Kitasei, Yume. The Deep Sky. New York : Flatiron Books, 2023.

Chalk full of tension, the terrifying thrills of augmented reality, and an interesting library of bird facts, Yume Kitasei’s The Deep Sky is a solid science fiction thriller perfect for fans of Andy Weir or Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries.

Set on the Phoenix, a spaceship transporting the highly selective crew from Earth to Planet X with the hopes of rebuilding humanity, the story follows a young woman named Asuka. As an Alternate, Asuka is a jack-of-all-trades aboard the ship and the second choice for a mission she had dedicated years of her life to potentially join. When an explosion kills several crew members—including the captain—and derails their course, Asuka is tasked with unraveling the mystery of what caused the explosion… and which of the people on their ship may be responsible.

As Asuka struggles to uncover the truth behind the explosion, we learn more about her life before becoming one of the members aboard the Phoenix: the intense years of training on Earth before the final few candidates were selected, the complicated sociopolitical climate that surrounds the catalysts for launching the Phoenix, and the growing divide between herself and her mother after a devastating family tragedy. Asuka’s deeply fraught relationship with her mother and her special interest in birds further fleshes out her character in a way that enhances the drama and intrigue of the mystery-thriller sections of the novel.

For those who love the dramatic tension, complex parent-child dynamics, and humanity of Interstellar, this book may be your next favorite read! The Deep Sky is available as a physical copy (and as Large Print) through Alamance County Public Libraries.

Sara D. is a Library Assistant at Graham Public Library.

Watson, Renée. Black Girl, You are Atlas. New York : Kokila, 2024.

Celebrate National Poetry Month this April by diving into “Black Girl, You Are Atlas,” a powerful poetry collection by Renée Watson. This semi-autobiographical work beautifully encapsulates Watson’s journey as a Black girl growing up in Portland.

With a stunning array of poetic forms, from haiku to free verse, Renée Watson delivers a captivating experience that is both artfully crafted and deeply resonant. Her words vividly portray the essence of Black girlhood, the journey of self-discovery, and the importance of listening to one’s inner voice.

Accompanying with breathtaking illustrations and full-color artwork by Ekua Holmes that enriches the reading experience. “Black Girl, You Are Atlas” is more than just a book; it’s an inspiring reminder of the power and worth of Black women and girls, encouraging young readers to embrace their futures with confidence and a sense of sisterhood.

This thought-provoking collection invites you to take your time, reflecting on each poem and letting its profound messages resonate within you. “Black Girl, You Are Atlas” deserves a place on your reading list this National Poetry Month. It’s available as a physical copy at Alamance County Public Libraries, in our Young Adult collection.

Sharada F.M. is a Library Assistant at Graham Public Library Children’s Department.

I am a big fan of anime and mangas, which led me to obsessing over light novels. They have more words than pictures but still have the same familiar story lines and feelings as your favorite anime shows. Hoopla offers a lot of series that would be great for young adult/adult cozy readers or someone that wants to take a break from books with stressful themes. These five are a great way to get into reading light novels!

Dragon Daddy Diaries by Ameko Kaeruda – A baby shows up in a dragon’s cave and starts calling him dad. He raises her with all the love he and his new friends can offer. (Super cute and full of doting dad and loving daughter moments!) Volumes 1-4 available.

The Engagement of Marielle Clarac by Haruka Momo – A girl with average looks gets a proposal from society’s top bachelor! Shenanigans ensue as her quirky obsession over writing love novels and fangirling over her fiancé introduces her to a lot of trouble. (A historic romance that is full of funny moments with mysteries sprinkled in!) Volumes 1-10 available.

Dahlia in Bloom by Hisaya Amagishi – Dahlia decides to focus on bettering herself and her magic items after her fiancé breaks their engagement. Because of her past life memories, she is able to create unique items that gather the attention of nobility and her late father’s friends. (My favorite part is that Dahlia is completely unbothered by her ex-fiancé and continues to grow!) Volumes 1-9 available.

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer by Mojikakiya – Belgrieve adopts a baby he found in the forest and teaches her how to be an adventurer. Angeline grows up to become an S-rank adventurer but her only goal is to be near her dad. (This is an adventure story so there is fighting, but the characters are loveable, and Belgrieve is the best dad!) Volumes 1-11 in eBook and Audiobook available.

Taking My Reincarnation One Step at a Time by Kaya– Sarasa goes to sleep one night and meets a goddess who tells her that the chronic fatigue she has is because she lives in a world with no mana. She wakes up in the body of a ten-year-old and in fantasy world full of monsters! (I enjoyed the way the author made an adventure story feel like the stakes were always low) Volumes 1-7 available.

Kayla H. is a Reference Assistant at May Memorial Library.

Hidden Science of Alamance County
Saturday, April 12
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; grand opening of the Discovery Lab 2:00-4:00 p.m.

We are excited to announce that the North Carolina Science Festival, the country’s first statewide celebration of science, is returning for its 15th year! Alamance County Public Libraries, has been partnering with the festival since 2015 to bring fun science events to the community. This year’s theme Science Everyday, Everywhere, Everyone truly encompasses the mission of the festival to help spread science education through exciting, educational, and fun hands-on science events.

Alamance County Public Libraries is partnering with Burlington Recreation and Parks again this year to hold Hidden Science of Alamance County at North Park, located at 849 Sharpe Road, Burlington, NC. Last year’s event, saw 20+ exhibitors and 300 participants. We want to support and celebrate area businesses, organizations, and makers that are STEM proponents by shining a light on the knowledge they share with the community every day. It is our hope that through this event we build the potential for the next generation of scientists, engineers, inventors, and workers!

This event is a family-friendly outdoor event where everyone is welcome! From 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. participants can explore the incredible world of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) right in your own backyard through an engaging and interactive displays or hands-on activities around the park. Then from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. the Grand Opening of the Discovery Lab inside of North Park Library will be happening inside the Mayco Bigelow Community Center. We have Makerbot 3D printers, I-Root robots, a Tool Library, sewing machines and more!

This event offers a unique opportunity to connect with area professionals, ignite curiosity, and celebrate the vibrant STEM community of Alamance County. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to uncover the hidden science and makers around you! Admission is free, and all ages are welcome.

Alexis Vivian, branch manager of North Park Library, the Discovery Lab, and Hidden Science of Alamance County. For more information, call (336) 226-7185.

Khan, Ausma Zehanat. Blackwater Falls. New York : Minotaur Books, 2022.

Khan, Ausma Zehanat. Blood Betrayal. New York : Minotaur Books, 2023.

I really love a mystery series that really captures a place and a moment, and the Blackwater Falls series does that well.

Inaya Rahman is a police officer with the Denver Police Community Response Unit. Their goal is to improve policing in areas with high immigrant and/or low-income populations in the greater Denver area. Right now, they are in Blackwater Falls, where immigrant girls have been disappearing and the sheriff can’t seem to be bothered to do anything about it. Inaya and her coworkers are pulled in when a Muslim girl is posed and hung on the doors of the local mosque.

Inaya has a complicated relationship with her supervisor, Lieutenant Waqas Seif, which adds to the tension of this story. Qas is raising his two brothers, both of whom are more devout than he is and who question his past dating history of non-Muslim women. Inaya left one police force because of bullying and religious harassment from fellow officers, and has chosen, for now, to forgo the hijab. This is a complicated decision for her – can she still consider herself devout without the hijab? She doesn’t know why Qas seems to be harder on her than her coworkers, and she tries not to care when he seems to kowtow to the sheriff instead of doing his job.

The mystery is great, but what really shines in this series is the struggle in Blackwater Falls between immigrants and newcomers and those who have lived there all of their lives. This plays out in communities all over our country, including Alamance County.

If community policing, race relations, small town frictions and murder sound like the perfect ingredients for a great book, give Blackwater Falls and Blood Betrayal a try!

Mary Beth A. is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries.

Lee, Fonda. Untethered Sky. New York: Tor Publishing Group, 2023.

Want a short but punchy fantasy book with flying mythical creatures?

Inspired by Persian and Arabian folklore, Untethered Sky is an engaging fantasy novella which details the story of a young girl, Ester, whose mother and brother are lost to the brutality of a raging manticore—a deadly creature with the body of a lion and tail of a scorpion. In this world Fonda Lee creates, there is only one natural predator that can rival a manticore: the roc, a giant falcon featured in Persian myth. Ester then resolves herself to a life of hunting and killing manticores by training to become a ruhker, a highly skilled roc trainer in service of the king. 

Told from the first-person perspective of Ester, the story follows her as she slowly develops a trusting relationship with the adolescent roc she is tasked to train named Zahra and shifts from apprentice to a fully-fledged manticore hunter. The trusting—yet deeply tenuous—relationship between Ester and Zahra is the cornerstone and highlight of the novella. Lee plays heavily on this concept of the relationship between humankind and nature through the complex dynamic ruhkers have with their rocs. Ruhkers build an intensely personal attachment with their rocs, while also maintaining the understanding that these are wild creatures who cannot be owned or reciprocate such attachments. 

Untethered Sky is a sharply earnest coming-of-age fantasy story about finding one’s calling, the power of mythical beasts, and how our love for a wild animal cannot restrain them—yet we care for them anyway. It is available as a physical copy through Alamance County Public Libraries and as an audiobook via Hoopla. 

Sara D. is a Library Assistant at Graham Public Library.

“Emmett,” by L.C. Rosen. Copyright 2023, Little, Brown and Company (264 pages, $18.99).

“The Absinthe Underground,” by Jamie Pacton. Copyright 2024, Peachtree Publishing Company Inc, (286 pages, $19.99).

“Gwen & Art Are Not in Love,” by Lex Croucher. Copyright 2023, New York: Wednesday Books, (407 pages, $20.00).

Fans of Jane Austen’s classic, Emma, and the 90’s take on it, Clueless, will enjoy Rosen’s updated take on this story. Add a dash of queer representation and you have a very modern and current take on Austen’s original work. We follow a teenage Emmett as he tries to navigate life as he helps his friends (by matchmaking and/or tutoring them) and learns what it really means to be “nice.” Something that all people can connect with as we navigate niceties without rewards.

With The Absinthe Underground you’ll get Moulin Rouge vibes meet the ever complicated world of Faeire all in this friends-to-lovers sapphic romantasy adventure. Sybil and Esme are making ends meet by stealing and selling rare posters in order to survive in their world. But when they’re caught by the subject of one poster they’re trying to sell, Maeve, they are offered a heist of a lifetime. To steal the crown jewels from the QUEEN OF WHAT for Maeve with the possibility of never needing to work again. While attempting this heist, Esme and Sybil learn more about themselves, and each other, and what it means to truly love someone in a world that does not love them.

And to round out our 90’s/00’s references is Croucher’s Gwen & Art Are Not in Love, which combines the classic A Knight’s Tale found family vibes with a new fan favorite – Heartstopper. It’s been centuries since the famed King Arthur’s reign, but now it’s his future descendant’s turn to take a crack at the story. Like in the original text, this Arthur is betrothed to a lady Gwen (Gwendoline in this text); but unlike the original text, they loathe each other and both have their romantic sights set on another person. But once Art and Gwen find out each other’s secrets (that Art likes kissing boys and that Gwen is in love with the only lady knight that Camelot has) they make a pact in order to carry on as is in their noble life, while also helping each other cover up they’re queer escapades.

All books and most movies mentioned here can be found with Alamance Public Libraries. Anything else can always be requested to purchase.

Kayleigh D. is a Library Technical Processing Assistant at May Memorial Library.

I’m not new to using Ancestry. I’ve subscribed in the past, and have had my DNA analyzed. However, I am pretty new to using the library version of Ancestry, and I’ve honestly been happy utilizing this edition to find new discoveries.

If you didn’t know, Ancestry Library Edition retains much of the core functionality that makes Ancestry so beloved. It provides access to an extensive range of historical records, including census data, immigration records, military databases, and vital statistics. I would say the main advantage to Ancestry Library Edition is its accessibility, as the library edition is free to use within the library. However, it is worth noting that the library edition lacks some personalization features that you may be familiar with in the subscription version like the ability to upload documents, pictures, and maintain your family tree.

For anyone working in a library setting or frequenting one, Ancestry Library Edition represents an excellent alternative to the full subscription, providing powerful tools for discovery and learning without the subscription fee.

To access Ancestry Library Edition, you must be in the library, using our computers or your own computer on our network. From our home page, choose Research and Learn/Online Resources, then scroll down or search for Ancestry Library Edition. We are happy to help you access this great resource!

Michael F. is a Library Assistant at May Memorial Library.