Books for Adults
Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V. E. Schwab
In 1700s France, a woman was expected to marry who her parents picked for her, but Addie wanted her own life. She made a deal with the devil, gaining independence and immortality in exchange for her soul. She didn’t pay attention to the details of their contract, and missed a big one: nobody will remember her. She meets ‘her devil’ almost every year, as he appears to ask if she’s ready to quit life, or maybe ready to join him. How long can she value a life like this? It is fascinating to find out, and I enjoyed the mind games she played with the devil, and the ways she survived and made living meaningful. Philosophy and fantasy go together so well.
A Promised Land, Barack Obama
I remember shouting and dancing with joy the night Obama was elected. This memoir, like that night, restores my belief in democracy. I know many who loved his first book, and I was not surprised by how well written and thoughtful this book is. For the first chapters, I repeated several passages out loud, appreciating Obama’s ideals and ability with words. However, this took almost all month for me to read. It is 700 pages, and after his Presidential election night — and I knew this already — there are not many triumphs. I didn’t enjoy reading history that I personally remember, though Obama’s knowledge and insight helped me deal with my frustration, sometimes. So why is it on my list of best? Could it be that after all my hours of reading I cannot omit it? My reasons to recommend it: this book is a great piece of history; Obama personalizes many powerful people with quick sketches and humor; I enjoyed knowing how Obama was thinking when I thought he was doing the right (or wrong) thing. I can trace where we are now to many moments in this book, including insights about Joe Biden, party divisiveness, and emergency preparedness and pandemic. If you like this book, too, you may also like books I’ve read by Susan Rice, Sonya Sotomayor and Nancy Pelosi.
Books for Children
The Blue Wings, Jef Aerts
This tale seems ageless, despite the many timely details. Josh’s mom is working to blend her Muslim family with her new husband’s, when her boys find an injured crane and determine to save it. Jadran is the older brother, but Josh is his prime caretaker and our main character. Jadran, nicknamed Giant, is so neurodiverse that he may be soon institutionalized. The crane’s survival in their urban apartment looks unlikely, and its odds of survival may not improve when Jadran steals a tractor to take it south, a journey that takes the boys through the bulk of the book. The brother’s relationship is incredibly strong, often unspoken and excludes their new stepsister. The title comes from a costume the mother wore when a young performer, rich with potential symbolism and amazing images. The story is separated into 5 sections, each with a lovely 2 page watercolor. This should become a classic, and be shelved near The Summer Book, Junonia, and The Brothers Lionheart.
Mister Invincible: Local Hero, by Pascal Jousselin
The Blue Wings and this book are both written by Europeans, and published in translation. This graphic novel explodes beyond the frames of its story in a most amazing and creative way. Invincible is a masked chubby superhero whose ability is to leave his frame and ‘time travel’ outside it. His yellow outfit takes him through several traditional-looking comic book adventures, and his goodhearted charm solves the case whether it be small, like a cat up a tree, or large, like pollution from large corporations. His nemesis include a thief, a mad scientist, and the villainous Jester. His creators’ inventiveness has me smiling every time I think of this book, which is still quite a lot!
Bookshelf Picks of a Librarian 