Showing posts with label Quirky Characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quirky Characters. Show all posts

Friday, January 14, 2022

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Quirk and charm give way to a serious exploration of the dangers of complacency in this delightful, thought-provoking Orwellian fantasy…. By turns zany and heartfelt, this tale of found family is hopeful to its core. Readers will revel in Klune’s wit and ingenuity.

Linus Baker is a by-the-book case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He's tasked with determining whether six dangerous magical children are likely to bring about the end of the world.

Arthur Parnassus is the master of the orphanage. He would do anything to keep the children safe, even if it means the world will burn. And his secrets will come to light.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is an enchanting love story, masterfully told, about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.

398 pages (March 2020)

 
Lit Guide from LitLovers.
 

To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
 
 
 

Erica's Book Talk| The House in the Cerulean Sea (from Fountaindale Public Library) :


This title is available for download as an eBook and as an eAudioBook. Learn more about downloadables from the library here.

Title Read-alikes: Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki; Sourdough by Robin Sloan; The Guncle by Steven Rowley; Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire; Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson; The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers; A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman; The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern; The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams;  The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow; The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab; The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; and The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin.

Monday, December 29, 2014

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

In this bestselling and delightfully quirky debut novel from Sweden, a grumpy yet lovable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Fredrik Backman’s novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful and charming exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others.

337 pages (July 2014)

 
Lit Guide from LitLovers.
 
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
 
 
 
 



This title is available for download as an eBook and as an eAudioBook. Learn more about downloadables from the library here.

Title Read-alikes: Elling by Ingvar Ambjørnsen; Professor Chandra Follows His Bliss by Rajeev Balasubramanyam; The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune; The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old by Hendrik Groen; The Big Finish by Brooke Fossey; The Red Address Book by Sofia Lundberg; There Must Be Some Mistake by Frederick Barthelme; The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons; Elevation by Stephen King; Ellie and the Harpmaker by Hazel Prior; Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson; Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman; and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

In this striking literary debut, Carol Rifka Brunt unfolds a moving story of love, grief, and renewal as two lonely people become the unlikeliest of friends and find that sometimes you don’t know you’ve lost someone until you’ve found them.

1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.

At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.

An emotionally charged coming-of-age novel, Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a tender story of love lost and found, an unforgettable portrait of the way compassion can make us whole again.

360 pages (June 2012)

 
Lit Guide from LitLovers.
 
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
 
 
 

Meet the Author: Carol Rifka Brunt (Darien Library):


This title is available for download as an eBook and as an eAudioBook. Learn more about downloadables from the library here.

Title Read-alikes: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving; The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay; Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt; Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett; Faithful by Alice Hoffman; The Last of Her Kind by Sigrid Nunez; Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens; Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell; The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt; That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam; The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett; The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey; and The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker.