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Headquarters Staff Picks November 2018
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Two Days Gone: A Ryan DeMarco Mysteryby Randall Silvis Admired college professor and bestselling author, Thomas Huston, has disappeared after the murders of his wife and 3 children, making him the primary suspect. This is already a tough case, but Sergeant DeMarco's friendship with Huston and his own experience with the loss of his child years ago makes it a million times more difficult. Deep down, DeMarco believes that Huston did not do this, but Huston's disappearance and recent activities have made it difficult to prove otherwise. It's up to DeMarco to prove that Huston is not the murderer but possibly on the run because he may be the next victim. This novel could fall into the literary category quite easily, but it's also a thriller. I enjoyed the hunt. The references to Edgar Allan Poe. The eerie, wintry Pennsylvania setting. With an all-around solid plot and characters that you will have so much empathy for, you'll wanna reach through the pages and give 'em a giant hug. Crystal
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Severanceby Ling Ma When I hear “zombies”, I think of something very specific. You probably think of the same specific thing I do, actually: dragging legs, rotting flesh, a thirst for human meat. As such, I generally stay at least one living arm’s length away from anything zombie-related, But Severance isn’t your typical zombie story. When Shen Fever sweeps China, then spreads to the United States, Candace is one of the few left unaffected. The fevered, as they’re called, are stuck in a repeating cycle of mundane activities: a little girl is stuck repeatedly flipping through her favorite book, even as the pages rot; a mom sets and resets the table; a taxi driver drives in ambling circles around lower Manhattan, looking for cab hailers that never appear. Candace is left as the only known employee of her office, a publisher of unique books; later on, she becomes a member of a post-apocalyptic group seeking haven in a giant shopping mall outside of Chicago. The Walking Dead has made the zombie apocalypse seem like nonstop action, but Ling Ma’s first novel has captured the sheer boredom that comes with being a survivor: there’s basically nothing to do. No one to talk to, no activities afoot, Candace roams New York City, taking photos of the ruin and chronicling them online. Candace isn’t particularly fascinated by Shen Fever, but without other human interaction, and looking to the future, she turns introspective, and Ma reveals her true motivations--her relationship with her family chief among them--slowly and calmly. Ma ratchets up the tension in both Candace’s past and present like she’s boiling a frog, but in this case, we readers are the frog. You won’t know you care until you’re waist deep in Candace’s story. Severance isn’t typical in any way, zombies or no, but that’s what makes it excellent. Jess
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Invisible Citiesby Italo Calvino Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities is less a novel and more an expansive collection of very short, but beautifully written, stories detailing the appearance of imaginary cities and the lives of the people within. As the book begins, Kublai Khan, emperor of China, asks Marco Polo, the Venetian explorer, to visit every city and village of his empire and bring back a report of each place so that he can understand his vast empire even as he grows old. Several conversations and interactions between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan act as bookends to the many magical descriptions of the empire’s cities. Though when it begins, Invisible Cities almost appears to be a book of historical fiction it quickly unravels into a collection of short stories, each story acting as a metaphor for aspects of society and human nature. While at first reading a bunch of little stories about random, made up cities might seem boring, Calvino’s writing style is so engaging and poetic that it makes reading each individual section a beautiful and pleasant experience. The cities he describes are often magical, and waver between being ancient and modern. Marco Polo visits cities with temples to ancient Gods, trains and modern technology, magical mirrors, and a thousand other oddities. Often times, when I was having a hard time grasping the allegorical meaning the author was trying to communicate, I was still entertained by the crazy places he was describing and blown away by his magical prose. Invisible Cities not only stands as a deep exploration of what makes people tick--community, progress, love, etc.--but as an excellent piece of poetic fiction. Josiah
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In the House in the Dark of the Woodsby Laird Hunt Echoes of Mary Rowlandson, Anne Bradstreet, and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” run throughout Laird Hunt’s historical fable In the House of the Dark of the Wood. Set in colonial America, an aspect of the novel that is revealed with only the sparsest of details, Hunt’s story follows the plight of a young woman named Faith who has either disappeared or been captured from her home while picking berries and her numerous efforts to avoid and return to her home, husband, and children. Hunt’s narrative style locates the reader in the deep interiors of Faith’s perspective and thus we are frequently disoriented. Her grasp of the boundaries of her sense of self is tested with a barrage of games, stories, and rituals meant to upset the stability of her role as a good wife (or as she is called in the early pages, “Goody”) and provoke her towards writing and claiming her own story. To be a person in this world is to reiterate who you are in the context of the forces and masters you serve because your appearance and allegiance are liable to change. An early description of the mysterious huntress Captain Jane, who initiates the narrator to the wilds of the woods, exemplifies this mutability: “At first she seemed a drift of mist and then a double yard of crepe or silk, and both things I readily believed were before me, for every wood after dark bears the blooms of our bright fancies”. By the novel’s end, we are left to wonder what was real and what were the “blooms of our bright fancies,” though we would doubt that the distinction is important. Alongside his play with perspective and reality, Hunt tests our expectations of character by populating the woods with a cast who seem to have walked out of a myth or a fairy tale. Faith meets and contends with Captain Jane, the witchy Granny Someone, the mad writer Eliza, and the devilish Red Boy in scenarios that recall Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel as well as the testimonies recorded during the Salem Witch Trials. Hunt’s interest is not in rewriting those stories to make them more literary or adult; instead, he invokes them and suggests them to challenge our sense of what we are reading and where it falls between a novel, fairy tale, or fever dream. Faith’s story comes to a mysterious end and the novel closes with an epilogue that suggests she might be one in a long line of women to flee and find herself and her voice in the woods. This ending confirms Hunt’s project as a meta-fictional one where history is hinted at and invoked rather than rewritten. With its unsettling narrative and fabular structure, this novel will appeal to fans of Robert Eggers’ 2015 film The Witch as well as readers who enjoy the stories of Angela Carter and Kelly Link. Joseph
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An Unkindness of Magiciansby Kat Howard Amidst the commotion of New York City lies another world that is equally as chaotic. It is called the Unseen world, and it is a world of magic. However, just like the rest of the things in New York City, magic comes at a price, and the price of magic is not cheap. Underneath the exciting exterior of the Unseen world lies a dark and terrible place where the price of magic is paid for in blood. The place is called the House of Shadows, and it is there that the blood of innocent sacrifices is spilled to allow magic to be used in free of pain in the world above. Sydney was one of these sacrifices until her magic was deemed strong enough to use for more than just a sacrifice. Now Sydney is being forced by the House of Shadows to compete in the Unseen world’s most notorious competition, the turning. The turning pits magicians against one another for the right to rule the Unseen world. Therefore, if Sydney wins the house of shadows will rule the Unseen world, but if she loses she will die. However, Sydney has a plan of her own that will not only prevent the house of shadows from winning the turning a, but will burn the sinister organization to the ground. The only problem is that it may kill her to pull it off. I thoroughly enjoyed An Unkindness of Magicians because Kat Howard takes the often over used concept of magic and makes something incredibly unique and fresh. For example, instead of placing her story in a fantasy realm, Howard’s plot takes place in modern day New York City with magicians that look just like everybody else. Not only that, but rather than creating a bright whimsical world of magic, Howard’s magical world is dark and gritty and filled with more villains than heroes, which along with the setting makes the novel feel more realistic. Finally, multiple points of view throughout the story give a very clear picture of the author's world and what motivates each of her characters. If you like the idea of a modern tale of magic with some rough edges to it, read An Unkindness of Magicians, you won’t be disappointed. Seth
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Down Among the Sticks and Bonesby Seanan McGuire“The trouble with denying children the freedom to be themselves - with forcing them into an idea of what they should be, not allowing them to choose their own paths - is that all too often, the one drawing the design knows nothing of the desires of their model." Enter Jacqueline and Jillian Wolcott. Born to a pair of parents who would have been better served getting a pair of dolls, they were each given a role, from birth, that they were expected to fill. These corresponded to the desires of their parents: Jaqueline was to be a perfect princess - to curl her hair and wear pretty dresses and never get dirty, while Jillian was to take the place of the son her father really wanted and be a tomboy - be tough, and play soccer and watch movies about spaceships. They were never really taught to love each other, or even how to be sisters. But one day, their door opens up, and they finally discover The Moors - a world where they can be who they really are.
The fact that it’s a world filled with goblins, gargoyles, vampires, and werewolves just makes it 1000 times better. One sister is apprenticed to a man who is essentially Frankenstein and learns to reanimate corpses and dig graves. The other aspires to be a vampire princess. But they are separated soon after their arrival at The Moors, and as they grow into themselves, they also grow apart.
I will forever be impressed by how Seanan McGuire can fit so much into less than 200 pages. The plot clips along nicely and these books are absolutely packed with diversity, important ideas and gorgeous metaphors. There are books 2 and 3 times this length that have less substance than this. And while the theme of "coming of age / discovering who you really are" is not at all unique, Seanan McGuire puts a completely original spin on it and dresses it up with some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read.
While this book is listed as a sequel to Every Heart a Doorway it's more like a prequel, but can totally function as a standalone.
Taylor
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I Know You Knowby Gilly Macmillan I Know You Know is a psychological suspense thriller about a twenty year old murder of two young boys, Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby, which is revisited by Cody Swift, the boys’ best friend, through his true crime podcast, It’s Time to Tell. Sidney Noyce, who was convicted of the crime and sentenced to prison, has claimed his innocence for twenty years. After being haunted by the deaths of his two friends for most of his life, Cody wants answers. He, too, has doubted Sidney’s guilt and is using his podcast as a platform to reexamine the investigation. Coincidentally, as Cody begins his podcast, human remains are found at the same location where the bodies of Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby were found. Two murders committed twenty years apart - are the two cases connected? Is the killer still out there? I Know You Know had me hooked from the first chapter all the way through to the shocking finale. I Know You Know alternates between the past and the present and is told from various character viewpoints. I found this multiple perspective interesting and it helped add to the tale Gilly Macmillan was weaving. An original premise, multifaceted characters, and brilliant plot… what more do you need? A fast paced, intense read that was a great way to kick off fall! Brandi
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Small Fry: A Memoirby Lisa Brennan-JobsSmall Fry is an excellent memoir written by Lisa Brennan-Jobs. Lisa is the daughter of the late Steve Jobs, who was the founder of Apple. In Small Fry, she writes about what it was like to grow up with a single mother who often moved from place to place and a famous father, who would pop in and out of her life and at times not claim her. I thought I knew a lot about Steve by reading Walter Issacson’s book, but Lisa definitely gives readers more of an honest insight into his life. I really enjoyed reading Small Fry and highly recommend it! Shannon
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The haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson From popular television shows about ghost hunters to found-footage horror movies (The Blair Witch Project, the Paranormal Activity series), recent supernatural stories have catered to a desire for explanation and documented proof. The Haunting of Hill House belongs to a different class of tales organized around the experience of the uncanny or the horrific, where the reader is made to feel the pull of the unexplained and to follow the slow creep of madness empathetic identification with a character. When these stories succeed, they leave readers haunted in return. Shirley Jackson opens her novel with a subtle signal of her central concerns: “No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensible shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone” (1). Using a ghost story set in a haunted house to explore this difficulty in living “under conditions of absolute reality,” Jackson concretizes this struggle in her tragic portrait of Eleanor Vance, a central character in the novel. Hill House is an undisputed classic of horror fiction, establishing many of the familiar tropes in novels and films that have followed it. The story concerns a group of paranormal investigators gathered to test the existence of a supernatural presence in the titular house. Each character has an obvious or unstated connection to the house or each other. Unnerving and dreadful things happen to each of the characters as Eleanor’s story pivots between manic joy and encroaching tragedy. However, this novel deserves our attention now because of the understated artful narrative and the emotional universality of its artistic argument. If, as the book suggests, we are equally haunted by ghosts and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive and cope with "absolute reality,” this should make us more alive to the struggles and suffering of others. With richly realized character sketches and an empathetic sensibility, Jackson’s novel will appeal to readers who like their scares with a measure of human connection. Joseph
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BlacKkKlansmanTruth is stranger than fiction. We all know this. So it makes sense that Spike Lee’s most recent joint, BlacKkKlansman, is based on a true story: a black man poses as a white man, and manages to infiltrate the Klan and strike up a friendship with a young David Duke in the process. Based on the life of Ron Stallworth, who was the first black police officer in Colorado Springs, this film details how he became an undercover officer, developing a relationship with David Duke in order to stop a possible attack by the Klan on protesting African-Americans in the 1970s. After bonding with Duke on the phone, Stallworth joins the Klan, using his Jewish partner has his stand in at meetings. It’s an outrageous story packed with funny parts, but it’s dealt with a heavy hand: these people, good and bad, really exist. And some of them really did some terrible things. John David Washington (son of Denzel!) is commendable as Stallworth, and he holds great chemistry with both Adam Driver, who plays his partner, and Laura Harrier, who is magnetic as Stallworth’s love interest. Topher Grace, who I feel has always been underappreciated as an actor, takes an excellent turn as David Duke. The film’s showstopper moment comes when comparing two events: Harry Belafonte as an elderly statesman, recalling the day in his childhood when his friend was lynched and burned alive, versus the members of the Klan and their wives viewing D.W. Griffith’s controversial film The Birth of a Nation. It’s a fascinating scene, comparing the rapt listeners of Belafonte versus the rabid viewers of Nation, and it makes a clear point that works in both 1973 and 2018. As with all of Lee’s films, there is much to consider beyond face value, and the film ends with footage of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, which works very well to incense viewers and remind us all the even if we’ve come quite far as a society, we have a way to go yet. Jess
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Pan's Labyrinth Ofelia is a young girl traveling with her mother to meet her new stepfather, the fascist general Vidal, in the countryside far from her city home. When she arrives at the military encampment, she almost immediately meets a strange fairy who leads her into an underground cavern where a towering faun tells her that she is the reincarnation of a long lost fairy princess. Convinced that she must listen to the faun and find her place in a magical kingdom away from the evil realities of the fascist general, Ofelia goes on a number of quests to find magical artifacts and fulfill her destiny. This Spanish language film is a beautiful and heart-wrenching tale of a young girl trying to escape the dark world she lives in and find a new home in story and fantasy. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, who also directed Academy Award-winning The Shape of Water, the film has absolutely beautiful color design as well as detailed, and often terrifying, creature work, the magical beings that come into contact with Ofelia brought to life through amazing costumes and physical performances. Though the film has its sadder moments, it’s ultimately an uplifting celebration of bravery in the face of oppression and the boundless power of imagination. Josiah
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Christopher Robin It seems like everything in Christopher Robin’s life is going from bad to worse. After returning home from fighting in world war two Christopher gets a job with a luggage company, yet it is not long until he is being over worked and taken advantage of by a boss that doesn’t appreciate his employees. In addition, Christopher’s trouble at his job soon spills over into his family life because he prioritizes his work over time with his family. When Christopher cancels a planned family vacation to work, his relationship with his wife and daughter becomes so fractured that it brings his family to the brink of collapsing. However, just when it looks certain that Christopher’s life is ruined his thought to be imaginary childhood friend Pooh steps back into his life, and he far from a figment of his imagination. If you are anything like me you spent a good deal of time growing up reading and watching stories of Christopher Robin, Pooh, and all the residents of the 100 acre wood. Instead of trying to adapt one of these stories into a film Christopher Robintakes Pooh’s long-time friend and makes him into a grown man with a daughter around the same age as the Christopher Robin from the original stories. Initially I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but after watching it I was so glad that they took the movie this direction instead of trying to adapt one of the older stories. By turning Christopher Robin into an adult with a lot of serious problems they were able to create a brand new story that is relatable and thought provoking that couldn’t have been done with a simple adaptation. They did this all while keeping true to the well-known and loved characters of the original stories and the result was everything I wanted this movie to be; heartfelt, funny, and chock full of quotable Pooh expressions. Seth
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Hotel Artemis In 2028, clean water rioting is tearing apart Los Angeles, but Hotel Artemis is still open for business. The Artemis isn’t your typical hotel; it’s a secret, members only hospital for criminals. Owned by LA’s most feared gangster, the Wolf King, ran by “Nurse,” an agoraphobic alcoholic, along with her trusty elderly, Everest, this hospital for criminals operates on a strict set of rules, such as no weapons, no killing other quests, etcetera. Nurse already has her hands full with an arms dealer, a French assassin, and two wounded bank robbers when a cop, a young lady from Nurse’s past, comes knocking on the doors of Hotel Artemis after being injured in the riots. Nurse is deciding whether or not to break the rules of Hotel Artemis to help the cop when news reaches her that the Wolf King of LA is en route. Further difficulties arise when one guest’s mission pits all of Hotel Artemis’s guests against one another in a lethal game of survival. Hotel Artemis is a unique and entertaining movie full of exciting characters, solid performances, and just the right amount of action. The production design really impressed me with its futuristic technology, and the perfect combination of extravagant opulence and run down glory of Hotel Artemis. First time director Drew Pearce created a film that is well worth your time! Brandi
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Liesby T. M. Logan Joe Lynch has a pretty normal life. Wife, child, house, part-time English teacher. One afternoon, while Joe drives his son home, Wilf sees his mother's car pull into a hotel parking garage. He insists that they go see his mummy. Joe, curious as to why his wife is pulling into a hotel parking garage, agrees to drop in for a visit. What he sees is a heated conversation between his wife and a close friend of the family, Ben. When Joe confronts Ben in the parking garage for more info, Ben takes a swing. From here on out, Joe's life is flipped upside down. He learns in a very short amount of time just how many lies have been woven into the fabric of his seemingly normal life. If you're on the hunt for a new audiobook in the psychological thriller genre, get your hands on this one. It's a great storyline with a suspenseful undertone. I've never read anything by this author but I'll most certainly be on the lookout for more of his stuff. Crystal
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Sharp Objectsby Gillian Flynn“I just think some women aren't made to be mothers. And some women aren't made to be daughters.” In this rather traumatizing story, troubled reporter Camille Preaker is sent back to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to investigate the murders of two young girls. The town of Wind Gap is all small-town charm on the surface, but filled to the brim with dark secrets. As Camille tries to learn what she can about these girls and what may have led to their murders, she finds herself identifying with the victims in a very troubling way.
While the book is, at its core, a murder mystery, the meat of the story centers around the relationships between Camille and her mother, who never loved her, and her half-sister, who she barely knows. As the story progresses, we learn far more than we bargained for about the twisted dynamics in Camille's own family. And as if that isn't enough, Camille is still struggling to reconcile some traumatic events that happened when she was young.
What really set this book apart for me is that all of the main characters were women. Abused and abusers alike, the woman of Wind Gap are the driving force of this novel. Men are merely pawns and side characters, using them is just a means to an end. While this isn't as unique in 2018 as it was in 2006, it still sets Sharp Objects apart in a genre that is largely dominated by men.
This book is a nasty piece of work. Gripping, horrifying, and definitely not for the faint of heart.
Taylor
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Warmer in the Winterby Lindsey Sterling I know some people think it’s too early to listen to Christmas music, but not me. Christmas music does something to my soul and puts me in a good mood. To get me in the holiday spirit, I’ve been listening to violinist Lindsey Stirling’s Christmas album, Warmer in the Winter. This CD is really good and is full of cheerful Christmas classics, along with three original songs. Trust me when I say this CD is not your traditional Christmas album. It has more of a pop, jazzy feel than your traditional instrumental albums. I really enjoy her take on Carol of the Bells and Silent Night. I definitely give Warmer in the Winter five stars! I don’t know a better way to get into the holiday spirit than by listening to Lindsey Stirling’s first Christmas album. **Also, if you have a chance, I highly recommend that you watch her videos on YouTube.** Shannon
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