Ferndale Library Staff Recommends: Susan's Picks

Like a true librarian, Ferndale Public Library Teen Services Librarian Susan Paley denotes Call Numbers for all interested patrons - so that you can find her picks on the shelves upon your next visit. 

Paley came to us from Baldwin Library a few years ago (she grew up in Birmingham) and has experience working as a camp counselor for middle school students. (She was almost going to be a teacher, also middle school, before setting her sights on the library).

Paley heads our Teen/Young Adult reading programs - administering engaging book club reads and our awesome Animanga Club - where young readers can watch and discuss Japanese Anime and draw Manga (comics) with other teen fans.

Other excellent events coordinated by/with Ms. Paley include special movie nights (meeting Oct. 9 in the Library community room to view/discuss the award-winning Anime fantasy film "Spirited Away") as well as author visits/talks/readings. ~ (Keep up on the Library's Teen Spot Facebook Page - We've got an Anime Workshop coming up later in October!)

Don't forget: We're still Geeking The Library over here! Susan Geeks many things, but if you ever wanna talk Tigers, she's our go-to-Baseball-Geek.

Susan’s Patch Picks

By Susan Paley

1. In Between Days by Andrew Porter [NEW FICTION PORTER]
(For fans of : The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneger and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.)

Definitely a novel for adults, this contemporary psychological thriller is about a dysfunctional family whose dynamics are pulled apart even farther when Chloe, the youngest, is kicked out of her East Coast college…and she won’t tell anyone why. The reader is left to piece together the story from the varying viewpoints of Chloe, her brother Richard, and her parents. How far can someone be pushed until they are broken? When someone makes choices, what if the consequences lead to defending honor, or losing yourself forever? How far is too far to go for the love of your life? Just how much does one family, or one person, leave behind when the “star” in their family’s constellation disappears? Yes, I know that last sentence is cliché, but this book is packed with twists and turns that make it anything but a typical romance or mystery. I’d describe it as quietly powerful and completely absorbing. An excellent fall page turner.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn [FICTION FLYNN]
(For fans of: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Laarson.)

If my choice above can be described as a “medium” thriller, Gone Girl is a high-octane hard-core thriller. One of the reviews on the back of the book describes it as “toxic”, and I’d have to agree. Nick Dunne is shocked by the sudden and violent disappearance of his wife Amy, from their quaint Missouri town. He goes from unassuming, nonthreatening “guy next door" to possible murderer/serial killer in a matter of days. Evidence keeps turning up, and it’s mounting an open-shut case against him…or is it? As the days and weeks since his wife goes missing keep growing, Nick is certain the cops are missing something that’s very obvious to him. So, he goes on a search to figure things out by himself. What he finds leads him deep into a case of mistaken identity, psychopathic motives and a serious craving for revenge, and once he’s in, he’s involved far more than he ever imagined. How much of our reality is actually true, and what goes on in our heads? Nick Dunne is about to find out, and, so will you, in the one day (or several hours) that it will take you to read this once you check it out. Again, another fast-paced page turner.

3. The People of Forever Are Not Afraid by Shani Boianjiu [NEW FICTION BOIANJIU]
(For fans of The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman.)

A novel for both adults and teens, this new book is about Yael, Lea & Avishag, three Israeli teenage girls who are about to begin their compulsory service in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Told from each girls perspective as they serve in different parts of Israel on different assignments, and what happens to them after they finish. At times serious, funny, and heartbreakingly sad, it’s a book that shows not only the deep and lasting effect of friendships, but of war, first love, and dangerous scars. The book is especially unique not only for showing a woman’s perspective of military services, but also because the author served in the IDF. She’s 25, and the youngest person ever to win the National Book Foundation’s 5 under 35 prize. Read this one for something to think about long after you’ve finished it.

4. Matched by Ally Condie [YA FICTION CONDIE]
(For fans of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins & Divergent by Veronica Roth.)

For teen readers, this is another really good dystopian trilogy. Cassia lives in a futuristic society where everything is perfectly controlled: what society eats, what each member does for their job, what they can and cannot have for cultural and social entertainment, even whom they are allowed to marry. At seventeen, all of the society’s young people are “matched”. Cassia is pleased to find out she’s been given a “dream match” a completely perfect choice. But, what if it doesn’t feel right? What it if feels like The Society is trying to hide something, trying to make you miss out on something important? Is Cassia the only one who feels like there’s more to life than totally engineered perfection? Can she stand up for the right to make her own choices when she’s faced with something very rare in her world?

5. Believe by Justin Bieber [CD BIEBER]
(For fans of : anything else by Justin Bieber.)

It’s official-the Bieb is all grown up! With a newer sound and featuring a lot more rap inspired songs than his previous albums, the songs are still fun and still likely to get stuck in your head. Definitely a reminder of summer, and great dance music. Favorite tracks: “As Long As You Love Me” and “All Around the World.”