Staff Reads: October 2, 2015

Each week, the staff of the Mississippi Library Commission share some of the books we have been reading.

Mean Streak

written by Sandra Brown

five stars

Mean Streak has everything a good thriller needs: drama, suspense, intrigue, and sex. It kept us on the edge of our seats with its twists and turns. We never even saw the end coming. Our prediction was completely different from what ended up happening--what a surprise! Now we can't wait to read Sandra Brown's latest novel, Friction.

 Descender, Volume 1: Tin Stars

written by Jeff Lemire

illustrated by Dustin Nguyen

five stars

Descender's first volume depicts a futuristic universe that is being attacked by giant space robots. A young companion android, Tim-21, wakes up years later to find out that he may hold the answer to putting a stop to the evil robots. This is a great new series by Lemire and Nguyen, who combine storytelling with beautiful artwork. If you're a fan of Copperhead by Jay Faerber or Saga by Brian K. Vaughan, you'll definitely want to check out Descender.

 Humans of New York

written and photographed by Brandon Stanton

five stars

If you love the Humans of New York Tumblr blog, you will love this book! Like the blog, the book completely captures the spirit of New York City. For a former resident (and current staff member!) reading the book, memories all the things she loved about living there came flooding back. If you are not familiar with the blog, you should still check out the book. The subject matter is diverse and thought-provoking.

Yard War
written by Taylor Kitchings
five stars

When nothing ever changes and everybody seems okay, you don't ask a lot of questions. But I'm starting to think the grownups don't have everything figured out.

Yard War is a middle-grade novel about two boys with different skin colors, one white and one black, who become friends in Jackson, Mississippi, just after Freedom Summer. They unite over football, and their friendship blossoms, but segregation still holds sway over their town. This little book, with Taylor Kitchings's excellent ear for the rhythmic way Mississippians speak and his wonderful prose, is a solid introduction to the time period. Highly recommended.

We've got our sights set on these wonderful books for next week:

 

• We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
  written by Karen Joy Fowler
• The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
  written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein
• The World's Largest Man
  written by Harrison Scott Key
• Fear Agent, Volume 1: Re-Ignition
  written by Rick Remender
  illustrated by Tony Moore

Until next week, happy reading!