SCPL TN BOOK BUZ

  Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls Submitted by Heather Groom Branch Manager for Sullivan Gardens Public Library     Before publication "Hang the Moon" was listed as a "Most Anticipated Book of 2023" by Oprah Daily, Elle and LitHub magazine. I would have put it on all the other lists as well, as I have been eagerly awaiting a new novel by Jeannette Walls!     Walls is best known for her memoir "The Glass Castle" which was published in 2005 and spent almost 10 years on the New York Times best seller list. (It was also adapted into a movie starring Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson.)  It's a tender, gripping book about her own childhood, being raised by alcoholics and the effects it has on herself and her siblings. Walls gives no less care and attention to the fictional characters in "Hang the Moon".      The novel's protagonist is lovable tomboy Sallie Kincaid. After a nine year banishment due to a tragic accident, Sallie returns to her chil...

  Her Lost Words by Stephanie Marie Thornton Submitted by Heather Groom, Branch Manager for Sullivan Gardens Public Library     Historical Fiction is taking off this year and some of the most exciting titles to hit the shelves are going to be stories about real life authors. Stephanie Marie Thornton steps up and joins the ranks of the greats with this fictional account of the journey from Mary Wollstonecraft's "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein".     Thornton crafts an invigorating story from the lives of the Mother of Feminism to the Mother of Science Fiction. Mary Wollstonecraft grew up in the late 1700's and experienced great fear of her father's sudden, violent rages. Upending the traditions of society, Wollstonecraft supports herself with her writing and pens the controversial volume "A Vindication of the Rights of Women"; boldly stating women's equality with men. Wollstonecraft's fire burned...

  The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis Submitted by Heather Groom, Branch Manager for Sullivan Gardens Public Library      Thirty two years after shattering the global literary market with "American Psycho", Bret Easton Ellis takes us back to the 80's in a gritty coming of age novel that reads like a piece of true crime non fiction.     Ellis' most popular work to date is "American Psycho", a novel that was shrink wrapped in certain countries due to its graphic violence. If you haven't read the book, you have probably seen the movie, and you have an idea of the kind of  punch Ellis can pack in his stories. In his most recent book, "The Shards", Ellis doesn't pull any punches. He puts himself front and center as the narrator and main character. Bret is a privileged student at a private high school in 1980's L.A. He's a rich and popular senior at Buckley Prep School and is preparing to take the world by storm. Until a mysterious new studen...

Small Town, Big Magic , written by Hazel Beck (Book #1 of Witchlore) Submitted by Austin Leonard, Assistant Branch Manager, Thomas Memorial Branch Library Light your candles, and grab your tea. It’s getting magical. Small Town, Big Magic is a witchy rom-com about Emerson Wilde, youngest Chamber of Commerce president in St. Cyprian history, and a bookstore owner. She champions plans to revitalize their small town, but a chance encounter with dangerous dark beasts reveals.. Magic? You follow Emerson on a long road to protect the town from evil forces with her group of childhood friends as they teach her about her magical roots and help her find the warrior within. You find that Emerson has had her memory of magic erased and replaced with the mundane, now she has to learn magic anew while her memories slowly return.  A blooming romance between her friend and long time crush plus magical knowledge and memories she’s not supposed to have makes for a wild ride of secrets, both kept and...

Fantasy, courage, and friendship themes warm the soul in Katie O’Neil’s graphic novel The Tea Dragon Society. O’Neil pairs her characters perfectly with their tea dragons, as one would pair tea with a morning pastry. O'Neil initially posted the beginnings of The Tea Dragon Society  in a series of online webcomics on her personal Tumblr page. Through crowdfunding, she was able to successfully publish them into a multi-award-winning trilogy through Oni Press.  Breathtakingly beautiful, with its earth-toned color illustrations and endearing characters, the book follows the main character Greta, a blacksmith learning her family trade. When Greta finds Jasmine, a tea dragon, in need of help from two hungry rogue wolves, she crosses paths with Hesekiel, a wise alumnus of the Tea Dragon Society and owner of Jasmine. Through Hesekiel and his partner, Erick, Greta learns that the tea dragons are fickle if not adorable creatures who can share their memories from the tea brewed from the ...

 Bad Mormon: A Memoir by Heather Gay Submitted by Heather Groom, Sullivan Gardens Library Branch Manager Ladies, grab your BFF, all your frenemies and a glass of wine! Here is the guilty pleasure book you have been waiting for. If you want a book that gives you accurate historical accounts of Mormonism, aka the Church of Latter Day Saints, you need to stop reading this review and check out "Under The Banner of Heaven" by Jack Kerouac. If you're looking for some religion with your entertainment, then "Bad Mormon" is for you. Heather Gay is a costar of "Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" and is known on the show as a fierce lady boss that is divorced and breaking off her lifelong dedication to the Mormon Church. Once married to "Mormon Royalty", she soon found that the requirements and expectations of a typical Mormon wife were more stifling than sanctimonious. She chronicles her childhood experiences with Mormonism all the way to present day, ...

  On The Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel Submitted by Heather Groom Sullivan Gardens Public Library Branch Manager "On The Savage Side" is a fictional account of the Chillicothe Six, 4 women who are brutally murdered and dumped in the Scioto River, and 2 that were never seen or heard from again. McDaniel makes it clear that this is a fictional account and the characters, while loosely based on victims' themselves, are a product of her imagination. While the subject matter is a hard pill to swallow (drug addiction, child abuse/neglect, domestic violence, graphic depictions of violence) McDaniel balances 'the savage side" of this novel with characters that speak to the heart.  Arcade and Daffodil are twin sisters caught up in a life of neglect, addiction and abuse. Regardless of their circumstances they choose not to look at life from the savage side, taking a metaphor generally used for the messy underside of a cross stitch project. They choose to see life from t...