Mandel Public Library Recommendations For August

From the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach:

August 18, 2020

By Emily and the Mandel Public Library Staff

Ever wonder what your library staff reads, watches, or listens to? These people who are surrounded by books, music, and movies all day must have some good recommendations, right? Right! Welcome to our first monthly Staff Picks post, in which we will share what we’ve been watching, listening to, or reading lately that we think you will enjoy. So… enjoy!

Books

Sarah's Pick: The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

The Death of Vivek Oji is a beautiful, if heartbreaking, look into the lives of a group of young men and women living in Nigeria. The characters struggle with their identity, family relationships, sexuality, and gender while also grieving the death of someone very dear to them. Their suffering is palpable, as is the suffering of Vivek as represented through their memories. The writing is lyrical and compelling, and though the story both begins and ends with unimaginable tragedy, there is an overall sense of hope for those left behind.

Tina's Pick: Frieda Klein series by Nicci Gerrard and Sean French

I have been a mystery fan since I discovered Agatha Christie in my tween years, and I always have one on the go. If you are looking for a great mystery series, I highly recommend the Frieda Klein series by Nicci French (who, btw, is a husband-and-wife writing team). Starting with Blue Monday and continuing with seven more novels to Day of the Dead, London psychotherapist Klein, her builder friend Josef, and Detective Chief Inspector Karlsson encounter evil and try to overcome it. Yes, read them in order so that you can appreciate the long narrative arc.

Tara's Pick: Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots by Deborah Feldman

I just watched the mini-series Unorthodox on Netflix, and although I enjoyed it, I felt it was rushed. So, I'm now reading the memoir that it was based on. It's the remarkable story of a young woman who breaks away from her ultra-orthodox Satmar Jewish enclave in New York City, how she came to that point, and what she experienced afterwards. It's an insider view of an insular community and its effects on an individual.

Sandra's Pick: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

American Dirtis a change from what I usually read. And with all that is going on about immigration, I thought I should read something different. It's about a woman who runs a bookstore in Mexico and tries to flee to the United States when her family is under threat from a drug-cartel boss. The book was fast-paced and easy to read. Even though the book is very controversial, I liked it.

Kathy's Pick: The 39 Clues series by various authors

This summer, my son and I read (and listened to on our family road trip vacation) The 39 Clues series and The 39 Clues: Cahills vs Vespers. We are halfway through the final book in the Cahills vs Vespers series now. The story is about two kids, sibling and orphans (why are they always orphans?) who compete against their extended family in a high-stakes clue hunt. The hunt takes them all over the world and they learn about influential inventors, artists, leaders throughout history. This series is written by familiar authors including Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and Linda Sue Park and great for readers in grades 3-5 who love adventure, mystery, and less-than-friendly competition.

Leah's Pick: Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland

Well, my ten-year-old is absolutely obsessed with this series – he dutifully put in all the hours he’s read the first three books in the series, along with a few others, to get the whole series in gift books from Summer Reading! They are available in CloudLibrary as well as in print. He loves them!

Movies & TV Shows

Emily's Pick: Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005-2008)

I’m finally joining the party and watching Avatar: The Last Airbender for the first time. Avatar is a cartoon show about a world in which some people can control the elements – air, water, earth, and fire – using a power called bending. As the title suggests, the main character, Aang, is the last surviving Airbender and also happens to be the chosen one, destined to master all the elements in order to rid the world of the devastating war against the Fire Nation. While the show is intended for younger audiences, it does not shy away from themes of war, genocide, gender equality, loyalty, free will… I could go on… it’s a great watch for adults as well, and I highly recommend it.

Lena's Pick: Snowpiercer (2013)

In a not-so-distant future, our planet got frozen as a result of a failed experiment. Humankind has been reduced to several hundreds of survivors doomed to circle the globe aboard a train with a perpetual-motion engine. A powerful multilayered drama unfolds in this minuscule "society" where the lower-class passengers fight for their rights with the oppressive rich and powerful. Captivating story, unexpected ending, great acting, skillful and smart directing, a must-see! Still not convinced? Consider this: this film's writer-director Bong Joon-ho's most recent Parasite received the 2020 Academy Award for Best Picture, 2019 Palme d'Or, and many other awards. Actually, you should watch both and then some more (find other films of this great Korean filmmaker on hoopla).

Faith's Pick: Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

The Federation crew helmed by Captain Katherine Janeway find themselves in the Delta Quadrant after an alien being pulls them 70,000 light years away from federation space. They must work together with the Maquis, a band of outlaws they were sent to apprehend, to get back to Earth. I wanted a new series to get into since quarantine had exhausted all my regular comfort shows, and Star Trek had been on my to-watch list for a while. This happened to be the first one I saw when I went looking on Netflix, and I'm loving it!

Ionnie's Pick: Agatha Christie's Marple (2004-2013)

During quarantine, my family and I have a nightly ritual, make dinner > eat dinner > solve British Crimes. Yes, we collectively watch a murder mystery every night, trying to find the killer. Miss Marple is one of my favorites because she is so unassuming, brilliantly observant, and endlessly helpful that you can't help but like her. She does the job of a Detective and a Chief Inspector, while maintaining the image of a common townsperson. And the views of the British countryside and open landscapes are breathtaking.

Music & More!

Jessica's Pick: Brightest Blue by Ellie Goulding (2020)

Brightest Blue is Ellie Goulding's fourth studio album, claimed as Ellie's most personal and emotional. It has some hits on it as well as collaborations with Blackbear, Diplo, Swae Lee, and Juice WRLD. The songs are upbeat and will stick with you and make it to your replay lists for sure!

Antoinette's Pick: Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons the game has been something keeping me going through this pandemic. My friends and I have been playing weekly, and I've even started two groups for the library. The books and source materials we have here in the library help players learn the rules and create fun characters, and they will also help any dungeon master to create a world of escape. I recommend it as a way to keep up with social distancing and still have fun get-together with your friends.

This press release was produced by the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.