STAFF PICKS: To a Mountain in Tibet

Valerie's pick:  To a Mountain in Tibet, by Colin Thubron

Thubron sets off to Mount Kailas in Tibet, a peak sacred to one-fifth of the world's population and the source of four of India's great rivers.  Though Kailas has never been climbed, Thubron embarks on a pilgrimage that begins in Nepal and crosses into Tibet.  This an engrossing and affecting travel memoir that transcends the mere physical journey, an utterly moving read.

DPL BookTalk Chats with David Macinnis Gill... in NC!

When I was in North Carolina recently, I had an opportunity to talk with YA author David Macinnis Gill:

BOOKS

DPL:  Invisible Sun is the companion book to Black Hole Sun, due out in March 2012.  Would you tell us a little about the story?

DMG:  In Black Hole Sun, Durango saved the world.  Okay, maybe not by himself--he had help from Mimi, his nano-implant with a biting wit, Vienne, his second-in-command, whom he also happens to be hopelessly in love with, and a ragtag crew of misfits.  Still, you'd think he deserves a break.  But a mercenary's work is never done.  He's on a new mission, one that will infuriate just about everyone.  One that will put everyone he cares about in unspeakable danger.  Cinematic action, rapid-fire dialogue, a futuristic setting on a terraformed Mars, and a tragic romance--Invisible Sun is an unstoppable adrenaline rush!

DPL:  I love the new cover for the paperback version of Black Hole Sun!  Do you have much say in what the covers look like?

DMG:  Only if exclaiming, "I love it," is having a say!  The design team at Greenwillow, my publisher, is among the best in the business, so I trust their judgment in cover art, book design, etc.  There are so many factors that go into a dust jacket--marketing, color scheme, sales, and eye appeal--that I find it best to let the folks who know the business do what they do.  I can't even begin to give them advice.

RECOMMENDATIONS

DPL:  What books have you read recently that you'd like to recommend?

DMG:  I have three:

SHINE by Lauren Myracle.  On the surface, this is a story set in the mountains of North Carolina, about the horrific assault of a young gay man, who is beaten and left to die at a service station with a gas nozzle in his mouth.  When the authorities react with ambivalence, his estranged friend decides to search for the attacker herself.  What she finds, though, more about her community and herself than she anticipated.  Gripping, saddening, infuriating, and ultimately, uplifting, this book is still with me months after I read it.

THE PULL OF GRAVITY by Gae Polisner.  Branded with the kiss o'death misnomer of "quiet book," The Pull of Gravity is the under-appreciated story of Nick and Jaycee, who use a combination of Yoda and Of Mice and Men as spiritual guides on a cross-country trip to keep a promise to a dying friend.  Where TPG shines for me is the pitch-perfect voice of the narrator, Nick, a guy with attitude and grit but with enough personality to keep you reading.

FURY OF THE PHOENIX by Cindy Pon.  In this sequel to Silver Phoenix, one of the top ten fantasy novels for youth by Booklist, we revisit the kick-butt sorceress/foodie Ai Ling, who must fight the evil Zhong Ye to save the man she loves.  Full of action, drama, myth, love, and yes, food, this is one of my all time favorite sequels, which is every bit as good as--and maybe better--than the first book.

TRADITIONS

DPL:  Do you have a favorite holiday tradition?

DMG:  Does sneaking under the tree and surreptitiously unwrapping my presents, peeking at what's inside, and then re-taping the wrapping paper count as a tradition?  If not, then my favorite is stuffing my kids' stockings late on Christmas Eve.  This will be our twenty-second year in a row, and it never gets old.

DPL:  Thanks, David!

DMG:  No, thank you!

--Patti

STAFF PICKS: Diamond Ruby

Christine's Pick:  Diamond Ruby, by Joseph Wallace

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Ruby Thomas, newly responsible for her two young nieces after a devastating tragedy, is determined to keep her family safe in the vast, swirling world of 1920s New York City. She’s got street smarts, boundless determination, and one unusual skill: the ability to throw a ball as hard as the greatest pitchers in a baseball-mad city.From Coney Island sideshows to the brand-new Yankee Stadium, Diamond Ruby chronicles the extraordinary life and times of a girl who rises from utter poverty to the kind of renown only the Roaring Twenties can bestow. But her fame comes with a price, and Ruby must escape a deadly web of conspiracy and threats from Prohibition rumrunners, the Ku Klux Klan, and the gangster underworld. Diamond Ruby “is the exciting tale of a forgotten piece of baseball’s heritage, a girl who could throw with the best of them. A real page-turner, based closely on a true story” (Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row).

 

Christine says:  1920's New York atmosphere, engaging heroine.

 

PATRON PICKS--Runaway Twin

Mykaela's pick:  Runaway Twin, by Peg Kehret

Synopsis:
A unique story of separated twins and the unexpected consequences of their reunion.

Sunny Skyland longs to be reunited with her twin sister, Starr. With only an old photograph, taken a few days before the girls were separated at age three, to guide her, Sunny begins the cross-country journey that she has dreamed of during her ten years in various foster homes. Sunny manages to locate her twin, only to be faced with a whole new challenge.

Award-winning author Peg Kehret combines suspense and action with reflections on the true meaning of family as Sunny learns that sometimes we must let go of our dreams in order to embrace a different, better future.

Mykaela says:  Runaway Twin is a sequel  to Stolen Children.  It's a mystery that I couldn't put down.

PATRON PICKS--Stolen Children

Mykaela's pick:  Stolen Children, by Peg Kehret

Synopsis:
Amy learned a lot in her babysitting course, but not what to do if two thugs show up, intent on kidnapping. Armed with misinformation and a weapon, the men take Amy and little Kendra to a remote cabin in the woods. There they make videos of the girls and mail them to Kendra’s wealthy parents in an effort to get ransom money. After several of her escape attempts fail, Amy is forced to make one last, desperate move. Award winner Peg Kehret crafts a suspenseful thriller with a spunky heroine who uses her wits to save herself and the toddler.

Mykaela says:  It's a mystery that always has you wanting to read more.  Best book I ever read.

PATRON PICKS--Double Identity

Tati's pick:  Double Identity, by Margaret Peterson Haddix


Synopsis:
For months, 12-year-old Bethany Cole has been anxiously watching the changes in her parents. Her mother seems to be weeping constantly, and her father is reluctant to let her out of his sight for even a minute. Then, just before her birthday, Bethany is whisked to an aunt's house and seemingly abandoned. Worried and confused, she searches for an explanation, but when the package arrives from her father, the mystery only intensifies. Spine-tinglingly real.

Tati says:  Eccentric, exciting and suspenseful!

New Paperbacks at DPL!