FDL Reads: Never Lie
Never Lie by Freida McFadden
Reviewed By: Susie Rivera, Adult Services Specialist
Genre: Fiction
Suggested age: Adults
What is this book about? Ethan and Tricia are looking to buy their first home. They get an opportunity to view a mansion, the former home of a psychiatrist who went missing several months before. A terrible blizzard traps them inside with no way of leaving soon. Dr. Hale’s possessions are still there, including hidden audio tapes from patient sessions. When Tricia finds them, she can’t stop from listening. Slowly but surely, the clues about Dr. Hale’s disappearance are revealed along with many other sinister secrets.
My review: This book is a faced-paced psychological thriller that is a bit reminiscent of classic gothic novels. There is a giant, old mansion where you know something evil has happened. Mysteries not only surround the disappearance of Dr. Hale, but something seems off about one of the main characters as well. There are many red herrings that seem very obvious, but the twists and the end are clever, though looking back some POVs don’t seem to totally add up. This is a quick, tightly wound novel that will keep you turning pages until the end!
Three words that describe this book: Suspenseful, fast-paced, psychological
Give this a try if you like: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, The Guest List by Lucy Foley, The Co-Worker by Freida McFadden
Rating: 4/5
National Library Week!
Hey library lovers, it’s that time of year again—National Library Week! We need your help spreading some library love by sharing what you appreciate most about the services and resources that Fondulac Library provides.
Do you love getting lost in the stories of the library’s summer reading program, storytime, or book club? When you walk through the library’s doors, are you looking for a quiet nook to study, or a favorite librarian to help you with reference services? What’s your favorite thing to check out—books, movies, cake pans, seeds? Do you attend programs to enrich your mind, meet local authors, or find support from your community?
We want to know how YOU library!
Participating is easy:
Snap a pic or shoot a video showcasing your favorite thing about Fondulac Library!
Post to Instagram or on the I Love Libraries Facebook page with the hashtag #HowILibrary.
And don’t forget to tag #FondulacLibrary to let us know how much we’re are appreciated!
What’s in it for you?
In addition to the gratification of supporting libraries, there’s also a chance to win great prizes.
- Grand Prize (1 winner): A VISA gift card ($150.00 USD value) and choice of one ALA Graphics poster.
- Second Prize (3 winners): Choice of one ALA Graphics poster.
So, let’s see those book stacks, favorite reading spots, and all the adventures that the library take you on!
The promotion starts Sunday, April 7, at noon CT and ends Friday, April 12, at noon CT.
Join the #HowILibrary movement, and let’s make this the best National Library Week ever!
Chinese Culture and Language
The Youth Services department is offering a weekend course in Chinese culture and language for tweens and teens! Learn about Chinese culture and language with Mengmeng, teacher and principal of the Peoria Chinese Language School. She starts each class by reading popular Chinese storybooks, then students learn Chinese games and crafts, and try authentic Chinese food.
A study by Drexel University School of Education determined multiple reasons why multicultural education is valuable for young people. Students become more empathetic and open-minded. Young people who learn about different cultures feel more comfortable and safe with differences later in life. This allows them to interact in a wider range of social groups and feel more confident in themselves as well as in their interactions with others.
We hosted the first course in March, the topic being the Chinese Spring Festival. Participants heard stories about the history of the festival, and learned about lucky and unlucky numbers in the Chinese culture. They rounded out the program by making Chinese lanterns AND got to try sticky dumplings with sesame paste!
The next class is Saturday, April 6. The topic is basic Chinese characters. Students will learn four ways of forming the characters by practicing calligraphy, then carve a rubber stamp to take home with their names in Chinese. The featured food is wontons!
The third course on May 4 will introduce conversational Chinese dialogue. Participants do not need to have attended all of the classes. Chinese Culture and Language is open to ages 13-19. Students can be registered online for the April 6 class here: https://fondulac.librarycalendar.com/event/chinese-culture-language-353 .
Follow this link to register for the May course: https://fondulac.librarycalendar.com/event/chinese-culture-language-365
#FDL: Mystery Thrillers – March Giveaway!
Mystery Thrillers – March Giveaway
If you crave fast-paced action laced with riddles and danger, these upcoming titles are for you.
The Memory Bank by Brian Shea & Raquel ByrnesMarcie R. Rendon
Expected publication: 03/19/24
When a series of high-profile deaths is linked to a lethal conspiracy, Detective Morgan Reed must risk everything to uncover the truth. Technology pioneer Dr. Gerard Price is at the height of his scientific career. After years of research in the field of memory augmentation, he’s just made a world-changing breakthrough. But his life’s work is mysteriously cut short by a fatal overdose in a seedy motel. All evidence points to a suicide, and the case is closed…until Detective Morgan Reed begins working a series of similarly strange deaths.
As Reed joins forces with Detective Natalie De La Cruz to expose the lies and corporate treachery at the heart of the suicides, they discover a shocking plot that will put thousands of lives at risk. In a world where cutting-edge technology meets dirty money, Reed and De La Cruz must navigate the labyrinths of an impenetrable network to save countless innocents from certain death…as their own lives hang in the balance. Former detective and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author Brian Shea teams up with Raquel Byrnes for this explosive techno-thriller that will keep you up all night—perfect for fans of Michael Crichton and David Baldacci.
The North Line by Matt Riordan
Expected Publication: 04/02/24
In Matt Riordan’s debut novel, a college student in need of quick money finds work on an Alaskan fishing boat in the unforgiving Bering Sea. Even at the ragged edge of civilization, some lines should not be crossed. Riordan pairs personal experiences with a master storyteller’s eye in a piercing examination of the quest for identity in the face of tempests within and without.
Everyone believes Adam to be something he’s not. Sometimes that’s because he’s told them a story. Sometimes he’s told himself one. But when Adam joins an Alaskan fishing crew that’s promising quick money, the dangerous work and harsh lifestyle strip away all fabrications and force a dark-hearted exploration of who he really is.
On the unforgiving Bering Sea, Adam finds the adventure and authenticity of a fisherman’s life revelatory. The labor required to seize bounty from the ocean invigorates him, and the often crude comradery accompanies a welcome, hard-earned wisdom. But when a strike threatens the entire season and violence stalks the waves, Adam is thrust into a struggle for survival at the edge of the world, where evolutionary and social forces collide for outcomes beyond anyone’s control.
The General’s Gold by LynDee Walker & Bruce Robert Coffin
Expected publication: 04/16/24
A treasure so priceless, it’s worth killing for… When Mark Hawkins is found dead in a seedy motel, police deem it an accidental overdose. But billionaire computer genius Avery Turner suspects there might be more to the story. Her old friend was on the trail of the legendary General’s Gold, and now Avery is determined to pick up where he left off… Teaming up with Carter Mosley, a deep-sea shipwreck diver and adrenaline junkie turned social media sensation, Avery embarks on a dangerous quest for the treasure—and the truth.
From Florida to Maine, and from the mountains of Virginia to the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, they face treacherous gangs, man-eating sharks, and a world of deception and double-crosses. As they navigate hidden clues and uncertain allies, Avery and Carter must outwit their deadly adversaries and unravel the mystery surrounding the General’s Gold. But in this high-stakes game, losing the treasure could cost them their lives. Unearth the year’s most exhilarating treasure-hunting thriller. Join bestselling authors LynDee Walker and Bruce Robert Coffin in a pulse-pounding action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you love the action of Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt series and the intrigue of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, dive into The General’s Gold today!
The Deepest Lake by Andromeda Romano-Lax
Expected publication: 05/07/24
In this atmospheric thriller set at a luxury memoir-writing workshop on the shores of Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, a grieving mother goes undercover to investigate her daughter’s mysterious death.
Rose, the mother of 20-something aspiring writer Jules, has waited three months for answers about her daughter’s death. Why was she swimming alone when she feared the water? Why did she stop texting days before she was last seen? When the official investigation rules the death an accidental drowning, the body possibly lost forever in Central America’s deepest lake, an unsatisfied Rose travels to the memoir workshop herself. She hopes to draw her own conclusion—and find closure.
When Rose arrives, she is swept into the curious world created by her daughter’s literary hero, the famous writing teacher Eva Marshall, a charismatic woman known for her candid—and controversial—memoirs. As Rose uncovers details about the days leading up to Jules’s disappearance, she begins to suspect that this glamorous retreat package is hiding ugly truths. Is Lake Atitlan a place where traumatized women come to heal or a place where deeper injury is inflicted?
Perfect for fans of Delia Owens, Celeste Ng, and Julia Bartz, The Deepest Lake is both a sharp look at the sometimes toxic, exclusionary world of high-class writing workshops and an achingly poignant view of a mother’s grief.
-Annotations from the publishers
–Post by Melissa Friedlund, Reference 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.
FDL Reads: Butterfly Yellow
Title: Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai
Reviewer: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Young Adult Literature
What is this book about? It’s 1981 and Hang, an eighteen-year-old Vietnamese refugee who just arrived at her Uncle’s house after living in a camp in the Philippines, is on a bus heading to Amarillo, Texas with the help of her cousin En Di, hoping to find her younger brother who was taken to America in 1975 during Operation Babylift. She is heading to Amarillo because she was given a slip of paper from an American volunteer with an Amarillo address on it when her brother was taken from her and put on a plane. Hang gets sick while on the bus so the driver pulls over and leaves her alone at a rest stop. She approaches an elderly couple for help and shows them a card that En Di made which says, “I come from Vietnam to rescue my brother.” The couple then encourages an eighteen-year-old aspiring cowboy named LeeRoy whom they meet to drive her to Amarillo, and as fate would have it, he does. Unfortunately, the address in Amarillo is a dilapidated church with no sign of Hang’s brother living there. Fortunately, Hang and LeeRoy meet Mrs. Brown who lives next door who remembers a young Vietnamese boy who was adopted and taken to Los Cedros Ranch in Canyon, Texas. Hang sketches a picture of her brother, Linh, and Mrs. Brown recognizes him, but refers to him as David. Hang and LeeRoy head to the Los Cedros Ranch. When they arrive it is clear that Linh does not remember his sister and Linh’s adoptive mother, Cora, is troubled that they are there. Cora feels threatened by Hang’s presence, and to complicate matters, Hang and Linh’s uncle who lives in Texas shows up at the ranch and pressures Hang to testify in front of a judge that Linh was kidnapped and therefore cannot be legally adopted by Cora. But Hang knows better. She has been keeping a secret for six years. Linh was not kidnapped. He was taken by the Americans as an orphan when she attempted to escape Vietnam by plane with him in 1975. Hence, Cora can legally adopt him.
LeeRoy and Hang get hired by Mr. Morgan, Cora’s neighbor, to work on his ranch for the summer. David, or Linh, cares for his horse at the stable and also helps out at the ranch. Cora has made it clear to Hang that she is not to spend any time with her son. Though she is not to go near him, she is grateful that she can see him even from a distance. When she has the chance to talk with him, he ignores her. She feels as though he does not remember her, their family, or Vietnam. She writes 184 stories about Vietnam as best she can in English and sketches pictures of fruit in hopes her brother will remember or recognize something from his past. The climax of the book occurs near the end when LeeRoy, Hang, and David go to the fair where they ride a Ferris Wheel. While at the top, a yellow butterfly lands on David, and Hang begins to sing in Vietnamese a song about a yellow butterfly that she used to sing to her brother when he was little. Surprisingly, David begins to sing along with his sister in Vietnamese. After six long years of missing her little brother while he was in the United States and she was in Vietnam, Hang’s dream of reconnecting with him has finally come true as symbolized by the yellow butterfly which signifies hope in Vietnamese culture.
My Review: Butterfly Yellow is a complex book to read. First, the story takes place in both Vietnam and the United States during two different time periods. Second, there are two main characters, LeeRoy and Hang, who have specific life goals that intertwine with each other. Third, Hang tries to speak in English, but with Vietnamese pronunciation, which makes her dialogue very difficult to understand.
While reading this book, I learned about the struggles of Vietnamese families at the end of the war and about the Vietnamese refugees who came to the United States to relocate. I also learned about Vietnamese customs, language, and culture. Overall, the story was very intriguing. I highly recommend reading this book.
Rating: 5/5
Three Words that Describe this Book: historical, traumatic, hopeful
Give this a try if you like: Inside Out and Back Again; When Clouds Touch Us; Listen, Slowly (all by Thanhha Lai)
We’re Hiring!
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