Staff Recommendations
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Star struck
by McCown, Marjorie
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibrarySeptember 3, 2024
Call Number: M
When readers left Joey Jessup at the end of Marjorie McCown’s Final Cut, she had discovered the identity of the murderer who had killed Assistant Director Courtney Lisle on the set of a big budget superhero movie. She had survived an attempt on her own life when the murderer had set ablaze Left Coast Costume, destroying the iconic Hollywood business, and was lying low for a while doing her best to recover from the trauma.
Now Joey is back at work on a glamorous period piece that will recreate Hollywood’s “golden age” for an upcoming feature film. But... Read Full Review
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You are here : a novel
by Nicholls, David, 1966-
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionAugust 27, 2024
True-to-life love stories are a challenge to write because, as anyone who has been in a relationship knows, real life experiences have no predictable beginnings with neatly tied up endings. The opposite of that is what makes romance and rom-com novels so appealing, and they certainly have a place in our reading experiences. David Nicholls has met the challenge with this love story that uniquely has elements of comedy, tragedy, and some life-changing experiences for the two protagonists, older adults Marnie (38) and Michael (42). Each of them has experienced joys, sorrows and... Read Full Review
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Sand rush : the revival of the beach in twentieth-century Los Angeles
by Devienne, Elsa
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionAugust 19, 2024
Call Number: 979.494 D492
As the 2024 Olympics in Paris ended, and the torch and flag were handed over to Mayor Karen Bass for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, I find it delightfully serendipitous to have read this book (a PhD dissertation, originally in French and now in English, about the beaches of Los Angeles) by Dr. Elsa Devienne. Talk about hands across the water!
Having grown up along southern California’s coastline with its wonderful beaches I never thought about the wide swaths of sand, except during the summer when it was always a trek across all that hot... Read Full Review
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Waiting for the monsoon
by Nordland, Rod
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionAugust 6, 2024
Call Number: 071.092 N8315
Rod Nordland was one tough, determined and well respected war correspondent, who had been in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones, where there was not too much that could scare him and from which he emerged relatively unscathed. On July 5, 2019, one particular event would definitely be life-threatening. June 2019, he was in New Delhi, India because, “The Indian summer has always fascinated me, and I was in New Delhi, experiencing its climatic extremes firsthand.” It is a time when the population is waiting for the monsoon rains to cool things off because, “Heat builds to... Read Full Review
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The Dead Cat Tail Assassins
by Clark, P. Djèlí
Reviewed by: Daryl M., Librarian, West Valley Regional Branch LibraryJuly 30, 2024
Eveen is a professional killer. The emphasis on that statement should be placed on "professional." She is a reanimated killer, wiped of her memories and in service to the Matron of Assassins that made her second chance at "life" possible. She is efficient, discreet, and willing to dispatch (the term she prefers is "shipped") to whoever is contracted. She follows the three unbreakable tenets of her profession:
The contract must be just. The only person that she can kill is the contracted. There can be NO collateral damage. Once you accept an assignment, it must be carried out.To... Read Full Review
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In utero
by Gooch, Chris
Reviewed by: Andrea Borchert, Librarian, Koreatown Media LabJuly 24, 2024
Call Number: 740.9999 G645-3
Chris Gooch, notable Australian graphic novelist, presents us with a coming-of-age-sci-fi-graphic horror novel. Precocious tween Hailey is none too happy when her mother drops her off at a shabby holiday child care location--a neglected mall. It is a really creepy derelict place, but Hailey is not to be deterred, especially when she meets Jen who will lead her into some of the more harrowing places in the complex. They soon discover otherworldly creatures that might be a threat to humanity, but it is their growing friendship that gets them through it all.
... Read Full Review
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Miss Morgan's book brigade : a novel
by Skeslien Charles, Janet
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionJuly 16, 2024
The novel’s plot is recounted in alternating chapters, told from the perspectives of two librarians, in two different eras: Jessie Carson during World War I and Wendy Peterson during the late 1980s. Each of them has a connection to the New York Public Library, and to the work of a remarkable woman, from whom little was expected.
During the Gilded Age, Anne Morgan, daughter of J. P. Morgan, banker and financier, led a very privileged life. However, she was aware of other people's lives and became a staunch crusader for better working conditions and benefits... Read Full Review
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On the isle of Antioch
by Maalouf, Amin
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionJuly 9, 2024
The novel is divided into four chapters: First notebook: Fog; Second notebook: Patches of Sunlight; Third notebook: Moorings; Fourth notebook: Disappearance. It covers one month, beginning on November 9th and ending on December 9th, with no year specified, but is definitely in the present.
Graphic artist Alexandre, aka Alec, has chosen to live alone and work on the island of Antioch, somewhere off the French Atlantic coast. He depends on having consistent electricity for the internet, cell phone service and radio... Read Full Review
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Some desperate glory
by Tesh, Emily
Reviewed by: Andrea Borchert, Librarian, Koreatown Media LabJuly 1, 2024
Call Number: SF
Some Desperate Glory is the story of a young woman, Kyr, who grew up in a military cult, located in space, and bent all of her will, energy, and focus towards succeeding in that environment, even if success made her a terrible person. But Kyr didn’t realize, until it was too late, that she was never meant to succeed.
It’s only when she’s forced to flee the only home she’s ever known that Kyr, the best student in her class, gains enough perspective to start asking questions about her life. Questions like “If the head of Gaea Station is a hero, why... Read Full Review
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Shakespeare : the man who pays the rent
by Dench, Judi, 1934-
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionJune 26, 2024
Call Number: 822.092 D391-3
Actor Dame Judi Dench has portrayed many characters (in comedies and in tragedies) in different formats (stage, screen, TV, sound recordings); in the James Bond franchise she was featured in the role of M (the first female to do so), whose character gave it all for Queen and country, and then got bumped off; she has been parodied for being Dame Judi by comedian Tracey Ullman--some videos can easily be found on YouTube and are a hoot; she is known as ... Read Full Review
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The measure : a novel
by Erlick, Nikki
Reviewed by: Janice Batzdorff, LibrarianJune 17, 2024
If you could find out how long you’re going to live, would you want to have that information? If you know that you’ll die in fourteen years, would you still marry or have children? Would you tell your parents?
What if the person you’re dating snoops and breaks up with you upon discovering that your time is short? What if your employer requires that you disclose your life expectancy... Read Full Review
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Bits and pieces : my mother, my brother, and me
by Goldberg, Whoopi, 1955-
Reviewed by: Sheryn Morris, Librarian, Literature & FictionJune 10, 2024
Call Number: 812.092 G618
For all her candor, no-holds-barred way of expressing herself, we may think we know all there is to know about Whoopi Goldberg. How wrong could all of us be, as you will discover in this autobiographical memoir. This remembrance is primarily about Whoopi's immediate family (her mother Emma Johnson and her brother Clyde Johnson), and all they meant to each other. It is an homage, a paen, especially to her mother, definitely in charge of Whoopi and brother Clyde. She led by example, not putting up with any nonsense, and doing all of it with an abundance of love, kindness, wisdom... Read Full Review