What's New

A.K. Smiley Public Library has a few new and interesting book selections about some mostly obscure women in American history. Since March is Women’s History Month, what better time could there be to check them out?

“Brave Hearted:  The Women of the American West 1836-1880,” was written by historian Katie Hickman. Using letters, diaries, and journals, she shares the experiences of women who played a part in settling the western frontier. Some of the accounts include the first white woman to cross the Rocky Mountains on her missionary journey, slaves in search of freedom, displaced Native American women, a survivor of the Donner party, a battlefield heroine, Olive Oatman, who was held captive by the Mohave, and wives who endured grueling cross-country journeys.

Another fascinating narrative highlighting the resilience and fortitude of women in the early colonization of the American South, is Joan DeJean’s “Mutinous Women: How French Convicts Became Founding Mothers of the Gulf Coast.” La Mutine set sail from France in 1719 with a hold full of women prisoners, many falsely accused of crimes, that were being exiled to colonial Louisiana. More than half of these women did not survive the journey, but many of them prospered. They married and raised families, owned properties and businesses, and some of them even became quite wealthy. DeJean follows their lives through various records for their marriages, births, deaths, and financial successes.

“Revolutionary Women: 50 Women of Color Who Reinvented the Rules,” by Ann Shen, contains short biographies of exceptional women of color and their accomplishments in various fields, some of them well-known and others that certainly deserve recognition. The format of the book is categorized into areas of art, equity, excellence, exploration, expression, identity, and knowledge. Brief chronologies, quotations, and the author’s art help to highlight the women and their accomplishments.

Look for these books and others on our Women’s History book display located near the Reference Desk.

Teens, I finished Sabaa Tahir’s young adult novel “All My Rage” last night…at midnight. You should know that my usual bedtime is like, the minute the sun goes down, so it’s saying something that “All My Rage” crawled into my lap and held my eyes open way past my usual tuck-in hour. It then slinked into my heart and left me in a puddle, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me rewind.

In January, the American Library Association (ALA) announced its 2023 Youth Media Award Winners. Some of these awards you’ve probably already heard of, like the John Newbery Medal for outstanding contributions to children’s literature, and the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children, but those two are just the tip of the iceberg.

The Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature for young adults is basically the “Album of the Year” Grammy in the teen book world. And as you may have guessed, the 2023 Printz Award went to (drumroll) “All My Rage” by Sabaa Tahir. Now I don’t always love award-winners. Sometimes I read them and think to myself, “Yes, I can see why an adult would give this book an award, but would a real, live teen like it?” Teens, it is my hypothesis that you—a real, live teen—might love this book. Let me tell you why.

This book is deep. It’s real. It doesn’t shy away from difficult issues. The characters are flawed but likable and relatable. The book follows the stories of Pakistani American teens Sal and Noor, bouncing around in time and perspective (but not so much that it gets annoying), and details the ways they deal with some majorly distressing issues (think parents dying, addiction, racism, poverty, and so much more that would be terrible of me to give away). There are many surprises in this book, things that I probably should have seen coming, but didn’t, that make it totally satisfying, even though in many ways it’s a real modern tragedy. It’s also written beautifully if you’re into good writing. And you might cry if you’re into crying.

If you’re not convinced by the 2023 Printz Award winner, no problem…I have another option for you up my pajama sleeve, and it also won an ALA Youth Media award! This next category is an interesting one: The Alex Award. The Alex Award is given to the ten best adult books that appeal to teen audiences. Yes, there are ten winners, but I’m just going to tell you about one: “I’m Glad My Mom Died” by Jennette McCurdy. “What a dreadful title,” you might be thinking to yourself. But you also might be thinking, “I’m weirdly interested.” You should follow that instinct.

“I’m Glad My Mom Died” is a memoir by McCurdy, whom you may recognize from her roles on the Nickelodeon sitcoms “iCarly” and “Sam & Cat.” There are many ways a memoir written by a younger person could go wrong, but this one doesn’t. McCurdy is so skilled at telling her story—offering honest glimpses at scenes from her life that are sometimes funny, often times heartbreaking—that we feel like we’re right there with her as she deals with an eating disorder, a narcissistic mom, dysfunctional relationships, and a Hollywood industry that happily makes money off her while turning a blind eye to her real-life suffering. It’s another one of those books that refuses to be put down and is authentic in a way that resonates—even if you might not be glad if your own mom died. Remember, this book was written for adults, so be sure to check in with your families to see if this might be a good fit for you.

Teens, if you choose to read either of these titles, please come find me in the library (I promise I’ll be awake) and let me know if you think the awards committees—and my hypothesis—got it right. And if you’re interested in discovering more young adult award winners, visit www.akspl.org/teens, where we link to these and many more teen literature award lists…trust me when I say we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Kristina Naftzger is a Youth Services Librarian at A.K. Smiley Public Library, where one of the only things she likes better than falling asleep at the crack of sunset is crying her eyes out over a good book.

Let me ask you all a question: what is your favorite mythical creature? If you said a vampire, then this article was written just for you. If you said anything else besides a vampire, then you may not want to continue reading this article. So, my fellow vampire fiends – I mean friends – let me invite you to A.K. Smiley Public Library to check out some new (and not so new) fiction titles that you can really sink your teeth into.

Vampire Weekend, by Mike Chen – A music-loving vampire who just wants to be left alone until her teenage cousin finds her and asks her to commit the ultimate deed.

House of Hunger, by Alexis Henderson – A young woman finds herself in the thralls of a rich, bloodsucking family.

Vamps: Fresh Blood, by Nicole Arend – A supernatural school that caters to teenage vampires.

Court of the Vampire Queen, by Katee Robert – A STEAMY vampire romp that would make Fifty Shades of Grey blush.

Other novels in the Library featuring creatures of the night:

The Vampire Chronicles (Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat), by Anne Rice

The Sookie Stackhouse Series (aka True Blood), by Charlaine Harris

Bloodsucking Fiends; You Suck; and Bite Me, by Christopher Moore

Dead Collections, by Isaac Fellman

‘Salem’s Lot, by Stephen King

Dracula, by Bram Stoker

And last but certainly not least, The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer

I hope these titles will quench any reader’s thirst for novels featuring our favorite fanged friends.

-Shannon Harris is a library specialist at A. K. Smiley Public Library who enjoys reading about vampires and watching shows about vampires.

While Smiley Library has outstanding graphic novels in the children’s, young adult, and literacy collections, our adult circulating collection has amazing additions, as well. Encompassing both fiction and nonfiction titles, graphic novels have a lot to offer for all ages. You can learn history expressed through engaging storylines, revisit old classics told in a unique way, escape through fantasy, or laugh at comedy. These books are an appealing way to explore important topics too, and their focus on character development along with striking drawings make them a joy to read. Here are some of our latest.

“Hakim’s Odyssey” by Fabien Toulme is based on the true story of Hakim, a young Syrian gardener and nursery owner, whose future was looking bright until civil war encroached upon him, his family, and country. In 2011, as growing protests for more freedom arise in the streets, President Assad reacts with extreme violence and lethal force. Hakim is falsely imprisoned as one of the rioters and thrown in jail. Beatings ensue and when finally released, Hakim finds out his nursery has been seized by the army and turned into a barracks. Amidst the loss of his income, the growing chaos of war, and his brother’s mysterious disappearance, Hakim is forced to flee his home and family. This engaging story of war, struggle, survival, and hope is told in a series of three books: Book 1: From Syria to Turkey, Book 2: From Turkey to Greece, and Book 3: From Macedonia to France.

“The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere.” is James Spooner’s coming-of-age memoir of his time living in Apple Valley in the late 80s and early 90s. As a Black teen struggling to fit in to a predominately white community, Spooner feels like an outsider. He looks for a place where he can be himself, forge some friendships, and maybe even find a girlfriend. Unfortunately, what he finds is bullying, racism, and unacceptance. Eventually, he meets others who are into punk music and skating and discovers a new form of self-expression, identity, and a feeling of belonging. Spooner takes a personal look at the Afro-Punk subculture, being raised by a single white mom, prejudice, drugs, and school dynamics. He tells his story with authenticity, reflection, and insight.

If you find yourself laughing at the movies Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Roxanne, and The Jerk, you’ll appreciate Steve Martin’s new book, “Number One is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions.” Martin has made over 40 films and the first half of his book highlights anecdotes and escapades from some of the most popular, along with comic illustrations by Harry Bliss. Meet familiar names like John Candy and Diane Keaton. Bliss’s dog, Penny, has a lot of features along the way, too. The second half of the book is filled with single panel comics from Bliss. A short, fun book for fans of Martin and Bliss.

Here are a few other new titles to consider. “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe is a contemporary and satirical take on the story of Persephone and Hades, “Invisible Wounds” by Jess Ruliffson examines the effects of war on veterans, and “Always Never” by Jordi Lafebre is a love story that starts at the end and works towards the beginning.