What I've Been Reading

I've been reading a lot recently, but I haven't had time to write full book reviews for the blog. So, here are three suggestions for you in one post! Click on the book covers to see which libraries own them.

Absolutely Maybe by Lisa Yee
When her alcoholic former-beauty-queen mother plans yet another inappropriate marriage, sixteen-year-old Maybelline "Maybe" Chestnut runs away to California to find her biological father and some happiness. The ineptitude of the mother (and her charm school) made me laugh, and the taco truck where Maybe finds work made me seriously hungry. This book has some heavy topics, but is actually a light read and great for summer or vacation.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This atmospheric read won Gaiman the Newbery Award this year. It is the episodic tale of Nobody Owens, a.k.a. Bod, a child who escapes the gruesome murder of his family and is taken in to be raised by the residents of a graveyard. The episodic style of the story makes it easy to read in short sittings, yet the mysterious premise makes it very engaging. Gaiman had better be working on a sequel because there is a lot more I want to know about Bod!

Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris
I usually don't read mysteries, but this book captured me from the start with its inside look at Saudi Arabian families and culture. The mystery focuses on a 16-year-old daughter in a wealthy family, Nouf ash-Shrawi, who is found dead in the desert just days before her marriage. A private investigator takes the case, and his research explores the diversity of Saudi society as much as it explores the circumstances of her death. I have already gotten several other library staff members to read this book, and I also think high school students would enjoy it.

Book Review: Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Click on the book cover to see which libraries own it.

SUMMARY: Richard Mayhew, learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. He ceases to exist in the ordinary world of London Above, and joins a quest through the dark and dangerous London Below, a shadow city of lost and forgotten people, places, and times. His companions are Door, who is trying to find out who hired the assassins who murdered her family and why; the Marquis of Carabas, a trickster who trades services for very big favors; and Hunter, a mysterious lady who guards bodies and hunts only the biggest game. London Below is a wonderfully realized shadow world, and the story plunges through it like an express passing local stations, with plenty of action and a satisfying conclusion. (from the Amazon.com review)

OPINION: This was Book Grub's selection for our September meeting, recommended by Kara. And it was amazing! Everyone knows London's famous tube slogan "Mind the Gap," but Neil Gaiman infuses it with an entirely new meaning. After helping the mysterious Door, Richard Mayhew slips through a gap in space and time, entering the impossible underground world of London Below. Suddenly, what were just stops on a subway map become matters of life and death for Richard and Door. In London Below, Blackfriars Bridge houses combative friars and Islington is not just a borough, but an angel. It is really cool how Gaiman twists the real and the familiar into a strange, dark fantasy world. This book combines elements of Alice in Wonderland, legends, urban fantasy, Victoriana, and adventure into a cohesive whole that will keep you guessing until the very end.

WEBSITE: Just for fun, here's the official website of the London underground.

IF YOU LIKED NEVERWHERE: I made a list! Here are a few titles, and ask me for more.

• Valiant (and other books) by Holly Black
• Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
• Stardust by Neil Gaiman
• Mortal Engines (and sequels) by Philip Reeve
• Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? (and sequels) by Eleanor Updale
• The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray (and other books) by Chris Wooding