Ferndale Library Lists: Picks by our Page, Gabriel

I call him Gabe and he doesn't seem to mind; but you should call him Gabriel, to be polite at first. Gabriel Bray is our newest hire, joining the Page department tasted with the order of, well, keeping everything in order! You'll find Gabe (intertwining tasks with his brother, Griffin) tending to the stacks, restoring books, movies, CDs and audio-books back to their rightful place upon our shelves. 

Gabe gives you quite a piquant platter of picks - from a graphic novel about fighting for your right to read in the near future, to sensational art compendiums and even a seasonal selection of holiday music. To be sure, the Brays display a breadth for literary appreciation beyond their teenage years; glad to have them here at the Library. 

Gabe's Picks

Jennifer Government by Max Barry
FIC BARRY

This parable of consumerism is set in a dystopian future where corporations run the world. When a group of ruthless executives plan a marketing maneuver involving murder, it is up to the titular heroine, an agent for what remains of the government, to bring them to justice. Along the way, a whole host of characters get caught up in the action. The use of actual corporations as the antagonists was an especially nice twist, in my opinion.

Hieronymus Bosch
759.94 B

Bosch is a unique and enigmatic figure in the art of the Renaissance. We know next to nothing of his life and only a few works can be attributed to him with any certainty. This slim volume contains all of them. As you flip through the pages, you will be transported to the nightmarish worlds of his paintings, full of eye-catching surreal imagery. Whether you are as intrigued by Bosch as I am or find you don’t care for him that much, I can assure you that you won’t forget his art anytime soon.

Library Wars by Kiiro Yumi
YA GRAPHIC LIBRARY WARS

This interesting little manga series takes place in a world where the Japanese government decided to start a major campaign against the spread of ideas it deemed unfit. However, libraries have taken the initiative in protecting freedom of information and have trained an army to protect their collections. The story is one part sappy romance and one part action-packed war story. Though I have only read the first volume, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, due in large part, I suppose, to the unique premise of the story.

 
Secret Lives of the Great Composers by Elizabeth Lunday
780.922 L

Whether or not you’re familiar with the lives and works of the composers considered in this book, it’s sure to get a laugh or two out of you. It tells the stories of over thirty composers, from Vivaldi to Philip Glass, as you've never heard them before, exposing them as the often flawed human beings that they really were. The witty text is accompanied by colorful cartoon-style pictures and each composer comes with a helpful fact sheet listing vital information. This unorthodox and irreverent biography is certainly worth a read.

The Joy of Christmas
CD CHRISTMAS

This collection of seasonal tunes features Leonard Bernstein’s New York Philharmonic alongside the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Delightfully orchestrated, it combines traditional favorites such as “Deck the Halls” and “Carol of the Bells” with more obscure tunes. The album captures both the joyful side and the more reflective, profound side of the holiday season. Full of jingling sleigh bells and jubilant celebrations of life, this recording is sure to get you into the holiday spirit.