museums

 

Upcoming programs:

Sun, Apr 2 @ 3pm: Short Story Matinee will be screening the film, Field of Dreams

Tue, Apr 4 @ 1:30pm: Sound Café will have a program about Appalachian Mountain dulcimers

Sat, Apr 22 @ 2pm: spend the afternoon with local scholar Dr.Victoria Ott to learn about gender and power in Confederate Alabama

Sat, Apr 22 @ 5pm: then spend the evening with local poet(and O’Neal librarian!) Matt Layne in celebration of his recently published volume of poetry, Miracle Strip

Tue, Apr 25 @ 6:30pm: Books & Beyond returns for a discussion of essay collections.

Wed, May 3 @ 6:30pm: Sound Café presents Burgin Mathews and The Southern Music Research Center.

For more information, visit the online calendar at www.oneallibrary.org.

 

This week, Books & Beyond met to talk about museums!

Dawson City, Frozen Time (view a film trailer here)

This meditation on cinema’s past from Decasia director Bill Morrison pieces together the bizarre true history of a long-lost collection of 533 nitrate film prints from the early 1900s. Located just south of the Arctic Circle, Dawson City was settled in 1896 and became the center of the Canadian Gold Rush that brought 100,000 prospectors to the area. It was also the final stop for a distribution chain that sent prints and newsreels to the Yukon. The films were seldom, if ever, returned. The now-famous Dawson City Collection was uncovered in 1978 when a bulldozer working its way through a parking lot dug up a horde of film cans. Morrison draws on these permafrost-protected, rare silent films and newsreels, pairing them with archival footage, interviews, historical photographs, and an enigmatic score by Sigur Rós collaborator and composer Alex Somers. Dawson City: Frozen Time depicts the unique history of this Canadian Gold Rush town by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection through its exile, burial, rediscovery, and salvation.

The Museum of Whales You Will Never See: and Other Excursions into the Landscape and Dreamscape of Iceland by A. Kendra Greene

Iceland is home to only 330,000 people (roughly the population of Lexington, Kentucky) but more than 265 museums and public collections. They range from the intensely physical, like the Icelandic Phallological Museum, which collects the penises of every mammal known to exist in Iceland, to the vaporously metaphysical, like the Museum of Icelandic Sorcery and Witchcraft, which poses a particularly Icelandic problem: How to display what can't be seen? In The Museum of Whales You Will Never See, A. Kendra Greene is our wise and whimsical guide through this cabinet of curiosities, showing us, in dreamlike anecdotes and more than thirty charming illustrations, how a seemingly random assortment of objects--a stuffed whooper swan, a rubber boot, a shard of obsidian, a chastity belt for rams--can map a people's past and future, their fears and obsessions.

The Final Member (view a film trailer here)

Thirty miles from the Arctic Circle, in the northern Icelandic town of Husavik, stands the Icelandic Phallological Museum - the world's only Penis museum. Over 40 years, the founder and curator has collected every specimen from every mammal except for one elusive penis needed to complete his collection: The Human Specimen. The film follows the curator's incredible, sublimely comic, often shocking quest to complete his eccentric collection, and the two intrepid men who have raised their hands to be the first human donor.

The Anatomical Venus: Wax, God, Death, and the Estatic by Joanna Ebenstein

Of all the artifacts from the history of medicine, the Anatomical Venus―with its heady mixture of beauty, eroticism and death―is the most seductive. These life-sized dissectible wax women reclining on moth-eaten velvet cushions―with glass eyes, strings of pearls, and golden tiaras crowning their real human hair―were created in eighteenth-century Florence as the centerpiece of the first truly public science museum. Conceived as a means to teach human anatomy, the Venus also tacitly communicated the relationship between the human body and a divinely created cosmos; between art and science, nature and mankind. Today, she both intrigues and confounds, troubling our neat categorical divides between life and death, body and soul, effigy and pedagogy, entertainment and education, kitsch and art.

99% Invisible: A Fantasy of Fashion podcast

In the wake of World War II, the government of France commissioned its most prominent designers to create a collection of miniature fashion dolls. It might seem like an odd thing to fund, but the fantasy of high fashion inspired hope in postwar Paris. These dolls also forever changed the curator who discovered them almost 40 years later, in a strange museum perched on a cliff in rural Washington state.

Lost at the Smithsonian with Aasif Mandvi podcast

Comedian and pop culture fanatic Aasif Mandvi gets up close and personal with the most iconic artifacts at the National Museum of American History. Join Aasif and his guests as they explore how vintage clothing, ratty furniture, and mismatched shoes transformed into Fonzie's leather jacket, Archie Bunker's chair, and Dorothy's ruby slippers and became defining symbols of American culture along the way.

The Crown Heist by Deron Hicks

No matter how dangerous his adventures have been, Art has always been able to count on his best friend, Camille. Now that Camille is meeting her estranged father, Art wants to be there for her—which means going to London.  But Camille's history professor father, renowned for expertise in British legend, is missing. When they visit his apartment, Art and Camille find a long-missing object that suggests the professor could be in trouble and solving a mystery related to London's history. Follow Art and Camille as they visit the Tower of London, National Portrait Gallery, and ride the "tube" in hopes of uncovering the truth before it's too late.

Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award
From 70-year-old debut author Anne Youngson, a novel about a farmer's wife and a museum curator seeking second chances, hailed by NPR as "the charmer of the summer."

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson

Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax. The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed. Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.

The Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Welcome to the tyrannical city of Jewel, where impatience is a sin and boldness is a crime. Goldie Roth has lived in Jewel all her life. Like every child in the city, she wears a silver guardchain and is forced to obey the dreaded Blessed Guardians. She has never done anything by herself and won’t be allowed out on the streets unchained until Separation Day.

When Separation Day is canceled, Goldie, who has always been both impatient and bold, runs away, risking not only her own life but also the lives of those she has left behind. In the chaos that follows, she is lured to the mysterious Museum of Dunt, where she meets the boy Toadspit and discovers terrible secrets. Only the cunning mind of a thief can understand the museum’s strange, shifting rooms. Fortunately, Goldie has a talent for thieving.

The Hermitage: The Biography of a Great Museum by Geraldine Norman

The Hermitage Musuem in St Petersburg is possibly the greatest museum in the world. It began as a showcase for the art treasures of the Tsars and reflects their legendary extravagance. Imperial romances, marriages and murders all had an impact on the collection, as did the byzantine bartering of international politics. Nationalised by the Bolsheviks in 1917, the museum expanded to fill the imperial family's Winter Palace and the three riverside pavilions that were built onto the palace in the late eighteenth century. Vast, confiscated collections came the way of the museum as a result of the Revolution - the finest treasures of the Russian nobility, as well as two great merchant collections of Gauguin, Matisse and modern masters.    

Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey

A remarkable behind-the-scenes look at the extraordinary people, meticulous research, and driving passions that make London’s Natural History Museum one of the world’s greatest institutions.

Treasures of the British Museum by Marjorie Caygill

The British Museum is the greatest treasure house in the world and it could fill many books with pretty pictures ... but this is more than that. A choice selection of topics, some well known and obvious (Sutton Hoo, the Royal Cemeteries at Ur, the Elgin Marbles), others less obvious (the Folkton Drums, the Lothar Crystal), fifty in all, serve as the basis for description and discussion of both objects and collectors and the way in which the British Museum has acquired them.

The Kentucky Horse Park (visit the park's website here)

A treasure to the state and a facility unlike any other in the world, since 1978 the Kentucky Horse Park’s mission has been to celebrate the human relationship with the horse through education, exhibition, engagement and competition. Owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, each year they welcome over 500,000 visitors from around the world.

The Murder Room 

Adam Dalgliesh looks into the connection between the grisly exhibits at the Dupayne family museum and the murder of adopted son Neville.

The Horror in the Museum by H.P. Lovecraft

A museum should be a lonely place at night; scary and lonely if one has an active imagination, and finds himself locked inside at night. But what if the things in the museum began to move, and you are trapped inside? This short story of horror should not be listened to alone and in the dark.

All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley

In the tradition of classic workplace memoirs like Lab Girl and Working Stiff, All The Beauty in the World is a surprising, inspiring portrait of a great museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, its hidden treasures, and the people who make it tick, by one of its most intimate observers.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

Run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with E. L. Konigsburg’s beloved classic and Newbery Medal­–winning novel. 

Library of Alexandria discussed on In Our Time on BBC Radio4

This is a Robbery (Netflix)

In 1990, two men dressed as cops con their way into Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and steal a fortune in art. Take a deep dive into this daring and notorious crime.

How to Steal a Million (view a film trailer here) not available in the JCLC system

The daughter of an art forger teams up with a burglar to steal one of her father's forgeries and protect his secret.

Simon Whistler Youtube, “The British Museum: A Collection of
Other People’s Stuff”

 

The Last of Us

 

If you are like the rest of the world, on tenterhooks for the next season of The Last of Us, here are some reading suggestions to tide you over!  A few zombies, some apocalypse, and a big helping of the relationships that keep us watching, reading, and listening!

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

Vern is on the run from a cult, not a fungal infection, but the dangers coming after her are very real. Seven months pregnant, she takes to the forest and gives birth to twins. But she’s being hunted. And as her body begins to change in strange and remarkable ways, it becomes more and more clear that there was something in the water at the cult — something that the cult leaders don’t want getting out. Along with her babies, Vern will have to flee the forest and fight back if she wants to expose the people who did this to her.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

When a retired soldier returns to his childhood friends’ home, both they — and it —prove to be very much changed. Fungal growths surround a simmering lake and possessed animals scurry in the underbrush. Could these horrors have anything to do with the changes taking place to the Ushers? And, perhaps more importantly, is it too late for Alex Easton to stop it?

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

The changes taking place to the students and teachers at Raxter School for Girls are strange and immutable. Quarantined from the outside world, the surviving girls must learn how to survive on their own in their strange new bodies. And when one of them is kidnapped, her two best friends set off into the deadly forest outside the school’s walls to find her.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Leah is changed. A marine biologist, she left for a routine expedition months earlier, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife Miri knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was they were supposed to be studying before they were stranded, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home.

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval

Jo is in a strange new country for university and having a more peculiar time than most. In a house with no walls, shared with a woman who has no boundaries, she finds her strange home coming to life in unimaginable ways. Jo’s sensitivity and all her senses become increasingly heightened and fraught, as the lines between bodies and plants, dreaming and wakefulness, blur and mesh.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey

A girl named Melanie goes to class each morning after being awakened at gunpoint from her cell. Her teacher, Miss Justineau, is heartbroken anytime she talks about her future. Melanie is told that she’s special. Dr. Caldwell calls her a genius. But what exactly makes her that way? And why are all the adults so terrified of her and the other children? There’s a world outside these walls. But when Melanie finally gets to see it, she finally understands the horrifying truths being withheld from her all this time.

The Seep by Chana Porter

An alien invasion calling itself “the Seep” might not be the catastrophic event humanity always imagined, but it forever alters the course of Trina’s life all the same. At first, she and her wife live happily under the Seep’s utopian new society. But when Deeba decides to be reborn as a baby to begin life anew, Trina is left behind and begins to fully self-destruct. The Seep can’t understand why she craves conflict and won’t assimilate to the happiness their technology brings.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

When a military experiment is unleashed during a security breach, the world is changed in an instant. The survivors do what they must to survive. FBI Agent Brad Wolgast knows that all too well. He’s still haunted by the things he’s done. But when the opportunity to protect a young girl who was part of the experiment that triggered the apocalypse is set before him, he feels it might finally be his chance to do something right.

Genesis by Bernard Beckett

Anax thinks she knows history. Her grueling all-day Examination has just begun, and if she passes, she’ll be admitted into the Academy—the elite governing institution of her utopian society. But Anax is about to discover that for all her learning, the history she’s been taught isn’t the whole story. And the Academy isn’t what she believes it to be.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

A misunderstanding between humanity and invading aliens led to mass destruction after humans were deemed dangerous. Emotional expression in humans is now closely monitored and controlled. Ellie finds solace in keeping a secret library of books and music, something that is extremely illegal. When one of her books goes missing, found by a lab-raised alien honor bound to turn her in, she assumes her fate is sealed. But M0Rr1S finds himself falling in love with human music, and soon the two set out on a road trip that could be their salvation — or their doom.

Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Following a pandemic that devastated the planet, there are two types of people remaining: those who are infected and those who are not. The uninfected are attempting to rebuild society, and their sights are set on Manhattan. Mark Spitz is part of a team trying to rid the city of the last of the infected, particularly the stragglers that exist in a sort of catatonic state. But coming to terms with this new world, especially in the grips of Post-Apocalyptic Stress Disorder, is no easy task. Especially when things start to go terribly, catastrophically wrong.

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

In a world where anyone with a certain amount of testosterone goes feral, Beth and Fran hunt them down and harvest their organs while avoiding the violent factions of TERFs out to kill them. They team up with Robbie, a loner on the outskirts, and find themselves in a battle for their very existence. This gory, violent, and sharp novel is as horrifying as it is enrapturing.

The Genius Plague by David Walton

A mind controlling fungal infection that imbues the infected with enhanced cognitive abilities tears two brothers apart in this dystopian thriller. After his mycologist brother is infected by a fungus on a trip to the Amazon, Neil notices it’s not just his mind that’s different. Paul is working toward some nefarious goal. And he’s not the only one. Throughout the world, more and more infected emerge, from regular citizens to entire governments. And their one desire seems to be the eradication of human free will.

Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Something strange is taking place across America: sleepwalkers, unable to be woken, are setting out on a journey to an unknown destination. Shana, like so many others whose loved ones have become sleepwalkers, follows their path in order to protect the little sister she can’t wake up. As fear and violence leap up in the wake of this strange new epidemic, it becomes clear that it may not be the sleepwalkers but the fear of them that threatens to tear society apart.

The Marigold by Andrew F. Sullivan

Something toxic is growing underground — something that threatens everyone in the unfinished Magnolia condo in Toronto. Following a cast of characters from the developers already at work on construction of Marigold II to a health inspector investigating a toxic mold rotting the city’s infrastructure, this book explores a fungal outbreak from all the angels.

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu

In 2030, a grieving archeologist arrives in the Arctic Circle to continue the work of his recently deceased daughter at the Batagaika Crater, where researchers are studying long-buried secrets now revealed in melting permafrost, including the perfectly preserved remains of a girl who appears to have died of an ancient virus. Once unleashed, the Arctic plague will reshape life on Earth for generations to come, quickly traversing the globe, forcing humanity to devise a myriad of moving and inventive ways to embrace possibility in the face of tragedy. 

Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate

The year is 2072. Soon a volcanic eruption will trigger catastrophic devastation, and the only way out is up. While the world’s leaders, scientists, and engineers oversee the frantic production of a space fleet meant to save humankind, their children are brought in for a weekend of touring the Lazarus, a high-tech prototype spaceship. But when the apocalypse arrives months ahead of schedule, First Daughter Leigh Chen and a handful of teens from the tour are the only ones to escape the planet. This is the new world: a starship loaded with a catalog of human artifacts, a frozen menagerie of animal DNA, and fifty-three terrified survivors. 

Followers by Megan Angelo

This dark, pitch-perfect novel about our dependence on technology for validation and human connection is as addictive as social media itself.” —People

The Power by Naomi Alderman

When girls gain the power to kill with a single touch, the world rearranges itself overnight. Through the perspectives of the daughter of a gangster, a Nigerian journalist, a Mayor, and a runaway, we see the impacts of this change. It’s women, now, upheld as figures of strength, and men are the ones afraid to walk home alone at night.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. 

Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica

‘In the end, meat is meat. It doesn’t matter where it came from.’ That quote is enough to leave any reader hooked on what Bazterrica’s post-apocalyptic future holds, and it is so much more than you can imagine. Tender is the Flesh provides a terrible and horrific insight into what happens when social norms go wrong and the consequences the desire for food can have.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older couple—it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one other? 

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. the sky is dark. their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. they have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food - and each other.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

Julia's world is thrown into upheaval when it is discovered that the Earth's rotation has suddenly begun to slow, posing a catastrophic threat to all life.

The Memory Police by Yogo Ogawa

Memory serves as our most important tool for keeping in touch with our past. But what happens when you can’t trust that memory anymore? When the Memory Police threaten to take away a young novelist’s editor because of his memory of forgotten things, she begins to question what it means to forget and why remembering is so dangerous.

A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen

Six years after a global pandemic wiped out most of the planet's population, the survivors are rebuilding the country, split between self-governing cities, hippie communes, and wasteland gangs. Krista, Moira, Rob, and Sunny are brought together by circumstance, and their lives begin to twine together. But when reports of another outbreak throw the fragile society into panic, the friends are forced to finally face everything that came before--and everything they still stand to lose. Because sometimes having one person is enough to keep the world going.

Edge of Collapse by Kyla Stone

When an EMP destroys all power in the country, it becomes the greatest day of Hannah Sheridan’s life: her escape. But as her captor ruthlessly pursues her and all modern technology is lost to the power outage, Hannah and ex-soldier Liam have to navigate an unknown world to get back to the one they knew.

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro

In a blend of Spanish and English, Oshiro weaves a tale of young Xochitl, who is burdened with the gift of taking in stories from her village members and absolving their sins. When the burden gets too much for her to bear, she embarks on a journey to give it back to the desert.

The Silence by Don Delillo

The Silence stays true to its name in its exploration of yet another society where technology fails. Yet where other books paint a picture of utter chaos, Delillo’s story is one of introspection and slowly falling apart as his characters struggle to cope without their dependence on technology.

The New Wilderness by Diane Cook

Nature and mankind stand at two opposite ends in this book where human beings live in an overpopulated city and nature is left to its own devices. Bea and her 5-year-old daughter Agnes become part of an experiment to unite the two, only for the group to find a connection with nature unlike what they had expected and become willing to stand against their own to protect it.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; the second expedition ended in mass suicide; the third expedition in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another. The members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within weeks, all had died of cancer. In Annihilation, the first volume of Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, we join the twelfth expedition.

Severance by Ling Ma

Candace Chen is a millennial working in an office tower in Manhattan. She is so devoted to her everyday routine that she doesn’t even realize when an epidemic of biblical proportions sweeps the world. The Shen Fever tears down NYC, leaving Candace alone in a deserted city where she soon becomes an anonymous blogger of the apocalypse. Those affected by the disease continue with their past life’s routines until their bodies start to decay. 

Hater by David Moody

Society is rocked by a sudden increase in the number of violent assaults on individuals. Christened 'Haters' by the media, the attackers strike without warning, killing all who cross their path. The assaults are brutal, remorseless and extreme: within seconds, normally rational, self-controlled people become frenzied, vicious killers.

The Kingdom of the Gods by In-Wan Youn, Eun-Hee Kim, and Yang Kyung-Il

This is the graphic novel that inspired the Netflix show Kingdom. The young Prince Yi Moon has fled war and famine-stricken Joseon after surviving an assassination attempt. Alone, he is forced to ask for help from Jae-ha, a mountain bandit. As they cross the country, they start to realize that they must survive both the living and the dead. 

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Following Jane McKeene, a young woman who is born the same year that the dead started to rise from their graves in Civil War battlefields across America, we watch as both north and south find a common and pressing enemy in the zombie horde. The Native and Negro Reeducation Act comes into place, forcing young Black and Native people to be trained in fighting zombies as proxy soldiers if they ever wish to be free.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention my favorite short film, Cargo, here.  It was later adapted to a feature length film starring Martin Freeman, but this first outing is really good:

 

 

 If you need even MORE content, check out these reading lists:

https://lithub.com/9-must-reads-for-lovers-and-haters-of-the-last-of-us/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/11/books/mushroom-books.html

https://www.tor.com/2023/03/15/10-books-to-chase-those-the-last-of-us-vibes/

https://www.vulture.com/article/last-of-us-sporror-books-fungus-horror-recomendations.html

YA mysteries

 

With themes of intrigue, labyrinthine crimes, revenge, and bloody redemption, the array of young adult mystery books out there is bountiful and even overwhelming. From The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew novels to Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series, mystery books for teens never seem to go out of style. It's hard to compete with classic page-turners, but in the last 30 years, there has been a definite uptick in the quality of young adult mystery books and thrillers, resulting in a boom for not only teen readers, but also most mystery-reading adults as well! From the ever-shifting stories that leave you guessing until the final page to the ones that will unforgivingly shatter your hearts, the mystery books on this list are all unforgettable reads.

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

Set five years after the shocking murder of a young woman named Summer, Broken Things focuses on the teen's two best friends — Mia and Brynn — who everyone believes killed her due to their obsession with a book called "The Way into Lovelorn." But Mia and Brynn know the truth: Neither of them murdered their best friend, and as the anniversary of Summer's death approaches, they discover a clue that could exonerate them once and for all.

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Kara Thomas weaves an eerie tale of a high school plagued by the suspicious deaths of several members of its cheerleading squad. The book picks up five years after Sunnybrook High eliminated cheerleading in the wake of the deaths of five students, but Monica, the sister of one of the cheerleaders, knows there's more to the story than anyone realizes.

City of Saints and Thieves by Natalie C. Anderson

Tina and her mother fled the Congo in search of a better life, and for a while, it seems as if they have found one. But when Tina's mother is shot to death in her powerful employer's home, she thinks she knows exactly who is responsible.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

This stand-out read plays off of our collective true crime obsession brilliantly. For her senior project, Pip decides to delve into her town's most notorious crime: the murder of Andie Bell, and the suicide of her alleged killer. But the deeper Pip digs, the more apparent it becomes the case isn't nearly as open and shut as everyone believes.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

Up-and-coming singer Enchanted Jones seems to be on track to becoming a star until she wakes up with blood on her hands. With no memory of what happened the previous night, Enchanted becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the famed Korey Fields, a man whose abuse of power ran rampant throughout his career.

I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

This book, inspired by Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca,” follows Anna Cicconi, whose dream nanny gig in the Hamptons turns into a nightmare when she realizes she looks just like Zoe Spanos, a local teen who has been missing for months. When Zoe's body is found, suspicion falls on Anna, who must rely on a young podcaster to clear her name.

I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan

It's hard to imagine the YA mystery genre being what it is today without the novels of Lois Duncan. The bestselling author is a master of suspense, and nowhere is that more evident than here. Her story of four teens whose hit-and-run accident comes back to haunt them remains a nail-biting read from start to finish and was the basis of the hit 1997 film starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar.  Word on the street is that a reboot may be in the works!  

Ink and Ashes by Valynne E. Maetani

On the 10th anniversary of her father's death, Claire Takata finds a letter from her father to her stepfather which leads to the revelation that her dad was part of a Japanese organized crime syndicate. Soon, Claire finds herself going down a dangerous path in search of answers about her father's past.

Jackaby by William Ritter

Set in 1892, the story centers on R. F. Jackaby, a supernatural Sherlock Holmes, and his new assistant Abigail Rook as they investigate a serial killer who may not be human at all. The wonderfully creepy tale not only dazzles with its world-building, it will also keep you up at night thanks to its clever plot twists.

Keep This to Yourself by Tom Ryan

Mac Bell wants nothing more than to forget about the summer when the Catalog Killer stalked the streets of Camera Cove, but since his friend Connor was the murderer's final victim, he simply can't let it go. Unfortunately, the more he looks into the case, the more apparent it becomes someone out there doesn't want him to know the truth.

The Missing Season by Gillian French

Every October, a kid goes missing in the town of Pender, and the locals claim a monster known as the Mumbler is responsible. But newcomer Clara suspects there's a far more human culprit behind the town's monstrous legend.

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

It's hard to talk about this book without giving away the book's astonishing, heartbreaking twist. But in a nutshell, the story follows Claudia, who seems to be the only person who realizes her best friend Monday is missing, and her quest to keep the teen's memory alive.

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

What if "The Breakfast Club" ended with a murder? When five students go into detention and only four come out, the remaining teens become the primary suspects in the apparent murder in this unpredictable thriller.

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

This novel delves into the immigrant experience through the eyes of Jay Reguero, who spends his last summer before college trying to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder in the Philippines. However, the more Jay learns about the truth, the more he comes to realize that he didn't know his cousin quite as well as he thought.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Before it became a hit TV series, Pretty Little Liars was one of the most stylish young adult mystery books of its time, that had everyone theorizing about who "A" was. Even if you've already seen the show, this mid-'00s tale is a must-read thanks to the ongoing impact it has had on the genre as a whole.

Sadie by Courtney Summers

When podcast host West McCray gets a call from someone begging him to find 19-year-old Sadie, he has no idea just how dark her story is. Meanwhile, Sadie is on a journey to track down the man who killed her little sister, and she won't stop until she makes him pay.

The Silence of Bones by June Hur

Set in Korea in 1800, the novel follows Seol, a 16-year-old who is indentured to the police. When a noblewoman is murdered, Seol becomes invaluable to the investigation, but when the inspector on the case becomes a suspect, she may be the only one who can clear his name.

Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass

When he comes out to his mother, Connor is sent away to an isolated conversion therapy camp, which is nightmarish enough without the added trauma of the camp's murdery secrets.

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, this action-packed old school murder mystery keeps you guessing until the final page. The story takes place entirely on an isolated island where teens are picked off one by one by a mysterious killer over the course of three days.

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

This smart thriller is set at an elite school where the murder of the popular Shaila Arnold by her boyfriend turns everything upside down for the students left behind. But despite a confession from the alleged killer, the mystery surrounding Shaila's death is far from over.

There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins

When a series of horrifying murders rocks her grandmother's small Nebraska town, newcomer Makani Young becomes a target too — and since she's trying to keep certain secrets from her own past quiet, the last thing she needs is a serial killer stalking her.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Set at the elite boarding school Ellingham Academy, the story follows Stevie Bell a new student whose one and only goal is to solve a cold case dating back to the school's founding. But as she's digging into the school's past, the present suddenly becomes all too dangerous.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson

Who says the murder victims have to stay dead for a murder mystery to be compelling?  Wiccan Mila Flores's investigation into the deaths of three of her classmates leads to her inadvertently bringing them back from the dead to help her solve the case.

White Rabbit by Caleb Roehrig

Rufus's night is already off to a bad start when his ex-boyfriend suddenly reappears, but things only get worse when he finds his sister covered in blood and holding a knife next to the dead body of her boyfriend. Now he'll have to work with his ex if he has any hope of keeping his sister out of prison.

You Owe Me a Murder by Eileen Cook

A twist on Patricia Highsmith’s classic Strangers on a Train, this deliciously twisted story kicks off with 17-year-old Kim joking with a stranger on a plane about murdering her boyfriend, but things get real fast when he turns up dead and Kim is labeled the prime suspect.

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The first novel of three in this series, the book follows Avery Grambs and her unexpected inheritance of the Hawthorne fortune after the passing of the family patriarch, Tobias. But Avery has no clue who Tobias is — or her relation to the family. Now Avery now has to survive the remaining, recently disinherited Hawthorne grandsons to claim the fortune left for her.

All Your Twisted Secrets by Diana Urban

When six teens from the same high school are all invited to a scholarship dinner, what's the worst that could happen? The answer is death, as that dinner turns out to be a trap of Jigsaw-like proportions. Now locked in a room with an active bomb, the six kids are prompted to decide which one of them will die before the hour is up or they all are killed. This book is a serious thriller that will keep you hooked.

The Obsession by Jesse Q. Sutanto

This riveting read is told from the perspective of the murderer. When Delilah kills her mother's abusive boyfriend, she assumes that'll put an end to the manipulative men in her life. But Delilah's got a stalker: her classmate Logan and witness to her murder. Now, it's up to Delilah to take control of the narrative and get Logan off her back for good.

Summer's Edge by Dana Mele

A group of best friends return to the lake house where one of their friends died in a fire the summer before. They're there to honor their friend, but soon enough, main character Chelsea finds herself haunted by ghostly visions that ultimately lead her to realize the fire was set on purpose — and she has to find out who did it before it's too late.

The Red Palace by June Hur

This novel, set in Korea in 1758, follows 18-year-old Hyeon, who manages to secure a coveted position as a palace nurse. But when four women are found murdered within the palace's walls and Hyeon's friend is accused of the crime, she suddenly finds herself diving deeper and deeper into the labyrinthine worlds of the law, court politics, and mysterious motives.

I (Holley) have to throw in a strong vote for one listed above, Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson.  The whole series is unputdownable!! To those, I'll also add these thrilling reads from the last couple of years I've kept a record.  

She’s Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard

The summer is winding down in San Diego. Veronica is bored, caustically charismatic, and uninspired in her photography. Nico is insatiable, subversive, and obsessed with chaotic performance art. They're artists first, best friends second. But that was before Mick. Delicate, lonely, magnetic Mick: the perfect subject, and Veronica's dream girl. The days are long and hot-full of adventure-and soon they are falling in love. Falling so hard, they never imagine what comes next. One fire. Two murders. Three drowning bodies. One suspect...one stalker. This is a summer they won't survive.Inspired by The Picture of Dorian Gray, this sexy psychological thriller explores the intersections of love, art, danger, and power.

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse

In 1943 Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, teenage Hanneke--a 'finder' of black market goods--is tasked with finding a Jewish girl a customer had been hiding, who has seemingly vanished into thin air, and is pulled into a web of resistance activities and secrets as she attempts to solve the mystery and save the missing girl.

The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgwick

With the help of his servant and an orphan girl, a magician named Valerian searches graveyards, churches, and underground waterways for a book he hopes will save him from a pact he has made with evil.

Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf

Fifteen-year-old Najwa Bakri is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend and Scrabble Queen, Trina, a year after the fact when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Abike-Iyimide

When two Niveus Private Academy students, Devon Richards and Chiamaka Adebayo, are selected to be part of the elite school's senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. After all, not only does it look great on college applications, but it officially puts each of them in the running for valedictorian, too. Shortly after the announcement is made, though, someone who goes by Aces begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down and threaten every aspect of their carefully planned futures. As Aces shows no sign of stopping, what seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Can Devon and Chiamaka stop Aces before things become incredibly deadly?

 

 

telling tales

Upcoming March programs:

Saturday March 4 @ 11am – Short Story Matinee presents “The Last Time I Saw Paris.”  More info here: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/7844921

Tuesday March 28 @ 6:30pm – Books & Beyond meets to talk about museums.  Fiction, nonfiction, film…the choice is yours!  Visit the Books & Beyond row on the Shelf Care page here: https://oneallibrary.org/adults---reading-recommendations

Wednesday March 29 @ 11am – 19th Century Life in Alabama: Letters and Diaries of an Alabama Family.  More info here: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/7834892

The Short Story Matinee series continues the first Sunday of each month at 3pm through June.  More info here:
April - https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/7869425
May - https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/7869850
June - https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/7870384

 

Last night, Books & Beyond met to talk about retellings, which can be defined as books and movies that put a new and/or different slant on fairytales, folklore, classics, and even more modern tales!

Die, Snow White! Die, Damn You!: A Very Grimm Tale By Yuri Rasovsky

From a master of audio drama comes an intriguing spin on the classic tale of Snow White, an adult, edgy, and not altogether serious full-cast expose of fairy-taledom. At last it can be told! Was Snow White really as pure as the driven snow? Did her allegedly wicked stepmother get a bum rap from the Grimm brothers? What went on behind the closed Dutch doors of the dwarves' cottage? How many handsome princes does it take to screw in a light bulb? These and other burning questions may or may not be answered in this new pseudogothic audio play commissioned from award-winning author and audio dramatist Yuri Rasovsky.

Seven Sins of Snow by Loxley Savage (not available in the JCLC system)

This is a full-length stand-alone, dark, PNR, RH retelling of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Nothing inside these pages is appropriate for a children's story.

By the Book: A Meant to Be novel by Jasmine Guillory (Beauty and the Beast)

Best-selling author Jasmine Guillory’s achingly romantic reimagining of a classic is a tale as old as time . . . for a new generation. Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be twenty-five, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves. All she has to do is go to the author’s Santa Barbara mansion and give him a pep talk or three. How hard could it be?

How to Bang a Billionaire by Alexis Hall (Fifty Shades of Gray, which was also inspired by Twilight fanfiction) (not available in the JCLC system, request via Interlibrary Loan)

If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." So far, I haven't. I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford, no idea what I'm going to do next and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful . . . oh yeah, and a billionaire. It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me. I'm good at doing what I'm told in the bedroom. The rest of the time, not so much. And now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want. Not his wealth, not his status. Him. Except that might be the one thing he doesn't have the power to give me.

After Alice by Gregory Maguire (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)

In this brilliant work of fiction, Gregory Maguire turns his dazzling imagination to the question of underworlds, undergrounds, underpinnings—and understandings old and new, offering an inventive spin on Carroll’s enduring tale. Ada, a friend of Alice’s mentioned briefly in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is off to visit her friend, but arrives a moment too late—and tumbles down the rabbit-hole herself. Ada brings to Wonderland her own imperfect apprehension of cause and effect as she embarks on an odyssey to find Alice and see her safely home from this surreal world below the world. If Eurydice can ever be returned to the arms of Orpheus, or Lazarus can be raised from the tomb, perhaps Alice can be returned to life. Either way, everything that happens next is “After Alice.”

Rosaline (2022 film, Romeo & Juliet) (streaming on Hulu)

"Rosaline" is a fresh and comedic twist on Shakespeare's classic love story "Romeo & Juliet," told from the perspective of Juliet's cousin Rosaline (Kaitlyn Dever), who also happens to be Romeo's recent love interest. Heartbroken when Romeo (Kyle Allen) meets Juliet (Isabela Merced) and begins to pursue her, Rosaline schemes to foil the famous romance and win back her guy.

Incense & Sensibility by Sonali Dev (Sense & Sensibility)

Yash Raje, California’s first Indian-American gubernatorial candidate, has always known exactly what he wants—and how to use his privileged background to get it. He attributes his success to a simple mantra: control your feelings and you can control the world. But when a hate crime at a rally critically injures his friend, Yash’s easy life suddenly feels like a lie, his control an illusion. When he tries to get back on the campaign trail, he blacks out with panic.

Desperate to keep Yash’s condition from leaking to the media, his family turns to the one person they trust—his sister’s best friend, India Dashwood, California’s foremost stress management coach. Raised by a family of yoga teachers, India has helped San Francisco’s high strung overachievers for a decade without so much as altering her breath. But this man—with his boundless ambition, simmering intensity, and absolute faith in his political beliefs—is like no other. Yash has spent a lifetime repressing everything to succeed, including their one magical night ten years ago—a too brief, too bright passion that if rekindled threatens to destroy the dream he’s willingly shouldered for his family and community . . . until now.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (David Copperfield)

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

A Simple Twist of Fate (1994 film, Silas Marner)

Small-town recluse Michael McCann (Steve Martin) lives an isolated existence until unusual events pull him out of his shell. After his beloved coin collection is stolen, an orphaned toddler suddenly appears at his house. Unknown to Michael, who adopts the little girl, she is the illegitimate child of local politician John Newland (Gabriel Byrne), who keeps his secret to protect his reputation. Later, however, Newland decides to go public with his revelation, leading to a custody battle.

Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta by James Hannaham (Ulysses)

In this “razor-sharp” and “dangerously hilarious” novel that “hooks readers from the beginning” (Los Angeles Times), a trans woman reenters life on the outside after more than twenty years in a men’s prison, over one consequential Fourth of July weekend—from the author of the PEN/Faulkner Award winner Delicious Foods. Written with the same astonishing verve of Delicious Foods, which dazzled critics and readers alike, Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit What Happened to Carlotta sweeps the reader through seemingly every street of Brooklyn, much as Joyce’s Ulysses does through Dublin. The novel sings with brio and ambition, delivering a fantastically entertaining read and a cast of unforgettable characters even as it challenges us to confront the glaring injustices of a prison system that continues to punish people long after their time has been served.

Horseman by Christina Henry (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow)

Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one really believes in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt's grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Crane out of town. Brom says that's just legend, the village gossips talking. More than thirty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play "Sleepy Hollow boys," reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Could the Horseman be real after all? Or does something even more sinister stalk the woods?

Phaedra by Laura Shepperson

Phaedra has been cast to the side all her life: daughter of an adulteress, sister of a monster, and now unwilling bride to the much-older, power-hungry Theseus. Young, naïve, and idealistic, she has accepted her lot in life, resigned to existing under the sinister weight of Theseus’s control and the constant watchful eye of her handsome stepson Hippolytus. When supposedly pious Hippolytus assaults her, Phaedra’s world is darkened in the face of untouchable, prideful power. In the face of injustice, Phaedra refuses to remain quiet any longer: such an awful truth demands to be brought to light. Timely, unflinching, and transportive, Laura Shepperson’s Phaedra carves open long-accepted wounds to give voice to one of the most maligned figures of mythology and offers a stunning story of how truth bends under the weight of patriarchy but can be broken open by the force of one woman’s bravery.

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023 film, currently in limited theater release)

The days of adventures and merriment have come to an end, as Christopher Robin, now a young man, has left Winnie-The-Pooh and Piglet to fend for themselves. As time passes, feeling angry and abandoned, the two become feral. After getting a taste for blood, Winnie-The-Pooh and Piglet set off to find a new source of food. It's not long before their bloody rampage begins.

If the Shoe Fits: A Meant to Be novel by Julie Murphy (Cinderella)

If the shoe doesn’t fit, maybe it’s time to design your own. Cindy loves shoes. A well-placed bow or a chic stacked heel is her form of self-expression. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right. With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on Before Midnight bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor?

But being the first and only fat contestant on Before Midnight turns her into a viral sensation—and a body-positivity icon—overnight. Even harder to believe? She can actually see herself falling for this Prince Charming. To make it to the end, despite the fans, the haters, and a house full of fellow contestants she’s not sure she can trust, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope her heels— and her heart—don’t break in the process. Best-selling author Julie Murphy’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is an enchanting story of self-love and believing in the happy ending each and every one of us deserves.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019 film, Battle Angel Alita manga series)

Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido, a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.

Dune: Part 1 (2021 film remake)

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.  Dune: Part 2 is in post-production and the expected release date is November 2023.

The Invisible Man (2020 film remake)

After staging his own suicide, a crazed scientist uses his power to become invisible to stalk and terrorize his ex-girlfriend. When the police refuse to believe her story, she decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back.

Ever After (1998 film, Cinderella)

This updated adaptation of the classic fairytale tells the story of Danielle (Drew Barrymore), a vibrant young woman who is forced into servitude after the death of her father. Danielle's stepmother Rodmilla (Anjelica Huston) is a heartless woman who forces Danielle to do the cooking and cleaning, while she tries to marry off her own two daughters. But Danielle's life takes a wonderful turn when she meets the charming Prince Henry (Dougray Scott).

Grendel by John Gardner

The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his own side of the story in this frequently banned book. This is the novel William Gass called "one of the finest of our contemporary fictions."