What We're Listening to Now: A Darker Shade of Magic

Finding a really good audiobook can be hard.  It is not only the story that matters, but who is narrating. With a 4.04 star rating on Goodreads I have high hopes for this audiobook.  Although the author said she wasn't that thrilled with some parts of the narration I am still rooting for it to be a fast and fun read. In my opinion, over-the-top is better than boring, but you can be the judge for your own reading preference. Let us know what you thought of the audio version of A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab!

Kell, the main character, is one of the last Travelers-magicians. He is able to travel between parallel universes that are connected by one city: London. There's Grey London, dirty and boring, and without any magic. Red London, where life and magic are revered. White London-a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London. But no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, and he carries monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive. (Adapted from the publisher.)

What We're Reading Now: The Curated Closet

I love shopping so why do I have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear? This was the question I asked myself before I picked up The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees. If you have asked yourself this same question then this might be the book for you.

In The Curated Closet by Anuscka Rees you will get tips, tricks, instructions, exercises, examples, and more on how to build and cultivate a wardrobe that you actually love and wear.  Her examples are realistic. Yes, I own clothes I don't wear all of the time.  Should I get rid of them?  Rees will help you answer that question based on your own wardrobe and style needs.  I felt like I never had anything nice to wear to dinner dates or to cocktail hours.  Learn how to better understand your style so that every time you have an event, or even just an impromptu brunch date with your friends, that you will be able to pull together an outfit that will make you feel confident and stylish.  Personal style isn't made up of hard and fast rules or lists.  It is something that is cultivated and fits your personality and aesthetic.

Love books about personal style and fashion? Visit Mountain View Public Library's catalog for more books on fashion and personal style.

What We're Reading Now: Skeleton Crew

Boo!  It's almost Halloween, and as the days get darker earlier and are colder more often, it feels like a good time to pick up a scary novel...or short story collection in the case of Skeleton Crew by Stephen King.  If you like a little or a lot of horror in your literary life then you should think about picking up this collection.  It contains twenty short stories (including "The Mist" which was made into a movie), and two poems.  You can read one or all twenty at once if you feel so inclined! Tell us about your favorite horror novel in the comments!

You can find Skeleton Crew in the Adult Short Stories on the second floor of the library under the call number [SS KING]. 

What We're Reading Now: Dark Matter

We love a good thriller here at the library.  Especially as it gets closer to Halloween. A couple of us happened to pick  up Dark Matter by Blake Crouch recently.  The book garnered a lot of publicity, and a lot of good things have been said about it so it will be interesting to see if it lives up to the reviews (it has a 4.15 rating on Goodreads).

"Are you happy with your life?"
 
Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious.

Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits.

Before a man Jason's never met smiles down at him and says, "Welcome back, my friend."

In this world he's woken up to, Jason's life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.

Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves?

The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could've imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe.

Let us know if you've read Dark Matter, and what you thought about it!

What We're Reading Now: Spoils of War

Monuments Men by Rober M. Edsel [940.531 EDSEL]

What happens to priceless art in the event of total war-in this instance World War II?  The Nazis looted many museums and private collections in the occupied countries; they were determined to take what they wanted for the Fuhrer (or themselves) and destroy what they considered degenerate.  George Clooney’s 2014 movie Monuments Men focused on a unit of Allied soldiers tasked with saving Europe’s art not only from the Nazis, but from Allied bombardment and Allied soldiers as well. Monuments Men highlights part of the story, but the history of the stolen art is more complicated. Check out these titles for a more nuanced view. 

Lost Lives, Lost Art by Melissa Muller [940.318 Muller] 

Lost Masters by Peter Harclerode [940.5314 Harclerode]

Rape of Europa [DVD 709.409 RAPE]

Rescuing Da Vinci by Robert M. Edsel [709.409 EDSEL]

What We’re Reading Now: Spies in the Shadows

Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst [M FURST]

Backstory: The Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) fractured Spanish society and served as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for World War II. Fascist Italy and Germany supported the Nationalists while Communists, anarchists and democrats rallied to the Republican cause.

Paris, 1938: Spanish émigré and Republican sympathizer Christian Ferrer agrees to help the Republicans obtain weapons in their struggle.  It leads him to a netherworld of arms dealers, spies, and those eager to profit from others’ misery. Justice does not prevail.

What We're Reading Now: Police Procedural With a Twist

The Invisible Code by Christopher Fowler [M FOWLER]

The Peculiar Crimes Unit is always under threat of being disbanded, but Arthur Bryant and John May keep their group together by solving crimes that Scotland Yard and other legal entities won’t touch. In Christopher  Fowler’s “Invisible code”, disapproving security man Oskar Kasavian promises the unit a free pass if they can determine the cause of his wife Sabira’s  recent anxiety attacks and dangerous behaviors. Witchcraft plays its part; little known facts about London’s history add to the mix before the case is closed.

Don’t miss any entry in this fun series. The Peculiar Crimes Unit’s adventures will always provide you with historic tidbits to make you the hit of any trivia get-together in 2016.