Hi everyone, here are our recommended titles for the week, five digital titles available through OverDrive and five print titles available through StarCat.
And this week our focus is on great Science Fiction & Fantasy titles – some old and some new.
DIGITAL SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:
(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)
Echo: A Novel written by Pam Muñoz Ryan & read by Mark Bramhall (Format: Downloadable Audio):
Music, magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this virtuosic, genre-defying tour de force from storytelling maestro Pam Muñoz Ryan.
Lost and alone in the forbidden Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.
Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives, binding them by an invisible thread of destiny. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. How their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck.
Richly imagined and structurally innovative, ECHO pushes the boundaries of form and shows us what is possible in how we tell stories.
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher (Format: Downloadable Audio):
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is Chicago’s only openly practicing wizard. He is also dead broke. His vast knowledge and magical skills are unfortunately matched by his talent for making powerful enemies and alienating friends.
With little more than his integrity left, he accepts an offer of work from Lt. Karin Murphy of the Chicago PD Special Investigations Unit. He wants to redeem himself in Murphy’s eyes and make enough money to quiet his rumbling stomach.
Soon he finds himself pinned between trigger-happy FBI agents, shape-shifting motorcycle gang members, a threatened mobster boss, and an heir to an ancient curse along with his primal fiancée. Throw in environmental activists and a pair of young werewolves in love and you have something of Fool Moon.
Halfway to the Grave, Night Huntress Series, Book 1 written by Jeaniene Frost & read by Tavia Gilbert (Format: Downloadable Audio):
Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother’s life. Then she’s captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unlikely partnership. In exchange for help finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She’s amazed she doesn’t end up as his dinner…are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon, Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn’t have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side … and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.
The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King written by J.R.R. Tolkien & read for the BBC by Ian Holm (Format: Downloadable Audio):
The evil Saruman has been defeated by Gandalf, but in Mordor the battle for the Ruling Ring continues. Wounded by the giant spider, Shelob, Frodo has been captured by the dreaded orcs. Sam, alone and in possession of the Ring, must rescue his master if their mission – to find the Cracks of Doom, and there destroy the Ring – is to continue. Meanwhile, the other Fellowship members are preparing for war against the armies of the Dark Lord, Sauron… Widely regarded as a broadcasting classic, the BBC Radio dramatisation of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ stars Ian Holm, Michael Hordern, Robert Stephens, John Le Mesurier and Peter Woodthorpe.
The Lost Gate written & read by Scott Card (Format: Downloadable Audio):
Danny North knew from early childhood that his family was different—and that he was different from them. While his cousins were learning how to create the things that commoners called fairies, ghosts, golems, trolls, werewolves, and other such miracles that were the heritage of the North family, Danny worried that he would never show a talent, never form an outself.
He grew up in the rambling old house, filled with dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles, all ruled by his father. Their home was isolated in the mountains of western Virginia, far from town, far from schools, far from other people.
There are many secrets in the House, and many rules that Danny must follow. There is a secret library with only a few dozen books, and none of them in English—but Danny and his cousins are expected to become fluent in the language of the books. While Danny’s cousins are free to create magic whenever they like, they must never do it where outsiders might see.
Unfortunately, there are some secrets kept from Danny as well. And that will lead to disaster for the North family.
PRINT SUGGESTIONS OF THE WEEK:
(Note: Click on the photo of the item you’d like to request or check out)
Bring Me Their Hearts by Sara Wolf:
Zera is a Heartless–the immortal, unaging soldier of a witch. Bound to the witch Nightsinger, Zera longs for freedom from the woods they hide in. With her heart in a jar under Nightsinger’s control, she serves the witch unquestioningly. Until Nightsinger asks Zera for a prince’s heart in exchange for her own, with one addendum: if she’s discovered infiltrating the court, Nightsinger will destroy Zera’s heart rather than see her tortured by the witch-hating nobles. Crown Prince Lucien d’Malvane hates the royal court as much as it loves him–every tutor too afraid to correct him and every girl jockeying for a place at his darkly handsome side. No one can challenge him–until the arrival of Lady Zera. She’s inelegant, smart-mouthed, carefree, and out for his blood. The prince’s honor has him quickly aiming for her throat. So begins a game of cat and mouse between a girl with nothing to lose and a boy who has it all. Winner takes the loser’s heart. Literally.
Coldfall Wood by Steven Savile:
Steven Savile returns to the world of Glass Town with this gritty new fantasy where reluctant hero Julie Gennaro will combat a forgotten god. Every legend promises the same thing: at the time of the land’s greatest need the heroes shall return. What they don’t mention is that we are the greatest threat our green and pleasant land has ever known. In the legends, saving the land never involves the slaughter of its inhabitants. Legends lie. In a single night six girls who have never met and bear no relation to each other are struck down by a mysterious sickness that leaves them in persistent vegetative state. Across the city an old woman who hasn’t opened her eyes in years finally wakes. Her first words are: The Horned God is Awake. One for one. Josh is about to learn the terrible truth behind these three words seared in the floor of his crazy grandfather’s flat. He is all that stands between our world and the cleansing fire of the once and future king. The question Josh and Julie must answer, how do you kill a god the world has forgotten about?”
Foundryside: A Novel by Robert Jackson Bennett:
Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle. But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic–the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience–have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims. Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them. To have a chance at surviving–and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way–Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.
Street Freaks by Terry Brooks:
It begins with a dire call — right before his father disappears and his skyscraper home’s doors explode inward. Street Freaks is the kind of thrilling futuristic story only Terry Brools can tell. “Go into the Red Zone. Go to Street Freaks.” his father directs Ashton Collins before the vid feed goes suddenly silent. The Red Zone is the dangerous heart of mega-city Los Angeles; it is a world Ash is forbidden from and one he knows little about. But if he can find Street Freaks, the strangest of aid awaits — human and barely human alike. As Ash is hunted, he must unravel the mystery left behind by his father and discover is role in this new world. Brooks has long been the grandmaster of fantsy. Now he turns his hand to science fiction filled with what his readers love best: complex characters, extraordinary settings, exciting action, and a page-turning story.
The Third Hotel: A Novel by Laura van den Berg:
Shortly after Clare arrives in Havana, Cuba, to attend the annual Festival of New Latin American Cinema, she finds her husband Richard standing outside a museum. He’s wearing a white linen suit she’s never seen before, and he’s supposed to be dead. Grief-stricken and baffled, Clare tails Richard, a horror film scholar, through the newly tourist-filled streets of Havana, clocking his every move. As the distinction between reality and fantasy blurs, Clare finds grounding in memories of her childhood in Florida and of her marriage
Have a great week!
Linda, SSCL
Online Catalog Links:
StarCat
The catalog of physical materials, i.e. print books, DVDs, audiobooks on CD etc.
The Digital Catalog (OverDrive)
The catalog of e-books, downloadable audiobooks and a handful of streaming videos.
Freegal Music Service
This music service is free to library card holders and offers the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day:
RBDigital
Digital magazines on demand and for free! Back issues are available and you can even choose to be notified by email when the new issue of your favorite magazine is available.
About Library Apps:
You can access digital library content on PCs, Macs and mobile devices. For mobile devices simply download the OverDrive, Freegal or Zinio app from your app store to get started. If you have questions call the library at: 607-936-3713 and one of our Digital Literacy Specialists will be happy to assist you.
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