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Book Review: A Crown of Wishes

First Line: Vikram had spent enough time with bitterness that he knew how to twist and numb the feeling.

Summary: Gauri is a princess of Bharata. Vikram is the prince of Ujijain. Gauri is a prisoner of Ujijain and therefore a prisoner of Vikram. She has been banished from her kingdom and her throne by her evil brother. When Vikram enters her cell and proposes to free her in if she will travel with him to the Otherworld to enter the Tournament of Wishes she agrees in hopes of escaping and returning to her homeland. As they travel they encounter magical creatures and trials that will test them as they compete for a wish from the gods.

Highlights: The writing and imagery is beautiful. The detail is so colorful and enchanting. I love the cover.

Lowlights: With all the detail and characters it was easy to get lost. At times the story seemed to be shifting and didn’t seem to have a main climax. I expected more from the tournament. It was still fun but not nearly as good as the first book.

FYI: This is the second book in a series but I feel that it can be read as a standalone as well. People are mentioned and seen from the first but they do not alter it without knowing the previous book.

Book Review: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

I don’t know about you but I am beyond excited for the new season of Game of Thrones (and the last 2 books)! I have re-watched the show multiple times and read all the books plus some of the novellas but one I hadn’t picked up till recently was A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. I was looking for a good audio book to listen to and I saw this as a way to fill the void. 😉

As I was listening I started to recognize the voice as one of the characters from season 1, Viserys Targaryen. The actor Harry Lloyd who portrayed him is the narrator and did a great job of bringing the story to life.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R. R. Martin

First Line: The spring rains had softened the ground, so Dunk had no trouble digging the grave.

Summary: The story takes place 100 years before the events of Game of Thrones. We meet Dunk, a new hedge knight and recent squire to Ser Arlan of Pennytree. His master has died and left him with his horse, armor and sword. Dunk decides that as a new knight and one in need of money needs to enter a local tournament in order to earn some coin and prestige. He was always told that he was good with a sword and at 7 feet tall he was an impressive figure. When he stumbles upon a stable boy named Egg, this unlikely pair travel across Westeros getting into trouble and creating tales of their own.

Highlights: It’s George R. R. Martin so therefore it is very detailed with lots of characters. There are 3 short stories but they all connect bringing it full circle in the end. There are little surprises and lots of history of the Seven Kingdoms during the time of the Targaryens. The illustrations throughout the book are fun to look at and give more life to the story. This is a fun little side story that is perfect for the readers that are waiting for season 7.

Lowlights: The names. There are so many characters with names that are so similar that it is hard to keep track of who is who (especially when listening to the audio). But the imagination that goes into these names is spectacular.

FYI: Violence but that is par for the course with life in the Seven Kingdoms.

Ingrid Bergman

Have you ever read a book about a historical figure and then had to jump on Wikipedia to learn more about the person? I have. All the time. My most recent historical obsession is Ingrid Bergman.

I have been reading the newest book by Kate Alcott, The Hollywood Daughter, which is about a young girl who lives in L.A. and idolizes Ingrid. She meets the famous actress and follows her career through its ups and downs.

The movie, Anastasia, with Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner was my first introduction to this iconic actress. She was beautiful and talented. As I am reading the main character talks about the movies that Ingrid has starred in and I immediately started adding them to my library hold list.

This week I have delved into The Bells of St. Mary’s and Notorious. Both were great but I was particularly taken with the chemistry between Bing Crosby and Ingrid in the Bells of St. Mary’s. I searched IMDb.com for trivia on the movie Notorious and found that Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock became lifelong friends with Ingrid after filming ended.

I still have For Whom the Bell Tolls and Murder on the Orient Express to watch and I am greatly looking forward to them. This enchanting Swedish actress that took America by storm in the 1940s has put me under her spell.

Check back soon for my review of The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott.

April Fool’s Day

Around here April Fool’s Day is a day to look forward to. Two of our staff members wait for this day like it was Christmas. There are always shenanigans to be had and laughs all around. This year did not disappoint.

Mr. T always makes an appearance. Fun “facts” are scattered around the staff areas. “Notices” are posted for staff information.

Visit our Facebook page to see more pictures from April Fool’s Day 2017!

Thanks Justin and Megan for another wonderful April 1st.

Shifting Party!

What happens after hours at the library? Shifting parties of course!

Several of our staff worked after hours on two Saturdays to move the entire adult fiction section. There were 124 new shelves added to this area of the library and the books needed to be spread out. The project took 8 hours with 6 staff members, food and LOTS of 80s music! We felt like we were living in the Breakfast Club.

We all had a great time but were exhausted afterwards. Take a look at more photos and a video on our Facebook page from our shifting party!

For the love of Victoria!

I don’t know about you, but I’m obsessed with the PBS series “Victoria”!
I’m experiencing some SERIOUS withdrawal after the season finale! So, I’m really looking forward to the presentation, “Dressing for Success, Victorian Style” on March, 18 at 11:00 a.m. with Kansas Humanities Speaker, Sara Jane Richter. Hopefully this will help get me through what is sure to be a rough time until another one of my other favorite PBS shows comes along.

Here is a little bit about the presentation:

“Dressing for Success, Victorian Style”

Victorian women in the United States and Britain took upward of
4 hours to dress themselves per day, and they usually had a maid to help them dress. Layer upon layer of prim and proper clothing was worn, from bare necessities to gloves, hair pins, umbrellas, shoes, and brooches. There were outfits to be worn in the morning after rising, at mid-morning, at early afternoon, and in the evening. This presentation explores why these women endured such restrictive and sometimes deadly clothing, as well as the elements, purpose, and the proper way to put it all on.

Presented by Sara Jane Richter.
Sara teaches English and is Dean of the School of Liberal Arts at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell.

Patient Zero

As with the rest of the Wichita area our staff has been hit with the sickness bug. Several staff are home with colds so we decided to quarantine Patient Zero.

Our local staff penguin has been a valued member for many years. He is a way for our staff to have a few laughs as well as let our creative sides come alive. Check out our past Penguin War album on Facebook.

Let the Penguin Wars commence!

New book releases late February

Where has February gone? It can’t possibly be the last day of February already. But it is a Tuesday, and that means there are new book releases today. Here are some books released in the second half of February that are getting quite a bit of buzz in the reading community.

Let’s start with titles that were released last Tuesday, Feb. 21:

“The Orphan’s Tale” by Pam Jenoff — World War II, a 16-year-old girl forced to give her baby up after getting pregnant by a Nazi soldier, a circus, and secrets. This novel explores how two women, Noa and Astrid, form a powerful bond, but is it strong enough to protect them or will it destroy everything? With a rating of 4.2 stars on Goodreads, this book will especially appeal to historical fiction readers.

“Dreamland Burning” by Jennifer Latham — Do I need to add more than this tagline from the book’s description on Goodreads? “Some bodies won’t stay buried. Some stories need to be told.” The investigation of a century-old murder begins when 17-year-old Rowan unearths a skeleton on her family’s property. Goodreads readers have rated this book for young adults 4.4 stars.

“A Piece of the World” by Christina Baker Kline — In this novel from the author of the No. 1 novel “Orphan Train,” Kline skillfully weaves fact and fiction as she illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Christina Olson was host and inspiration for American artist Andrew Wyeth and this novel brings to life the relationship of the two. It is rated 4.2 stars on Goodreads.

Here are the titles we’ve been waiting for that are out today (Feb. 28):

“Daughter of the Pirate King” by Tricia Levenseller — a 17-year-old pirate captain, searching for an ancient hidden map, allows herself to be captured by her enemies so she can search their ship. This book is rated 4.3 stars on Goodreads.

“Banana Cream Pie Murder” by Joanne Fluke — Read the latest installment in Fluke’s Hannah Swenson series. This mystery finds Hannah investigating the death of her mother’s neighbor, meaning Hannah’s return to Lake Eden won’t be as peaceful as she’d hoped. Rated 3.8 on Goodreads.

“Waking Lions” by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen —A translation from the original Hebrew, “Waking Lions” is the story of how a decision made at the scene of a tragic event can change a whole life. This gripping novel follows Dr. Eitan Green after he hits a man while speeding along a moonlit road. It has a 3.8 rating on Goodreads.

All of the above titles are available on our catalog, so come in and check one out today.

Oscar nominees — short films, part 2

We are so proud to participate in the screening of the Oscar-nominated short films each year. Last night (Friday, Feb. 24), the live-action and animated short film nominees were shown. For most people, these screenings may be the only opportunity they have to watch the films. They are not generally available in wide release.

Each year, we ask the people who come to watch the short-film nominees to vote for their favorite film in each category. (If you missed the announcement of our viewers’ pick for the short documentaries, you can read it here.) Here are their choices for the live-action and animated categories:

“Timecode” is a live-action short film out of Spain.

Live-action — “Timecode”

This short film from Spain is about a young, female security guard (Luna) who is bored by her daily routine in the parking lot. But when a call about a customer complaint comes in, she learns how the nighttime guard (Diego) avoids boredom. The two develop a relationship as they communicate through the parking garage’s CCTV system.

Animated — “Piper”

“Piper” is an animated short film about a sandpiper hatchling who is afraid of the surf.

When Piper, a young hatchling, leaves her nest for the first time, she is afraid of the surf where she is supposed to find her food. An unexpected ally helps her overcome her fears to find her confidence.

Oscar nominees, short films

Last night (Thursday, Feb. 23) we aired the documentaries that are nominated for Academy Awards in the short films category. We had a great showing, and the stories were powerful. We ask those who attend to vote for the film they think should win the Oscar, and the documentary they chose was “The White Helmets.” This 41-minute movie tells the

“The White Helmets” is one of five short documentaries nominated for an Oscar. It was our viewers’ pick to win.

story of the rescue crews, known as the White Helmets, who work in war-torn Syria.

These brave, unarmed and neutral civilians dig through the rubble after bombings, sometime dozens or more a day, to find survivors and recover the dead. They place themselves at risk, willingly, and while constantly in danger and even targeted themselves, they have saved more than 60,000 people.

This film is available to watch on Netflix.