“We Deserve Monuments” by Jas Hammonds. New York : Roaring Brook Press, 2022, 384 pages.

Content warning: grief, cancer, death, homophobia and racism

“We Deserve Monuments” is an incredible story of how prejudice affects three generations of women – Letty, the grandmother, Zora, the mother, and Avery, the daughter.

Avery is a high school senior, getting ready to apply to colleges and follow in her mother’s footsteps as an astrophysicist. But when her mother gets a letter from her grandmother Letty’s next-door neighbor, saying that Letty is dying of cancer, Avery is dragged to Bardell, Georgia with her parents.

To say that Letty and Zora are at odds with each other would be understating their rancor. Letty doesn’t want Avery, Sam and Zora at her house. She is rude, grumpy, dismissive, and completely unwilling to do anything to improve her health, like stop smoking. Zora has brought Avery to Bardell just once in her life, and Avery barely remembers anything from that visit, other than the fighting between her mother and grandmother. Zora’s motto in life is to “Live Forward,” not revisiting the past or discussing it at all. Avery knows very little about her grandmother or her grandfather Ray, who disappeared before Zora was born.

At first, Avery plans to just survive her time in Bardell and focus on college applications and her plan to go to Georgetown University. But her next door neighbor, Simone, captures her heart the second she sees her, and Avery can’t help but become friends with Simone and her best friend, Jade. The best friends welcome and support her as she tries to connect with Mama Letty, discover what history her mother is hiding, and find out about her grandfather, whom her mother and grandmother don’t want to talk about.

I don’t want to spoil any of the plot, so I’ll stop there, but I will say that this book touches on the Jim Crow South, racism, the Ku Klux Klan, murder, infidelity, trauma, bisexuality, queerness, and love. Each generation of women has their own burden that needs to be shared before healing can occur.

Hammonds has written characters that absolutely come to life in your mind. What I love about them is they’re so flawed, but they’re trying. And you want to cheer them on and try harder yourself, because this book brings up your own issues with race, sexuality, and trauma. The women in this novel are strong and hardheaded, but love deeply and fight for what’s right.

This is a book that people of all ages should read – don’t let the Young Adult label make you think it won’t deeply affect you. I definitely cried for the last 100 pages or so of We Deserve Monuments, and loved every minute of it.

Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at madams@alamancelibraries.org.

“The Last White Rose:  A Novel of Elizabeth of York” by Alison Weir.  New York:  Ballantine Books, 2022, 526 pages

Fifteenth century England was dominated by the War of the Roses—a military and political power struggle between the British noble houses of York (symbolized by the white rose) and Lancaster (symbolized by the red rose).  “The Last White Rose” is the story of Elizabeth or “Bessy”, the oldest daughter of King Edward the IV, a Yorkist king who sits on a precarious throne and dies relatively young leaving a large family of minor children and nakedly ambitious relatives.

Edward IV wrested his crown from a mentally imbalanced Lancastrian King Henry VI, but he had great difficulty holding it against his scheming brothers Richard, Duke of Gloucester and George, Duke of Clarence in what became family warfare.  After Edward’s death, grasping relatives sequestered the young English princes and princesses (including Bessy) and had them declared illegitimate to make way for their own political ambition.  Eventually, Bessy’s uncle Richard of Gloucester ascends the throne as Richard III after clearing all impediments, including inconvenient child heirs.  A century later, Richard will be portrayed as a murdering, hunch-backed villain in the history plays of William Shakespeare.

Edward IV’s oldest daughter Bessy is best known in English history for being both the sister of “the two little princes” who died in the Tower of London and for being the mother of Henry VIII, the much-married monarch who broke with the Catholic Church and divested himself of so many wives.  The “two little princes” are an enduring historical mystery.  Because of their sex, both brothers preceded Bessy in the line of succession and the young brothers disappeared abruptly when Edward IV’s brother Richard of Gloucester seized power in a show of force and proclaimed himself king.

Young Bessy, as the clearest remaining Yorkist successor, quickly becomes a pawn of numerous marriage overtures designed at gaining legitimacy for kingly aspirations.  Even her young uncle, who is rumored to have killed her brothers, may have tried to gain a church dispensation to marry his niece in the hopes of producing heirs to the throne.

The Lancastrian and Yorkist power struggle ends on Bosworth Field in a military encounter in which Richard III is slain and Henry Tudor, the Lancastrian, is the victor.  Henry then marries Elizabeth of York and becomes Henry VII and the couple are the eventual parents of the well-known portly King Henry VIII, slayer of wives.  Some of Bessy’s other children go on to become foreign heads of state including daughter Margaret, Queen of Scotland, and daughter Mary, Queen of France.

This is a great read with a lot of both personal and political intrigue.  Recommended for fans of historical fiction, true crime, and devoted monarchy watchers who appreciate mini-series fare.

Lisa Kobrin is the reference and local history librarian for the Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at lkobrin@alamancelibraries.org.

When looking for family read-a-louds with the best illustrations to captivate the imaginations, we often first think of fiction.  That does not mean, however, that they are not just as many stories of friendship, magic, humor, and wonder about the world around us.  Whether you are looking for facts or an inspiring story, try one of these popular picture books from our non-fiction sections.  All are new releases published in the last three years and appropriate for ages three and up.  This winter season, they might provide a different kind of enchantment for the whole family.

Except Antarctica by Todd Sturgell

Fans of humorous stories rejoice!  You will forget you are learning facts from the coldest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica to the way cold blooded creatures work as you read the story of an intrepid turtle who will not stay where he is meant to be.  As the book tries to tell readers facts about animals, including the turtle, who can be found on every continent in the world except Antarctica, our turtle friend invites them all on a trip to the frozen continent itself just to show that it can be done.  With a dash of page-turning adventures, fun dialogue, and a hilarious ending, Except Antarctica is a great book for first-time non-fiction readers.  It presents facts alongside a fantastical story that anyone can get lost in.

Life-Size Animals: An Illustrated Safari by Rita Mabel Schiavo

Animal fans looking for pictures more than words should check out Life-Size Animals: An Illustrated Safari.  Standing at over a foot high, this book shows how much bigger a tiger’s head is than a domestic cat’s head and lets readers compare their hands to life-size wolf prints, giraffe tongues, and saber tooth fangs.  Each two-page spread presents its own topic from wings to eggs to teeth with short accompanying captions to explain its illustrations.  While this means the book is not the best for reading straight through at bedtime, it allows you revisit your favorite pages again and again to make more and more scientific discoveries.  A best-bet for visual learners who want to know “How big IS that?,” Life-Size Animals: An Illustrated Safari is an example of a great concept done well.

Creature Features: Dinosaurs by Natasha Durley

Do not let the fact that this is in our board book section fool you; Creature Features: Dinosaurs is the best picture book for dino-fans who can already spell diplodocus. Up to date with the latest scientific discoveries, the book looks at early dinosaurs, sea animals, and mammals by physical characteristics they shared, talking about how these creatures used their claws, wings, fins, necks, feathers, and fur.  Along with a short description and dozens of labeled dinosaurs, each page has a “seek and find” challenge to look through the pictures for the creature with the longest tail or widest wingspan.  This turns reading the book into an active experience that leaves audiences beaming.

Magic Ramen by Andrea Wang

If all these picture books are making you hungry, look no further than Magic Ramen, the true story of how Momofuku Ando invented instant ramen.  Illustrated with many Japanese conventions, the book shows Ando learning through trial, error, observation, and repetition. His constant refrain that “peace follows from a full stomach” shows his drive to create healthy food that anyone could eat anywhere.  While the Author’s Note and Afterword provide even more information to readers, telling them how to pronounce the Japanese phrases used in the book and explaining what happened to Ando and his ramen after the story, these facts only add to the sense of success readers feel when Ando finally makes his “magic ramen” work.

Headstrong Hallie: The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female “Fire Guard” by Aimee Bissonettee

Like Magic Ramen, Headstrong Hallie is a story of perseverance and heart.  Only, instead of taking place in a kitchen in postwar Japan, Headstrong Hallie takes place in the Siskiyou Mountains of California.  There, Hallie Daggett grows up hiking, hunting, seeing the destruction fire can bring to the forests, and following her heart to become a part of the U.S. Forest Service despite the fact that, at the time, it did not admit women.  The book has illustrations that seem to light up from the inside and move with an invisible wind as they show Hallie’s determination to keep her mountains safe.  It also has an Author’s Note that contains the few black and white photographs of Hallie that still exist and tell readers where they can learn more about Hallie and her U.S. Forest Service Work.  Through all of Hallie’s ups and downs, however, my favorite part of the book is that it redefines “headstrong” as a wonderful thing for a girl to be.

Rebecca Mincher is the Children’s Librarian Assistant at Graham Public Library. Contact her at rzimmerman@alamancelibraries.org or 336-570-6730.

“Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear. Avery, 2018. (320 pages, $27).

James Clear is a writer and speaker focused on habits, decision making, and continuous improvement. He is the author of #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits. The book has sold well over 5 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over 50 languages. Within the pages of Atomic Habits, James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, offers practical strategies for forming good habits, breaking bad ones, and mastering tiny behaviors for remarkable results.

Clear’s first act in his book is to define habits for the reader. He describes habits as the small decisions we make and actions we perform every day. According to researchers at Duke University, repeated habits account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day. Clear states that while there are some outside influences beyond our control, your life today is greatly shaped by the sum of your habits. He insists that how in shape or out of shape we are is likely a result of our habits, how happy or unhappy we are is likely a result of our habits, and how successful or unsuccessful we are is likely a result of our habits.

He goes on to say that what we repeatedly do, what we spend time thinking about and doing each day, ultimately forms the person we are, the things we believe, and the personality that we portray. Everything Clear writes about – from procrastination and productivity to strength and nutrition – starts with better habits. He believes that by learning to transform our habits, we can meaningfully transform our lives. In other words, Clear says that, while we make our decisions, our decisions ultimately make us.

Clear insists that if someone has trouble changing their habits, the problem isn’t them, the problem is their system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because someone doesn’t want to change, but because they have the wrong system for change, thus they do not rise to the level of their goals, they fall to the practiced routines of their systems. His book seeks to provide its readers with proven methodologies utilized by expert therapists to overcome such hurdles in our lives. It also provides a peek into the inner workings of our thought processes, especially those pertaining to habits and motivation.

I found reading his book to be a very positive and informative experience, and due to my interest in scientific topics, I was intrigued when Clear brought up raw data and even charts sourced from psychological studies and experts in the fields of therapy, psychology, sociology, and even a bit of neuroscience. I personally feel that knowing a bit more about how our human brains think and operate goes a good way in helping us trick ourselves into more positive habits! I would definitely recommend Atomic Habits to anyone with an interest in psychology, or anyone just looking to start a few new healthy habits.

Clear’s writings have resonated with many people across the globe who insist that this book has inspired them to take stock of their daily activities and better regulate them in order to point their lives into a more positive trajectory by implementing healthier daily habits over time. While we here at Alamance County Public Libraries do not currently carry Atomic Habits in all 50 languages, we do carry it in English, Español, eBook, and eAudiobook form. If you read it soon, you’ll have time to come up with some great ideas for your New Year’s Resolution!

James Clear is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies and his work has been featured in places like Time magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and on CBS This Morning. His free “3-2-1” email newsletter is sent out each week to over 2 million subscribers. Each message includes three short ideas from Clear, two quotes from others, and one question to ponder. The sign up for his weekly newsletter as well as the entire archive of his newsletters are available for free on his website, https://jamesclear.com/, where he has been posting his helpful musings since 2012. James Clear was born and raised in Hamilton, Ohio and is a graduate of Ohio’s Denison University.

Donavon Anderson is a reference library assistant at May Memorial Library. He can be reached at danderson@alamancelibraries.org.

“The Holiday Trap,” by Roan Parrish. Copyright 2022, Sourcebooks Casablanca (440 pages, $16.00).

Content Warning: Emotional abuse, sexual content, chronic illness.

If you’re a fan of the Christmas movie, The Holiday, then you’ll love Roan Parrish’s novel The Holiday Trap with its queer and modern spin on the concept of house swapping for the holidays.

We open with Greta, who loves her family (even if they are trying to set her up for an auctioned date with a man) and her tiny hometown in Maine but needs space away from everything in order to figure out who she is and what she needs from her life. Next, we meet Truman, our other main character, who has just had his heart broken from his boyfriend of a year when a massive secret is revealed and Truman would rather be anywhere else then in New Orleans. Enter Ramona, a mutual friend with the perfect solution! That Greta and Truman should house swap for the holidays and get some much-needed space and perspective for their own individual lives.

Some of the great things about this novel are the layers that define the characters as well as their own personal growth. Greta is Jewish, a lesbian, and a plant lover with the absolute greenest thumb and learns to distance herself from her somewhat co-dependent family by making her needs known to herself and by setting boundaries. Truman is a gay accountant who loves his bullet journals and fantasy novels and while in Maine, learns to advocate for himself in his romantic relationships so that they are no longer one-sided. Both go through a discovery journey that then allows them to make healthy decisions for themselves and their lives.

Parrish’s writing for Truman and Greta and the cast of characters that surround our main leads fell so authentic with everyone’s own issues and personality quirks. This is a great, cozy read to either kick start your holiday themed reading or just put in with all of your other holiday books!

Kayleigh Dyer is a Library Technical Processing Assistant at May Memorial Library. Contact her at kdyer@alamancelibraries.org.

“Cemetery Boys,” by Aiden Thomas. Copyright 2020, Swoon Reads (344 pages, $17.99).

Content Warning: Transphobia, Blood, Death, Death of a parent, Violence

Cemetery Boys is a refreshing coming of age story with realistic issues that people face today, interwoven with a touch of magic.

We follow Yadriel as he’s just trying to find his way through a world that has a difficult time accepting him for who he is. Yadriel wants to prove once and for all that he is a real brujo, a sorcerer. Yadriel, with the help of his cousin Martiza, tries to summon their recently deceased cousin, only to be saddled with Julian Diaz, a former schoolmate with unbound energy and a surprisingly carefree attitude for being dead. While trying to solve the mysteries behind Yadriel and Martiza’s cousin’s death as well as that of Julian, Yadriel learns what being a boy and what being a brujo really means to him. All while navigating high school, family dynamics, and raging hormones.

Thomas has done a wonderful job interweaving individual experiences with a culture that isn’t talked about enough and making the magic work without being too much. They are also able to pull from their own experiences as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and incorporate themes and issues that a lot of people face but that aren’t addressed in main stream media. Thomas is a strong advocate for diverse representation and I can’t wait to see how they tackle this next in Lost in the Never Woods and their future publications.

Kayleigh Dyer is a Library Technical Processing Assistant at May Memorial Library. Contact her at kdyer@alamancelibraries.org.

“A Spindle Splintered” by Alix E Harrow.  New York:  Tom Doherty Associates, 2021. 119 pages, $17.99

“A Mirror Mended” by Alix E Harrow.  New York:  Tom Doherty Associates, 2022, 130 pages, $18.99

From the series “Fractured Fables”.

Alix Harrow’s two recent novellas are time travel “fractured fairy tales” for adults in which Harrow takes the reader on upended versions of the Grimm fairy tales Sleeping Beauty and Snow White, respectively.  The protagonist for this inventive romp is an adventurous 21-year-old folklore aficionado named Zinnia Gray.  Zinnia lives in rural Ohio and has been afflicted since childhood with an incurable disease called Generalized Roseville Malady.

Having never expected to live to adulthood, Zinnia is nonplussed by her lack of future plans after an impromptu birthday bash thrown by her best friend, Charm, or Charmian.  When she drunkenly pierces her finger on a junk shop spinning wheel used as a party prop, Zinnia ends up transported into the medieval version of Sleeping Beauty in which young Princess Primrose is soon to fall victim to a long, cursed sleep preventing her from marrying young Prince Hal.

Because this is a feminist retelling for modern times, Primrose or Prim turns out to be a lesbian princess who has little interest in Prince Hal.  Prim is desperately trying to run away from her scripted story and needs Zinnia’s intervention from outside the story to make it happen.

In the sequel, “A Mirror Mended”, Prim has escaped her fairy tale destiny and become a couple in modern times with Zinnia’s best-friend Charm.  Zinnia has injected herself into a number of Sleeping Beauty narratives throughout time and rescued dozens of damsels from their long sleep and is making it her life’s calling.  However, she’s getting jaded at being a princess rescuer.  Then things switch up and Zinnia looks into a mirror at the face of evil and is transported into a very Gothic version of the Snow White story replete with a nameless evil queen trying to preserve her beauty.

The evil queen, quickly dubbed Eva, turns out to be a foreign-born, barren monarch who has been the victim of domestic violence at the hands of her king for her inability to produce an heir.  She feels the restiveness of her subjects and is counting on Zinnia to help her elude her ultimate storybook fate of death by burning while walking over hot coals in iron boots of torture.

Just when you think you knew everything about fairy tales, the Disney version gets thrust aside for darker, more symbolic tales based on the moral values that the Grimm Brothers wanted to transmit to an adult audience.  Juxtaposed on top of this is the time-travel format familiar to many from the “Outlander” series for adults and the “The Magic Treehouse” series of books for children.  The combination is a potent mix of enjoyable quest and timely message.

Lisa Kobrin is the reference and local history librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at lkobrin@alamancelibraries.org.