FDL Reads: A Girl Called Samson

A Girl Called Samson

By: Amy Harmon

Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Genre: Historical Fiction

Suggested Age: Adult, Teen

What is the book about?   Based on a true story, this novel tells the story of Deborah Samson, a young woman born in 1760 whose family was torn apart by poverty and her father’s abandonment. Through her years of indentured servitude, she gains a new family, the Thomases.  As the years roll by, the American Revolution draws each of the Thomas’ many sons into the fight. Deborah is left behind, feeling unfulfilled in her domestic life, while the war continues.  Deborah, eventually leaves town to enlist in the Continental Army, disguised as a man.  What follows is not only a depiction of what lengths Deborah would need to go to in order to hide her gender, but also how she’d need to come to terms with the brutally of 18th century warfare in early America.  With the backdrop of war, is it possible for her to maintain the charade?  Will she ever see her beloved Thomas brothers again? Will she be discovered? And is it possible that she’ll find love?

 My Review: I thought this book was excellent.  The audiobook version that I listened to was outstanding. The voice actress was very engaging and was able to convey appropriate emotions for the various scenes throughout the book. I was moved to tears more than once.  I’ve heard of women who enlisted disguised as men during the Civil War, but not during the Revolution! This made Deborah’s story much more intriguing…made even more so by being true. She really was a soldier in the Continental Army and was the only woman to be granted an army pension by Congress for service during the American Revolution.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Captivating, Engrossing, Inspiring

Give This a Try if You Like Masquerade: The Life and Times of Deborah Sampson, Continental Soldier by Alfred F. Young, Revolutionary by Alex Myers, Liar Temptress Soldier Spy by Karen Abbott

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

2024-02-21T15:47:25-06:00February 21st, 2024|

FDL Reads: The Collector

The Collector by Daniel Silva

Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, library volunteer

Genre: Thriller

Suggested Age: Adult, high school

What is the book about?: In 1990, thirteen masterpieces were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Among the still missing paintings is The Concert by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. When retired spy Gabriel Allon is asked investigate a murder, it seems that The Concert – arguably one of the world’s most valuable paintings – is somehow involved. Gabriel must use his superior sleuthing and espionage skills to help recover The Concert. Soon Gabriel finds himself drawn into a dangerous plot with repercussions that could affect the entire world – far beyond the theft of an invaluable painting.

My Review: I loved this book! It was truly a thriller, with edge-of-the-seat excitement in the form of espionage and chase scenes. The characters were realistic, multi-dimensional people portrayed with integrity, ruthlessness, sadness, joy, and determination, among many other qualities. The global settings – across numerous countries – add to the book’s interest. I especially enjoyed listening to this exciting tale as an audio book! Whether you read this book or listen to it – check it out. You will enjoy it!

Three Words That Describe This Book: Exciting art spy

Give This a Try if You Like…  Books by John le Carre or other spy thrillers

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

2024-02-19T15:21:26-06:00February 16th, 2024|

Youth Services Highlight: The Takeout

The Takeout by Tracy Badua

Reviewed By: Julie Fonseca, Youth Services Assistant

Genre: Adventure Fantasy (graphic novel)

Suggested Age: Kids (8-12)

Read this if you like: books by Lily Lamotte (Measuring Up), or Tae Keller (Jennifer Chan is Not Alone)

Filipino-American, Mila spends the summer working in her Dad’s food truck in an upscale California beach-front community. When the famous Fad Foodie Brothers come to town with a too-familiar menu, Mila goes undercover to save her family’s business. Unravelling their plot takes place as Mila struggles to find her place amongst her friends and family. As Mila says, “All our stories are different, even if we come from the same place or go to the same schools or share the same ancestors. So why, all this time, have I been struggling to strip away the parts that make me special?.” A fun story with a good message.

Find it at the library!

2024-02-16T09:28:36-06:00February 15th, 2024|

#FDL: Contemporary Romance Authors

In the mood for romance? Try one of these authors who set their novels during modern times. These are character-driven stories that typically focus on the emotional growth of the protagonist who finds a new and exciting relationship, not without its challenges.

Tessa Bailey

Colleen Coble

Alyssa Cole

Jenny Colgan

Sonali Dev

Erin Duffy

Helen Fielding

Dorothea Benton Frank

Julie Garwood

Jasmine Guillory

Ali Hazelwood

Emily Henry

Helen Hoang

Abby Jimenez

#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

 

2024-02-12T15:57:19-06:00February 12th, 2024|

FDL Reads: Katie the Catsitter

Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable

Reviewed By: Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager

Genre: Superhero fantasy (graphic novel)

Suggested Age:  Kids (7-12)

What is This Book About:  Katie desperately wants to join her friends at camp this summer, instead of being left behind to read glittery postcards about it. When her mom considers sending her if she can raise the money to attend, Katie immediately starts on fundraising efforts. Unfortunately, all of her attempts end in funny failures so things are looking bleak until Katie’s mysterious upstairs neighbor hires her to pet sit. Katie thinks she might be a bit out of her league when she discovers that Madeline has 217 cats, and once their owner leaves they go berserk. Katie grows suspicious at the cats’ antics as well as Madeline’s behavior. Why is it that Madeline is always out when super villain Mousetress commits her crimes?

My Review: If you ever wanted to believe that your troublesome pets are actually angels, this is a perfect book. I could read biographies of all 217 rambunctious cats and be entertained for ages. I love that they all get names, personalities, and are able to help out Madeline – I mean, Mousetress – with her heroic efforts. This alternate New York City sets up a really interesting society with Yelp-approved super-heroics. Katie and her friends are easy to relate to also. Despite the fantastic nature of Katie the Catsitter, they have normal problems such as struggles with potentially growing apart and wondering if they’re still as important to each other as they used to be. All in all, this is an energetic superhero story with 218 delightful sidekicks.

Three Words that Describe this Book: upbeat, superheroes, friendship

Give This A Try if You Like…  The Click series by Kayla Miller, Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol, the Bad Guys series by Aaron Blabey, the PAWS series by Nathan Fairbairn, Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd, and Sparks! by Ian Boothby

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

2024-02-12T10:16:50-06:00February 12th, 2024|

FDL Reads: Queenspotting

Queenspotting: Meet the Remarkable Queen Bee and Discover the Drama at the Heart of the Hive by Hilary Kearney

Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager

Genre: Nonfiction

Suggested Age:  Adults

What is This Book About?  Queenspotting is part introductory honey bee biology and part “Where’s Waldo?” as Hilary Kearney introduces the readers to the dynamics of a honey bee colony. The book puts scientific concepts into easy to understand terms and the 48 fold-out visual puzzles offer a fun break and game for both adults and kids!

My Review: I am a 5th Year Beekeeper and this is my favorite book to recommend to both beginner beekeepers and people who are just interested in these fascinating little creatures! I love how Kearney is able to break down concepts that seem complicated (such as the different “castes” or types of bees in the colony or the different types of queen cells that can be present when a beekeeper is looking at frames). The fold out puzzles have practical application for beekeepers since the ability to locate the queen is one of the most important skills to have. The puzzles are also fun to challenge kids (or husbands!) with to see who can find the queen the fastest! This book is not a long read and the information is written in such an engaging way that it’s honestly hard to put down!

Three Words that Describe this Book: Inspiring, Informative, Beautiful

Give this a try if you like… Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas Tallamy; Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments in Nature by Rachel Williams; Storey’s Guide to Keeping Honey Bees

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

2024-01-31T15:23:07-06:00January 31st, 2024|

FDL Reads: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson

Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Adult Services Specialist

Genre: Fantasy

Suggested Age: Teens, Adults

What is this book about? Yumi and the Nightmare Painter is Sanderson’s third secret novel in his Kickstarter-backed Secret Novels project that he started in 2020. Nikaro is a painter on a world where nightmares run wild. Painters are civil servants who are able to “trap” nightmares with paintings. His city, Kilahito, is perpetually dark but powered by cyan and magenta hion lines. It has the feel of a modern-day Tokyo. Yumi is a traveling priestess living in a very different location. She has the power to summon mystical spirits who are able to help her people. One day the two are unexpectedly thrust into each other’s worlds and must adapt to the vastly different ways of life.

My Review: This novel takes place in Sanderson’s Cosmere. There are several references to other novels and a couple characters from a different series show up. Sanderson fans will be delighted! However, newbies to the Cosmere could potentially jump into this book, even though it takes place farther into the timeline, and enjoy it as a stand-alone. Sanderson himself has started to recommend it as a beginning point for those interested in the Cosmere novels. I enjoyed his attempt at writing romance. I knew going into it that it would not be the same type of romance as Fourth Wing or ACOTAR. I loved the characters connection and how they got to know each other. The big reveals at the end were very reminiscent of other Sanderson works, but unique and exciting on their own. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a Japanese/Korean-inspired fantasy with a clean romance story.

Three Words that Describe this Book: Duality, Mystical, Sweet

Give this a try if you like…Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson, This is How You Lose the Time War by
Amal El-Mohtar, The Fragile Threads of Power by Victoria Schwab

Rating: 4/5

Find it at the library!

Streaming audio available on hoopla

FDL Reads

2024-01-28T14:26:39-06:00January 28th, 2024|

Kids’ Book Blurb: Allergic

Youth Services Manager, Alice, read the junior graphic novel Allergic, by Megan Wagner Lloyd. Allergic was also the January selection for our Kids’ Comic Book Club! Here is what Alice had to say:

“This was an awesome book that had been on my TBR list for a long time (and definitely didn’t make me tear up at all). Maggie has a lot of change going on in her life, with a new school, new baby sibling on the way, and a new neighbor. She wanted something all her own, but her hopes for a pet dog and a career as a vet are quickly dashed when they realize she’s allergic to fur and feathers.

Maggie goes through a few disappointments and friendship struggles, and comes out on the other side with stronger relationships with her friends and family, as well as new passions for non-furry animals. The art will strongly appeal to fans of Karla Miller, Raina Telgemeier, and The Baby-Sitter’s Club. Great for upper elementary and junior high kids.”

Joins for Kids’ Comic Book Club in February when we read Drama, by Raina Telgemeier!

2024-01-26T10:46:05-06:00January 26th, 2024|

#FDL: Historical Fiction – January Giveaway

Historical fiction a genre of story-telling where events are set in a real place during a culturally significant time, usually at least 50 years prior to publication.  The details of the story can include a mixture of actual and imagined people and events. Here are four upcoming historical fiction titles.

 

 

 

 

 

Clear by Carys Davies

Expected publication: 04/02/24

Scotland, 1840s

John, an impoverished Scottish minister, has accepted a job evicting the lone remaining occupant of an island north of Scotland—Ivar, who has been living alone for decades, with only the animals and the sea for company. Though his wife, Mary, has serious misgivings about the errand, he decides to go anyway, setting in motion a chain of events that neither he nor Mary could have predicted.

Shortly after John reaches the island, he falls down a cliff and is found, unconscious and badly injured, by Ivar who takes him home and tends to his wounds. The two men do not speak a common language, but as John builds a dictionary of Ivar’s world, they learn to communicate and, as Ivar sees himself for the first time in decades reflected through the eyes of another person, they build a fragile, unusual connection.

Unfolding in the 1840s in the final stages of the infamous Scottish Clearances—which saw whole communities of the rural poor driven off the land in a relentless program of forced evictions—this singular, beautiful, deeply surprising novel explores the differences and connections between us, the way history shapes our deepest convictions, and how the human spirit can survive despite all odds. Moving and unpredictable, sensitive and spellbinding, Clear is a profound and pleasurable read.

 

The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson by Ellen Baker

Expected publication: 02/20/24

American Midwest, early 20th century

In 1924, four-year-old Cecily Larson’s mother reluctantly drops her off at an orphanage in Chicago, promising to be back once she’s made enough money to support both Cecily and herself. But she never returns, and shortly after high-spirited Cecily turns seven, she is sold to a traveling circus to perform as the “little sister” to glamorous bareback rider Isabelle DuMonde. With Isabelle and the rest of the circus, Cecily finally feels she’s found the family she craves. But as the years go by, the cracks in her little world begin to show. And when teenage Cecily meets and falls in love with a young roustabout named Lucky, she finds her life thrown onto an entirely unexpected—and dangerous—course.

In 2015, Cecily is now 94 and living a quiet life in Minnesota, with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandson. But when her family decides to surprise her with an at-home DNA test, the unexpected results not only bring to light the tragic love story that Cecily has kept hidden for decades but also throw into question everything about the family she’s raised and claimed as her own for nearly seventy years. Cecily and everyone in her life must now decide who they really are and what family—and forgiveness—really mean.

Sweeping through a long period of contemporary history, The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson is an immersive, compelling, and entertaining family drama centered around one remarkable woman and her determination to survive.

 

The Things We Didn’t Know by Elba Iris Pérez

Expected publications: 02/06/24

Massachusetts & Puerto Rico, 1950s

Andrea Rodríguez is nine years old when her mother whisks her and her brother, Pablo, away from Woronoco, the tiny Massachusetts factory town that is the only home they’ve known. With no plan and no money, she leaves them with family in the mountainside villages of Puerto Rico and promises to return.

Months later, when Andrea and Pablo are brought back to Massachusetts, they find their hometown significantly changed. As they navigate the rifts between their family’s values and all-American culture and face the harsh realities of growing up, they must embrace both the triumphs and heartache that mark the journey to adulthood.

A heartfelt, evocative portrait of another side of life in 1950s America, The Things We Didn’t Know establishes Elba Iris Pérez as a sensational new literary voice.

 

The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel by ReShonda Tate

Expected publication: 01/30/24

Los Angeles, 1940s

It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone With the Wind was going to be life-changing.
Or so she thought.

Months after winning the award, not only did the Oscar curse set in where Hattie couldn’t find work, but she found herself thrust in the middle of two worlds—Black and White—and not being welcomed in either. Whites only saw her as Mammy and Blacks detested the demeaning portrayal.

As the NAACP waged an all-out war against Hattie and actors like her, the emotionally conflicted actor found herself struggling daily. Through it all, Hattie continued her fight to pave a path for other Negro actors, while focusing on war efforts, fighting housing discrimination, and navigating four failed marriages. Luckily, she had a core group of friends to help her out—from Clark Gable to Louise Beavers to Ruby Berkley Goodwin and Dorothy Dandridge.

The Queen of Sugar Hill brings to life the powerful story of one woman who was driven by many passions—ambition, love, sex, family, friendship, and equality. In re-creating Hattie’s story, ReShonda Tate delivers an unforgettable novel of resilience, dedication, and determination—about what it takes to achieve your dreams—even when everything—and everyone—is against you.

 

Annotations from the publishers

 

Post by Melissa Friedlund, Adult Services Specialist

 

Giveaway

Enter your name here for a chance to win ARCs of the books mentioned in this post. One entry per person. Drawing to be held approximately 7 days after this post.

ARCs are “advanced reading copies.” These are free copies of a new books given by a publisher to librarians and other reviewers before the book is printed for mass distribution.

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria.

2024-01-25T15:31:02-06:00January 25th, 2024|

Animals in Winter

How do animals survive in winter?

Winter is here and it’s snowy and cold!!! You put on your hat, scarf, coat, and boots to keep warm outside. What do animals do in the winter? Do they hibernate, migrate or adapt? Are they active or inactive? Check out some of the books Fondulac District Library has on Animals in Winter!!!

Non-fiction

Animals in Winter

What Do Animals Do in Winter?: How Animals Survive the Cold

Hello, Winter!

Over and Under the Snow

Picture Books

Baby Bear Counts One

Under the Snow

Kitten’s Winter

In the Small, Small Pond

hoopla eBooks

Animals in Winter

Where Do Worms Go in Winter?

All About Animals in Winter

What Do Animals Do in Winter?

by Kris Tyler, Youth Services Specialist

2024-01-19T10:33:57-06:00January 21st, 2024|
Go to Top