![]() ![]() ![]() “The idea of the world being a magical place, a mystical place, is normal ,” she is quoted as saying in the article.Īnd as I wade into the Akata series, I find myself less and less convinced about that "Nigerian Harry Potter " label. But, as Okorafor herself attests in the aforementioned Times piece, magic isn't total fantasy. In fact, I have never read Harry Potter, so take my (otherwise pretty knowledgeable) opinion with a grain of salt! To catch up, I'm reading her critically-acclaimed work, beginning with Akata Witch, the first book of her beloved Akata series, which fans often refer to as "The Nigerian Harry Potter" according to a New York Times author profile.įirst, a disclaimer: I struggle to read fantasy, especially for kids and teens. I am so excited about Nnedi Okorafor's visit to Lawrence this November! I'm a bit behind the times discovering the amazingness that is Ms. ![]()
0 Comments
![]() "Rivals" is destined to go down as one of the definitive accounts of Lincoln's life, and any reader with even the most fleeting interesting in the 16th president would do well to delve into it. I listened to this shortly after listening to "1861: The Civil War Awakening" (Adam Goodheart) which makes a fascinating companion piece to "Rivals" for its more colorful descriptions of the times, and its different perspective on figures such as Gustavus Fox. ![]() ![]() Readers/Listeners will be surprised at how well they'll come to know Lincoln's cabinet and family, and how heartbreaking it is to consider the untimely deaths of three of his four children, not to mention the tragic histories that haunted both Salmon P. I could listen to her talk all day, and she made some of the dull spots easier to get through. Narrator Suzanne Toren breathes life into the story, and even into the nearly all-male cast of characters. Strange to say, but by the time Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth in Ford's Theater, I had almost willed myself into thinking Lincoln was a character who could figure out the trap, and avoid it somehow. And I was surprised by how moved I was by a story that I, essentially, already knew. I was surprised by how beautifully told this story is. ![]() I was surprised by how much I didn't know about Abraham Lincoln. "Team of Rivals" surprised me in so many ways. Beautiful, Heartbreaking, and Informative ![]() ![]() ![]() Also in the cast is George Lindsay as Goober, Jim Nabors as Gomer, Aneta Corsaut as Helen, Betty Lynn as Thelma Lou, and Howard Morris as Ernest T. Actually, he's the victim of a cruel hoax, compelling Andy once more to come to Barn's rescue. ![]() Barney thinks he's found an excellent publicity ploy when he discovers what seems to be a bigfoot-style monster roaming around the Carolina hills. Andy's onetime deputy Barney Fife (Don Knotts) is running for the sheriff's post, so Andy decides to stick around to help out. The plot finds former sheriff Andy Taylor (Griffith, of course), returning to Mayberry, North Carolina to visit his grown son Opie (Ron Howard, taking a break from his busy directorial career), who is now an expectant father. Eleven of the original cast members of the classic Andy Griffith Show were reunited in this marvelous blast from the past. ![]() Inspired by the success of previous TV sitcom "reunion" films, Return to Mayberry debuted on April 13, 1986. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Soon he suspects that what he thought was grief over his father's death might be something more.sinister. Instead he's taking care of his little sister while his mom slowly becomes someone he doesn't recognize. Maxwell Oliver is supposed to be enjoying the summer before his senior year, spending his days thinking about parties and friends. Not to mention she's the family outcast, lacking her parents' innate abilities, and is terrified of the occult things lurking in their basement. Vera Martinez wants nothing more than to escape Roaring Creek and her parents' reputation as demonologists. The Conjuring meets The Vow! This terrifying paperback original tells the unputdownable story of a girl, a dark angel, and the cult hellbent on taking over her small, coastal town. ![]() Teenage/Young Adult Fiction | Thriller & Suspense | Crime & Mystery | Junior Fiction ![]() ![]() ![]() military troops and transferred to a fast-attack submarine, our hero speeds away to China with a new mission: To find and retrieve Patient Zero and hopefully end this fast-spreading pandemic. Our hero is an unnamed Naval officer who is referred to as Kil, short for Kilroy. Having enhanced agility, speed and cognitive function, the Zombies were practically unstoppable… and now they’re filled with radiation! Will there be any survivors living happily ever after or has an ancient alien abducted a promising franchise?ĭay by Day Armageddon: Shattered Hourglass is Book 3 in Bourne’s overall storyline, immediately picking up where Book 2, Beyond Exile, ended.Īfter an unknown anomaly turned once-living human beings into an undead terror that quickly spread throughout the planet, the United States government nuked multiple high-density areas, hoping to destroy them. ![]() Bourne attempts to wrap up the Zombie Apocalypse and somehow add extraterrestrial beings into the mix, as well. In this book of the Day by Day Armageddon series, J. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The similarities between Obi-Wan Kenobi and George Lucas' Star Wars movies become even more evident in episode 3, which explicitly parallels Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. ![]() Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1 Mirrors The Phantom Menace In fact, each episode is a homage to one of George Lucas' films. The story will be remarkably familiar to many viewers, simply because it adopts classic beats from the main Star Wars movies. There is, however, another major reason for the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV show's success - one that hasn't been noticed by many viewers, but is becoming increasingly clear as it continues. Related: Who Were The Jedi In The Tombs In Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 4 This approach has created a real sense of narrative momentum, helping broaden the galaxy rather than reducing it to a handful of planets that have been seen countless times before. Every episode has been mostly set on a different world: Tatooine, Daiyu, Mapuzo, and the water moon Nur in the Mustafar system. Obi-Wan Kenobi is set during the Dark Times of the Empire's reign, and yet it has avoided the mistakes of The Book of Boba Fett by wasting no time taking its hero off Tatooine. ![]() ![]() ![]() Unbeknownst to all but a few, demons have begun to haunt the imperial city of Usa, their malign influence driving men to commit atrocities. These include Banelion, the White Wolf, the legendary Drenai general, and three old friends: Nogusta the swordsman, Kebra the archer, and Bison the wrestler. Convinced that he needs young men to furnish him with further victories, Skanda unites the Ventrian and Drenai forces and forcibly retires all of the older Drenai soldiers. He has allied with his former enemies, including prince Malikada and his bodyguard and right-hand man, the master swordsman Antikas Karios. A man of great charm and even greater ambition, Skanda has unified the two historically hostile people by marrying the Ventrian emperor's daughter, Axiana, who is now pregnant. The Drenai army, led by Emperor Skanda, has conquered the hostile Ventrian empire. The story is set several decades after Gemmell's earlier title, Quest for Lost Heroes, and introduces an entirely new set of characters. ![]() ![]() It is also the second of three stories that feature in the anthology Drenai Tales Volume Three. It is the eighth entry in the Drenai series. Winter Warriors, published in 1997, is a novel by the British fantasy writer David Gemmell. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The Titans had toyed around with an east-west rivalry since the 1970s but Johns added a couple of twists. The first big story of the year featured the new Teen Titans East. It also helped solidify Kid Devil as a fully fleshed out Titan. It wasn’t great, but it was a nice chance of pace. The Kid Devil spotlight was a solid story with several surprising turns and a strong friendship between Eddie and Zatara. For another, Eddie had made a bet with Neron for better powers but he lost the bet and will become Neron’s slave when he turns 21. For one thing, Eddie and the Blue Devil had a falling out and his daily phone calls to the big guy have been a charade. Johns also reveals a couple of secrets that add layers of depth behind Kid Devil’s sunny disposition. Regular writer Geoff Johns recounted Kid Devil’s origin, introducing us to a film studio gopher named Eddie who idolizes stuntman/superhero Blue Devil and eventually becomes his sidekick. Guest artist Peter Snejberg drew the story, giving it the feel of a “Times Past” tale from Starman. The new year began with a single issue story focusing on newer Titan, Kid Devil (#42, Feb. It also didn’t preclude the Titans from experiencing the occasional disruption from crossovers originating outside of the title. However, that didn’t mean 2007 was any more settled than the previous years. With Infinite Crisis now out of the way, the Titans were able to return to their own story. By 2007, the Teen Titans had been involved in DC’s company-wide story for about a year and half. ![]() ![]() ![]() These will often be art and children’s books and other publications you just can’t put on a nook or kindle. Wonder Bear was her thesis project inspired by an odd-looking gummy bear with magical powers. She attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, receiving her MFA in Illustration in 2007. I will be doing monthly book reviews to tell you about some of my favorite titles and to inspire you to collect books of your own. Tao Nyeu was born in Akron, Ohio, and grew up in Kiskayuna, New York. I think each book is an art piece and cherish my collection, which grows every month. thesis project, Nyeu tells the wordless story of two children who cultivate an enormous beanstalk-like plant, which in turn sprouts the titular bear, all in one night. Books have their own smell and texture, each is its own unique experience with a different type selection, paper weight, size and binding. Publication Date 48 Pages 3-5 Target Age What's Wonder Bear About Publisher Summary Making her debut with this publication of her M.F.A. Although I see the convenience of such devices, there is a spirit that books and printed materials embody that a machine could never convey. ![]() ![]() You can easily see this trend by walking into the Barnes and Noble on Union Square where toys and children’s educational materials have taken over a large portion of the second floor and many book shelves have been removed to make room for seating that people use while they browse through magazines. My friends and I are starting to notice that books are becoming less available and more expensive. I’m sorry I haven’t updated in a while, I try to be diligent about my posts, but sometimes life gets in the way. ![]() ![]() ![]() Two outlaws, Bill Driscoll and Sam Howard have decided to kidnap 10 years old son of a wealthy citizen Ebenezer Dorset so that they would be able to demand ransom from the boy’s father. The plot of The Ransom of Red Chief is not particularly complicated. In this paper, we will aim at substantiating this thesis to a further extent. ![]() Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that this particular O.Henry’s story does not only represent a high literary, but also philosophical and socio-political value, as it provides readers with the insight onto possession of what kind of psychological qualities had allowed the ancestors of today’s feminized American males to gain their country the status of world’s superpower. Given the fact that, during the course of recent decades, the hawks of feminist cause have largely succeeded in instilling young men with mental insecurities, on the account of their perceptional manliness, the reading of O.Henry’s short story The Ransom of Red Chief came in as a particularly refreshing literary experience, as this story does promote masculine values in rather straight forward manner – thus, resulting in both: providing readers with good entertainment and prompting them to think that there is nothing unnatural about young boys indulging in behavioral malevolence. ![]() |