Thursday, September 28, 2023
Naruto, Vol. 10
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Guyana
Jermyn, Leslie. Guyana. Part of the Cultures of the World series. 2000. 128p. ISBN 9780761409946. Available at 988.1 JER on the library shelves.
Nestled between Venezuela, Brasil and Surinane, and peculiar in many ways, Guyana is a small country in South America that is populated by a mix of different populations, from descendants of African slaves, British and Dutch plantation owners, Portuguese and Indian laborers. Brought together by colonial forces keen on exploiting sugar plantations, these different ethnic groups have mixed together to create a unique culture that remains separate from each other as they live and work in the same country.
Religious diversity and tolerance really sets Guyana apart. Poor in resources but rich in people, the country continues to struggle from the lasting effects of several dictatorships that have hampered economic development and affected social cohesion. Majestic tourist attractions have attracted a growing tourist trade, which carries environmental consequences.
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Took: A Ghost Story
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Children of Blood and Bone
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
Where to from Here? A Path to Canadian Prosperity
Morneau, Bill. Where to from Here? A Path to Canadian Prosperity 2023. 328p. ISBN 9781770417144.
Thursday, September 14, 2023
Attack on Titan., Vol. 1
Wednesday, September 13, 2023
All Quiet on the Western Front
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Valkyrie: The Story of the Plot to Kill Hitler, by Its Last Member
Thursday, September 7, 2023
Naruto, Vol. 9
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
You Are Here: Connecting Flights
Oh, Ellen. You Are Here: Connecting Flights. 2023. 272p. ISBN 9780063239081.
Twelve stories take place at the Chicago airport, and interconnect. A teen is traveling to Thailand with his grandmother, who is bringing the cremated remains of dead husband with her in a case, and he's pretty stressed about crossing the TSA security check point. A Korean-American girl and her two non-Asian fathers are traveling to Korea so she can experience the land she came from, but, not remembering anything about it, she has misgivings about the trip. A girl and her mother are moving back to Korea after a fight between her mother and father in New York City, and she absolutely does not want to leave. A boy in the dining area is harassed by security, and plays his guitar like a god to prove to them that yes, there are Asian guitarists. A boy on a traveling team feels sad about his best friend, who is an undocumented resident and therefore cannot travel.
In You Are Here, twelve Asian-American authors create loosely connected stories that explore what it means to be Asian-American in the United States in an era of Covid and anti-Asian sentiment. Some of the teens in the stories feel divided between their ethnic heritage and their feelings of being Americans. Others have never connected with their Asian side, and are feeling ambivalent about that it means to them. All of them encounter racism and side-eyed looks, and many are confronted with being asked to go back to their country, even though they have lived here for generations. Through it all, universal truths about standing up for oneself and fighting prejudice are discovered.
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
City of Light, City of Poison: : Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris
Tucker, Holly. City of Light, City of Poison: : Murder, Magic, and the First Police Chief of Paris. 2017. 310p. ISBN 9780393239782.
In the 1670s, France was at its apogee. Louis XIV, the Sun King, had been ruling for decades. France had expanded through war, Versailles was under construction, and Paris was growing. Hoping to turn his capital into a beacon for the civilized world, Louis XIV assigned a dedicated public servant, Nicolas de la Reynie, to be the first chief of police for the city. Previously, law enforcement was divided among many jurisdictions, with the effect that the city was dirty, dark, and dangerous. When de la Reynie assumed his post, his first edicts were to literally clean the city of its refuse, and to install lanterns at every street corner, turning Paris into the City of Light.
de la Reynie then turned his attention to the criminals that populated the streets of the city. As he pursued dangerous individuals, he soon stumbled upon a group of poisoners, who, for a price, would provide a husband or wife with the means to "prune the family tree." This cabal was soon arrested and transported to the Chateau of Vincennes for interrogation, and de la Reynie learned that noble women were also using this group's services.
As de la Reynie investigates and conducts interrogations, he soon realizes that the currencies of violence and deceit are not limited to the lower classes. More nobles fall in disgrace or are executed as revelations rock the court of the king. Progressively, people close to the king become targets of de la Reynie, until he comes across a nefarious plot from the King's own mistress to poison the Sun King. How far can he push to get the whole truth?
A true story of passion and betrayal, of envy and destruction, City of Light, City of Poison illustrates a fascinating period in the reign of Louis XIV, where anything that could gain the attention of the King was worth gold. A spat of deaths and poisoning was followed by this investigation, which in turn was soon buried by the King for fear that France would never recover from the loss of trust and the embarrassment. Fans of history and of criminal investigations will devour this book!