Beth's Staff Picks
See what bookseller Beth is reading....
Set in Germany and the United States pre- and post-WWII, Pam Munoz Ryan masterfully weaves together a story about a harmonica and its journey between three children. Told in several parts, the reader follows the harmonica's journey as it inspires each child in their daily lives. Both poignant and heartwarming, this book leaves the reader satisfied and hopeful for the future.
Ransom Riggs cleverly mixes mediums between old photographs and prose to form a quirky storyline. While suffering from trauma related to his grandfather's death, Jacob traces his grandfather's roots to Wales. There he discovers a magical orphanage of "peculiar" children and their headmistress Miss Peregrine. A quick read, this book appeals to anyone who enjoys fantasy and well-rounded characters.
Mermaids? Witches? Pirates? This young adult fantasy novel has it all! The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea follows a pirate, Flora or Florian, and a wealthy royal, Lady Evelyn Hasegawa, as they travel aboard the Dove. Unexpectedly, the captain and crew of the ship enslave the wealthy passengers. Flora and Evelyn must take fate into their own hands as they navigate this new reality and, maybe, fall in love along the way. This book ticked all my boxes for a fantasy young adult novel and I cannot wait to read a sequel!
From the author of The Kite Runner, this novel follows two Afghan women, Laila and Mariam, as they navigate the changing social and cultural landscape of Afghanistan. This story investigates the meaning of family and gender roles while exploring the connection between the two women. Although fictional, this book tells one story of a life that myself and others may not come in contact with otherwise.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler offer valuable life lessons on anger, guilt, love, power, family, and more. While going through a tough period in my life, I picked up this book on a whim. To this day, I still refer back to this book and the lessons it taught me. Especially during this pandemic, this book provides some comfort as we continue to navigate life and its challenges.
I read Maus during a college course on the representations of violence and conflict in graphic novels. This course really opened my eyes to the medium of graphic novels and how the authors carefully utilize different techniques to show and tell the reader the story. Maus follows Spiegelman himself as he recreates his father's story as a survivor of the Holocaust. By using cats, mice, and pigs to represent individuals, Spiegelman artistically creates a picture for the reader of his father's life. I recommend this graphic novel for anyone interested in graphic novels as a medium for storytelling.
