Winter Blues

Hi all,

It's that time of year where the wind blows cold and the world loses most of it's color. One thing's for sure, though - winter is a great time to curl up with in a warm, cozy chair and immerse oneself in a good book. When I glanced at my giant stack of books to read, I noticed a bit of a pattern - and perhaps you've experienced this at one point in your life as well: most of the books in my stack were of a specific color palette.

They're all blue! So I thought I'd share my next month's (blue) reading shelf with you.

The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

I was so excited to hear that Levine was writing another book in the world of The Two Princesses of Bamarre, one of my all time favorite books from her. This book, a bit of a prequel, to the Two Princesses book, is about Peregrine, a Bamarre who was raised to believe she was Latki. The two races have been at war for years. Peregrine's world is turned upside-down when a fairy, Halina, challenges her to free her Bamarre people from the oppression of the Latki, knowing full-well that Perry must turn against the people she has known as family her whole life.

I have only read a few chapters so far, but I absolutely love Levine's world-building. There's always such a good balance between telling and showing, letting the reader feel immersed in the world without getting too lost in the fantasy. There's a subtle Rapunzel retelling to this story, something that Levine is such a master of - fairy-tale retelling never feels stale or overdone with her writing style. She makes the story more her own, while keeping certain important factors that allow the reader to recognize the origins of the story. It keeps things fresh and less predictable. I can't wait to finish the book!

American Wolf by Nate Blakeslee

I love nonfiction books, but it's tough finding ones that are right for me - and by that, I mean books that read easily and are on a subject that interest me. Often, I can find one or the other, but it's hard find a book that hits both marks. This book, however, does, and I was so happy when I discovered it. I love books about nature and wildlife, and this book sounded so fascinating to me - the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone after they had been eliminated in the 1920s. This book uses the notes of several "wolf watchers" who live/work in the area around Yellowstone National Park.

The book follows several wolf packs, as well as the changing bureaucracy surrounding wolf-hunting at the time of the reintroduction and years after. I'm almost done with the book, and I have to say, it's a wonderful read. I love reading about the politics surrounding the reintroduction - to me, bringing the wolves back to Yellowstone is terrific - but this book does a good job of showing how many viewed this reintroduction as harmful and negative to their way of life (wolves endangering livestock, reducing the number of elk and other animals that are available to hunt, etc). It's a great book for anyone who loves reading about nature or animal life - the writing is animated and moves along steadily. I haven't felt bogged down by details or felt bored at any moment in the narrative - a big win for nonfiction. Give it a look!

Race to the Bottom of the Sea by Lindsay Eager

I read Eager's first book, Hour of the Bees, and fell in love with it. The story was so captivating and enchanting, I couldn't put it down. That's why I'm looking forward to cracking this one open. Instead of a dry, arid desert setting, this time, Eager is taking me to the bottom of the sea with Fidelia Quail, the daughter of two marine scientists, who were killed in a submarine accident. Fidelia feels responsible for this, as the submarine in question was the product of Fidelia's own invention. She soon finds herself kidnapped, however, by Merrick the Monstrous - a pirate (YES!!!) trying to reclaim his treasure, which has been lost to the depths of the sea.

I have to say - Eager has had the best luck with cover art for both her books. I absolutely love the cover of Hour of the Bees and when I saw the cover for Race to the Bottom of the Sea, I fell in love with it. The script is elegant and the color palette is minimalist in the best way. It really matches my aestheitc. I can't wait to read about pirates and treasure and marine life. It sounds like it's going to be an epic adventure.

And for those of you who might be thinking - Sara, this is a book for kids - hold up: I've been working as a Children's Librarian for a while now, and it was only when I started this job that I realized that reading juvenile books as an adult is awesome. Sure, there are times where it's hard to get past the lowered reading level of the writing, but we live in a time, now, where authors are writing quality books for kids that are smart, well-crafted stories, where the writing level doesn't feel low and the story is just as compelling as any "novel" (I put novel in quotes here because sometimes adult books are trying to be so grown up, it feels forced and off-the-wall). That's why I return to juvenile books again and again - the stories are real, fascinating, or sometimes downright chilling, and these are stories that can be felt and experienced no matter what age you are. So pick one up sometime! I might make a post just about juvenile books that make great reads for adults...

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff

I heard about this book while listening to NPR. Morning Edition's book club read Fates and Furies and I caught a portion of it and knew I absolutely had to read the book. It sounded so compelling and mysterious. I later bought myself a copy and it's been sitting on my to-read shelf just waiting for me to pick it up.

It's the story of a marriage, told from two perspectives, husband and wife. You get a full view of this relationship, it's ups and downs, but what I'm interested in is the language of it all. I heard an excerpt from it and it sounded so beautiful and poetic, I knew this would be a novel that I would enjoy reading. Perhaps I won't love the story. Perhaps I might hate it. But what I know I'll love is falling into the language of it - at it's core, a novel is built on the narrative, the language of the author. The writing style can make or break a book, and when an author gets it right - for me, aesthetically, - it's like a slice of heaven. There are a small number of books that do this for me - one of them is A Room with a View by E. M. Forster. I love that book to pieces and half of the reason is because the language is so fantastic. I hope that Fates and Furies turns out to be one of those kinds of books.

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

I'm rounding up this list with They Both Die at the End. I came across this book while reading Booklist magazine. The concept intrigued me - a world where people are contacted on the day they will die so that they can make the most out of their last day alive. Two friends, on their last day, find each other through an app, "Last Friend," that helps people meet up so they can have one last hurrah before they die. What a cool concept! I am very interested to see where this goes. It's a Young Adult novel, so that can me a few things for me: a) it could be cheesy b) it could be surprisingly well-written c) there might be a love triangle and d) what sounds like a cool concept gets totally ruined by the fact that it's written for teenagers.

I have never read anything by Adam Silvera, nor have I heard of any of the books he's written thus far, so I have nothing to go on with this book, other than that the idea of it sounds neat. What I hope to get out of this book is a compelling read produced through good plot, dynamic characters, and a solid ending that doesn't turn out to be predictable or cheesy. I'm excited to see how it goes.

So those are my selections for staving off the winter blues. Hopefully they'll bring me comfort, cheer, and warmth through the coming month. Let me know in the comments if you've read any of these or if you're planning to. I want to know what you think!