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Read Shadow & Bone Before the Streaming Premier!

21 Apr

April means many things to many people. To some, it’s the sign of the Easter Bunny coming with chocolates and sweets. Others might see it as the start of spring, warmer weather and vibrant gardens. 

But to many others, April 23 brings the premier of the Netflix adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s YA fantasy, Shadow and Bone, also know as the Grishaverse series. So for the month of April, I will be reviewing the original trilogy for this premier.

The first book in the series, Shadow and Bone, introduces us to the world of Ravka and our protagonist, Alina Starkov, a soldier and map maker entering a shadowed scar on the world known as the Shadow Fold, filled with only monsters and darkness. It is while there that she discovers and learns to control a newfound power.

The narrative is done through first person and Bardugo does an excellent job of letting us experience things through Alina’s eyes while still keeping things interesting and fresh. The magic system is simple enough that those new to fantasy will understand it, but interesting enough to add just enough flavor to the story and world.

So whether you’re just curios about the series as a whole or wish to read the books after watching the show, Shadow and Bone is one that I can firmly recommend. You can borrow it as an ebook from both eBCCLS and eLibraryNJ and in print from BCCLS libraries.

Written By:
Lauren Lapinski
Circulation Assistant

Don’t miss our exciting live Zoom event tonight: Meet the Author Book Talk with Chip Cheek, author of “Cape May”! Wednesday, April 21, at 7 pm EST
In honor of National Library Week, best-selling author Chip Cheek will present a Virtual Book Talk/ Meet the Author event tonight (Wednesday, April 21) at 7:00 pm to discuss his popular debut novel “Cape May.” Chip will read passages from the book, describe his writing process and the inspiration for the book, and answer your questions. This program will be hosted on Zoom, so registration is required.

Get Hooked on The Dash and Lily Series!

13 Jan

The moment that I started reading the first book in The Dash and Lily series by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, I knew I was hooked. Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares starts off by talking about a red Moleskin notebook, and I was immediately intrigued. As a lover of all things red, I was wondering if someone had been listening in on my innermost desires to find romance involving a red Moleskin notebook and The Strand Bookstore (aka my favorite bookstore). For anyone who considers themselves a bibliophile, a lover of NYC, and the lover of the spirit of Christmas, then this series is for you.

The series revolves around two main characters, Dash and Lily. Dash is a teenage boy who is a typical New Yorker: jaded, pessimistic, and absolutely hates Christmas. However, his innate love of books leads him to explore The Strand in the weeks before Christmas, and find a red Moleskin notebook hidden in the stacks. The discovery of this notebook eventually leads him to Lily. Lily is a teenage girl who loves dogs, baking, but most of all, she loves Christmas. Through a series of dares that have been laid out in the red Moleskin notebook, Dash and Lily find themselves trying to learn more about each other without actually meeting in real life, but finding out more about themselves in the process as well. The journey is sweet, sad, adventurous, and everything you want in a book. It’s also a quick read at 290 pages.

I love this book series so much because I can see myself so well in both of these characters. Dash appeals to my pessimistic book-loving side, and Lily relates to my Christmas loving, baking deserts side. It’s also great to have an Asian American main character because as an Asian American woman, it’s hard to find realistic female Asian characters. I adore Lily as a character, and I’m so glad that there are three books in this series. I couldn’t get enough.

Don’t let the post holiday blues get you down, this series will put you in the Christmas spirit all year long! These books are available through BCCLS and through eBCCLS via Overdrive.

Written by:
Nicole Marconi
Library Assistant, Children’s Department