Teen Book Club Reads The Raven Boys

Teen Book Club Meets November 28

Do you love to read? Are you looking for peers who share that love? Look no further than our Teen Book Club at the Aurora Library! We meet once a month to eat snacks and chat about our latest book pick. This month, join us for a discussion of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater at the Aurora Public Library on November 28th at 4 pm! Pick up your book at the library today.  This program is open to anyone ages 13-19.

Raven Boys Cover

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them–until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn’t believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.” -Scholastic

Teen Book Club Reads Dumplin’

Meet up with book lovers just like you for a discussion of Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy on Tuesday, July 25th @ 4 pm. Free snacks and drinks will be provided. Stop by the Aurora or Dillsboro Library to pick up your copy today!

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Clover City beauty pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.

Everyone ages 13-19 is welcome to attend! We can’t wait to see you there!

Teen Book Club Reads “Renegades” by Marissa Meyer

Meet up with book lovers just like you for a discussion of Renegades by Marissa Meyer on Tuesday, May 23rd @ 4 pm. Free snacks and drinks will be provided. Stop by the Aurora or Dillsboro Library to pick up your copy today!

The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies — humans with extraordinary abilities — who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone… except the villains they once overthrew.

Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a Renegade boy who believes in justice — and in Nova. But Nova’s allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.

Everyone ages 13-19 is welcome to attend! We can’t wait to see you there!

Teen Book Club Reads One of Us is Lying

Meet up with book lovers just like you for a discussion of One of us Lying by Karen M. McManus on Tuesday, April 25th @ 4 pm. Free snacks and drinks will be provided. Stop by the Aurora or Dillsboro Library to pick up your copy!

We will be meeting on Tuesday, April 25th @ 4 pm at the Aurora Public Library. Anyone 13-19 is welcome to attend!

Pay close attention and you might solve this:
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention:

  • Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule

  • Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess

  • Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing

  • Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher

  • And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app 

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom alive. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. He died on a Monday. But that Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates. Now, all four of them are suspects in his murder. Are they guilty? Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?
They all have a motive. They all have something to hide. They all have a history with Simon. And one of them is definitely lying.

Margaret Peterson Haddix Visits!

Calling all readers! Acclaimed and world-renowned author Margaret Peterson Haddix is stopping by the Dillsboro Public Library on April 4th @ 6 pm to meet you all!

Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois.

She has since written more than 40 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of TimeDouble Identity; Uprising; The Always Warthe Greystone Secrets series; the Shadow Children series; the Missing series; the Children of Exile series; the Under Their Skin duologyand The Palace Chronicles. She also wrote Into the Gauntletthe tenth book in the 39 Clues series.  Her books have been honored with New York Times bestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and numerous state reader’s choice awards. They have also been translated into more than twenty different languages.

Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio. They are the parents of two grown kids.

Want to read more by Margaret? Just search “Margaret Peterson Haddix” in our catalog or follow this link. You can also read her novel, The Summer of Broken Things with the Teen Book Club in March! Everyone ages 13-19 is welcome to attend Teen Book Club and you can check out your copy of the March Selection at either library today!

Want to meet Margaret? Registration is not required, but is recommended for this event. Margaret can’t wait to meet you!

Chapter Chat Reads “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”

Sorcerer's Stone' US children's edition — Harry Potter Fan ZoneCalling all Witches and Wizards! We are excited to announce our Chapter Chat for the month of September.

Our book will be Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling.

Our club is for children 9 years of age and up. You will be sorted into your houses and then we will be making a craft and discussing the book.

You can pick your book at the lower level desk at Aurora. Hope to see you there!

Long-Running Series

New friends to meet, or old friends to greet, here are some characters worth taking the time to get to know!

There’s nothing quite like delving into a novel when you know you can count on several more volumes to hold your attention. The idea of getting to know a character – or characters – over the course of not only multiple novels but multiple years makes for a unique reading experience. Picking up a new novel in a beloved series is like meeting up with some old friends – there’s a kind of well-worn familiarity that can’t be found in any stand-alone novel. Luckily, if you too have the urge to dive into a long-running series, we have a few favorites to get you started.

Prey

by John Sandford

Check-out the extraordinary Lucas Davenport thrillers from bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize winner John Sandford. These haunting murder investigations have hooked readers over his 31 book collection. Start with Rules of Prey (Prey # 1), you’ll be swimming up to Ocean Prey (Prey # 31) before you know it!

“They were shot with a shotgun and put in garbage bags and thrown under a bridge,” Shrake said. “If it wasn’t murder, it was a really weird accident.”

― Lucas DavenportJohn Sandford book coversWalt Longmire

by Craig Johnson

Walt Longmire is a laconic and tortured cowboy with a stiff moral code and a weathered view of the world around him. Craig Johnson has carved out an interesting niche that combines classic Old West and cowboy tropes with hard-boiled noir. It’s an interesting combination that sets the Longmire Mystery series apart from the multitude of other crime fiction crowding the shelves. Grab The Cold Dish (Walt Longmire #1) and you won’t even notice time riding by before you reach for Daughter of the Morning Star (Walt Longmire # 17), We also have Longmire on DVD.

“I punched him in the fist with my nose, but I think he’ll live.” – Walt Longmire

Harry Dresden

by Jim Butcher

With Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher puts a fantastical spin on the classic hard-boiled detective mystery. Dresden finds himself caught up in all facets of murder and mayhem in his beloved Chicago — supernatural and otherwise — and his wisecracking, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants style is entertaining across seventeen novels as well as various short stories. This series is one of my personal favorites, Harry has a huge heart, a “spirit of intellect” helper who lives inside a human skull, and a Dog named Mouse. Mouse is a “temple dog,” a celestial scion of the Foo Dog (divine spirit guardian), and a mortal canine. Start with Storm Front (Harry Dresden #1) You will magically find yourself reading Battle Ground (Harry Dresden #17)  and hoping for more to come in this exciting series.

Evil isn’t the real threat to the world. Stupid is just as destructive as Evil, maybe more so, and it’s a hell of a lot more common. What we really need is a crusade against Stupid. That might actually make a difference.”― Harry Dresden

 

In Death

by J.D. Robb

In Death is another particular favorite. I wish I had a friend like Eve. In a gritty, futuristic New York City, homicide detective Eve Dallas seeks justice for the victims of crime—and fights to overcome her own dark past. The main character in the In Death series is Eve Dallas, a no-nonsense homicide cop in mid-21st century (2058) New York, where beggars and prostitutes are legal as long as they have the proper licenses. Eve lives and breathes her job. In the very first book, Naked in Death (In Death # 1).  We are introduced to a slew of what become recurring characters: Eve’s former partner and trainer, who becomes a father figure; the esteemed police commander; the maternal staff psychiatrist; Eve’s criminal-turned-singer bestie; and most importantly, Roarke. Roarke is a suspect in a gruesome murder. He’s a reformed criminal (mostly reformed) and she’s a hard nosed cop, the chemistry between them should be illegal.  Murder, friendship, love, more murder, and an office chocolate thief will capture your imagination from book 1 until book 53.

“What’s your status?” she asked him.

“Healthy, wealthy, and wise. What’s yours?”

“Ha. Mean, crafty, and rude.”― Eve Dallas

Here are a few more great series…

 

The Camel Club

By David Baldacci      Series: The Camel Club, Book 1

Always on the hunt for government conspiracies, the political watch-dogs that make up Baldacci’s Camel Club will entertain, surprise, and thrill you.

1st to Die  By James Patterson        Series: Women’s Murder Club, Book 1

When the normal way of doing things isn’t stopping a serial killer, four friends who all work in the justice system decide to band together in Patterson’s best-selling female vigilante series.

Dark of the Moon  By John Sandford     Series: Virgil Flowers, Book 1

Full of surprising twists and plenty of mystery, Dark of the Moon kicks off Sandford’s powerful Flowers series set in rural Minnesota.

Along Came a Spider  By James Patterson        Series: Alex Cross, Book 1

Probably Patterson’s most notable character, Alex Cross is a DC detective who will stop at nothing to get the case solved and justice served.

 The Chase  By Clive Cussler         Series: Isaac Bell, Book 1

Cussler introduces an electrifying and no-nonsense hero in his Isaac Bell thrillers. Driven by his sense of justice, Bell travels early 20th-century America pursuing thieves and killers—and sometimes criminals much worse.

 The Black Echo:   By Michael Connelly             Series: Harry Bosch, Book 1

Detective Hieronymus ‘Harry’ Bosch, former tunnel rat in Vietnam and star of Michael Connelly’s best-loved series, is as tough as they come.

 

Hannah Swensen Mystery #1: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Hi there! Welcome to my blog series where I will be reading and reviewing Joanne Fluke’s Hannah Swensen series, as well as trying out some of the recipes included in the books!

You do not necessarily have to read these books in the order that they were published; however, for the purpose of this blog, I did start from the beginning. Since there are so many books in the series (26, with number 27 expected in late February), I will not be writing a blog over each book, but every five or so. Today I will be discussing the first book in the series, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder.

Review

The book begins by introducing Hannah Swensen, a twenty-something year old woman who owns a cookie and coffee shop called the Cookie Jar in her hometown of Lake Eden, Minnesota. We learn that Hannah once had aspirations to become a professor, and was well on her way to a Doctorate Degree when her sister, Andrea begged her to come home when their father died to help their mother get his affairs in order. Hannah dutifully returned to Lake Eden to assist her family, and subsequently ended up staying and opening the Cookie Jar instead of going back to school.

One morning, Hannah happens upon a crime scene in the alley behind her shop involving the Cozy Cow delivery driver, Ron LaSalle. The scene leads into a criminal investigation led by Andrea’s husband Bill, a Winnetka County Deputy Sheriff. Hannah uses her wits, some skills she’s picked up from mysteries she’s seen on TV, and possibly illegal tactics to help Bill track down the criminal and solve the town’s mystery. Through her investigation, we meet some Lake Eden locals, and learn some shocking town secrets.

I would consider the Hannah Swensen books to be cozy mysteries. They are gentle, easy reads, and though they include murder, they are not overly graphic. I read this particular book in two days, and it kept my interest the entire time. The plot lines aren’t overly complicated, but they aren’t obvious either. In Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, I thought I knew who the murderer was about halfway through, but I ended up being wrong.

For the most part, I really do enjoy these books. I love Hannah Swensen’s sarcastic character, and the fact that she is an independent woman. However, I feel these books are a bit problematic. For the sake of space, I will go deeper into these issues in future blogs, but here are some things I’ve noticed. Joanne Fluke uses the r word to describe Freddy Sawyer, a character with a developmental disability. The character Betty Johnson is never mentioned without also mentioning how fat she is and how unflattering her outfit is. There’s also a sort of unhealthy dynamic between Hannah and Mike, one of her love interests. All that being said, this book was published in 2000 and I realize times were different then. I’m interested to see if these things continue into the later books.

If you want to get started on the series, APLD has a large print, regular print, ebook, and eAudiobook copy of Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder! You can go online or call the library to place a hold on our print copies, or access the digital copies on Libby or OverDrive.

Recipe

I decided to try to make the Regency Ginger Crisps that Hannah made for the Lake Eden Regency Romance Club. The recipe makes 6 to 7 dozen. Since I had so many extras I brought them to the library with me the next day, and they were a hit with the staff!

Regency Ginger Crisps

Do not preheat oven yet, dough must chill before baking.

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 large beaten egg (or two medium, just whip them up with a fork)

4 tablespoons molasses (that’s 1/4 cup)***

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 1/4 cups flour (not sifted)

1/2 cup white sugar in a small bowl (for later)

Melt butter and mix in sugar. Let mixture cool and then add egg(s). Add soda, molasses, salt, and ginger. Stir it thoroughly. Add flour and mix in. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour. (Overnight is even better.)

When the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.

Roll the dough into walnut sized balls in white sugar. (Just dump them in the bowl with the sugar and shake the bowl gently to coat them.) Place them on greased cookie sheets, 12 to a standard sheet. Flatten them with a spatula.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 10 to 12 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool on cookie sheets for no more than 1 minute, and then remove to wire rack to finish cooling. (If you leave these on the cookie sheets for too long, they’ll stick.)

***To measure molasses, first spray the inside of the measuring cup with Pam so that the molasses won’t stick to the sides of the cup.

Yield: 6 to 7 dozen, depending on cookie size.

 


 

Twilight: 10 Years Later

We thought we were in the Twilight clear since the release of the last movie was released six years ago, didn’t we? However, this year is the tenth anniversary of the release of the movie Twilight, which came about three years after the first book in the series was published. And while I will never recommend reading Twilight for literary purposes, the series still makes me a bit nostalgic. Ten years ago, I was a freshman in high school; I was the perfect age and in the perfect place for all of the hype that suddenly surrounded the books and movies, and, boy, did I fangirl hard.

The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer is nothing short of problematic in all kinds of areas, but when you’re fourteen, it seems like the greatest love story ever told. I wasn’t thinking about how accurate the representation of certain cultures were in the novel, or that Bella Swan might have been suffering from Stockholm Syndrome a little bit; I was too busy trying to decide if I was Team Edward or Team Jacob, like 75% of my high school (For the record, I was Team Edward). For me, the series is definitely something to cringe about now, but it will always have a special place on the bottom of my bookshelf because I still can’t bring myself to get rid of them.

I’ve heard the Twilight series compared to the Harry Potter series in that the books got kids (and adults) reading. My philosophy has always been that it doesn’t matter what you’re reading as long as you’re reading something, because if you’re reading, you’re learning. My little sister recently discovered Twilight and is currently devouring the series as fast as she can. While I want to recommend other books to her, with more powerful female characters, diverse characters, and accurate representation of various cultures, I’m stopping myself because I’m just glad she’s reading. And I’m glad that she’s enjoying what she’s reading, too. Who am I to dictate what people should be reading? Who am I to judge them based on their reading preferences?

I will gladly congratulate the Twilight movie franchise on its tenth anniversary, as well as the book series for getting people to read. It can even be argued that Twilight helped popularize the paranormal subgenre in teen, young adult, and adult fiction, which is still one of the most checked out subgenres from our shelves to this day.

So enjoy reading or rereading Twilight and watching the movies in honor of the anniversary! And don’t let anyone tell you anything different!

Happy Reading!

Kingdom of Ash

Sarah J. Maas’s final book in the Throne of Glass series is set to be released on October 23, 2018. If you’ve read any of my other blogs, you know that I am just a little obsessed with this series, and now it will be all coming to an end! While I am excited to see what happens to my favorite characters, I am also sad to see them go. Luckily, I can jump back into their stories any time I want when I reread the series.

Sarah J. Maas has been developing this series since she was sixteen years old. She had originally posted a version of the first novel — originally titled Queen of Glass — on the website FictionPress.com before the publishing company, Bloomsbury, picked it up. Maas had a gigantic online following which brought her writing to Bloomsbury’s attention. Throne of Glass was published on August 7, 2012 and was inspired in part by Disney’s Cinderella. Anticipating the release of the first novel, Bloomsbury also released eBook editions of the four prequel novels, which you can download from the Indiana Digital Download Center.

Throne of Glass follows Celaena Sardothien, Adarlan’s deadliest assassin, as she is plucked from her enslavement by the Crown Prince of Adarlan himself, Dorian Havilliard. Dorian summons her to the castle to fight as his champion in his father’s competition to become the King’s Champion, or the king’s own personal assassin. She must compete with twenty-three other champions from all kinds of backgrounds to win. Meanwhile, something dark and evil is stalking the palace and champions are turning up dead. It’s up to Celaena to discover what’s killing the competitors before she winds up dead herself.

The first book in this series is just the beginning; it becomes clear throughout the rest of the series that something even more sinister is taking place, and Celaena’s journey to win her freedom is simply the catalyst. You’ll find witches, giant spiders, wyverns, magic, royalty, secret identities, and love peppering this action-packed series that will keep you guessing until the very last page of each installment. I honestly don’t know how the series is going to end, which stresses me out a little.

You still have a little bit of time to read or reread the six books already in the series before the seventh, Kingdom of Ash, is released on October 23, 2018. The Aurora Public Library District does own several physical copies of some of the books, but the entire seriesincluding the prequels — is available to download from the Indiana Digital Download Center. You can also request the books through Interlibrary Loan by filling in the form online, calling, or stopping by one of the desks. You might want to put your name on the list for the seventh book, too, to reserve your spot as quickly as you can! Call the library or stop by one of the desks today!

Happy Reading!