Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Wildcard (Warcross #2)

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves? - Goodreads   Author's Website

Also by Marie Lu:
The Young Elites & The Legend Series

Find them in the Mount Michael Library at  SciFi LU 

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak

*Starred Review* -Booklist

Here are the five Dunbar brothers: reliable Matthew, the oldest and the eloquent narrator of this extraordinary book; incorrigible Rory; Puck, with a pair of fists; Henry, who-with a talent for making money-knows the odds; Clay, the fourth son and protagonist, is "the best of us," according to Matthew; and youngest Tommy, the animal collector. Their mother is dead, and their father has fled, until, one day, he returns to ask for help building a bridge. Only Clay agrees to help, and their bridge quickly assumes symbolic value. Zusak (The Book Thief, 2006) offers up a narrative that is really two stories: one of the present, the story of the bridge and of Clay's love for the girl across the street; and the second of the past, occupied by the boys' childhood and stories that Clay loves-The Iliad, The Odyssey. The tone is sometimes somber and always ominous, leaving readers anxious about the fates of these characters whom they have grown to love. Zusak pushes the parameters of YA in this gorgeously written novel: a character has scrap-metal eyes; rain is like a ghost you could walk through. In the end, it always comes back to Clay, that lovely boy, as a neighbor calls him. A lovely boy and an unforgettably lovely book to match.

By the Author of "The Book Thief" and "I am the Messenger" 

Find his books in the Mount Michael Library:   RealFic Zusak 

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

The Aeronaut's Windlass

 A new series by Jim Butcher author of The Dresden Files.

Jim Butcher, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dresden Files and the Codex Alera novels, conjures up a new series set in a fantastic world of noble families, steam-powered technology, and magic-wielding warriors…

Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world. Within their halls, aristocratic houses have ruled for generations, developing scientific marvels, fostering trade alliances, and building fleets of airships to keep the peace.

Captain Grimm commands the merchant ship, Predator. Fiercely loyal to Spire Albion, he has taken their side in the cold war with Spire Aurora, disrupting the enemy’s shipping lines by attacking their cargo vessels. But when the Predator is severely damaged in combat, leaving captain and crew grounded, Grimm is offered a proposition from the Spirearch of Albion—to join a team of agents on a vital mission in exchange for fully restoring Predator to its fighting glory.

And even as Grimm undertakes this dangerous task, he will learn that the conflict between the Spires is merely a premonition of things to come. Humanity’s ancient enemy, silent for more than ten thousand years, has begun to stir once more. And death will follow in its wake…

Holy Ghost (A Virgil Flowers Novel) - by John Sandford

Pinion, Minnesota: a metropolis of all of seven hundred souls for which the word “moribund” might have been invented.

Nothing ever happened there and nothing ever would–until the mayor of sorts (campaign slogan: “I’ll Do What I Can”) and a buddy come up with a scheme to put Pinion on the map.

They’d heard of a place where a floating image of the Virgin Mary had turned the whole town into a shrine, attracting thousands of pilgrims. And all those pilgrims needed food, shelter, all kinds of crazy things, right? They’d all get rich! What could go wrong?

When the dead body shows up, they find out, and that’s only the beginning of their troubles–and Virgil Flowers’–as they are all about to discover all too soon. - Author's Website



There are many more books by John Sandford in the the Mount Michael Library

Monday, October 8, 2018

Intensity (Chronicles of Nick #8)

It’s a demon-eat-demon world for Nick Gautier. Just when he thinks he’s finally gotten a handle on how not to take over the world and destroy it, Death returns with an all-star cast that is determined to end the Malachai reign and lineage forever. Worse? Death and War have found the one, true enemy Nick can’t find, and even if he did, it’s one he could never bring himself to banish or kill.

Now framed for murders he hasn’t committed, and surrounded by new friends who might be turncoats, Nick is learning fast how his father went down in flames.

The heat in New Orleans is rising fast, and Nick’s threat-level has gone into a whole new level of intensity. He’s learning fast that when War and Death decide to battle, they don’t take prisoners. The don’t negotiate. And they’re both immune to his biting sarcasm and charm. To win this, he will have to embrace a new set of powers, but one wrong step, and he will belong to the side of Darkness, forever.

Chronicles of Nick 1-7 are available in the Library

A Map of Days (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children #4)

Having defeated the monstrous threat that nearly destroyed the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back where his story began, in Florida. Except now Miss Peregrine, Emma, and their peculiar friends are with him, and doing their best to blend in. But carefree days of beach visits and normalling lessons are soon interrupted by a discovery—a subterranean bunker that belonged to Jacob’s grandfather, Abe.

Clues to Abe’s double-life as a peculiar operative start to emerge, secrets long hidden in plain sight. And Jacob begins to learn about the dangerous legacy he has inherited—truths that were part of him long before he walked into Miss Peregrine’s time loop.

Now, the stakes are higher than ever as Jacob and his friends are thrust into the untamed landscape of American peculiardom—a world with few ymbrynes, or rules—that none of them understand. New wonders, and dangers, await in this brilliant next chapter for Miss Peregrine’s peculiar children. - From Author's Website


The 48

The 48
A secret government organization sends two brothers back in time on a perilous mission to Tudor England to rewrite the history of King Henry VIII's court

Twin brothers Alex and Charles work as newly trained Assets as part of The 48, a select group trained to sustain mankind. On their first mission, they are sent back in time to the English court of Henry VIII to prevent the king's marriage to Jane Seymour. When several mishaps occur on their mission-a fellow Asset accidentally travels with them, death threats appear, assassination attempts are made-Alex and Charles quickly realize that someone is trying to prevent them from succeeding in their mission. Award-winning author Hosie is back with a historical fiction novel for young adults, similar to her Return to Camelot series. Told from the three perspectives of Alex, Charles, and Lady Margaret-a lady's maid to Queen Anne Boleyn-the story borrows heavily from history to intertwine fact and fiction into one fascinating tale. Once acclimated to the alternating perspectives, readers will be completely captivated by the mystery and history in this adventure and swept away by the thrilling suspense. Grades 9-12.
Released October 2018

Also in the Library by Hosie: The Devil’s Intern Series    SciFi HOSIE de

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Black Klansman

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In 1978 the community of Colorado Springs, Colorado experienced a growth of Ku Klux Klan (KKK) membership. One man dared to challenge their effort and thwart attempts to take over the city, Police Detective Ron Stallworth. He launched an undercover investigation into the Klan, gained membership into the organization, briefly served as Duke's bodyguard, and was eventually asked to be the leader of the Colorado Springs chapter. The irony of this investigation was that Stallworth is… A Black man. In the process he battled internal departmental politics to successfully pull off this "sting." Black Klansman explains how he overcame these obstacles and accomplished this almost unbelievable unique achievement.

Recently released as a movie: BlackKkKlansman


more about


Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Fugitive Six (Lorien Legacies Reborn #3)

This sequel to Pittacus Lore’s Generation One is the second book in an epic new series set in the world of the #1 New York Times bestselling I Am Number Four series.

Newcomers as well as fans of the original series will devour this fast-paced, action-packed sci-fi adventure that’s perfect for fans of Marvel’s X-Men, Alexandra Bracken’s Darkest Minds trilogy, and Tahereh Mafi’s Shatter Me series.

The Human Garde Academy was created in the aftermath of an alien invasion of Earth. It was meant to provide a safe haven for teens across the globe who were suddenly developing incredible powers known as Legacies.

Taylor Cook was one of the newest students and had no idea if she’d ever fit in. But when she was mysteriously abducted, her friends broke every rule in the book to save her. In the process, they uncovered a secret organization that was not only behind Taylor’s kidnapping but also the disappearance of numerous teens with abilities. An organization that has dark roots in the Loric’s past, untold resources, and potentially even a mole at their own school.

Now these friends, who have become known to other students as the “Fugitive Six,” must work together to bring this mysterious group to an end before they can hurt anyone else. (From Good Reads)

Sequel to



The Entire "I am Number Four Series
Also Available in the Mount Michael Library


Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Thunderhead (sequel to Scythe)

Shusterman follows up his Printz Honor Book Scythe (2016) with that most difficult of feats: a sequel that surpasses its predecessor. Where the first book focused on the titular scythes tasked with gleaning lives to control populations in a future where death has been vanquished, the second installment delves into the inner workings of the Thunderhead, the sentient cloud that smoothly operates all of society. The plot is straightforward: Rowan, a rogue ex-scythe apprentice, stalks the streets of MidMerica taking the lives of the scythes who have lost sight of their mission and kill for pleasure or personal gain. Citra, once his counterpart, is now the ordained Scythe Anastasia, and as she works to better the system from the inside, her own life may be in danger. But it is the Thunderhead-part government and part god, almost all-knowing, and increasingly aware of its own limitations-that commands the most attention, and it is pulling strings across the globe. Through the Thunderhead, Shusterman widens the already impressive scope of his near-future utopia while also keeping a deft finger on the pulse of our own turbulent times. Exceptionally clear-eyed and brutal in its execution, this raises even bigger moral questions than its predecessor-and, like its predecessor, offers no easy answers. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: There's no doubting Shusterman's talents-he's nabbed both a National Book Award and a Printz Honor Book-and this sequel to an enthusiastically received series starter is eagerly awaited. From Booklist Reviews.


Scythe
Available in the Mount Michael Library


Wednesday, May 2, 2018

The Trials of Apollo #3

The formerly glorious god Apollo, cast down to earth in punishment by Zeus, is now an awkward mortal teenager named Lester Papadopoulos. In order to regain his place on Mount Olympus, Lester must restore five Oracles that have gone dark. But he has to achieve this impossible task without having any godly powers and while being duty-bound to a confounding young daughter of Demeter named Meg. Thanks a lot, Dad.

With the help of some demigod friends, Lester managed to survive his first two trials, one at Camp Half-Blood, and one in Indianapolis, where Meg received the Dark Prophecy. The words she uttered while seated on the Throne of Memory revealed that an evil triumvirate of Roman emperors plans to attack Camp Jupiter. While Leo flies ahead on Festus to warn the Roman camp, Lester and Meg must go through the Labyrinth to find the third emperor—and an Oracle who speaks in word puzzles—somewhere in the American Southwest. There is one glimmer of hope in the gloom-filled prophecy: The cloven guide alone the way does know. They will have a satyr companion, and Meg knows just who to call upon. . . .   (From Goodreads.com)

Book #1 & Book #2 Also Available in the Library

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Stormcaster (Shattered Realms) by Cinda Williams Chima (Author)

From New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima comes the third gripping adventure in the Shattered Realms series, where intricately interwoven storylines converge as the warring Seven Realms struggle to unite against a horrific tyrant.

Vagabond seafarer Evan Strangward can move wind, waves, and weather, but his magical abilities can’t protect him forever from the brutal Empress Celestine. As Celestine’s relentless bloodsworn armies grow, Evan travels to the Fells to warn the queendom that an invasion is imminent.

If he can’t convince the Gray Wolf queen to take a stand, he knows that the Seven Realms will fall, and his last sanctuary will be destroyed. Among the dead will be the one person Evan can’t stand to lose.

Meanwhile, the queen’s formidable daughter, Princess Alyssa ana’Raisa, is already a prisoner aboard the empress’s ship, sailing east. Lyss may be the last remaining hope of bringing down the empress from within her own tightly controlled stronghold.

Flamecaster & Shadowcaster; Available in the library

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Time Jumpers (Five Kingdoms #5) Series Finale

Trapped in a world where magic is powerful and dreams are real, Cole’s epic adventure comes to a close in book five of the New York Times bestselling “fanciful, action-packed adventure” series (Publishers Weekly, starred review), from the author of the Fablehaven and Beyonders series.

Cole and his friends are pushed to the limit in this finale to the bestselling Five Kingdoms series.

Will they finally be able to restore magic to the world of the Outskirts and find their way back home?

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Scourged (The Iron Druid Chronicles)


New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne returns with the finale to his wildly popular action-adventure series, The Iron Druid Chronicles.

Two-thousand-year-old Druid Atticus O'Sullivan travels to Asgard and faces off against the Norse gods to try and prevent Ragnarok in the final battle for the fate of mankind.


The entire Series if available in the Library


Series Finale 
Release Date: April 3, 2018

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Hooper

For Adam Reed, basketball is a passport. Adam’s basketball skills have taken him from an orphanage in Poland to a loving adoptive mother in Minnesota. When he’s tapped to play on a select AAU team along with some of the best players in the state, it just confirms that basketball is his ticket to the good life: to new friendships, to the girl of his dreams, to a better future.

But life is more complicated off the court. When an incident with the police threatens to break apart the bonds Adam’s finally formed after a lifetime of struggle, he must make an impossible choice between his new family and the sport that’s given him everything.



Also Available in the Library by Geoff Herbach: Stupid Trilogy



Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Fourth Dimension (New Rule of 3 Trilogy)


In a world with no power, chaos soon descends. A powerful look at the disintegration of society in the wake of a massive and mysterious outage that has knocked out all modern amenities. Fifteen-year-old Emma has moved house with her ex-Marine mother and younger brother. It's a brand-new condo building, which explains the semi-regular power outages, as workers complete the units around them. So Emma isn't particularly concerned when the latest blackout hits just as they are preparing to leave town on a long weekend camping trip. But then the car won't start, and their cellphones appear dead -- and all the cars outside their building seem to be stalled in a long traffic jam...In the midst of what appears to be a massive power outage, with their camping gear packed and ready, Emma and her family canoe over to the islands, just offshore, to wait it out. But while they land on an isolated island, with a relatively hidden site, they are far from safe, as people become increasingly desperate to find food and shelter. And as the days pass, and the power remains out, the threat of violence becomes all too real. - Barnes & Noble

Rule of 3 Trilogy available in the library
A person can last 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.  A community begins to die in just seconds

One shocking afternoon, computers around the globe shut down in a viral catastrophe.  At sixteen-year-old Adam Daley’s high school, the problems at first seems to be a typical electrical outage, until the students discover the cell phones are down, municipal utilities are failing, and the only vehicles that function are a few ancient computer-free cars like Adam’s.   Driving home, Adam encounters a storm tide of anger and gear as the region becomes paralyzed.  Soon – as resources dwindle, crises mount, and chaos descends – he will see his suburban neighborhood band together for protection.  And  Adam will understand that having a police captain for a mother and a retired government spy living next door are not just the facts of his life but the keys  to survival.

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Iron Gold : New Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown

Pierce Brown's Red Rising series swept up readers into both a solar system and a caste system on the breaking edge, with Mars-born Darrow as the angry hero ready and willing to do the final breaking. Now Brown returns to the world of Golds, Obsidians, and Howlers ten years later as Darrow and Mustang try to lead their people. But, as Brown revealed last month in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, "something stirs in the darkness out beyond the asteroid belt." Darrow will be one of four POV characters in the new three-book series, which promises to expand to other planets and moons.

-------------------------------------------------------

They call him father, liberator, warlord, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the pale blue planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-second of his life.

A decade ago Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk everything he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?
And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever:
A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp, and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.

An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.

And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.

Red Rising was the story of the end of one universe, and Iron Gold is the story of the creation of a new one.