fight and tried to help a girl. But this particular girl, Pan, is an Engineer, part of a secret army who've sold their souls to the arcane Devil's Engine in exchange for superpowers. And now that Marlow knows about the Engineers, he has no choice but join in their battle to prevent hell on earth. If you like your horror stories overflowing with darkness, demons, and gritty action, don’t miss this 1st book in the Devil's Engine series. |
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Never Getting Back Together?
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From burnt bridges to the hope of reunion, these books for fans of realistic romance all depict the angst and drama of dealing with break-ups and exes.
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| Audrey, Wait! by Robin BenwayFiction. Audrey Cuttler had no idea that dumping her boyfriend would make her famous. But when her erstwhile beau, Evan, poured his heartbreak into a song, it catapulted his band to the big-time -- and, being that the song was written about Audrey, it dragged her along for the ride. How will she ever get a second chance at love now? Music lovers will appreciate the (actual) song lyrics that open each chapter, and readers who like great characters, snappy dialogue, and romance will adore this hilarious novel. |
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| Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara DoleFiction. Laura Amores, a 17-old Cuban-American living in Miami, is blissfully in love with her girlfriend, Marlena. But after Laura is caught reading a love letter from Marlena during class, she's expelled from her Catholic high school and kicked out of her mom's house. She moves in with a friend, gets a job, and manages okay until Marlena, who's been sent back to Puerto Rico, renounces her feelings for Laura and marries a hometown boy. Heartbroken, Laura thinks that perhaps her life will be easier if she pretends to be straight, too...but can she be happy living a lie? This story's vibrantly described Miami setting, ample comic relief, and infusion of Cuban culture make it a standout. |
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| Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler; illustrated by Maira KalmanFiction. Min Green is awkward, sincere, romantic, and loves classic cinema; Ed Stapleton has simple tastes (basketball, girls) and is crazy-popular. Their relationship may have been doomed from the start, but the story -- about how they got together, the details of their forays into each other's worlds, and yes, the reasons why they broke up -- is chock full of the indefinable stuff that makes fans of artsy, offbeat fiction swoon. Memorable characters, quirky situations, cynical humor, and honest emotion make Why We Broke Up a superb choice for fans of John Green's An Abundance of Katherines (or Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which Green co-authored with David Levithan). |
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| Past Perfect by Leila SalesFiction. Now that she's finally 16, Chelsea could get a normal job. Instead, she lets her best friend talk her into one more petticoat-wearing, tourist-wrangling summer as a junior interpreter at Colonial Essex Village in Virginia. It's a decision that Chelsea quickly begins to regret, especially after Ezra, the ex-boyfriend who broke her heart, turns up at orientation. Dealing with Ezra becomes even more complicated when Chelsea starts crushing on Dan, one of the "farbs" (aka unskilled reenactors) at Civil War Reenactmentland, the rival historical attraction across the street. Smart, snarky humor and an unusual setting make Past Perfect a charming read for history geeks and romance fans alike. |
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| The Break-Up Artist by Philip SiegelFiction. For a mere $100 via Paypal, high schooler Becca Williamson will create drama, expose weakness, and generally do whatever it takes to break up a couple. After losing her best friend to a popular boyfriend and seeing her sister abandoned at the altar, Becca knows the damage that love can do. In her eyes, it's only practical to destroy the delusion of true love sooner rather than later. A mysterious request to break up the school's power couple, however, combined with a forbidden romance of her own, leaves Becca questioning the wisdom of ruining others' relationships and wondering if she might have been wrong about love after all.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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If you are having trouble unsubscribing to this newsletter, please contact The Urbandale Public Library at 515-331-4488, 3520 86th St., Urbandale, IA 50322 |
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