March 2021 Recommendations
MARCH 2021 RECOMMENDATIONS
Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang
Go on an 80s nostalgia ride with this comic and watch as four girls get caught between two warring time travelling factions. And they thought delivering papers the night of Halloween was going to be bad. But through it all they’ll form new friendships and confront the traumas of aging.
– Brandon
Paper Girls is available at the Farmville Library and on Hoopla.
Moonlight (DVD)
Beginning in childhood and ending in adulthood, Moonlight follows Chiron as he struggles to find his place in the world, while simultaneously navigating themes of masculinity, sexual identity, and relationships as a young gay black man. This film is broken into three parts (Little, Chiron, and Black) that depict defining chapters of his life. Besides the plot, I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing Chiron’s transformation depicted by the three actors who played the character: Alex Hibbert (child), Ashton Sanders (teen), and Trevante Rhodes (adult). I was further impressed upon learning that these three actors did not collaborate on their portrayal of the character. Instead, they met for the first time after filming had been completed. I highly recommend this coming-of-age story because of the actors’ collective ability to provide a seamless and cohesive performance.
– Chelsea
Moonlight is available at the Farmville Library.
The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson
The Boatman’s Daughter is a grimy fairy tale that inhabits an Arkansas bayou. Remnants of a religious cult, organized crime, swamp demons and Slavic witches – it’s a thriller unlike any other I’ve read.
– Max
The Boatman’s Daughter is available at the Farmville Library.
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
Stevie Bell is looking forward to starting her first year at Ellingham Academy – and it’s not just about the curriculum or the freedom of boarding school. No, Stevie is headed to school on an isolated mountain in Vermont because she’s a true-crime buff and Ellingham Academy is home to a tantalizing unsolved murder case dating back decades to the school’s opening. The founder’s wife and daughter were kidnapped with no clear trail to follow: only a letter signed “Truly, Devious.” Stevie is determine to crack this cold case; but when it appears that Truly Devious strikes again, her work suddenly becomes much more than solving a historical murder. This book, which jumps between the events surrounding the original Truly Devious case and Stevie’s present-day investigation, also weaves in primary documents to give the reader a close look at the evidence. If you’ve ever gotten too wrapped up in a game of Clue or have devoured every Agatha Christie novel, the Truly Devious trilogy could be your next great heart-racing read.
– Megan
Truly Devious is available at the Farmville Library, on Libby, and on Hoopla.
Ghost Tree by Bobby Curnow
Ghost Tree is a graphic novel that tells a story of love, loss, and regret. As a child, Brandt makes a promise to his grandfather to return to the “Ghost Tree” ten years after his grandfather dies. Brandt makes true on his word and returns to grandparents’ home where he finds the ghost of his Grandfather and other souls drawn to the haunted tree. Brandt, who is facing his own problems of an unhappy marriage, spends his time giving wisdom to the ghosts that remain tethered to the tree. Ghost Tree is a book that makes you reflect on what is truly important in your life and serves as a reminder to not waste time with those that you love.
– Morgan
Ghost Tree is available at the Farmville Library and on Hoopla.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Flavia de Luce is a bright eleven-year-old living on her father’s estate in England during the summer of 1950. Growing up without a mother and having two older teenaged sisters isn’t easy for Flavia. Flavia is annoying when she is intent on righting perceived slights. Without any children close to her age Flavia spends her time watching people, reading, and creating chemistry experiments. Her father spends his time with his stamp collection. While he loves his daughters, the loss of his wife has left him incomplete and somewhat distant to his children. One evening, Flavia overhears angry words coming from her father’s office. The estate’s caretaker catches Flavia eavesdropping and tells her to be about her own business. In the early hours the next morning, Flavia discovers a man dying in the cucumber patch. Who is this man? Is it the same man who was in her father’s office? Where is he from? Was he poisoned? Was he murdered? The police are called in and everyone on the estate are questioned. There are no answers. Flavia decides to ask questions herself. Questions lead to answers, and answers aren’t always what we expect.
– Virginia
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is available at the Farmville Library and on Libby.
The Complete Tales of Edgar Allan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe is widely considered to be among the most important and influential American writers of the Nineteenth Century. I would, however, argue that Poe was the era’s preeminent literary figure. In addition to having fundamentally transformed the horror genre, Poe was among the early pioneers in the genre of science fiction and invented the modern detective story.
– William
The Complete Tales of Edgar Allan Poe is available on Hoopla.