MLC Staff Reads: November 13, 2015

In A Game of Thrones, Tyrion says, "My mind is my weapon. My brother has his sword, King Robert has his warhammer, and I have my mind... And a mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." Keep your mind sharp this week with these fun and fascinating books:

This Is Not My Hat

written and illustrated
by Jon Klassen

picture book

three stars

This is a cute little story about how crime doesn't pay. It really, truly doesn't pay. Kids will enjoy the minimalist illustrations and the wild "gotcha!" ending. If you haven't already, introduce your kids to I Want My Hat Back, too.

 Fallout: Lois Lane #1

written by Gwenda Bond

young adult

three stars

Superheroes have been very big for the last several years, which made reading this YA book featuring a high school age Lois Lane so much fun. There's a mind-melded hive presence at Lois's new school and she's determined to find out what's behind it and rescue the kids it's effecting. Lois juggles this mystery with a job at the Daily Planet's new teen paper, her protective general dad and the rest of her loving family, and her online friendship with SmallvilleGuy. A little slow in some points, this was all in all an enjoyable read.

 Mississippi Moonshine Politics:

How Bootleggers & the Law Kept a Dry State Soaked

written by Janice Branch Tracy

nonfiction: politics, prohibition

four stars

Mississippi has always had an awkward love-hate relationship with alcohol and Mississippi Moonshine Politics brought this into sharp focus for us. The book introduces bootleggers and politicians from the Delta to the Gulf Coast, all within the framework of the history of prohibition in Mississippi. (By the way, our new favorite Mississippi politician name is Representative Noah "Soggy" Sweat, replacing longtime favorite Representative Greek Rice.) Tracy intersperses her history lesson with some fascinating stories about our native state that were a revelation to read. If you'd like to try a fictional account of bootleggers in Mississippi when you're done with Mississippi Moonshine Politics, try Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly's The Tilted World.

Mister B. Gone

written by Clive Barker

fiction: horror

four stars

Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker starts off with a warning: "Burn this book. Go on. Quickly, while there’s still time! Burn it. Don’t look at another word. Did you hear me? Not. One. More. Word." However, you should keep reading because this book is all you would expect from a Barker book. There is humor, horror, and everything in between. It kind of reminds us of an adult version of The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone. We recommend this book to all Clive Barker, Stephen King, and Neil Gaiman fans.

Join us next week when we review these books Mississippi Library Commission staff are reading.

• Last Stop on Market Street
  written by Matt de la Pena
  illustrated by Christian Robinson
  picture book
• Career of Evil
  written by Robert Galbraith
  fiction: mystery
• Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta
  written by Richard Grant
  nonfiction: Mississippi
• X: A Novel
  written by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon
  young adult

Until next time, happy reading!