Grab a Honor the arts this month with a new read! Here are two recommendations for your May reading list, courtesy of the librarians at Geneva Public Library.
FOR YOUR KIDS OR GRANDKIDS: "What Comes Next" by Rob Buyea
FOR OUR READERS: “The Chosen and the Beautiful" by Nghi Vo
If you love stories about how animals can help humans during difficult times, Rob Buyea's "What Comes Next" is the perfect book. Twelve-year-old Thea loses her best friend Charlie in a tragedy. This loss changes her life, and Thea no longer wants to play with her friends or talk to anyone. Her parents decide she needs a fresh start, and they move to a new town. While Thea feels they are running from their problems, the rest of her family is excited about a new life in a different community. And her younger sisters are especially thrilled when their parents get a rescue dog. Thea and Jack-Jack quickly bond, and their friendship allows both to heal. Through Jack-Jack, Thea realizes she is ready to find happiness again. She starts talking, makes new friends and begins to accept Charlie's loss. This middle school novel for ages 8-12 shows how compassion and love can change the future for the better. You’ll cry, cheer and laugh with its compassionate, engaging, funny and kind characters. This is a book you will consider reading again. — Lynne Schick, librarian
Dark magic meets the Jazz Age in "The Chosen and the Beautiful" by Nghi Vo. This fantasy is an original and intriguing take on "The Great Gatsby" that follows pro golfer and socialite Jordan Baker in 1920s America. In this version, Jordan is reimagined as a queer Vietnamese orphan who is adopted into the rich Baker family and thrust into a world of privilege and magic. She’s wealthy, well educated, has a great golf handicap and gets invited to all the exclusive parties. Jordan also discovers she has an innate magical talent that puts her at odds with the dazzling world around her. Demon blood flows as freely as wine at Jay Gatsby's dazzling soirees, where Jordan observes the entangled lives of Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan and the mysterious Gatsby himself. Jordan’s outsider observations of the privileged people in her world offers a new perspective on the characters we thought we knew so well. Dripping with dazzling atmosphere and lush prose, this exploration of race, magic, sexuality and class is perfect for fans of "Gatsby," as well as people who skipped the book in English class. — Sophie Popovich, librarian
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT MAY 2022
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