Katie Reads Books

  About      Author : V.E. Schwab Title : The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Genre : Adult Fantasy/Historical Fantasy Publication Date : October  2020 Number of Pages :  444, hardbound. Geographical Setting : Paris, New York Time Period : Modern (18th/21 st Centuries) Series (If applicable): N/A   Plot Summary Addie LaRue was born in the late 17th century in rural France. Over the first few chapters of the novel, we see her chafe at the societal expectations for women at that time, dreading and doing everything she could to avoid her fate of marriage. She manages to avoid it for much longer than many of her peers but is finally forced to marry a widower at twenty-three. In a fit of desperation, she makes a Faustian Bargain with a demon or some sort of malicious being to avoid living a miserable life. She receives what she desired, more time, with the stipulation that no one will ever remember her. If she leaves the room, anyone immediately forgets who...

Week 14 Prompt Consider yourself part of the collection management committee of your local library, or a library at which you would like to work. You must decide whether or not to separate LGBTQ fiction and Urban Fiction from the general collection to its own special place. Some patrons have requested this, yet many staff are uncomfortable with the idea - saying it promotes segregation and disrupts serendipitous discovery of an author who might be different from the reader. Do you separate them? Do you separate one and not the other? Why or why not? You must provide at least 3 reasons for or against your decision. Feel free to use outside sources - this is a weighty question that is answered differently in a lot of different libraries. I'm not sure where I fall on this issue, because it is seems to be a very nuanced thing. I'm leaning towards not shelving them separately, however, for a few reasons. I'm going to be focusing on the LGBTQ side of  the question, because they a...

Week 13 Prompt    Somehow this prompt totally slipped my mind, but better late than never, I guess?     Though this week's group of "genres" all seem very different, they all have in common the fact that many people don't feel that they are legitimate literary choices and libraries shouldn't be spending money on them or promoting them to adults. The common belief is that adults still don't or shouldn't read that stuff. How can we as librarians, work to ensure that we are able to serve adults who enjoy YA literature or graphic novels? Or should we? I can't wait to read your thoughts on this. Thanks!  I've always hated the term literary. It tends to be racist and sexist, so first and foremost it drives me crazy when some people argue that some books are more worthwhile than others. Worthwhile to whom? A lot of critics are men, and this drives ratings of things. In the movie industry, for instance, this is a huge problem. Consider the Jennifer...

  About   Author : Holly Black Title : The Stolen Heir Genre : Young Adult Fantasy Publication Date : January 2023 Number of Pages :   352, hardbound. Geographical Setting : The Mortal Lands and Elfhame Time Period : Modern (21 st Century) Series (If applicable): Book Four of the Elfhame series (Cruel Prince)   Plot Summary The story follows the heirs to rival courts, Princess Suren, the heir to the Court of Teeth, and Prince Oak, heir to the Elfhame Throne. Suren was abandoned by her family and has lived a life much like that of a stray cat, running from place to place and getting food wherever she can. Finally, she is nearly caught (and killed) by a hag named Bogdana sent by her mother. Fortunately, Prince Oak and a few of his companions are there to save her from certain death. However, this kindness isn’t without any strings attached; Oak certainly wants something from the Princess. Through fae magic, Suren is the only person who can c...