Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For August, we’re looking at science fiction about robots who are out of the loop, a history of the efforts to save endangered species, a tale that is equal parts family mystery and historical fiction, and an audiobook featuring a coming-of-age high fantasy.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Robots, Conservationists, Inheritances, and Stand-Alone Fantasies”Category: fantasy (books)
Jordan Ifueko’s Raybearer
Tarisai wants nothing more than a normal childhood, wherein she is allowed to do normal childish things. However, she spends her early years sequestered away from, well, everything. She occasionally gets visits from her mother, The Lady, but mostly she is raised by the servants. It seems like everything will change when her mother sends her to the empire’s capital city to compete with other children for the chance to serve on the crown prince’s council, but her mother only allows Tarisai to go because of her own nefarious plans. Namely, that once Tarisai is accepted as a trusted council member, she will assassinate the crown prince. Complications ensue.
Melinda recommended this book to me earlier this year, and I am so glad she did. It’s a really unique, interesting reading. Thanks so much for the great recommendation, Melinda!
Continue reading “Jordan Ifueko’s Raybearer”Book Buzz: Therapeutic Phones, Disappointing Weddings, Haunting Circuses, and Chess Champions
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For June, we’re looking at a tender piece of literary fiction about mourning, an entertaining suspense novel set in Ireland, a darkly fantastical historical romance about 1920s circuses, and a drama about a chess prodigy.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Therapeutic Phones, Disappointing Weddings, Haunting Circuses, and Chess Champions”Book Buzz: Chinese-History-Inspired Epic Fantasy, Unwitting Hitwomen, WWII-Era Cooking Contests, and Audiobooks Galore
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For May, we’re looking at a fantasy series rooted in Chinese history, a funny cozy mystery with a bit of bite to it, a heartwarming tale set on the homefront during WWII, and a pair of very different audiobooks.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Chinese-History-Inspired Epic Fantasy, Unwitting Hitwomen, WWII-Era Cooking Contests, and Audiobooks Galore”Book Buzz: Mesoamerican-Inspired Fantasy, Racehorses Gone Wild, Murderous Retirements, and WWII-Era Italy
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For April, we’re looking at a new fantasy novel that draws on ancient Mesoamerican mythology and culture for its worldbuilding, a literary fiction fairy tale, a humorous mystery about retirees solving crimes, and a historical fiction audiobook set in Italy during the Second World War.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Mesoamerican-Inspired Fantasy, Racehorses Gone Wild, Murderous Retirements, and WWII-Era Italy”Book Buzz: Neuroscience Researchers, Strange Train Encounters, Magical Boarding Schools (No–Not That One), and Naval Military History
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For March, we’re looking at a searing fictional examination of addiction and grief, a new suspense novel, a new series about magic school shenanigans, and an audiobook history of how Allied forces defeated the German navy during WWII.
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Neuroscience Researchers, Strange Train Encounters, Magical Boarding Schools (No–Not That One), and Naval Military History”Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World: Fantasy
Our library theme for 2020 is Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World–because with the library, you truly can travel around the world without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Every month in 2020, we’ll be landing at a new place on the globe. In July, we were
scheduled to be in New Zealand (as a nod to the Lord of the Rings series) but then came a
quarantine (more about that later–poor Penelope). All of this to show that escape is more
important than ever in our COVID-filled world, so let’s talk about some newer fantasy novels instead! 🙂
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Discussion Post: Favorite Fantasy
For the summer program theme of “Imagine We’re Not in Berryville Anymore,” we’ve been celebrating all manner of speculative fiction, including myths and fantasy. Of course, one of the most appealing things about fantasy is the means of escape it provides to another world–and the sheer amount of imagination that fantasy writers use in creating their worlds.
Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World: Mythology/Fairy Tales
Our library theme for 2020 is Your Library Card, Your Ticket to the World–because with the library, you truly can travel around the world without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Every month in 2020, we’ll be landing at a new place on the globe. In June, we’re in London, but that’s mainly just a Harry Potter tie-in, so in honor of the Imagine Your Story summer reading theme, I’ll be highlighting books that evoke or engage with myths and fairy tales from around the world.
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Book Buzz: Bad Days, Orc Princesses, and Cold Cases
Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. Usually, I profile a sample of various random new books, but this time around, I noticed 3 books that are all the first in a series, and the summer is as good a time as any to try a new series. Starting a new one might be a wiser move than what I’m doing–rereading an old favorite (George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire . . . because I like to suffer. 😉 )
Continue reading “Book Buzz: Bad Days, Orc Princesses, and Cold Cases”
Berryville Book Buzz 