Since traveling is limited nowadays, I have found other ways to get away–with my imagination and the power of the written word. Here at A. K. Smiley Public Library we have a library full of new books that are ready to transport you to far off destinations, be it to another country or to an entirely different decade. Luckily for you, a passport is not required.
“We Ride Upon Sticks,” by Quan Barry is one of my favorite books this year. The novel transports readers to 1989 to Danvers, Massachusetts (neighboring town to the infamous Salem, Massachusetts) and follows the mainly all girls and one boy varsity field hockey team. Let’s just say the team isn’t known for winning. Sick of being on the losing side, the team takes matters into their own hands and decides that they need some supernatural assistance. This book has it all: 80s references, overly processed bangs referred to as ‘the claw,’ and most importantly, the power of friendship. Get swept up in this fun and empowering book and find out if the Danvers Falcons make it all the way to the State Championship, with or without a little help from the dark side.
“Shuggie Bain,” by Douglas Stuart, is a hauntingly beautiful novel that has been long listed for the prestigious Booker Prize award in England. The novel takes place during the Thatcher administration in Glasgow, Scotland and focuses on a young boy named Hugh ‘Shuggie’ Bain and his unwavering devotion to his mother Agnes, who would rather spend her weekly government allowance on beer than on food. Shuggie struggles to survive in an environment where the odds of survival are stacked against him. To say this novel is a feel good read would be a lie. This book is gritty, harrowing, and, at times, you almost feel like your heart has been ripped out of your chest, but Stuart’s words and imagery are too beautiful to not want to continue to read about young Shuggie Bain.
“Mexican Gothic,” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a sweeping Gothic suspense novel. The novel transports the reader to 1950s Mexico where Noemi Taboada receives a frantic letter from her newly married cousin Catalina. Concerned for her cousin’s well being, Noemi rushes to her aid to ‘High Place,’ a remote mansion located in the Mexican countryside. Upon her arrival, Noemi is greeted by her cousin’s bizarre new family that may be up to something sinister. This is a tense novel that will keep you up reading into the night.
Reserve these titles now with our Books-to-Go service. For more information on this service call the Library at 909-798-7565 or visit our website, www.akspl.org. Travel safely, courtesy of A. K. Smiley Public Library.