July 2021 Recommendations
July 2021 RECOMMENDATIONS
East of West (Volume 10) by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta
East of West (Volume 10) is the last of the series of the Riders of the Apocalypse, world-building, and the most satisfying of the set. Death has promised his bride, Premier Xiaolian Mao, that he will find their son. While the story is complicated, it is entertaining. I enjoyed Hickman’s humor throughout. The artist has to be commended for his beautiful work. What would a graphic novel be without its art? I do recommend reading the full series from the beginning.
– Bonnie
East of West (Volume 10) is available in print at the Farmville Library as well as digitally on Hoopla.
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Fans of the Shadow and Bone series, now a popular show on Netflix, are probably familiar with Leigh Bardugo, who is the hugely popular author of the Grishaverse books. But with her first adult novel, Ninth House, readers are met with a whole new experience. In this gritty start to a new series, Ninth House introduces us to Alex, a college student with a complicated past who is thrust into a world of supernatural intrigue. There’s mystery, magic, and murder. What more could a reader ask for?
– Brandon
Ninth House is available as a digital audiobook on Hoopla.
A Quiet Place (DVD)
A Quiet Place, directed by and starring John Krasinski, features the Abbott family as they struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic world plagued by monsters. Although blind, the monsters hunt their human prey with a powerful sense of hearing. Defeating all odds and overcoming tragedy, the Abbott family manages to survive by communicating through sign language. The film’s sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, features the same cast and was released in theaters on May 28, 2021.
– Chelsea
A Quiet Place is available at the Farmville Library.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner is a portrait of a mother and daughter, the things they shared (like their love of food) and those they didn’t. It made me cry, it made me laugh, and it made me hungry.
– Max
Crying in H Mart is available in print at the Farmville Library.
The League of Regrettable Superheroes by Jon Morris
Superheroes have ascended from the pages of comics to pop culture staples – even people who wouldn’t identify themselves as comic readers could likely identify Batman or Iron Man from a lineup. But have you ever heard of the Canadian hero Nelvana of the Northern Lights, or Dynamite Thor, who is a man without superpowers but really into explosives? What about the masked vigilante, Skateman, who was determined to achieve justice via his roller skates? This short compilation of super-flops shares a brief history of each hero with witty commentary abound. It’s a quick, entertaining read that sheds lights on the not-so-super heroes of the past.
– Megan
The League of Regrettable Superheroes is available in print at the Farmville Library.
Daytripper by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba
“Only when you can accept that one day you’ll die can you let go and make the best out of life. And that’s the big secret. That’s the miracle.”
Follow the life of Bras de Olivia Domingos – a middle child, a famous writer, a husband, a father – as we get to see some of the most important moments of his existence and how quickly those moments might end. Daytripper is a gentle reminder that life is always moving forward, always changing, always ending. Beautifully written and expertly drawn, Daytripper is certainly a graphic novel to add to your “to be read pile.”
– Morgan
Daytripper is available in print at the Farmville Library as well as digitally on Hoopla.
Skin Deep by Sung J. Woo
If you enjoy Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone or Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, you will find a similar quality with Sung J. Woo’s Siobhan O’Brien. When Siobhan inherits a private investigation business with only a few years of P.I. training under her belt, it seems as if the universe has been grooming her for this moment.
Her first case as sole owner of the agency is to find a client’s daughter who has gone missing from college. To gather the information necessary to solve the case, Siobhan must do some undercover detective work. She is old enough to garner respect from the young undergraduates as well as young enough to be accepted by faculty and staff as a prospective graduate student. Siobhan fits right in.
To make things lively, the author tosses in an ex-fashion model, a billionaire, transcendental meditation, security guards with the moves of Bruce Lee, and a cute young lawyer down the hall from the P. I. agency. Skin Deep is the first book in the series and I am looking forward to Siobhan’s next adventure.
– Virginia
Skin Deep is available in print at the Farmville Library as well as digitally on Hoopla.
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
On December 17, 1903, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Wilbur and Orville Wright – little known bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio – changed the course of history by completing the first piloted flight of a heavier-than-air powered machine. Rather than focusing on the four months spent in Kitty Hawk by the Wright Brothers, David McCullough, a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of John Adams and 1776, offers an in-depth look into the lives of the men who gave birth to the Age of Flight.
– William
The Wright Brothers is available in print at the Farmville Library and as an audiobook on Libby.