Bone Witch

Cupecho, Rin. Bone Witch. 2017. 411p. ISBN 978-1-49263583-3. Available both as an ebook and as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In a world where witches are not very rare, the most dreaded of them all are the bone witches, who are able to resurrect the dead and control the daeva, legendary monsters that reappear at regular intervals. Tea is not sure which type of witch she will grow into, but since all her sisters are witches she's sure to become one of them. Fox, her favorite older brother, who left to fight in the kingdom's wars, is returned home to be buried, and in her grief Tea brings him back to life with a power she didn't know she has.

Scorned by the people of her village, she is quickly entrusted to Mykaela, the last of the bone witches, so she can be trained in the proper arts of Ashas, those who are able to wield the magic of the elements. Accompanied by Fox, they travel to the kingdom's capital city to begin her apprenticeship. Agents of the Dark Prince, who first created the daeva out of dark magic, are creating chaos and spreading death, and Tea soon finds herself having to put her training to the test.

With the forces of the Dark Prince preparing for war, Tea finds herself faced with two distinct paths to follow... Fans of fantasy in an Asian setting will appreciate the world Cupecho created.

A Visual Guide to Reptiles and Dinosaurs

A Visual Guide to Reptiles and Dinosaurs. Part of the Visual Exploration of Science series. 2019. 103p. ISBN 978-1-50818242-9. Available at 597.7 SOL on the library shelves.

Revered and revealed, reptiles both fascinate and create a sense of horror among humans. From their alien look to their deadly venom, snakes, lizards, gators, turtles and dinosaurs are replete in mass media and in books. Yet reptilian misconceptions survive. Reptiles were some of the first creatures to emerge from the prehistoric waters to dwell on land. Over millions of years they evolved into large and fearsome dinosaurs which were wiped out in mass extinction events. Some reptiles survived and continued their evolution into the snakes and lizards that inhabit all areas of the world except for the poles.

A Visual Guide to Reptiles and Dinosaurs presents beautifully illustrated information about reptiles, from their emergence as the preeminent lifeforms on Earth to the environmental roles they play today and their places in myths and religious beliefs. Vivid graphics show how reptiles eat and move, how their endangered status is affected by human, how they life, how they reproduce, and special abilities such as the chameleon's coloring, or a snake's ability to eat prey bigger than itself. Fans of animals will appreciate the thoroughness of the information presented and will enjoy the myriad of details that are provided along with the illustrations.

The Opposite of Always

Reynolds, Justin. The Opposite of Always. 2019. 464p. 600 mins. ISBN 978-0-0627-4837-9. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Jack, a high school senior, first meets Kate, a college student, at a party during a campus visit. They strike up a conversation and soon become engrossed in each other's company. Even though Jack is in love with Jillian, who is dating his best friend, he begins to fall for Kate. Kate, however, has a problem. She suffer from sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder that prevents her from delivering a steady supply of oxygen to the cells in her body. Not wishing to reveal this, Kate breaks it off with Jack. When Kate is admitted and dies in the hospital, Jack gets a call, and in his confused and hurried mind he trips down his house's stairs and breaks his neck.

Jack regains consciousness, only to find himself back at the party on the first night he met Kate. Now he has a chance to figure out where he went wrong with Kate, and attempt a new relationship and prevent her from dying. Unfortunately, Kate dies again with Jack present. Over and over, Jack returns to the first time they met, and he comes to realize that this is his opportunity not only to help Kate get better, but to fix his relationship with Jillian, help his best friend with his father, who is returning from prison, and maybe, just maybe grow from the experience.

Similar to the movie Ground Hog Day, Jack has the possibility to make everything right, but it requires time to figure out what right is. The characters are well-fleshed out, their motivations are realistic, and their pain, joy and love all too real. Fans of realistic fiction, if they overlook the odd traveling back in time aspect of the novel, will appreciate Jack's efforts at making everything right.

In Search of Us

Dellaira, Ava. In Search of Us. 2018. 384p. ISBN 9780374305314. Available at FIC DEL on the library shelves.

Living in New Mexico, Angela has never known her father, and Marilyn, her mother rarely mentions him. When she does, tears and a complete withdrawal usually shuts down the conversation. All Angie knows is that his name was James, and he died before she was born. Her discovery of old pictures trigger a quest to really connect with her father. Searches on Ancestry.com don't yield anything useful, but she does discover he has a brother named Justin who might live in Los Angeles. Her ex-boyfriend Sam drives to California every year to visit his cousin, so Angie begs him to take her with him so she can find Justin and get answers about her father.

Eighteen years earlier, Marylin and her mother are forced to move back into her brother-in-law's apartment after they run out of money. Marylin had a career as a child model but things have dried up since she went through puberty, and every audition leads to heartaches when she is rejected. Marylin doesn't really care, however. She wants to go to college, and has her eyes set on Columbia. Her mother will never let her go however, because Marylin represents her ticket out of poverty to a life in a large house with nice cars.

When she meets James, the neighbor in the downstairs apartment, she is immediately smitten by him. Marylin is tall and blonde, and James is African-American, but both of them share the loss of a parent and a desire to escape their present conditions by going to college. Over the course of a few months, their relationship grows into love, but ends tragically.

The relationships of three mothers and daughters move this story forward. Each character is well defined and possesses intrinsic motivations. Angie's fears of being one in a seven billion world are real, but she learns during her trip that her mother did everything she could to ensure that Angie would have as happy a childhood as possible. She also discovers truths that ultimately make her a better person, even if they hurt. Fans of realistic fictions will love this story, told in alternating chapters, and will cheer as Angie and Marylin reconcile with each other and with the world around them.

Watership Down

Adams, Richard. Watership Down. 1974. 429p. ISBN 0-02-700030-3. Available both at FIC ADA and as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Rabbits have complex social lives. Each warren is led by a chief who commands lieutenants. Rabbits fear foxes, large birds, cats, and dogs, but their worst enemy is man. Life consists of eating, playing, sleeping, and telling stories in the comfort of the warren.

Hazel's friend Fiver has always had visions. Born the fifth of a litter, he is smaller than most, but his ability to uncannily predict dangers is appreciated by Hazel. When Fiver has a vision of a catastrophe about to strike the warren, he and Hazel try to warn the chief, but the chief doesn't believe in the solution they are proposing, which is to abandon the warren and immediately move somewhere. Dejected, Fiver announces he will be leaving regardless of the chief's decision. Hazel decides to join him, and together they recruit others and depart that very night.

Traveling through the countryside, Hazel leads the rabbits across a river and to a new land, where they are welcomed by other rabbits that appear well fed. Soon, however, they discover these rabbit harbor the dark secret that the man who feeds them well also often captures one or two of them, and they are never seen again. Hazel and the rabbits depart, not without learning of a good way to design a warren.

Having finally located the perfect spot, the rabbits soon realize they will need female rabbits if they want their new warren to survive. With the help of a seagull, they soon learn the existence of another warren a few miles away that might be willing to help them. However, this warren is led with military precision, and the rabbits are lucky to escape with their lives. Hazel and his friends design a plan to free and abscond with females, but end up being chased back to their own warren, where they are besieged. Fortunately, Hazel, Fiver and the others survive the assault and defeat the opposing forces.

First told as a story for the author's daughter, Watership Down develops the society and culture of the rabbits and shares some of their founding myths and folk history. They display courage and dedication in escaping their conditions and finding a new home. In the process they build a new society where they are more free, and yet at the same time more invested in the survival of their community. Fans of allegory will appreciate the details that make the rabbits seem bigger than life and will cheer as obstacles are overcome.

The Horse in War

Felber, Bill. The Horse In War. Part of the Horse Library series. 2002. 64p. ISBN 978-0-7910-6651-7. Available at 357 FEL on the library shelves.

Horses have been used in war for thousands of years, but it wasn't until the Egyptians that a force of horsemen was organized to assist the army. The cavalry filled a need for speed, but also shocked the opposing forces through well organized charges. Alexander the Great deployed his cavalry to great effectiveness in his conquests, but as riders' equipment and armor became heavier, new horses capable of carrying great loads in battle were bred. The Romans raised their own cavalry, but generally it was an afterthought to the organization of the legion.

The Middle Ages saw the rise of the knight, a fully armored individual riding into battle on a noble steed, but the appearance of cannons and rifles spelled the end of medieval warfare. Cavalry came into their own to range far and wide behind enemy lines and cause chaos. In the United States, the horse was instrumental in the spread of American military influence, and though cavalry rarely fought each other head on, it remained an essential unit within an army.

The machine guns and barbed wires of the First World War spelled the end of the cavalry. Unable to ride through and accomplish the promised smashing of the enemy line, horses were instead hitched to carriages to transport ammunitions and the wounded. The Second World War saw the last vestiges of horse warfare when the Polish cavalry charged the German tanks invading in September 1939. Horses continue to play a role in military units, but this has been greatly diminished, and the cavalry now rides tanks.

Fans of military history will appreciate this concise book and the information it provides about conflicts and the evolution of the horse's role in the military.

Esperanza Rising

Muñoz Ryan, Pam. Esperanza Rising. 2000. 262p. ISBN 0-439-12041-1. Available both as an audiobook from Overdrive and on the library shelves at FIC RYA.

Esperanza and her family live on a rolling ranch in Mexico. It is the late 1920s, early 1930s, and the economy is collapsing. Her father, a wealthy rancher, employs many servants and field hands, but when he dies after being ambushed by brigands, Esperanza's life of pretty dresses and parties ends abruptly as she and her mother are forced to flee the wreckage of their home, abandoning her grandmother behind in a convent.

Pursued by her father's brothers, powerful men who have wanted the estate for themselves for years, Esperanza and her mother make their way north to the United States with the help of Miguel and his family, former field hands going to California to find work in the fields there. The comfort of life that Esperanza experienced before suddenly become only memories, as she must earn her living just like the other immigrants, doing hard work harvesting different foods.

When her mother falls sick, it is now up to Esperanza to earn enough money to pay her medical bills and at the same time save enough to bring her abuela to the United States. Esperanza must adapt to a new reality where the divisions that existed between her and her servants are now gone, and everyone needs to help everyone in order to survive. Based on a true story, fans of realistic and historical fiction will appreciate Esperanza Rising. 

Cold Day in the Sun

Biren. Sara. Cold Day in the Sun. 2019. 311p. 506 mins. ISBN 978-1-68335-697-4. Available as an ebook and an audiobook from Overdrive.

Holland has played hockey for as long as she can remember. Coming from a family of hockey players, she followed in her father and oldest brothers' footsteps and started skating almost as soon as she could walk. This year, as a junior in high school Holland joined the varsity boys' team, even though her Minnesota high school has a girls' team. Holland is so good that she outclasses most of the players on her time. Her older brother Carter is co-captain with Wes, who seems to have it out for Holland, pushing her hard to do better.

When her high school gets the chance to win a state-wide televised game called HockeyFest, she suddenly enters the spotlight. Each team looking for a chance to win this event will feature an interviewed player in a sports segment to be aired on the one of the statewide television stations. Holland is selected to be that player as the only girl on a boys' team in the state. But there are many locals who don't think a girl should take the spot of a boy on the team. And Wes... Holland is starting to fall for that smug yet talented player. That would violate her rule of not dating a member of her team. As HockeyFest gets closer, however, Holland finds herself drawing closer and closer to Wes, and the tensions risk damaging the team and their chance at winning this prestigious chance to play on television.

Fans of sport stories will appreciate Holland's drive to be a successful player and not to be seen only as the girl on the team, but as an integral member for the team's successes. Her struggles against perceived gender roles and her reality on the ice are fully explored and are richly described. If you liked Dairy Queen, you will enjoy Holland's story as well.

Copyboy

Vawter, Vince. Copyboy. 2018. 233p. ISBN 978-1-63079-105-6. Available at FIC VAW on the library shelves.

In 1965, Victor Vollmer, from Paper Boy, has graduated from high school and is readying for college. Ever since he started delivering newspapers, he has looked up to Mr. Spiro, who was a mentor. Mr. Spiro guided him with questions designed for him to learn about himself. Now Mr. Spiro has died, and he had a last request that Vic takes seriously. Mr. Spiro wanted Victor to drop his ashes at the mouth of the Mississippi River, and Vic wants to do that right away. His parents are opposed, however, so Vic decides to head down to Louisiana by himself.

Vic stutters, and he has to work very hard to shape his sentences so he can communicate as best he can. When he is offered the job of continuing working at the local Memphis newspaper, Vic takes it but knows it will be a disappointment to his parents, who want him to focus on college and play baseball. First, he must drop the ashes. The copy editor has a friend in New Orleans who has a friend down near the coast, and Vic plans on connecting with them to accomplish his goal.

Heading south in his little sport car, Vic begins the journey of a lifetime, inspired by Mr. Spiro's words and actions. During his trip, meets Philomene, a vigorous teenager who loves being on the river. With Phil's help, Vic learns that the voice he has is his own, stuttering or not, and that there are many people out there who will lie him and love him, regardless of his disability.

Fans of historical and realistic fiction will appreciate this sequel to Paper Boy, which takes place 5 years later, and will enjoy seeing how much Victor has grown in this time, but will really appreciate how much more he has to learn while looking for the mouth of the Mississippi.

The Name of the Wind

Rothfuss, Patrick. The Name of the Wind. Book 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicle. 2009. 661p. ISBN 978-0-7564-0589-2. Available at FIC ROT on the library shelves.

Chronicler finds the red-haired man running a tavern in the middle of nowhere. His information is clear. This man is none other than Kvothe, a hero and villain who marked the recent history of Temerant. Through cajoling, Chronicler manages to get Kvothe to tell his tale.

As a youth, Kvothe always wanted to join the University where magic is learned. A member of the Ruh, a tribe of people who are performers, he has spent his youth moving throughout the continent playing in front of crowds large and small. On the road he met a man who taught him the rudiments of sympathy, how everything is connected together and how diverse properties can be used to perform actions others would perceive as magic.

But when his father and his caravan are slain for talking too much about the Chandrian, a mythical race, Kvothe is left alone, and must now survive in a world he is not entirely prepared for. Making his way to the large city of Tarbean, he survives for years as a beggar and thief, encountering other children like him and left for dead more times than he can count following violent encounters. Through it all, Kvothe holds the faint hope of making it to the University, and when he hears a storyteller recount the tales of the Chandrian, Kvothe realizes that he must chance the trip to the University.

On the way there he meets Denna, who is an accomplished singer. The two of them get along great, but when they arrive in Imre, Kvothe knows he'll never see Denna again. Penniless, he nevertheless participates in the University's entrance exam, and manages not only to impress the Masters, but also score a tuition whereby the University will pay him, something it has very rarely done.

Kvothe is hoping to use the expansive archives of the University to find more information about the Chandrian, but following an altercation with a rich student named Ambrose, he finds himself banished. Having to balance school work with regular work so he can eat, Kvothe progresses in his mastery of sympathy and his knowledge of magic, yet he remains far from his objective of learning more about the Chandrian.

Over the course of one day, Kvothe tells Chronicler about his life at the University, about the challenges he faced, and about Denna, the only girl he really loved. Fans of fantasy will appreciate the author's approach to telling a tale that features both deep world building and well-defined characters in a different way, having the main character retell his story to a biographer, with few interjections and interactions in the present.

The story continues in The Wise Man's Fear.

One Was Lost

Richards, Natalie D. One Was Lost. 2016. 308p. ISBN 9781492615743. Available both as an ebook an audiobook from Overdrive.

Sera is a senior in high school, and she's already regretting signing up for this camping trip with the school. There's broken Emily, always putting herself down and hiding her tru personality. Jude, the preppy rich boy who shows everyone how easy it can be. And Lukas. Bad boy Lukas, with whom Sera exchanged a kiss on Sophie's deck a few months back. Lukas wasn't supposed to be on this trip, so why did he come? Two more teens and two teacher chaperones complete this group. And now, three days from the trailhead, the incessant rain is making everyone else miserable.

Nearing a river, the group is separated in two by a sudden rise in water. Sera, Emily, Lukas, Jude and Mr. Walker pitch their tents and retire for the night on one shore, hoping to reunited with Madison, Hannah and Ms. Brighton  in the morning. When they wake up the next day, however, they find that they have been drugged, their phones have been destroyed, and each of them has been marked with a word on their forearm. Lukas is dangerous. Emily is damaged. Jude is deceptive. Sera is darling. Mr. Walker is drugged out of his mind and completely incapacitated. It is mid-afternoon. Across the raging river they find a dead body, their hiking mates' camp site destroyed, and the brightly colored nail attached to a severed finger of Ms. Brighton's hanging. They also find the roman numeral III hung up near their site.

Far away from civilization, with no way of contacting anyone, and with a killer on the loose, the four teens must decide how to escape, and, more importantly, whom to trust. The very killer could be in their midst...

Suspenseful but with an ending that will disappoint some, this thriller will keep fans of mysteries turning the page to find out who did it, and why.

Canadians in America

Hamilton, Janice. Canadians in America. Part of the In America series. 2006. 72p. ISBN 0-8225-2681-6. Available at 973 HAM on the library shelves.

Sharing the longest undefended border. Canada and the United States have very close economies and political ties, and have been strong allies. People from both countries live on the other side of the border, and culturally both countries are very similar. What impact did Canadian immigrants have on the United States?

The two countries began as colonies of France and Great Britain. The French spread throughout the continent but controlled sparsely populated areas. The English remained on the Eastern seaboard, but quickly grew in population. Native American populations were squeezed in between the two of them. The French presence was eliminated following the French-Indian War of 1754-63, and many Acadians were forcibly removed from their homes and exiled to the American colonies

Restlessness against perceived abuses of power and limitation place on the expansion of American colonists led to a revolution, and the British were finally defeated in 1783, but remained in control of Canada. British loyalists left the new United States and settled in Canada.

The two fought again in 1812. Starting in the 1830s, Canadians left poor economic and social opportunities and migrated to the United States to work in nascent textile industries in the Northeast, and continuing logging operations in Michigan.

Over time, Canadians have contributed to the United States economy and culture. Many famous comedians are originally Canadians. Immigrants from Canada tend to be better educated than the average American, and help increase the country's prosperity.

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation

Jacobson, Sid and Ernie Colón. The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation. 2006. 133p. ISBN 978-0-8090-5739-9. Available at 973.931 JAC on the library shelves.

September 11, 2001 was a failure of imagination on the part of the government. The very idea that people would hurl plans into buildings had never been entertained. Though there were many instances where the hijackers could have been thwarted, the various intelligence and law enforcement organizations did not share their information and therefore did not connect the dots in time. In the following months and years, new agencies were created, laws were passed, and a commission was created to investigate what had happened.

This book turns the 9/11 Commission's Report into a graphic novel. It relates the history that led to the terrorist attacks. It reviews what was known before September 11, who knew it, and how the dots could have been connected. The principal protagonists are presented, and the reaction of the United States in the months after the World Trade Center Towers fell. Fans of history will appreciate the details the illustrators used to recreate an otherwise dry government report, and will gain a new understanding of why 9/11 remains important in the nation's psyche.

Hoot

Hiaasen, Carl. Hoot. 2003. 292p. 385 mins. ISBN 9780440421702. Available both at FIC HIA on the shelves of the library and as audiobook on Overdrive.

Roy Edberhart and his family move often. His father works for the Department of Justice, and every year or so they join a new community. Roy really liked the last place, Montana, and they actually spent more than two years there. He loved the mountains, the wildlife, and the empty spaces. Now, Roy finds himself in Florida where it is hot, everything is crowded, and there are no mountains. His middle school is okay, but he's bullied on the school bus by Dana Matherson, a kid who is dumb enough not to know when to stop.

On one of these occasion, Roy's face gets smooshed against the bus window, and he notices a barefoot kid about the same age he is running away from the school bus. Suddenly Roy is intrigued. He's never seen this kid before, and there are no other schools he could be going to. He looks for him in town and at school, but can't find him. Looking to solve this mystery, Roy decides to follow the boy the next opportunity he has.

Meanwhile, construction equipment sits idle at the site of the future Mother Paula's Pancake House. The site has suffered vandalism, and the foreman has had enough and files a police complaint. When the police car itself is vandalized while parked on site, the foreman decides to escalate his protection measures.

These two stories gradually intertwine and tie together. A protected species, burrowing owls, live on the property but the company is ignoring its environmental assessment and plans to proceed with construction. As Roy investigates the shoeless boy, he becomes drafted in saving the owls, making new friends, and becoming part of his new community.

Black Hawk and the War of 1832: Removal in the North

Bowes, John P. Black Hawk and the War of 1832: Removal in the North. Part of the Landmark Events in Native American History. 2007. 131p. ISBN 978-0-7910-9681-9. Available at 973.5 BOW on the library shelves.

When we think of Black Hawk, we may have a combat helicopter in mind. Or a hockey team from Chicago. Or a series of landmarks such as hotels and parks. But Black Hawk was a real person who lived on the east side of the Mississippi at a time when the frontier of the United States didn't stretch past Ohio. A member of the Sauk nation, Black Hawk was not considered to be a chief of the tribe, but he nevertheless inspired many to follow him.

In the 1800s, following the War of 1812, peace had been restored between the British in Canada and the Americans, but the various Native tribes that populated the frontier had been left to their own devices. Some accepted American rules, others actively resisted. All, however, saw the steady arrival of migrants from the Eastern seaboard. These new arrivals were looking for cheap land they could settle on and create new communities. Natives attempted various stratagems to retain control of their lands and traditional territories, but in the end were forced by the U.S. government to give up their claims of ownership and move further west.

Black Hawk refused to leave, and returned to his ancestral home with a large party intent on re-settling it again. However the settlers in what was then the Illinois territory grew concerned at what they perceived as Native aggression. The irreconcilable differences between the two groups led to the last Native war in the Northwest frontier and to the defeat of Black Hawk and his tribesmen.

 Black Hawk and the War of 1832 presents information about Black Hawk and the cause of the War of 1832. It explores how the crisis emerged as more and more settlers moved west, how Black Hawk and his British Band were instrumental in attempting to return to their ancestral lands, and how American militiamen and military units confronted and defeated them. The impact of this defeat on the surviving Native tribes is also discussed, as well as the legacy Black Hawk left behind. Fans of history will appreciate the thoroughness of the author and the inclusion of various images and primary sources, and will gain a new perspective on a little known event in the history of the United States.

It Came From the Sky

Sedoti, Chelsea. It Came From the Sky. 2020. 512p. ISBN 978-1-4926-7302-6. Available at FIC SOD on the library shelves.

Gideon Hofstadt lives in Lansburg, Pennsylvania. A true science geek, this high school junior loves space, aims to get into MIT, and then work for NASA as an engineer. Problem is, he doesn’t really like people. Gideon only has one best friend, Cassie, and he barely tolerates Arden, the third wheel in this trio. He happens to be in love with Owen, who reciprocates the feeling, but it’s complicated.

Ishmael, Gideon’s older brother and a senior, participates in one of Gideon’s experiments and causes an explosion so powerful it digs a giant crater near their farmhouse. Suddenly the greatest hoax Lansburg has ever seen is born. Ishmael recounts how aliens came from the sky, while Gideon studies the townsfolk' reaction to the appearance of UFOs among them, hoping to write a sociological study that will impress MIT. As they push the envelope with more rumors and events, things threaten to spiral out of their control, and Gideon soon discovers that a hoax can change a whole town. Gideon is a complicated character.

Though never identified as autistic, he displays several characteristics, among them a love for certainty and the inability to read people. His family dynamics will be instantly recognized by anyone who never quite fitted in. The supporting characters are very realistic, and though the story moves along quickly the reader is always looking forward to Gideon’s next antics. The romantic interest involves only light kissing, making this book appropriate for all ages.

This fake visit from outer space combines into a brilliantly crafted and hilarious tale about the means justifying the end, until they don’t. Fans of humorous stories and of Sedoti's previous novel, The Hundred Lies of Lizzy Lovett, will be clamoring for more of Gideon.

Catalyst

Richardson, Tracy. Catalyst. 2020. 256p. ISBN 978-1-61254-445-8.

For years, Marcie has accompanied her archeologist mother to her various field operations. Now 17, she joins the site not as her mother's child, but as a bone fide member of the dig crew of Angel Mounds, in Indiana, once a thriving center of Native American culture. Marcie is introduced to Zeke and Lorraine, graduate students who lead her small group. She also meets Leo, a college student who holds strong views on the benefits of fracking.

Zeke and Lorraine begin to reveal to Marcie and her friends that humans are part of the Universal Energy Field, where energy comes from thoughts, and that they must help save the Earth from its inhabitants’ bad habits. Powerful corporate interests seek to develop fracking in Indiana and have a different message, however.

When Zeke and Lorraine reveal themselves to be aliens from another dimension, Marcie must decide if she will accept the burden of saving Earth from itself. Catalyst argues that pollution and human greed are slowly poisoning the Earth but that past inhabitants knew how to care for the planet.

Relationships, paranormal activities, climate change, and archeology all compete for attention. Marcie has strong opinions, but doesn’t know what to do. Leo, her romantic interest, possesses opposite views. They often talk over one another and are not really listening to the other side. The aliens guide Marcie, but she lacks agency and rarely exhibits doubts about the mission they foist on her. Leo undermines what Marcie is trying to accomplish, and yet she forgives him for mistakes that would have ended most relationships. The intriguing match of archeology and paranormal is not fully realized, but it remains an entertaining read. Readers who enjoy lightly sprinkled paranormal activities will appreciate this book.

Maybe This Time

West, Kasie. Maybe This Time. July 2019. 368p. ISBN 978-1-338-21008-8. Available at FIC WES on the library shelves.

 Sophie Evans cannot wait for the day she gets to leave her small Alabama town and head to New York, where she hopes to attend college for fashion design. Now a junior, Sophie works at Every Occasion, a floral business involved in all sorts of events, from the Valentine’s Day Retirement Home Dinner to New Year’s Eve celebration. Andrew Hart is from Manhattan, but he doesn’t live in the same place for long. His famous father, Chef Jett Hart, now spends a year working with a small business owner/chef, helping them improve and expand. For the next year, Andrew and Sophie meet during these events, working for their respective employers.

Sophie finds Andrew entitled and infuriatingly aggravating. Andrew finds Sophie intriguing but unfriendly. Can they learn to deal with each other’s presence with all the guests around them? Told over nine major events, Sophie and Andrew’s hostile relationship slowly evolves into one of grudging respect and then love as they spend more time together. Each character starts as a stereotype, the girl from rural America who can’t wait to leave, and the sophisticated boy from the big city. They quickly grow into authentic individuals with dreams that are worth fighting for.

The blossoming of their relationship is slow and sweet and involves nothing more explicit than a series of kisses. The supporting cast is realistic, with Sophie and Andrew’s problematic relationship with their parents accurately portrayed. Fans of relationship novels and of West’s P.S. I Love You will devour this romantic read.