The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey

The Girl with all the Gifts by M. R. Carey

The Girl with all the Gifts  by M. R. Carey

This book was wonderfully terrifying! 

Melanie is a very smart little girl who goes to school and tries very hard to impress her teacher.  She loves listening to the books that her favorite teacher, Miss Justineau reads to her class.  Books about the Greek myths, Winnie-the-Pooh, and history.  Melanie is incredibly smart and can memorize all sorts of facts about math, geography and populations.  We learn as the book progresses that the world Melanie learns about in her classes is not the world found outside.  

Melanie is not like other little girls.  Melanie doesn't know this.  

Melanie and her classmates live on a military base with soldiers, researchers, and scientists.  The children are all kept locked in their cells at night and strapped in to wheelchairs during the day.  We learn very quickly through Melanie's descriptions of her daily life that she is not a normal child.  She has guns drawn on her, takes chemical showers, and is fed only once a week. 

There is no touching.

As the book progresses, we learn how the world fell apart.  How humanity has tried to hold on and rebuild.  Dr. Caroline Caldwell, head scientist on the base, believes that Melanie and her classmates are the key to humanity's future.  It is only when Melanie is brought to Dr. Caldwell to assist in an experiment that we learn how low humanity has fallen.  

While Melanie is strapped to an exam table, the base is attacked by hungaries.  These hungaries were once human and are now just a vehicle for a mysterious and deadly fungal infection that has destroyed the human race.  With the help of Miss Justineau and two soldiers, the surviving members of the base embark on a journey to find safety.  

Any more and I'll spoil the book.  This was an intense and amazing read.  The audio book version that I listened to was narrated by Finty Williams.  I firmly believe that a narrator can make or break an audio book. I have DNF'd many audio books because the narration was horrible. Williams' performance was incredible.  Listening to her polished, British accented voice describe human dissection was chilling.  

The Boy on the Bridge  is book #2 in the Hungary Plague Series.  

The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Orkorafor

The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Orkorafor 

The Night Masquerade is the third book in the Biniti trilogy.  I don't want to think about it being the last book in this series, I'm hoping that there will be more.  I also understand that trilogies only have three books.  

I'm in book denial.

Also, spoilers ahead.

Binti is a young woman from earth and the first of her tribe to leave the planet and attend the Intergalactic school called Oomza Uni.  The first two books in the series describe her incredible and harrowing journey to the university and her first year at school.  Book three puts Binti back on earth and on a mission to end the violence between the Khoush and the Meduse.

The Night Masquerade opens with Binti trying to reach her family after experiencing their deaths in a terrifying nightmare.  She makes this journey with Mwinyi, a young man from her father's tribe who is helping her after she has her zinariya abilities unlocked.  I am not going to pretend to understand everything that she experienced.  Needless to say, it was intense and life changing.  Along their journey, Binti is faced with her new abilities, visions of the Night Masquerade,  a war between two enemies, and the loss of her family.  

Did I mention she's only 17?

Orkorafor's writing is magical.  You can feel the sand beneath your feet as Binti is traveling through the desert.  You can smell her otjize as she applies it to her skin.  I really want to travel in one of those space shrimps.  It sounds amazing-traveling through space in a living creature who has plants growing inside of her.  

One thing that I love about this series is Binti always knows who she is.  She truly believes in her abilities and doesn't back down or let others shake her confidence.  She is proud of her math abilities and the skill of her family members.  Her family is well respected because of their skill in creating the best astrolabes-small devices that individuals wear.  They are not seen as lower class because they work with their hands.  

Towards the end of the book, an event occurs with Biniti that took all my willpower to not read the last few pages to see how it all ended.  And I mean all my willpower.  

HiLo 1 & 2 by Judd Winick

Guest Post by The Kid

This book series is a good series for young readers and some adults too.  It's a bout a kid that came from outer space.  A boy named D.J. discovers HiLo in a crater.  The two kids become best friends and fight Razorwark, an alien who ruins galaxies and destroys worlds.  

There is a cat named Polly who is from a distant galaxy and part of the Furback Clan.  She is the goofy person of this story.  She talks like Sherlock Holmes and Thor.

There is also a robotic assistant named Beamer who was Rant until HiLo fixed him and made him friendly.  Rants are evil robots that Razorwark sent to Earth.  

Gina is D.J.'s best friend and lives in D.J.'s neighborhood.  She is the problem solver of the group and keeps the boys from doing stupid stuff.    

These books are very funny and weird.  Weird in a good way.  

If I had known that starting a book blog would get The Kid to talk to me about books, I would have started this years ago!  I didn't anticipate how much fun he would have discussing the book and being in charge of the pictures.  M

A Study in Scarlet Women

Even my rough treatment of this book can't diminish how gorgeous this cover is!

Several months ago, I listened to an interview with Leah and Bea Koch on the Smart Podcast, Trashy Books podcast.  If you haven't listened to this podcast yet, stop what you are doing and go listen.  It's fantastic. 

I'll wait.

Leah and Bea own an independent bookstore in Los Angeles called The Ripped Bodice.  It's on my bucket list to visit but in the meantime, I can order from them online and pretend to give Fitzwilliam Waffles snuggles.  He has an Instagram account-check it out.

While browsing their signed  books section I stumbled across Sherry Thomas' book, A Study in Scarlet Women.  It's a gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes retelling.  I had to have it.  

This book was everything that I was hoping it would be.  Charlotte Holmes has no desire to marry, but instead wants to become the Headmistress of a school and live her life on her own.  As one can imagine, these plans did not sit well with her parents.  Charlotte's plans for independence lead to a family scandal, a string of mysterious murders, and an interesting new friendship.  

I really loved this book.  The characters were so well developed and the story flowed so well that I was able to finish it only two nights.  At one point, I had to stop and pick up something else just so I wouldn't have to end the book so soon.  Book 2 in this series, A Conspiracy in Belgravia,  is available now.    

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince has the most gorgeous cover!

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

When Jude was only seven years old, she witnessed the brutal murder of her parents.  It is only after this that she learns her older sister is not human and that the world of Faeries exists.  

This books was so good.  Finish in one sitting good.  

There was a time where the very words "Young Adult" meant a book was an automatic no.  Then, I became a Librarian.  I have since learned the error of my ways and Young Adult is fun.  It's even more fun when you mix magic, faeries, tough young women, and teenage hormones.  

Jude is strong and intelligent.  Faeries are spoiled and look down on humans.  Jude's journey through the royal court and the intricacies of behavior and expectations was both a coming of age story and one of determination to leave oppression.   

I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see what Holly Black comes up with next.

The Book of Unknown Americans

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez was part of the 2017 Illinois Reads event.  It was on my list to read before the November event...and it just now made it to the top of the pile. 

I wish I had read this sooner.  

This book follows the lives of families who came to the United States to create a better future for themselves.  We meet Alma and Arturo.  Parents of a daughter who suffers a traumatic brain injury as a teenager and needs specialized schooling.  We also meet Mayor, a young man who sees beyond Maribel's struggles to the amazing person beneath.  There stories are interwoven with the other families who live in the same apartment complex.  The book takes you through many facets of their lives, each family struggling with everyday problems that makes their story as relatable as the next.  

Grab tissues for the ending.  You'll need them.  

Blackberry oatmeal

My Fat Farm is a small operation.  I have two dozen chickens and a dozen or so ducks.  Since we are small, our feed is bought in 50lb bags that the nice young men at our local farm supply store try to put in my cart for me.  They don't then carry it to the car, load it, drive it home, unload it, and dump it in to my bins.  So no, they don't put it in my cart.  

More times than not, I forget to buy feed.  This is only stressful for me.  The critters don't mind at all.  My forgetfulness means they get a hot breakfast of blackberry oatmeal.  

Spoiled.  Maybe. 

A little bit about Chick Picks

It's not chick lit.  I just like farm puns.  I also happen to be a Children's Librarian.  This amazing dream job gives me access to all of the very best children's literature.  In the past three years, I have had the joy of discovering some really great children's books and I will be sharing some of my finds here.  

Weekly Reads

One of the perks of being the Librarian is having access to titles on their publishing date.  Holly Black's newest title, The Cruel Prince, has been getting A LOT of buzz and I could not wait for this to come out.  One of the downsides of being the Librarian is sometimes that book that you've been waiting months for is already hold for a Patron and you have to be nice and let them have it first.