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SERGIO Whether Sergio is braving the sand storms of Arrakis (basically Mesa) in search of a Dr. Pepper, or traversing the forests of Lothlorien (basically Flagstaff) in search of second breakfast, he always has a smile on his face and a song forever stuck in his head. He may look scary but he is always open to have a pleasant conversation about all things book or music related (he is a music major after all). So if you need to find an epic fantasy or science fiction novel to get lost in or if you are wondering why Sergei Rachmaninoff is the greatest romantic era composer of all time, Sergio will gladly help you with all of your questions and concerns! |

Few authors have hurt me as much as Pierce Brown but I can't stop coming back for more.... The culmination of the Red Rising series did not disappoint in any way. I said some hard goodbyes and I audibly cheered and scared my roommates as I followed Darrow into battle one last time. Everyone must read this series just so we can all share the heartbreak and the triumph that Brown gives us in his amazing style. Thank you for bringing along the way from the mines to the stars Mr. Brown!

Some of the most evocative and thrilling writing in Sci-Fi that I have read in a very long time! Darrow goes from inside the frying pan of the institute and into the fire of the galaxy run by the golds. Pierce Brown is the kings of moving speeches and action sequences and this book is a testament to his talents. Everything you think you know about this universe will be turned on its head and you will immediately be wanting to get your hands on the third book in the series.

Have you ever wondered what if Buttercup and Westley from the Princess Bride swapped roles and took place on another world where the seas were full of spores rather than water? If yes then you have a rather unique and oddly specific question that has been answered by the one and only Brandon Sanderson! Pirates, betrayal, love, and a talking rat..... What more do you even need?!?!?!?!

Sally is a divorced comedy written for this fictional version of SNL. She lives her dream as a writer and that should be enough to make her happy right? She never thought she would catch feelings for the shows latest musical guest/host, but at some point she can't imagine a world without Noah in it. Full of humor and humanity, Romantic Comedy will help you feel something and laugh and hope for a better world.

Sibling Dex and Mosscap are back and I couldn't be more thrilled! Chambers makes me want to explore the countryside and serve tea to strangers while I listen to their problems. She gives me hope knowing that just doing your best is more than enough at the end of the day. I smiled. I laughed. I sweat from my eyeballs as I thought about my place in the world. If you loved Psalm, you'll love this one too.

Have you ever wondered what Ocean's Eleven would be like if it was set in a fantasy parallel of Venice during the Italian Renaissance? Join the Gentleman Bastards as they sow mischief and breach the secret piece that has kept the nobility of Camorr safe from the nefarious gangs that run the slums. Scott Lynch weaves a fantastic tale that had me cheering on one page only to have me screaming in anger the next.

Life can be hard at times. Taco shells crack and nachos get soggy sometimes. But when you remember to think positively about the things happening in your life, you realize that not every taco dinner will end in tragedy, you begin to see the world in a new and more positive light. With cute images and uplifting words, Taco Falls Apart will make you and your child smile and crave tacos together!

Where do we go when we sleep? What stories told to us as children to fascinate us to sleep are actually true? Simon Jimenez spins an original tale of adventure and love in a world where gods walk amongst men in the old country as he puts it. This is a breath of fresh air for someone looking for a new take on traditional tropes in the realm of fantasy. What tale will you see when it is your turn to journey to the inverted theater between the waking world and dreams?!

It doesn't matter if you are a toddler, teenager or adult. We all sometimes may have a hard time feeling whatever it is we need to feel in our everyday lives. When you are little these emotions are so new and sometimes scary. When you are older you may feel embarrassed to feel a certain way due to past experiences. Both children and parents can learn a lot about letting themselves feel their emotions and letting them serve their purpose by reading this book together.

Maggie lived a normal life just like one was supposed to. She never thought her marriage would end in a divorce just after one year. Now she has to deal with the new normal things like what are they going to do about their cat Janet, is she actually bisexual after all or is it just another phase, and why do all of her tinder dates look like her ex so much. Will she discover her true self and make him regret the day he left, or will she cry herself to sleep while eating a cold cheeseburger at 3 a.m. Heisey makes me fold in half laughing one page and makes me run for the tissues on the next in this debut novel.

Not everyone knows that being the eldest, you are destined to a life of mediocrity. That is all Sophie thought her life would turn out until her whole world got flipped on its head. Cursed by the witch of the waste, Sophie finds herself living with the wizard Howl in his moving castle out in the wastes as she tries to break the curse that was put on her. Anyone who is a fan of the Studio Ghibli movie will fall in love with this timeless classic!

In a post covid world, The Stand paints a picture that I am sure all too many people had nightmares about at one point during the pandemic. The super flu ravages all who come in contact with someone infected and death is absolute to those infected. King paints a bleak world where we lose the very weapon we created. But you get glimpses along the way of the world rebounding and a glimmer of hope that society can regain some semblance of normality.

In a society in which what color you are born to decides your fate. Will you be destined to wallow under the surface of mars forever mining to uphold a society that doesn’t care if you live or die? Or are you destined to become the peak of human existence and rule over others with a golden thumb. Darrow’s tale of triumph and revenge will be a story you will devour and never forget!

Being an employee of the Six-Thousand Ship may sound like a dream job. Exploring the planet New Horizon alongside both your human and humanoid counterparts, sounds like an opportunity of a lifetime. That is until they discovered the objects….. Read the testimonials given by the crew themselves and decide for yourself if the job is worth dying for!

Gideon the Ninth scratched the "Lesbian necromancers solve a mystery and battle reanimated skeletons on a derelict space castle" itch I never knew I had. It grabs you by the cuff of your shirt and smashes a fist full of bones into it all the while building and exploring an extremely unique and interesting universe. You'll be screaming at the pages "OH JUST SHUT UP AND KISS ALREADY!" before you finish this amazing read.

Life can be hard sometimes. We may have disagreements with family members, drama in our 9-5 or we may just feel a little lost in our lives in general. This book is a warm cup of tea to help make life just a little bit easier. Becky Chambers lets us all know that it is perfectly okay to feel a bit lost at time and sometimes we just need to do the best we can and that can be enough. We don't always have to have it all worked out and never have a bad day. It's what makes us human after all.

As the saying goes: 'Love Knows No Bounds'. . . Even if you and your lover are on opposing sides of a waging war that stretches between time and space. Even if you want to ensure that your faction can win a war that has never happened, will happen, and is currently happening at this very moment. It goes to show that love of any kind cannot be contained by even the changing of time itself. Fall in love with Red and Blue as they fall in love with one another, all while they are both trying to change the flow of time to make sure the war goes their way and they win, even though they love each other. Does your head hurt yet?

No other book this year has had me feel the absolute roller coaster of emotions that this book put me through. I laughed, I cried and I actually had to stop reading for about a week because I was so frustrated at some of the characters in this book. Sadie, Sam and Marx each embody traits that we all have and we may even know people in our lives that fit their traits to a T. Gabrielle Zevin tells a story so believable that we can put ourselves in the shoes and lives of these wonderfully human characters and live vicariously through them from beginning to end of this amazing story.

Have you ever felt like a prisoner of your own mind? Feeling like all you can do is watch your life in third person through the haze of your own negative emotions as you try to just make it one more day. Zoe Thorogood paints an all too familiar story that many of us have experienced where it seems like a shadow following us throughout our lives. She contextualizes all of the negative thoughts and ideas that we learn to try to ignore and live with as we live our lives. "It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth'' is funny, beautifully illustrated, depressing and at times heart wrenchingly relatable.

In the world we live in today, this book was the warm/loving/gay hug that I needed to get me through another day. It is filled with relatable and all too easy to love characters that you root for more and more with every page you read. It highlights the struggles that people who don't fit into the status quo deal with when society deems that they are “different” than everybody else, and that even though someone may seem different, once you get to know them they may just have a place in your heart after all. If you need a smile on your face and a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart, this is the book for you!

If you are anything at all like me, you are a caffeine loving bookworm who has traveled to Mordor and back on grand quests to save the world from overwhelming odds and adversity. If you are also like me you may need a break from all of the troubles of the world and just need a good hug that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. This warm hug of a book will have you falling in love with every character in it and will make you want to curl up under a blanket and sip on a cup of coffee while you read this unique and lovely tale.

The loss of a friend is a hard thing to cope with at any age. Even more so when you are a kid. You don't quite understand why it had to happen the way it did and you go through the 5 stages of grief just like anyone else. Missing Violet is a book to help a child identify and deal with the terrible scenario of losing someone close to you and how to cope with such a traumatic experience. Just have the tissues ready when you read this together with your child.

If you are a few bites deep into a steak or a burger, maybe save this book for another time. In a dystopian world where all forms of cattle have become deadly if consumed by humans, we have adapted as a species to survive off of a new “special meat”. If you think burgers made of beans are weird you are going to freak out when you find out what the new stuff is made of in this book (it’s totally people). Maybe read this around the new year to help you start that all new vegetarian diet you have been putting off!

Lets be honest here. Some of the ancient mythology stories are pretty weird and hard to read at the best of times. Neil Gaiman does a fantastic job of taking the stories told about the Norse pantheon from both the Prose and Poetic Edda and transcribes it into a format that can be easily read and understood by today's standards of storytelling. If you are looking for the Thor and Loki this isn't the book for you. If you want to hear a story about how Thor had to cross dress to get his hammer back then give this one a try!

Did you know that barn owls have serrated wings making them nearly totally silent when they fly? Did you also know that owls make perfect night watchmen due to them being nocturnal? Knight Owl is an inspiring story of a young owl living out his dream of becoming a knight of the realm and living a life of adventure and honor! This book, with its heartwarming story and beautiful imagery, will help inspire all of your little ones to aim for the stars and dream big dreams. They too can be knights and fight dragons to defend their honor and household!

Lets be real here. We all want someone to tell us that they are proud of us. Whether it is a parent, boss or significant other, this adorable book says all the right words to let someone know that they are loved and supported no matter what.

Have you ever felt so confident that what you were seeing is true, only to realize that all of these things and events that you swear you lived through was only a dream in the end? Or was it even a dream at all? This book is a short read that takes so many common threads found in every zombie horror story and shifts it on its head. I was so engaged in this one that I finished it in one sitting. Speaking of which, are you sure you are awake right now? Or is this just another one of those dreams and you are about to wake up?

With some of the most beautiful prose I ever read in my entire life, Patrick Rothfuss tells the story of an extraordinary man in every way waiting for the end to come. Kvothe is the kind of character that will endear himself to you on one page, just to infuriate you beyond measure on the next page. This book is told from the perspective of Kvothe telling his story one last time to set all of the tales spun about his over the top adventures straight. It will take him three days to tell his life's story and give the time and justice needed to the events that made him the figure he is and The Name of the Wind is the day he begins his story.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if all of the gods in a Norse pantheon had a massive battle and killed each other? Or have you ever wanted to read a revenge novel as well as a redemption ark? Lets throw in a warriors quest to make a name for themselves while shirking off gender norms from one born into wealth and title. Surprisingly enough this book has all of these things and more! Thrilling from first page to last, John Gwynne tells all of these stories in the same book and keeps you entranced all along the way.

Gargantuan sand worms that produce a psychedelic substance (basically space shrooms) that enables humans to basically become as efficient as computers and lets them bend the fabric of space to traverse the galaxy. It also just so happens to be set in a feudal social hierarchy in freaking space. Frank Herbert’s Dune is rightfully considered to be one of the quintessential science fiction epics that keeps you hooked from page 1 to 688!