River Readers

Egyptian creation myth is given a graphic novel twist, filled with modern dialog and art that stays true to the source, no matter how we may react to it. Not for everyone, but I enjoyed it all.

Veteran starliner pilot Priscilla Hutchins is taking the chance to be part of a first-contact mission, despite the efforts of the government to stop it. The team had to leave before fully prepared, and judging by the age of the alien transmission that triggered the mission, there is no guarantee they will find anything when they arrive. The mission will test the team in ways they didn't anticipate.

When Sophie spots a giant one night in the streets outside her orphanage window, he kidnaps her, and sets off on an adventure of mistaken assumptions, the delivery of dreams, and even a visit to the Queen of England.

It takes a writer like Dahl to successfully weave kidnapping into a tale like this. Add a few stitches of groan-worthy puns on the international flavors of humans, head-scratching giant speak, and social commentary, and the resulting tapestry is a children's classic.

A small but powerful book of poems depicting the anguish and sorrow of women and children during the ethnic cleansing and genocides of South Asia during the Partition of India and Pakistan. The Partition remains one of the largest human forced migrations in history.

This is not a book for everyone. It is Patrick Ness's retelling of the Moby Dick story from the perspective of the whales. Whales are hunters of men just as men are hunters of whales. There is an endless war between the two. Bathsheba is the third apprentice for Captain Alexandra. They are on the hunt for the infamous devil Toby Wick. Along the way they capture a man named Demetrius and Bathsheba becomes a bit too friendly with him. In her conversations with him, she comes to realize not all men are the monsters whales believe them to be.

Artemisia Gentileschi was a famous painter in Rome in the 1600's. Motherless, at age 12, she had to chose a life in the convent or to labor for her father grinding pigment for his paints. She also painted in her father's studio and by the time she was seventeen her talent was obvious. A woman in a world where men viewed women as commodities, Artemisia soon realized nothing was her own not her art, her virtue, or her life. She was at the mercy of the cruel men around her.

This is a very emotional book. Neither Lily or Dunkin have had an easy life, nor is it getting any better. Life as a transgender is tough especially for a middle-schooler. Nor is dealing with a bipolar disorder at that age. These two come together when they need it other most.

Author Donna Gephart crafts a dual narrative about two remarkable young people: Lily, a transgender girl, and Dunkin, a boy dealing with bipolar disorder.

This book has so much going on it kept me busy keeping track of who everyone was. Mary wants a life at sea and boy does she get it! Not only does she become a female pirate, but she discovers that her childhood love may not be the type of life she wants. Her new life leads to a new forbidden love.

I like this second graphic even better. I don't know if it was the interaction with her mother and English society or what, but it was so much fun to read. Now on to number three!

After being falsely accused of spying by the nefarious Major Merrick, Delilah Dirk and Mister Selim sail to England to clear her name (and beat the tar out of the Major while they're at it). But once on her home turf, Delilah encounters an adversary mightier than the entire British Army: her mother.
Goodreads.

An interesting series recommended by a co-worker. It is quite an adventure. I liked the art work too. No shrinking violet, but a good cup of tea does come in handy now and then.

This was a sad segment in this story. Losing characters is never easy, but these were new friends. Listening definitely allows me to learn new facts and remember old ones. Onward through the saga of the gods.

It's not everyday you find yourself in combat with a half-lion, half-human. But when you're the son of a Greek god, it happens. And now my friend Annabeth is missing, a goddess is in chains and only five half-blood heroes can join the quest to defeat the doomsday monster. Oh, and guess what? The Oracle has predicted that not all of us will survive...
Goodreads.

Jocelyn Hook is back and looking for her father's treasure. She has the map but not the key to decoding it. Captain Krueger is hot on her trail also after the treasure. Jocelyn decides they need to find the Jolly Roger in order to break the code. To do that they need Peter Pan's help. So they kidnap his new "mother" Evie. Turns out Evie is not just any 14 year old girl. She is Jocelyn's very own mother and she is having the time of her life in Neverland. Jocelyn has to find a way to convince Evie to go back to her "when" so that Jocelyn isn't stuck in Neverland forever. 

This imaginative tale is about Castle Glower and the royal family that lives there. The castle is alive, changing rooms, hallways and entrances and exits as it deems necessary for the needs to the royal family. When the King, Queen and eldest son are ambushed and come up missing, it is up to the castle and its favorite family member, Princess Celie to save the kingdom from being overtaken.

This book is delightful. It is fun and adventurous and keeps you guessing as to what will come next.

There were so many things I had forgotten when I listened to this book. I find new facts every step of this listening journey. I can't wait to start the next one.

In 1985, Yale Tishman, the development director for an art gallery in Chicago, is about to pull off an amazing coup, bringing in an extraordinary collection of 1920s paintings as a gift to the gallery. Yet as his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDS epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying and after his friend Nico's funeral, the virus circles closer and closer to Yale himself. Soon the only person he has left is Fiona, Nico's little sister.