August Staff Picks
TRPG Section at TCPL
I’d love to highlight the amazing RPG selection in the YA Non-Fiction collection we have here at TCPL under the Dewey #793.93, especially highlighting the RPG’s that are not Dungeons & Dragons. We’ve got the Alien Role-Playing Game, Heart the City Beneath and Masks: a new generation. Not to mention The World of Darkness, Mage: the Awakening and Changeling: the Lost.
-Judd, Adult Services Department
Bird Rehearsal by Jonah Winter & Stacy Innerst
Get down and get birdy with Bird Rehearsal, a wonderfully, raucous new picture book by Jonah Winter! There’s only Bird spoken (er, sung?) in this book, so set aside any serious thoughts and start tweeting! And c T ooing, and cawing and quacking and, well, you get the idea… Being an avid bird song imitator myself, upon opening I immediately read it (sang it!) out loud, and it made me feel very happy and silly! Award-winning Illustrator Stacy Innerst somehow magically captures the delightfully bustling, yet ethereal world of birds as they greet a day in the city with song. There is wonderful “Who’s Who in the Cast” in the back of the book, which helps to identify and educate readers about the birds depicted in the book! Also available on Libby and Hoopla
-Kelly, Youth Services Department
Gay the Pray Away by Natalie Naudus
I've technically read eight books for which Naudus provides narration and I was delighted to read this author debut, inspired, in part, by her own experiences. With the help of a local library (❤️) and a cute new girl, 17-year-old Valerie steals progressively empowering moments of curiosity and autonomy from within her religious cult surroundings. I appreciate the balance stricken between the grievous details of Valerie's environment with the breaths of freedom she experiences during her deconstruction. I give readers a heads up for emotional and physical abuse experienced and witnessed by the main character. Naudus' narration shines in performing her own written work. Also available on Libby
Favorite Natalie Naudus Narrations:
- Eyes that Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho, Dung Ho (children's audiobook via Libby, also available as Wonderbook at TCPL)
- Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett (adult queer romance audiobook via Libby and Hoopla)
- She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan (adult queer epic fantasy audiobook via Hoopla)
-Shelby, Access Services Department
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall
by Lynn Brunell, illustrated by Jason Chin
I learned so much from this fascinating children’s nonfiction book about the circle of life. It follows the life and death of a 90-year-old blue whale and describes what happens to its body and how it creates an entire ecosystem as it sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor. Also available on Libby
Kindred Spirits: Shilombish Ittibachuffa
by Leslie Stall Widener, illustrated by Johnson Yazzie.
When the Potato Famine came to Ireland the Choctaw People heard about their plight and felt a connection with the Irish. Reminded of their own experience with the Trail of Tears, the Choctaw were moved to help and took up a collection to give aid to the Irish people. When COVID-19 hit and deeply affected the Navajo and Hopi Nations, many Irish citizens, remembering the help that was given to their ancestors, collected money to help. This wonderful story of kinship and kindness was a welcome read! Available at TCPL
I highly recommend this series! Fans of Knives Out will love this murder mystery series. It’s created by Rian Johnson and stars the marvelous Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman with the uncanny ability to spot BS when she sees it. Every episode is its own movie and features gritty performances from some well-loved guest stars. Natasha Lyonne is sharp and funny with a heart of gold. I would watch her do anything! I love how this show tips it hat to Columbo and The Rockford Files, two of my favorite tv shows of the 70s. I’m looking forward to season 2! Available at TCPL
-Effie, Tech Services Department
Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith and Boulet
This kid-centric graphic novel retelling of Beowulf is soaked in summer anarchy and tales of suburban derring-do. Boulet's inky black-and-white illustrations perfectly complement the rich rhythm and pure poetry of Weinersmith's adept adaptation. Full of rich vocabulary that will make kids who re-re-re-read Calvin and Hobbes and happy. This one SINGS! Available at TCPL
-Kat, Youth Services Department
One of the best movies I’ve seen in awhile has been Anatomy of A Fall. It’s a courtroom drama based around the case of a suspicious death from falling, and it’s not a whodunit so much as a look at what it’s like to be on trial. The performances and script are grounded and humane. It absolutely earns its academy award for best original screenplay. Available at TCPL and streaming on Kanopy
I also really enjoyed Rivka Galchen’s middle grade novel Rat Rule 79. I was aware of Galchen through her excellent fiction for adults, so seeing her write for children was intriguing. It fits into the Alice In Wonderland/Phantom Tollbooth genre of children’s story, where a skeptical child protagonist is transported to a world that operates on its own absurd logic. In this case, it’s on the night before her thirteenth birthday, and the title Rat Rule 79 is to not acknowledge the passage of time, or growing up, and definitely not birthdays. The protagonist, a girl named Fred, is enjoyably sharp and insightful, and the absurdities are overall clever enough for parents as well as kids. Also available on Hoopla
-Alex, Access Services Department
Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin
A story about teens being forced to attend a Gay conversion camp in the middle of nowhere in the late 1990s is scary enough. Finding out the conversion doesn't just "cure" them but changes them altogether makes it somehow even more terrifying. Gretchen Felker-Martin has written the kind of book you can't put down, but when you do you'll want to keep the lights on. Also available on Libby
-Woody, Youth Services Department
Posted by Woody on August 02, 2024
Last Modified December 21, 2024