​A Ranger Called Solitary
by Barry Cord
Center Point. Large Print Edition. 2018,191 Pages. Adult Western

         Marshal Tom Benton summoned a Ranger called Solitary Jackson to come to Muleshoe Country because the Baron and his gang had been bringing nothing but fear and death to the town. When Jim Jackson showed up, he was surprised to find that he was not welcome in the town and was under attack himself by not the Baron, but the Marshal himself along with the townsfolk. Jackson now had another mission on his hands: not only did he need to help this town more than ever from the Baron but he also needed to solve the mystery of why he was under attack by good people. 

         I don't normally read Westerns, but this was a very good book. It kept me on my toes and I never figured out who the real villain of the story was until the end of the book. Not only was this a western, but it is also a mystery.  This book had a great story line and it was fun to play detective while reading it. 

LKS

​The Bromance Book Club
By Lyssa Kay Adams
Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, Berkley, 2019. 344 Pgs, Romance
 
The Bromance Book Club is a contemporary romance about a major league baseball player named Gavin Scott who’s wife has just asked for a divorce. He is wallowing in defeat, and self-pity, staying in a hotel, when a team member invites him to a book club to try and win back his wife. First rule of book club is you don’t talk about book club. It’s a book club full of guys reading exclusively romance books to try and better understand their relationships and it might be just what Gavin needs.
 
Bromance Book Club is a fun and funny read that is mostly in Gavin’s point of view, which is a switch from the usual with romance books. It also shows a couple trying their best and putting in the work to fix their marriage. It has swearing and the usual scenes that can be found in a romance book so it’s not for everyone but it is definitely worth the read if romance is your genre.
 
Overdrive
 
CB

Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds
New York: Atheneum, 2017. 306 pgs, Young Adult.

A Long Way Down is an intense snapshot of grief stricken fifteen year old, Will, as he deals with his brother’s shooting. He was taught by his brother who was taught by his father and so on that there are rules to follow in this situation. The Rules are don’t cry, don’t snitch, always get revenge. 

​A Long Day Down is written in free verse and that really help to emphasize the tone of the story. It’s a quick read that gives you an intense look at teenage gun violence and how cycles of violence can tear people apart. As a plus the audio version on Overdrive is read by the author!

 This title is available on Overdrive

CB

Overlord 1: The Undead King
by Kugane Maruyama
Yen Press. 2012.  256 pgs. Dark Fantasy.

After over a decade since its release, a virtual online game is shutting down their servers. One player, Suzuki Satoru, who has been playing the game for as long as it's been out, is logged in waiting for the game to shut down. As he sits alone at a round table, he reminisces about all the great memories he had with his online friends who have slowly stopped playing the game as the years went by. As the in-game clock strikes midnight, the scheduled time for server shut off, the game is still running. In fact, the clock begins counting anew. He goes to manually log off but there is no logout button. He can't leave the game.
 
 I really enjoyed reading this series. Our main character is a regular salermyan but in the game he is a powerful undead Lich who is the leader of an evil guild. His character is an anti-hero who borders the line of becoming a villain while struggling to remain human in his new undead body. Packed with action and comedy, this light novel is a lot of fun. 

​AS

I, Robot
by Isaac Asimov
Turtleback Books .1950, 304 pgs, Science Fiction

Set in the future Isaac Asimov gives 3 rules for robots to follow: 
“1.A Robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
 2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.”
Asimov takes us through the life progression of the robot through stories that he has interlinked to each other. This progression starts from the primitive stage to the not so distant future. Will the human race even be needed in this distant future?

This is also a book that I have been wanting to read.  The different stories telling the stories of the robot and it’s beginning to the current status is fascinating.  It also makes me wonder what the future actually holds and will we have robots that have their own laws that they have to follow?

​Missy

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
by Anne Fadiman
Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1997. 352 pgs.  Biography 

The story centers around Lia Lee, who is the young daughter of a Hmong family living in California during the late 80s. Lia was diagnosed with severe epilepsy at a very young age, having her first seizure when she was just a few months old. Her parents did not speak english and during this time there were very few, if any, Hmong translators. So, due to Hmong beliefs, differing cultures, miscommunication and lack of understanding, Lias' condition worsens even though her parents and American doctors want what is best for her.   

I have read many books while going to ISU and this book is the one that I enjoyed reading the most. It was both interesting and frustrating seeing the clashing of two cultures, western medicine vs Hmong traditional medical treatment, while a child unfortunately gets caught in the middle of it.  There are no heroes or villains, black or white, just a sea of gray. The times I agreed with her doctors and not her parents were equal to the times I agreed with her parents and not her doctors. This is the type of book that remains with you well after you have finished reading it.  

 AS