compilation and summaries by Emma Shacochis; titles recommended by members of the Board

Despite having to miss this month’s meeting, TAB members still decided to share what we’ve been reading and enjoying this August!

The Zeroes trilogy, by Deborah Biancotti, Margo Lanagan, and Scott Westerfeld

Six teenagers, all possessing their own unique superpower, must learn to work as a team to keep the normal world safe – from themselves.

The Candymakers, by Wendy Mass

A boarding school for spies, a boy who speaks backwards, and candy harmonicas abound in this mouthwateringly magical tale of friendship, secrets, and lots of candy.

The Nowhere Girls, by Amy Reed

In a moving tale of female friendship and empowerment, three girls team up to bring change to the passive treatment of sexual assault at their school.

Read Between the Lines, by Jo Knowles

A small-town high school sees its fair share of drama over the course of a single day, through the perspectives of nine very different teenagers.

Things We Know By Heart, by Jessi Kirby

After her boyfriend dies in an accident, Quinn goes out of her way to find the recipients of his organ donations.

Red, White, & Royal Blue, by Casey McQuiston

After rivaling one another for years, the First Son and the prince of England find themselves thrown into a media-friendly friendship that gradually evolves into more.

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas

In an action-packed retelling of Beauty and the Beast, a mortal girl, Feyre, finds herself kidnapped to a fighting for survival in the world of faeries after accidentally killing a High Fae.

The Young Elites, by Marie Lu

In a dystopian future ravaged by a plague, the scarred survivor children have the potential to develop magical abilities. Adelina Amouteru, a girl with the ability to create illusions, is invited to join the ranks of the Young Elites, a group who work to protect the rights of malfettos (children who survived the plague), and to put Enzo, another Elite, back on the throne.

An Enchantment of Ravens, by Margaret Rogerson

Isobel makes her living as an artist for the immortal, cursed creatures: the Fair Folk. But when she makes an error in a portrait of Prince Rook, she’s forced to stand trial in his kingdom, which they find to be torn by violence and betrayal.

Place a hold on any of these highly recommended titles at Reston Regional today!

Here are some books our TAB members have read and loved recently. We’ve included the call number
so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless otherwise noted.

The Left Hand of Darkness, Ursula K. LeGuin (SF LEG)

While on a mission to the planet Gethen, earthling Genly Ai is sent by leaders of the nation of Orgoreyn to a concentration camp from which the exiled prime minister of the nation of Karhide tries to rescue him.

One Dark Throne, Kendare Blake (YSF BLA)

The battle for Fennbirn has begun. The Quickening is behind them, and with the Ascension Year underway all bets are off. Katharine, once the weakest and feeblest of the triplets, is stronger than ever
before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before — ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (822.3 U3)

A bitter feud between the Montagues and the Capulets keeps the city of Verona, Italy, in a state of constant unrest. Despite the enmity, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall passionately in love. Enlisting the help of Friar Laurence, the young lovers wed in secret, hoping that their marriage will finally unite the two families. But things go terribly, tragically wrong.

Body 2.0, Sara Latta (610.28 L)

Meet scientists who are on the verge of breakthroughs in biomedical engineering. From encouraging the body to regenerate damaged bone and muscle tissue to re-routing visual stimuli to the brain to help blind people see, these discoveries will change medicine radically.

Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterly (510.9 S)

An account of the previously unheralded but pivotal contributions of NASA&’s African-American women mathematicians to America’s space program describes how they were segregated from their white counterparts by Jim Crow laws in spite of their groundbreaking successes.

Hamlet, William Shakespeare (822.3 S7)

Grieving for the recent death of his beloved father and appalled by his mother’s quick remarriage to his uncle, Hamlet, heir to the Danish throne, struggles with conflicting emotions, particularly after his father’s ghost appeals to him to avenge his death.

A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen (839.822 I)

A Doll’s House (1879), is a masterpiece of theatrical craft which, for the first time portrayed the tragic hypocrisy of Victorian middle class marriage on the stage. The play ushered in a new social era and “exploded like a bomb into contemporary life.”

– Goodreads.com

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck (FIC STE)

The tragic story of two itinerant ranch hands on the run–one is the lifelong companion to the other, a developmentally disabled man.

Heroes of Olympus 1: The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (JFIC RIO)

Jason, Piper, and Leo, three students from a school for “bad kids” find themselves at Camp Half-Blood, where they learn that they are demigods and begin a quest to free Hera, who has been imprisoned by Mother Earth herself.

Renegades, Marissa Meyer (YSF MEY)

In a ruined world where humans with extraordinary abilities have become the world’s champions of justice, a vengeance-seeking girl and a justice-seeking boy team up against a villain who has the power to destroy everything they have worked to protect.

The Martian, Andy Weir (SF WEI)

Stranded on Mars by a duststorm that compromised his space suit and forced his crew to leave him behind, astronaut Mark Watney struggles to survive in spite of minimal supplies and harsh environmental challenges that test his ingenuity in unique ways.

Phoebe and Her Unicorn, Dana Simpson (JFIC SIM)

When Phoebe meets a unicorn named Marigold who grants her one wish, Phoebe wishes Marigold would become her best friend, and the two set off on adventures big and small.

Here are some books our TAB members have read and loved recently. We’ve included the call number so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless otherwise noted.

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (SF BRA)

A totalitarian regime has ordered all books to be destroyed, but one of the book burners, Guy Montag, suddenly realizes their merit.

 

Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Dancing Men, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (MYS DOY)

Sherlock Holmes investigates the appearance of some strange drawings.

 

Land of Stories, Chris Colfer (JFIC COL)

An illustrated nursery rhyme and fairy tale collection features the classic tales that Alex and Conner fall into in the Land of Stories series.

 

Lord Of the Flies, William Golding (FIC GOL)

The classic study of human nature which depicts the degeneration of a group of schoolboys marooned on a desert island.

 

Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare (822.3 U)

Shakespeare’s classic tale about two star-crossed lovers.

 

The Ten Thousand Doors of January, Alix Harrow (FIC HAR)

A woman navigating the out-of-place artifacts in her caretaker’s sprawling early 20th-century mansion discovers a mysterious book that reveals impossible truths about the world and her own past.

 

Lincoln at Gettysburg, Garry Wills (973.7 W)

 

An account of Lincoln’s revolutionary speech describes how, in the space of 272 words, the President brought to bear the rhetoric of the Greek Revival, the categories of transcendentalism, and the imagery of the Rural Cemetery Movement.

 

The Tyrant’s Tomb, Rick Riordan (JFIC RIO)

In his penultimate adventure, a devastated but determined Apollo travels to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero, or die trying.

 

Every Heart a Doorway, Seanan McGuire (SF MCG)

Children have always disappeared from Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children under the right conditions,emerging somewhere … else. But magical lands have little need for used-up miracle children. And each of them is seeking a way back to their own fantasy world. Nancy’s arrival marks a change at the Home. There’s a darkness just around each corner, and when tragedy strikes, it’s up to Nancy and her new-found schoolmates to get to the heart of the matter. 

 

The Lunar Chronicles: Winter, Marissa Meyer (YSF MEY)

Cinder and her allies are joined in the plot to overthrow Queen Levana by the queen’s stepdaughter, Winter, who has long been defying her evil stepmother’s wishes by harboring feelings for her personal guard whom she is forbidden from marrying.

 

Challenger Deep, Neal Shusterman (YFIC SHU)

A teenage boy struggles with schizophrenia.

 

Slay, Brittany Morris (YFIC MOR)

An honors student at Jefferson Academy, seventeen-year-old Keira enjoys developing and playing Slay, a secret, multiplayer online role-playing game celebrating black culture, until the two worlds collide.

 

The Other Side Of the Sky, Farah Ahmedi (B AHMEDI)

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan at the peak of the war between the Soviet Union and the mujahideen, a young woman’s memoir intertwines the story of her childhood in the war-torn country with her experiences as a Afghan American adolescent in Chicago.

 

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray (YFIC BRA)

After the suspicious death of her mother in 1895, sixteen-year-old Gemma returns to England, after many years in India, to attend a finishing school where she becomes aware of her magical powers and ability to see into the spirit world.

 

Magic, Madness, and Mischief, Kelly McCullough (JFIC MCC)

A 12-year-old boy uses his new magical powers and the help of a snarky fire hare to defeat his evil stepfather in a magical version of St. Paul.

 

 

Here are some books our TAB members have read and loved recently. We’ve included the call number so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless otherwise noted.

Heartless, Marissa Meyer (YFIC MEY)

In this prequel to Alice in Wonderland, Cath would rather open a bakery and marry for love than accept
a proposal from the King of Hearts, especially after meeting the handsome and mysterious court jester.

Shuri 1. The Search for Black Panther, Nnedi Okorafor (YFIC OKO, graphic novels)

T’Challa has disappeared, and everyone is looking at the next in line for the throne. Wakanda expects
Shuri to take on the mantle of Black Panther once more and lead their great nation — but she’s happiest
in a lab, surrounded by her own inventions. She’d rather be testing gauntlets than throwing them down!
So it’s time for Shuri to go rescue her brother yet again. (Summary from Goodreads)

Children of Blood and Bone, Tori Adeyemi (YSF ADE)

Coming of age in a land where her magi mother was killed by the zealous king’s guards along with other
former wielders of magic, Zelie embarks on a journey alongside her brother and a fugitive princess to
restore her people’s magical abilities.

When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi (B KALANITHI)

A young neurosurgeon faced with a terminal diagnosis describes his examination into what truly makes
a meaningful life.

Educated, Tara Westover (B WESTOVER)

Traces the author’s experiences as a child born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, describing her
participation in her family’s paranoid stockpiling activities and her resolve to educate herself well
enough to earn an acceptance into a prestigious university and the unfamiliar world beyond.

Spirit Animals: Wild Born, Brandon Mull (JFIC MUL)

Discovering when they come of age that they share a bond with special spirit animals who wield great
powers, four children become lone protectors of their world against a dark force that threatens to
destroy everyone they love, in a debut installment in a role-playing action adventure series by the best-
selling author of the Fablehaven books.

The Land of Stories, Chris Colfer (JFIC COL)

An illustrated nursery rhyme and fairy tale collection features the classic tales that Alex and Conner fall
into in the Land of Stories series.

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (SF BRA)

A totalitarian regime has ordered all books to be destroyed, but one of the book burners, Guy Montag,
suddenly realizes their merit.

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak (YFIC ZUS)

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel–a young German
girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are
hiding, as well as their neighbors.

Here are some books our TAB members have read and loved recently. We’ve included the call number so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless otherwise noted..

 

The Inferno, Dante Alighieri (851 D)

Dante’s poetic masterpiece.

 

The Martian, Andy Weir (SF WEI)

Stranded on Mars by a duststorm that compromised his space suit and forced his crew to leave him behind, astronaut Mark Watney struggles to survive in spite of minimal supplies and harsh environmental challenges that test his ingenuity in unique ways.

 

The Odyssey, Homer (883 H)

The Trojan War is over. Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, sets out to return home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. It proves a long journey, fraught with dangers, from Polyphemus the Cyclops, and the seductive Sirens, to the love of Calypso on her all-too-comfortable isle.

 

Animal Farm, George Orwell (FIC ORW)

A satire on totalitarianism in which farm animals overthrow their human owner and set up their own government.

 

Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics, Chris Grabenstein (JFIC GRA)

Mr. Lemoncello has invited teams from all across America to compete in the first ever LIBRARY OLYMPICS… but someone is trying to censor what the kids are reading.

 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, JK Rowling (JFIC ROW)

Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

 

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (JFIC RIO)

After learning that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea, Percy Jackson is transferred from boarding school to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods, and becomes involved in a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

 

The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank (B FRANK)

A timeless story that stands without peer, this definitive edition brings to life the world of a brilliant young girl who, for a time, survived the worst horrors the modern world has ever seen–and who remained triumphantly and heartbreakingly human throughout her ordeal.

 

Uprooted, Naomi Novik (SF NOV)

A tale inspired by the “Beauty and the Beast” story follows the experiences of Agnieszka, who becomes the latest girl chosen to serve an immortal wizard who protects their village from the malevolent forces of a nearby forest.

 

Othello, William Shakespeare (822.3 T7)

The destructive effects of jealousy underlie this tale. Othello, a man of quality and superior intelligence, is brought down by his suspicions of his wife, Desdemona.

 

Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (SF BRA)

A totalitarian regime has ordered all books to be destroyed, but one of the book burners, Guy Montag, suddenly realizes their merit.

 

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (FIC FIT)

Newly rich Jay Gatsby tries to recapture the past and win back Daisy Buchanan, his former love, despite the fact she has married.

Here are some books our TAB members have read and loved recently. We’ve included the call number

so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless

otherwise noted.

 

The Odyssey, Homer (883 H)

The Trojan War is over. Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, sets out to return home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. It proves a long journey, fraught with dangers, from Polyphemus the Cyclops, and the seductive Sirens, to the love of Calypso on her all-too-comfortable isle. 

 

Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones (JFIC JON)

Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl.

 

Animal Farm, George Orwell (FIC ORW)

A satire on totalitarianism in which farm animals overthrow their human owner and set up their own government.

 

The Outlaws of Sherwood, Robin McKinley (YFIC MCK)

The author retells the adventures of Robin Hood and his band of outlaws who live in Sherwood Forest in twelfth-century England.

 

The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss (SF ROT)

A hero named Kvothe, now living under an assumed name as the humble proprietor of an inn, recounts his transformation from a magically gifted young man into the most notorious wizard, musician, thief, and assassin in his world.

 

Spy Camp, Stuart Gibbs (JFIC GIB)

As almost thirteen-year-old Ben, a student at the CIA’s academy for future intelligence agents, prepares to go to spy summer camp, he receives a death threat from the evil organization SPYDER.

 

Hamlet, William Shakespeare (822.3 S7S)

Considered one of Shakespeare’s most rich and enduring plays, the depiction of its hero Hamlet as he vows to avenge the murder of his father by his brother Claudius is both powerful and complex. As Hamlet tries to find out the truth of the situation, his troubled relationship with his mother comes to the fore, as do the paradoxes in his personality. A play of carefully crafted conflict and tragedy, Shakespeare’s intricate dialogue continues to fascinate audiences to this day.

 

The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (FIC ATW)

Offred, a Handmaid, describes life in what was once the United States, now the Republic of Gilead, a shockingly repressive and intolerant monotheocracy, in a satirical tour de force set in the near future.

 

Ice Ghosts: The Epic Hunt for the Lost Franklin Expedition, Paul Watson (998 W 2017)

A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, author of Where War Lives and expedition member describes how an unlikely combination of marine science and Inuit knowledge helped solve the mystery of the lost Franklin expedition of 1845.

 

Jane, April Lindner (YFIC LIN)

In this contemporary retelling of “Jane Eyre,” an orphaned nanny becomes entranced with her magnetic and brooding employer, a rock star with a torturous secret from his past.

Here are some books our TAB members have read and loved recently. We’ve included the call number
so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless
otherwise noted.

Animal Farm, George Orwell (FIC ORW)
A satire on totalitarianism in which farm animals overthrow their human owner and set up their own
government.

A Series of Unfortunate Events – The Bad Beginning, Lemony Snicket (JFIC SNI)
After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and
their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to
use any means necessary to get their fortune.

The Odyssey, Homer (883 H)
The Trojan War is over. Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, sets out to return home to his wife
Penelope and his son Telemachus. It proves a long journey, fraught with dangers, from Polyphemus the
Cyclops, and the seductive Sirens, to the love of Calypso on her all-too-comfortable isle.

Scorpions, Walter Dean Myers (YFIC MYE)
After reluctantly taking on the leadership of the Harlem gang, the Scorpions, Jamal finds that his
enemies treat him with respect when he acquires a gun until a tragedy occurs.

Sophie’s World, Jostein Gaarder (FIC GAA)
Finding two thought-inducing philosophical questions in her mailbox, Sophie enrolls in a correspondence
course with a mysterious philosopher, and begins receiving some equally strange letters.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur – BFF, Brandon Montclare (YSF MON)
When a red-scaled beast teleported from the past meets Lunella Lafayette, a preteen super genius with
Inhuman genes, the duo quickly become the best of friends, but there are certain problems involved
with having a T-rex as a pet in New York City.

Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Beals (370.19 B)

The author describes the threats and emotional abuse she endured from white students and adults
along with her fears of endangering her family as she committed to being one of the first African
American students to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.

The Leaving, Tara Altebrando (YFIC ALT)
Six kindergartners were taken. Eleven years later, five come back–with no idea of where they’ve been.
No one remembers the sixth victim, Max. Avery, Max’s sister, needs to find her brother–dead or alive–
and isn’t buying this whole memory-loss story.