Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 12

Adachitoka. Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 12. 2016. 200p. ISBN 978-1-63236-253-7. Available in the Graphic Section of the library.

In Noragami: Stray God, Vol 11, it was revealed that the gods have kept a deadly secret from their shinki. Gods know their shinkis' true names, as well as how they died. This secret is closely guarded, for shinkis that discover their true names, their soul can never again be saved by being named and transformed into a vessel. Rejected by Yato, Hiro the Stray now plots Yukiné's demise by dangling in front of him the fact that Yato has a secret he would rather not share with him. This create doubt in Yukiné's mind.

Meanwhile, Hiyori discovers the true origins of Yato, and how his father created him out of a wish. She observes Yato's memories as a god-child, killing wantonly with Hiro to please his father. Yato's encounter with a nameless spirit, however, changed his view of the world and promoted a desire to see a shrine constructed in his honor. Named Sakura, Yato's new shinki shows him a side of humanity he had never seen. But as he spends more and more time with Sakura, his father punishes Hiro for being a bad girl. As a result, Hiro decides to avenge herself on Sakura, by goating Yato into revealing her true name ...


The story continues in Noragami: Stray God, Vol. 13.

Hullmetal Girls

Skrutskie, Emily. Hullmetal Girls. 2018. 313p. ISBN 978-1-52477019-8. Available at FIC SKR on the library shelves.

For three hundred years, humanity has been floating in space in a fleet of starships, hunting for a new home following the destruction of Earth's environment. Over the centuries, the fleet stratified and everyone's social position became tied to where they were born in the fleet. Humanity's governing council, the General Body and its Chancellor, are supported by an army of Scela, soldiers who have been mechanically enhanced by merging them with an exo-cortex and mechanic skeleton, effectively turning them into cyborgs. The exo allows each soldier to connect to a network and merge their consciousness and skills into a single whole, whether that be with their small unit of four Scelas, or with larger groups of soldiers. Scelas are strong, deadly, and feared, but they have also given up their humanity and control over their own body to their leaders. Commanders and the Chancellor can override the exo or give it orders that directly contradicts how a Scela feels, but they must comply with it.

The General Body needs these soldiers because elements of the fleet, who call themselves Fractionists, want to split the fleet up to more quickly find a new world to settle on. The Fractionists strongly believe that the Chancellor and the General Body are more concerned with preserving their power than finding humanity a new home, and they have been fighting back through protests and low-level terrorism.

Hailing from the Reliant, a ship at the end of the fleet, Aisha Un-Hadd's parents died in an industrial accident, and instead of facing a life of working in the brutal factories of the fleet, she opted to become Scela, hoping that her salary will provide security for her younger sister and brother. Dedicated to helping her family survive, she's willing to do just about anything, including merging her body with a machine in a procedure that is deadly to many and that cannot be reversed.

Key Tanaka doesn't remember why she became Scela. Her entire past has been erased from her memory, and all she has to rely on are glimpses that are confusing her. She's pretty sure she would never volunteer for such an operation, and her manner of speaking and demeanor seem to indicate that she come from the front of the fleet. She needs to survive training and get a great assignment in the Scela ranks so she can figure out what happened to her.

As the two of them join two others in a four Scela squad and begin sharing memories and feelings through their exo connections, they find themselves in the middle of the conflict between the General Body and the Fractionists, a war that is heating up quickly and that is now causing mass casualties. Will the Scela defend the order they were built to protect, or will they fight for those they left behind despite the terrible costs?

A great dystopian novel, Hullmetal Girls provides a portrait of technology gone wrong.

The History of Physics

Rooney, Anne. The History of Physics. Part of the History of Science series. 2013. 208p. ISBN 978-1-448-7229-9. Available at 530.09 ROO on the library shelves.

Physics defined as the science that explains how the mechanics of the world operate. It describes the smallest fundamental pieces of matter and how they interact together to create objects. It shows how gravity affects objects on Earth and in space. It explores space and time. In essence, physics provide our understanding of the world we live in.

But physics itself is a science that has evolved over the last 3,000 years, from the early musings of Greek and Chinese philosophers to the builders of particle accelerators. The History of Physics presents the history of how scientific discoveries and advancements in such disparate fields as optics, fluid mechanics, and atomic structures have influenced each other and spurred on further inventions. Far from being boring, the history of the people who blazed a trail in our understanding of the universe is riveting and features accidental discoveries, jealousy, murder, and the odd excommunication from the Catholic Church.

Written in understandable language with lots of illustrations and asides, The History of Physics feature a ton of information and provides a comprehensive look at the science itself, without headaches or teeth gnashing. Fans of history should not pass up this opportunity to learn more about physics and about the people that have allowed science to create smartphones and space exploration.

A Great and Terrible Beauty

Bray, Libba. A Great and Terrible Beauty. Book 1 of the Gemma Doyle series. 2003. 404p. ISBN 0-385-73028-4. Available at FIC BRA on the library shelves.

It is 1895, and Gemma Doyle longs to see London. Born in India of an English mother and father, Gemma has read extensively about London, and has always wanted to visit. Now that she's 16 years old, Gemma feels that it is time for her to experience her debut in London's fashionable society, and she's been badgering her mother to take her there. Her mother has always refused, however, much to Gemma's chagrin and incomprehension. During an outing, Gemma and her mother are separated. Lost and wandering the crowded streets, Gemma has a vision of her mother being attacked and willingly killing herself. But it was not a vision, but it really happened, and now Gemma's mother is dead.

Her mother's suicide unhinges her father, and the family returns to London, where her brother now studies. Gemma is enrolled in Spence, a boarding school for proper young ladies. Still hurt that her mother died because she was searching for her, Gemma tries to find comfort in the friendship of others. She meets mean girls Felicity and Pippa, and her roommate Ann, who is a scholarship student at Spence. At first Felicity and Pippa are mean to Gemma and Ann, but they soon come to see that Gemma possesses strange powers. Gemma's visions continue, and soon she and her friends find themselves in a cave, guided there by a teacher. She also encounters Kartik, a strange Indian teen who has followed her all the way from India to protect her. He was there when her mother died, and now he's here too.

When Gemma discover an old journal of two girls, who were members of the Order and who perished in the flames when Spence's East Wing burned down in 1871, Gemma is spurred on to explore the spiritual world, and discover what happened to her mother and to the two girls who perished in the fire. As she spends more time in the spiritual world with her friends, however, Gemma realizes that there are other forces at play, forces that could very well lead to her demise and that of her friends.

Fans of Bray's The Diviners series will enjoy this paranormal tale taking place in a Victorian era of repressed sexuality where presentation is everything. The story continues in Rebel Angels.

Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives

Perritano, John. Flavorings, Colorings, and Preservatives. Part of the Know Your Food series. 2018. 64p. ISBN 978-1-42223736-6. Available at 641.3 PER on the library shelves.

Food additives are some of the more pernicious ingredients we consume. Found in just about everything, additives fulfill the important role of preserving food so that it lasts longer. They also offer a variety of colors to be visually pleasing or distinctive, and affect the flavor of food. Many questions arise out of the overabundance of use of food additives. Are they safe for human consumption? How are they created? Why are they used?

This book describes how the history of food additives. It explains why they were created, how they were tested (if they even were), and how the ended up having a pervasive presence in our diet. There are ways to avoid some of these additives and maintain a healthy diet, but it's up to you to know what is good for your body and what isn't. 

Fans of good nutrition will appreciate the thoroughness and science presented in this book and will be better equipped to make decisions on what they eat.

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow

Sturm, James & Rich Tommaso. Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow. 2007. 89p. ISBN 0-7868-3900-7. Available at B STU on the library shelves.

In the 1930s and 40s, America was bitterly divided by racial tensions. African Americans were not allowed to eat at the same restaurants, stay at the same hotels, and go to the same schools as Whites. But Satchel Paige, one baseball's greatest player, was not stopped by any of this. At one time the highest paid baseball player in the United States, Paige had an amazing pitch and put on an incredible show wherever he played, whether in the Negro League or elsewhere.

This graphic novel presents Paige's career and discusses the impact he had on promoting respect for African-Americans. Always the better player, he held baseball matches against the best White teams and won, always making a show but demonstrating that African-Americans were not inferior. The illustrations are shades of white, green and black, but beautifully render the spirit of the times. Readers who enjoy graphic novels will appreciate learning about a player that should not be forgotten. 

A Pixie’s Promise

Sanchez, Dianna. A Pixie’s Promise. 2018. 250p. ISBN 9781940924342. Available at FIC SAN on the library shelves.

Petunia the Pixie is thrilled to be heading to her friend Millie the witch’s house for the next ten days. At home, Petunia never has a moment’s peace, and even her mother mistakes her for one of her many siblings. Millie is heading to the Logical World, where humans live, so she can spend time with her father. Millie’s mother, Bogdana the witch, is staying at the house. While she is gone, Petunia helps nurse and educate Thea the tree, and she also prepares the meals that Millie left behind for her and for for her mother. Bogdana is unpleasant and treats Petunia like a servant, and denies her access to her witch’s laboratory. 

When a contagious disease spreads quickly through the town of Pixamitchie, Bogdana soon finds her healing potion crafting abilities overwhelmed, and reluctantly asks Petunia to help. When Bogdana herself comes down with an illness, it is up to Petunia to stop the contagion and save the village!