Can't Miss SciFi & Fantasy

Here are five titles available at your Community Library from Kirkus's recently published a list of "Can't Miss Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2011." In Among Others, 15-year-old Morwenna finds escapes into scifi novels after the mysterious death of her twin. The Wise Man's Fear (a personal favorite of librarian Carolyn W.) is the sequel to Name of the Wind, and follows the adventures of Kvothe, a wise-cracking university student and jack-of-all-trades seeking answers about his parent's deaths. In Richard Matheson's Other Kingdoms, a soldier's retreat to a peaceful English village after World War I turns into something more sinister when he ignores local superstitions, while in The Quantum Thief, a criminal is broken out of a diabolical future prison in exchange for agreeing to steal a valuable artifact. Last but not least, China Mieville's literary Embassytown tells the story of how humans teach aliens how to lie, with disastrous results.

New Nonfiction Release: Born in Africa

Martin Meredith's Born in Africa: The Quest for the Origins of Human Life is a fascinating look at humanity's ancient ancestors and the often controversial implications of scientists' discoveries in this field. The newly-published book received a starred review in Kirkus, which describes it as an "appealing account of human evolution." For other nonfictional works about humans and their animal cousins, you can also try Almost Chimpanzee: Searching for What Makes Us Human by Jon Cohen.

Debut Released Today: 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

In 22 Britannia Road, new author Amanda Hodgkinson tells the story of a young Polish family struggling to start over in postwar England, in a debut novel that Kirkus calls "strikingly mature." When the newly-wed Silvana and Janusz Nowak move to Warsaw expecting their first child, it is on the eve of war in 1937. Plans for a simple happily-ever-after go awry, and the couple does not reunite until nearly a decade later, in 1946. The long separation has taken its toll on Silvana and Janusz, and their new son Aurek's early experiences with deprivation have left him half wild. It is their son, however, who allows Silvana and Janusz to work past their self-destructive behaviors and finally begin to rebuild the pieces of their shattered lives. Do you have a favorite World War II story? Share your suggestions by commenting!

Long-Awaited Debut: The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi

If you only read one science-fiction mystery this year, make it The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi. In this story, an imprisoned thief is forced to play mind-games with quantum copies of himself, until an unexpected jailbreak leads him to the opportunity of a lifetime. Kirkus, which gave this book a starred review, describes The Quantum Thief as "a sort of paranoid-conspiracy, hard sci-fi whodunit" that is "spectacularly and convincingly inventive, assured, and wholly spellbinding: one of the most impressive debuts in years." The European edition, released in 2010, also garnered praise on sfsite.com. The author, a Finnish resident of Scotland, has a PhD in physics and a day job as a mathematician, so the science underpinning the story is as real as modern knowledge can make it. Reserve this exciting debut today!

Debut Released Today: In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard

Today is the release date of Jo Ann Beard's debut novel In Zanesville, a book that Kirkus describes as a story of "angst, and a grudging reconciliation to childhood being left behind." The novel opens in a small town in the 1970s, when the narrator and her best friend Felicia spend the summer babysitting six children, only to quit in disgust after witnessing the parents' gruesome punishment of a disobedient child. Following the two friends as they navigate the social pressures of high school, the story is what Kirkus calls "a bittersweet remembrance of a time when life was more difficult than it should have been." Reserve your copy of this debut novel today!

Killer Mysteries & Thrillers of 2011 from Kirkus

Have you ever read a book jacket that bragged about having received a starred review in Kirkus? Kirkus Reviews gives some suggestions for new killer mysteries & thrillers; here are five of them available at your community library. Click the book jackets to learn more about each and to reserve your copy!