There is a slew of Fitzgerald history being published in the next few months in anticipation of the remake of The Great Gatsby due out in May.  This one comes out next week, and got a starred Kirkus Review (click here to read the review).  Now taking pre-orders.

 

This one isn't really in the "woman behind the man" genre.  But the "woman who took the rap while the men got away with it" genre seemed a little hard to describe.  Meet the real Typhoid Mary, and her struggle not to let the same disease that was killing her clients, kill her dreams.  Kirkus gave it a starred review (click here to read), and said "A memorable biofiction that turns a malign figure of legend into a perplexing, compelling survivor."

He'll be here Wednesday!  The Daniel Pink Luncheon at North Central Michigan College is nearly full.  Tickets are $30 and include lunch and your copy of To Sell is Human by Daniel Pink.

Reservations are required for this event.

 Click here for ticket and event info.

This is one of those books that I always meant to read. I love the movie, so I figured I should. But it's also one of those books that you don't see around very often, so I kept forgetting about it. Then we got a copy in the store and it had a recommendation from Patrick Rothfuss on the front saying, The Last Unicorn is the best book I have ever read. You need to read it. If you've already read it, you need to read it again." He was right. When I finished it, I wanted to go back and read it again. Possibly forever. This is a fairy tale where the characters are deeply and poignantly aware of their own archetypes, and their place within the story. The Last Unicorn is a beautifully-crafted novel that has the power to draw laughs and tears in equal measure. I cannot express to you how important it is that you read this book, kid or adult, whether you are into fantasy or not. If Beagle's masterpiece has fallen under our cultural radar, we are all the poorer for it.

It can be so tough to get reluctant readers to sit down and read a book. Trying too hard or pushing kids to read books that are too hard or don't interest them can have the opposite effect that you might have intended. Why not try a different angle? Studies have shown that children learn the same skills from reading a graphic novel that they can from an ordinary one. Graphic novels are generally quick to read, and they capture the readers attention and imagination with their imagery as well as teaching vital comprehension and critical reading skills. Series like Amulet and Bone have been getting lots of attention: but here's one you may not have heard about before. This is a collection of short graphic pieces, each written and illustrated by a different person, and edited by the creator of Amulet. Each story is vastly different, but each features a mysterious box, whose purpose or contents have a great effect on the story. The pieces range from riotously funny, to adventurous, to eerie. They take take place in the past, in space, in different worlds, or in ours. The boxes are everything from wooden crates hidden under floorboards, to mystic transportation, to enormous cube-shaped space ships. What ties these stories together, beyond the boxes that is, is that each is perfectly told and beautifully illustrated in each artist's own unique style. A must read for any kid, reluctant reader or not!