Final Week of The Reading Games!

 

We are entering the final week of The Reading Games and are looking forward to announcing our winners next week!  The final day to submit a review will be next Thursday, November 21st with the winners being announced on Friday.  

It is a tight race for both the student competition and the faculty/staff competition and it is still anyone's game!  

As always, new book reviews can be found on our Twitter and Facebook feeds.  In addition, reviews for titles that are not in the library can be found below.  If you would like the library to add one of these books, or any other book, please send us an email!

Slayers by C.J. Hill reviewed by Racquel, Class of 2015
Slayers by C.J. Hill is a YA realistic fantasy novel about a group of teen dragon slayers in the Washington D.C. area. As the second book in the series, the book takes off right where the last one ended from Tori, the newest slayer's pov. The story deals with the shades of gray between good and evil as Tori tries to decide who to trust. Interesting concept with a decent plot, but the lack of common school knowledge and political expertise bothered me, especially since they were all "exceedingly bright" and were in honors and AP courses. 

Enclave by Ann Aguirre reviewed by Jade Fiorilla, Class of 2017

Just the other morning I finished Enclave by Ann Aguirre. I've read this apocalyptic book before and I still very much enjoyed it. This is the first book that introduced me to the idea of a main female character being a specialist in physical combat, either hand to hand or (my preference) blade to blade. When I first picked up this book, for whatever reason, I didn't fully grasp that the major conflict in this story revolves around zombies, made up creatures that honestly scare me to death. But, not putting two and two together, I actually really loved this book, the interesting and a bit different characters intriguing. The setting at the beginning beautifully shows a world that has absolutely no judgment that men are stronger than woman. Ann Aguirre does a wonderful job creating this world called the College Enclave which the main character I previously mentioned, Deuce, has lived in all her life. Then of course there is a love interest of hers, yet it's more than just love: it's a maximum level of trust as well. They fight back to back, both of their bodies like an extension of themselves as Ann Aguirre states. The writing isn't anything special, but the plot definitely keeps you reading. If you step back Deuce's constant battle for life, you see that the author is also contrasting two huge real-world problems, a brave addition. The book moves around a lot and the timing is a bit rushed since things happen so quickly, but overall I think it's both unique and a good read. Even if apocalyptic books aren't your thing, I'd give this book a shot.

How the Light Gets In by Louise Penney reviewed by Chris, Bookstore

Growing up, I cut my reading teeth on Nancy Drew. I loved the yellow hardcovers with those corny illustrations. You really got to know the characters and solving the mystery was an added bonus. I have to admit I still love reading mysteries that are part of a series. One of my favorites is Louise Penney whose series takes place in a small town called Three Pines just south of Montreal.  The newest addition to the series just came out and is called How the Light Gets In  The mystery doesn’t really doesn’t matter- it’s the chance to read and see what  the characters like Ruth  the Canadian poet laureate and her pet duck Rosa or the painter Clara have been up to. The jumping off point in this book is based on the Dionne quintuplets who amazed the world before in vitro fertilization made multiple births so ordinary. 

Industrial Magic by Kelly Armstrong reviewed by Racquel, Class of 2015

Industrial Magic is a realistic sci-fi novel written by Kelly Armstrong. As an installment in the otherworld series (set in the same world with different characters per book), 23 year old Page tries to find out what she wants to do with her life now that she is no longer a coven witch. In discovering this, she solves a slew of murders and manages to capture the serial killer responsible. Thrilling, riveting, and well written, I would certainly recommend the series.