Libraries

So apparently there was some kind of dust up at the Burien Library between a bunch of teens. I read it on the B-town Blog. The thing that makes me sad about it is the comments that people wrote underneath, about how getting through the mass of kids that hang out in front of the library is a problem and that now people aren't going to the library because the behavior of those kids is so bad. So many things wrong with that. I feel bad for the staff, because I know that it's not easy dealing with a public that thinks libraries just magically appear and and should be exactly what everyone needs. The reality is we're only as good as the public we serve. If you act like jerks and morons, that's the atmosophere that you are creating. Staff do their best to be welcoming and informative, but the library is a public space. Everyone is welcome. Act accordingly.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

As much as I love the supernatural, I've come to accept its limitations. There are only so many supernatural beings that are cool enough to be readable; vampires, shape shifters, angels/demons, fairies... Whatever flavor of supernatural creature you're dealing with doesn't matter. The truth is what it is; you can't make zombies sexy no matter how hard you try. Or for that matter, goblins, ghouls, or anything that aids in the manufacture of shoes.

But what if the supernatural you're dealing with isn't supposed to be cool or sexy or hell, even acceptable? What if the supernatural creature is something untamed, unknowable, but intrinsically natural? What if the story isn't about smart dialogue, sexy heroes battling evil, or beautiful girls falling for forbidden loves? What if it's about home, and family, and pain and growth? What if magic isn't about incantations, spells, and gothic lace? What if it's about the world, the actual physical world, offering up its most wild and beautiful and terrifying example of raw impossible power?

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater is not the kind of book I read. It's not the kind of story I write. It is a wholly unexpected example of brilliant storytelling, and improbable, glorious intensity. I will forever be a fan of Miss Stiefvater's, all though I will likely never read another of her books. I would hate for the spell to be broken.

Iron Druids and Superhuman whining

As most people are probably aware, I am a huge fan of Urban Fantasy. Urban Fantasy, as defined by me, is everyday life with the added twist of magic and monsters. Generally, it includes a main character who has some sort of magical ability or magical lineage, which is starting to force that character into making hard choices. The MC sees him or herself being pulled further away from normal, mundane life by these hard choices... and with each hard decision, he loses a bit of his humanity. The MC is generally very upset about this, and spends a good portion of whatever story he's telling trapped in a cycle of self loathing.

A great, great example of this type of story is any book in the Leandros Brothers series by Rob Thurman. The MC in that series is Cal Leandros who has a nonhuman twist that makes him perhaps the biggest whiner on the planet. The books are saved from being insufferable to read because, in addition to being a big bag of belly-aching, Cal is a sarcastic asshole with excellent comedic timing. The Leandros brothers books are vastly entertaining, at times scary, and always funny thrill rides that everyone should read. There will come various points in each story where you want to take Cal out and shoot him, but alas, his brother Niko would rip your spine out and use it as a hat rack, so best just leave Cal to his own devices. He's likely to get killed eventually anyway.

But I didn't start this post to write about Cal and Niko (although I do so enjoy them). I have recently been introduced to the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. The MC is Atticus O'Sullivan a 2,000 year old Druid from Ireland. Fortunately, Atticus is a big tea drinker, and as we all know, tea is full of antioxidants and apparently that makes you immortal and forever young! Atticus is not your typical Urb-fant hero. For one thing he's a pretty happy, well-adjusted bad ass who just happened to run afoul of Celtic God a couple thousand years ago. The Celts can hold a serious grudge and in the first book, Hounded, Atticus is hiding in Arizona while he tries to avoid getting killed by various Irish deities.

In addition to Atticus being so refreshing to the genre (imagine a character who doesn't spend 300 pages lamenting his loss of human emotion!), these books are hilarious adventures with an oddly sweet touch that will have you hooked before you can say Aenghus Og (that's the god that wants Atticus dead). Keep an eye of out for Oberon the Wolfhound (by far my favorite character) and Leif the vampire. Keep an eye out for all the characters actually, because there isn't one that isn't funny and lovable and that's not easy to do when you're talking vampires, witches and giant squirrels.

The first three books (Hounded, Hexed, Hammered) are out now, but the fourth won't be out until April 2012 (which both sucks and blows, but what can you do?). So when you finish the Iron Druid Chronicles, I suggest picking up the Leandros Brothers books. Nightlife is the first in that series, with five more books ready and waiting to be read. It's a toss up as to which series is funnier... Jokes about Mormons or jokes about Unions? Whatever. As far as I'm concerned that shits just funny no matter who says it.

Carly's Idea

So Carly had this idea that since I'm not allowed to write for Shelf Talk anymore (Stupid Union with its stupid rules), I should maybe start reviewing the books I read here. Fine. It will give me something to write about.

Recently, I did read a very good book. I was given an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) by one of the teen librarians at work. The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson is the sequel to The Adoration of Jenna Fox. In the first book, we met Jenna Fox, the beloved daughter of a doting father who cannot bear to lose his only child when she is in a horrible accident. Adoration takes place in the not too distant future and follows Jenna as she copes with surviving the accident that nearly killed her. It is a remarkable book that deals with loss, acceptance, and renewed hope. There is a sci-fi element that will pull in readers from a wide variety of genres, but ultimately, I would not call it sci-fi. I highly recommend it as a stand-alone book because that's what it should've been.

The Fox Inheritance, as a sequel, does not really stand up to its predecessor. It takes place a couple hundred years after Adoration, and tells the story of Locke, one of Jenna Fox's best friends who was also in the accident. Inheritance is much heavier on the sci-fi, so much so that if I was shelving it according to my system, it would be in with books like Idlewild by Nick Sagan. It is engrossing and creative and Pearson manages in a short amount of pages to build a dangerous and dynamic world that readers will want to visit again. However, it lacks the emotional resonance of Adoration, and also the cusp of believability that the first book provided. It would've been a better fit if less time had passed between the two novels (two hundred + years is a little hard to swallow) or if Inheritance had told a story that was the result of two hundred + years of Jenna's life and work.

Still, it was an intriguing read and seems to set the stage for more books to come.