Staff Choices

Fairy and folk tales are an integral part of our childhoods—we hear them from relatives, teachers, maybe even library story times. We see them in films and books, hear them in music, and learn life lessons from them: stranger danger, inner strength, self-confidence. Similarly, we return to them as adults, seeking them in new forms, perhaps passing them along to future generations. Whether Disney or Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen or traditional tales, these stories are recycled and remade to adapt and suit the world(s) that need them.

Crowned by Kahran and Regis Bethencourt exemplifies this, but also re-imagines the possibilities of a retelling. The internationally famous forces behind CreativeSoul Photography and named Canon Explorers of Light, the Bethencourts empower BIPOC children through their photography and visual storytelling, seeking to highlight beauty both within and without: specializing in child and lifestyle photography, they not only celebrate elements of Blackness such as hair and skin tone, they also bring out their subjects’ personalities through their images.

In this collection of new and (re-)imagined stories, the Bethencourts combine European lore (ex. Cinderella and Snow White) with traditional African and African American folk and fairy tales, as well as a collection of new stories for our modern urban age. The stories maintain their traditional core, but are tweaked and rewritten to connect with readers—especially Black readers—growing up in the digital age. The stories are short and quick to read, more Disney in tone than the Brothers Grimm, and emphasize lessons of strength, kindness, wisdom, and community. They highlight beauty in all its forms, from leg braces to baldness to albinism, and encourage both strong, capable girls and gentle, empathetic boys.

Most stunning of all is the photography itself—visually lush, with vibrant color and captivating collage composition, the Bethencourts incorporate both the innate traits of their models and traditional motifs from cultures all over the African continent. The costumes combine the modern and ubiquitous with the fantastical, while the hairstyles and makeup meld tradition with the chic and speculative—if spec fic genres were hairstyles, this book would have them all—truly a (Black) cosplayer’s dream! I would recommend this book for the images alone, but the visuals and text are what ties everything together. (Also, the experience of the creative process looks like so much fun, at least going by the behind-the-scenes photos at the end of the book.)

Readers who are interested in more Black short story collections may enjoy Africa Risen edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, et al. and How Long 'Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin. For more retellings of Black Diaspora folktales, see Jerry Pinkney and Virginia Hamilton. For more Black authors of spec fic, try P. Djèlí Clark, N.K. Jemisin, and Octavia E. Butler.

If you’re looking for an exciting and well-paced thriller to spice up your pool outings this summer, look no further! First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston will keep you guessing until the very end.

Evie Porter isn’t who she seems, and that’s because she doesn’t exist. Sucked into a world of crime, Evie is a master manipulator and woman of many faces. Working for the elusive Mr. Smith, she’s assumed many identities over the years. She's always gotten a little too involved with her targets, but her current mark, Ryan Sumner is something else altogether. She’ll even doctor her reports for Mr. Smith to protect him. 

Things are going as planned, until a woman with Evie’s real identity walks into the party she’s attending. Now Evie must figure out why Mr. Smith is turning on her and how she can finally get out from under his control. 

This is one of the most unusual, complex books I have read in a long time, and I loved it!

It takes place in Western Massachusetts as it follows a plot of land, and a home through several centuries of those who have inhabited this house. The author takes us from the the 1600's to the present, with nature writing, intricate characters, plot twists, animal instincts, and even ghosts. At times is is lovely, and at times it is brutal, but it is astounding. As a doctor and an author, Daniel Mason has become a very successful historical novelists.

 I have read all of C.J. Box Joe Pickett novels. I really enjoyed them. But this one left me disappointed. There were two deaths that I don’t think were necessary. Actually, I think the two characters had potential for future interesting story lines. I won’t reveal which characters (no spoilers). I am so disappointed that I might take a break from reading the Joe Pickett series.

Expiration Dates had one of the most original and fun concepts I've read for a romance/women’s fiction. 

Daphne Bell believes the universe has a plan for her. Every time she meets a new man, she receives a slip of paper with his name and a number on it—the exact amount of time they will be together. The papers told her she’d spend three days with Martin in Paris; five weeks with Noah in San Francisco; and three months with Hugo, her ex-boyfriend turned best friend. Daphne has been receiving the numbered papers for over twenty years, always wondering when there might be one without an expiration. Finally, the night of a blind date at her favorite Los Angeles restaurant, there’s only a Jake. 
 
But as Jake and Daphne’s story unfolds, Daphne finds herself doubting the paper’s prediction, and wrestling with what it means to be both committed and truthful. Because Daphne knows things Jake doesn’t, information that—if he found out—would break his heart.  

As usual in a Rebecca Serle novel, I found myself loving the main character, despite her flaws, and cheering for her to the end. While there were a few predictable outcomes, I truly enjoyed this novel and found the magical realism an interesting element to the story. A perfect pick to kick your summer off!

Wow. I will admit, I wasn't sure what to make of this book when I first picked it up, but I'm truly glad I did. This standalone graphic memoir recounts the two years Kate "Katie" Beaton spent working in the Alberta oil sands in Canada as a recent college graduate entering a jobless market. Her perspective is colored by a nexus of layers: she is a young white woman from Cape Breton in Eastern Canada; like many in her home community, she migrates across the country from Francophone Canada to the British-influenced West Coast, and works in a very isolated, hypermasculine environment that wreaks havoc not only on the natural environment and First Nations communities there but also the employees themselves, who risk their health and their lives to support families back home. In her memoir, Katie, who faces her own obstacles, trauma, and--most of all--looming student loans, often wonders, If these men--who could be her brothers, father, uncles--were at home, would they be "normal"? At the same time, the oil sands are such a specific environment (especially in the pre-smartphone era early 2000s) that returning to "normal" society is like entering another dimension. This is a powerful memoir, and reminds readers to consider forgotten populations and the hows and whys of their struggles.

Beaton, an Eisner, Ignatz, Harvey, and Doug Wright Awards-winning cartoonist, renders this memoir in all its complex shades of gray. She doesn't shy away from tough topics, such as rape, the health and environmental impacts of the oil sands, the impact on Indigenous peoples, and the struggle and invisibility of blue collar workers, especially men. At the same time, she doesn't sensationalize either: these problems are widespread, but not graphically drawn; rather, the impact is depicted through vagueness and implication, while coarse dialogue and slang highlights the realistic truth of both flaws and camaraderie. Beaton is also upfront with her own social privilege and imperfect knowledge--she neither knew nor experienced the full tragedy of the oil sands on the lands they used and the people they stole from, but pulls no punches with the dark side of the industry she worked for out of necessity--the dark side of capitalism  and the hypocrisy of the "support" and "reparations" offered by bigwigs to avoid public criticism. Text aside, the panels are organized and readable, with a comfortable balance between text and images, and a grid-like layout that flows easily for both the experienced comics reader and the newcomer just dipping a toe into the medium.

As someone who knows very little about the industry and only general brushstrokes of Canadian history and social complexities, I found this memoir to be both incredibly informative and a riveting read. The title, too, remains with me--although the actual birds only appear briefly in the book, their symbolism is clear--the toxins of the oil industry stick to everyone, are very difficult to dislodge, and may eventually prove fatal. It is also a very difficult experience to imagine unless one knows what is like to be there. Readers of this memoir may also be interested in Tar Sands by Andrew Nikiforuk, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan, and Fire on the Water by Jill MacGregor. 

At just under 100 pages, The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler is easily digested in a sitting or two. However, don’t let the length fool you into thinking it falls short on the story. Nayler creates a world and characters crafted around a cause that really captures you on an emotional level. This is one that stuck with me for a while after finishing. 

Dr. Damira Khismatullina has spent her life protecting elephants from poachers. After her murder at the hands of those very poachers, elephants become extinct. A year later, scientists have found a way to resurrect mammoths through ancient DNA. However, they do not carry the instincts to survive in the wild. As an expert in animal behavior, Damira’s previously downloaded consciousness is placed into a mammoth with the hope that she will help teach them to survive. 

It becomes apparent that not everything is as it seems and perhaps it’s not just poachers threatening the survival of these magnificent creatures. 

A fun, fast read, with punchy characters, terrific pacing, and tone-perfect humor. I loved the relationship between the ex-con dad and his seriously ill daughter and the essentially incompetent villain, but the heartfelt and utterly satisfying ending is what really made this book special. Great read.

Avery Cunningham’s debut novel The Mayor of Maxwell Street gives a fascinating look into Prohibition-era Chicago. Penelope “Nelly” Sawyer, the daughter of a wealthy horse breeder from Kentucky, is making her debut in Black society in the summer of 1921. An aspiring journalist, Nelly learns about the elusive Mayor of Maxwell Street, a powerful man who controls Chicago’s underground crime scene. Aided by Jay Shorey, a biracial man passing as white, Nelly becomes entangled in a flurry of criminal activity that threatens her life and the lives of her family and friends.

Against a backdrop of speakeasies, lavish parties, and a multi-cultural night market, the novel explores the effects of Jim Crow laws, class differences in Chicago, and women’s struggles in the 1920s. Along with the narrative are rich details of Art Deco, Chicago historic landmarks, Roaring Twenties fashion, and expensive cars.

While some of the plot points are unrealistic, the overall story was compelling, and I was invested in the ending. I recommend this glamorous story to anyone who enjoys a love story, a riveting historical drama, and a brilliant exploration of Black society and perseverance in a memorable time in history.

The year is 2086, and the world is celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the cure for ESV or "the Sleep," a deadly pandemic. Adam Garfield, now ex-Navy, lost his father to ESV and is currently recovering from a bomb detonation in which he lost a leg. Rather than retire at the age of 28, he is instead recruited to join CNAS, an organization within the military that researches ESV. Adam is to be a "Companion" to the genius "Diver" Rune Winter, aka King, who is one of the most successful--if elusive--people to treat ESV patients: he "dives" into their minds (called "limbo") and heals them. However, Adam and Rune quickly realize that there may be more to ESV than meets the eye...

In a story reminiscent of Satoshi Kon's Paprika, with a gritty USA setting similar to Akimi Yoshida's Banana Fish, tough bro vibes (and loveable dog) like Cowboy Bebop, and a dash of Junji Ito's horror, Ai Tanaka weaves an intriguing and intricate world not so different from our own. The premise is interesting, though it may at times brush the limits of the reader's suspension of disbelief. Originally published in Japan in 2017, parts of the series may also feel prophetic, especially to English readers in 2024. Still, readers will be quickly sympathetic to Adam and Rune. Fans of action, (psychological) suspense, and high-tech sci-fi won't be disappointed. This is a series that I will likely read to its conclusion and am definitely looking forward to volume two!