CASTERS AND CROWNS
Author: Elizabeth Lowham
Call number: Y FIC LOW
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: October 28, 2025
Although not my favorite genre, Elizabeth Lowham managed to keep my attention throughout
this young adult novel. After a slow start, the novel’s plot accelerated into a race against time
with potentially fatal consequences.
From the outset, we learn that Crown Princess Aria is cursed to die after one hundred days if
she cannot solve a spell. Fortunately, she can enlist the aid of Baron Reeves, a “Caster” with
extraordinary magical powers. She hopes to end the curse before it kills her and her royal
family, but things get complicated because of Aria’s insomnia (one of the side effects of the
curse).
Lowham ambitiously engages with various complex themes, including Aria’s battle with
perfectionism and Baron’s with prejudice, but this stand-alone novel becomes too bulky as a
result. The characters’ motivations and depth become secondary to a complex plot (with a
surprising twist at the end).
Two characters that did resonate with me were Corvin and Leon—Baron’s twin brothers. Their
wit provided much-needed comic relief at times and including them on more pages would have
made the story more effective and enjoyable, especially for those who need a nudge to read
more young fantasy fiction. Casters and Crowns was the September Teen Book Club selection of
TDL.
WANDERING STARS
Author: Tommy Orange
Call number: FIC ORA
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: October 15, 2025
In this much anticipated follow-up to There, There, Tommy Orange created a study of multi- generational trauma that was inflicted on an American Indian family. It starts in 1864, when a young Cheyenne man named Jude Star (also known as Bird) is imprisoned at Fort Marion after miraculously surviving the Sand Creek Massacre. Richard Henry Pratt, a guard who is stationed there, encounters Bird and attempts to eradicate his culture. Pratt eventually founds the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania and does this on a much larger scale with thousands of unwilling students, including Charles Star, Bird’s son.
The novel ends in present-day Oakland, California with the descendants of Bird, most of whom are displaying the scars of the often-brutal treatment that they have endured from the government and American society in general. Multi-faceted characters such as Charles Star (Bird’s son), Opal (Charles’s wife), Jacquie Red Feather (Opal’s sister) and her adopted sons Orvil, Lony, and Loother.
Orange uses an alternating narrator plot structure, which is quite effective mainly because the character’s voices are distinct and their stories are highly engaging. For example, Jacquie’s struggles with maintaining sobriety are portrayed realistically, but without sentimentality—they are mirrored by Orvil sinking further into addiction and hopelessness.
Ultimately, all these characters wage personal wars against the past and the present, which is not unique to contemporary literature. What sets Wandering Stars apart is that Orange creates the conditions where it is possible, or even likely for the audience to empathize with them.
THE GREAT BELIEVERS
Author: Rebecca Makkai
Call number: FIC MAK
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: July 10, 2025
I was in high school when I first became aware of the AIDS epidemic. This was in the 1980’s, and a diagnosis of the HIV virus was equivalent to a death sentence to many people’s thinking. And unfortunately, in many cases, HIV did lead to AIDS and was fatal. There was also the added stigma that it was a disease that only affected the gay community, which was proven to be false in large part to NBA’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s announcement that he had contracted the virus through heterosexual activity in 1991.
Makkai did a masterful job of recreating the context of how AIDS lead to extreme anxiety within a group of friends in Chicago’s Boystown (as it was known in the 1980’s) neighborhood. One of the main characters, Yale, works at an art museum on Northwestern University’s campus and seems to be a faithful narrator of the unfolding drama that balances hope for humanity and extreme uneasiness about the present and future. As the plot unfolds, it is easy to root for Yale.
On the other hand, Fiona’s character emerges mostly in 2015 as she searches for her estranged daughter who was last seen in Paris. Fiona’s brother Nico was the first of the close-knit group to die of AIDS, and the impact that her brother’s diagnosis (followed by many others) on her is told mainly through a series of flashbacks to the years between 1986 and 2015.
One of the best aspects of The Great Believers is how it occasionally touches on domestic and world events. For example, Yale and his partner Charlie have an extended conversation while watching tv coverage of the tragic explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. Most Americans were transfixed by the extended media coverage of the event, but Yale and Charlie compared it to the constantly evolving (but much less covered by the media) epidemic of AIDS unfolding every single day.
In the end, this skillfully woven narrative does accomplish what was often lacking in real time: the ability to put perspective on the long lasting impact of the AIDS epidemic.
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MALCOLM LIVES!
The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers
Call number: Y 320.54 KEN
Author: Ibram X. Kendi
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: September 24, 2025
To my generation, Malcolm X often emerged as a mysterious figure of the civil rights movement in America, especially as compared to the ubiquitous presence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday became a national holiday during my high school years in the late 1980’s. Therefore, most of my knowledge of Malcolm Little, as Malcolm X was formerly known, was based on grainy pre-YouTube videos, a famous book by Alex Haley (The Autobiography of Malcom X) , and an award-winning film directed by Spike Lee (Malcolm X).
But Ibram X. Kendi’s thoughtful and well-researched narrative of Malcolm’s life painted a much fuller picture of the iconic, controversial and influential counter to Dr. King. From very humble
roots that brought him to Lansing, Michigan in the pre-WWII era to his violent death in a Harlem hotel’s ballroom in 1965, Kendi fully explored what transformed Malcolm from poverty to prison in his early life. His beginnings eventually fueled his ascent to the top chelons of the Nation of Islam.
While some may be put off by Kendi’s commentary about how Malcolm X’s life and times are like our current situation regarding race relations in America, younger readers may need that context to fully gain perspective on Malcolm’s life and the impact that he made (and continues to make) in the 21st century. Kendi’s trademark engaging and direct writing style accomplish this with grace.
The Blessing Way
Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee series: book 1
To the Heart of Solitude
Author: Tony Hillerman
Call number: X FIC HIL
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: September 2, 2025
After watching all the seasons of Dark Winds on AMC, I decided to read the book that it was at least partially based on. Originally published in 1970, The Blessing Way is set on a Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. The plot involves Tribal Police Detective and Native American Joe Leaphorn’s investigation of a fugitive who is soon found deceased in the desert. At the same time, a white anthropologist (Bergen McKee) leaves his college campus town for the reservation to do research on Navajo myths. Inevitably, he meets up with Leaphorn, whom he knows from their college days. Through a variety of circumstances, their paths cross at an opportune time for both characters.
At times, The Blessing Way is quite an easy read, especially when McKee unexpectedly finds himself in danger. The inner dialogue that Hillerman provides propels the narrative forward. And the dialogue throughout the book feels authentic, while providing enough detail to illustrate the scenes effectively. However, I did find myself re-reading parts of chapters occasionally—mainly because there are so many characters and background to keep track of. Hillerman’s gift for sensory detail and creating suspense allowed me to overcome all of that, though, and I look forward to reading more of the series—and the introduction of Jim Chee, who is absent from this book entirely.
Ultimately, Tony Hillerman’s grasp on native American culture, and his ability to integrate it into a compelling story makes Dance Hall of the Dead (next up in the series) enticing.
John Muir
To the Heart of Solitude
Author: Lomig
Call #: Y917.94 LOM
Reviewer: Sonja Downey
Date: September 2, 2025
What a beautiful book – in every aspect. A book about John Muir is always special. And a book that is about John Muir which contains amazingly detailled graphics is just a delight.
I am a great admirer of John Muir, his philosophy and his reverence for nature and all that it entails. The graphic novel details the 1000 mile walk he took from Wisconsin to the South shortly after the Civil War was over. With an astute and keen eye Muir captured the interconnectedness of fauna and flora and understood that one cannot be without the other. He also saw the hand of man interfering with this precarious balance. The graphic novel ends with the poignant sentence: “May we, at least for the span of a walk, see [the exosystem of our wonderful planet] through John Muir’s eyes, before it’s too late”.
Meditations for Mortals
Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
Author: Oliver Burkeman
Call #: 158.12 BUR
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: August 30, 2025
Oliver Burkeman has authored many popular books on psychology, and after reading this one, I intend to read them all eventually. The experience is like reading his newsletter, which he emails intermittently—and only when he really has something to write about.
With Meditation for Mortals, Burkeman encourages us to only read one slim chapter at a time, and it is quickly apparent why that strategy is probably best as he shares his thoughts on “Being Finite”, “Taking Action”, “Letting Go” and “Showing Up” over the twenty-eight days prescribed. One of my favorite chapters was Day One, which contained this nugget that you are unlikely to find in most self help books (which Meditation for Mortals is not): “…if you want to spend more of your time on the planet doing what matters to you…grasp the sense in life as a finite human being…(that it) is really much worse than you think.” He goes on to explain that once we accept that we “definitely” will not get what we want out of life, we will be free. He uses the example of the “to-do” list that we think we might get through. That list is inexhaustible, and infinite—so if crossing things off the list makes us happy, we will simply never be.
Burkeman’s style is journalistic with a humorous voice, yet he is never sarcastic. He points out the absurdities of life in an entertaining and helpful way, although he does not believe that ubiquitous self-help genre works for most. As he points out on day fifteen of the reading: how boring would life be if this were easy?
The Sun Blessed Prince
Author: Byrd, Lindsey
Call number: NEW FIC BYR
Reviewer: Randy Morgan
Date: August 9, 2025
Elician is the crown prince of Soleb, is a Giver – he has powers that allow him to heal himself and others. It is the royal family’s best kept secret because the crown is not permitted to inherit these abilities. After the most recent battle, Elician finds a terrified, emaciated man at the edge of the bloody battlefield… a Reaper, someone who can kill with a single touch. Fearing that this Reaper will be tortured, he is taken to a sanctuary for Givers and Reapers. Here the Reaper maintains his new identity and refines his skills as a Reaper.
I am a sucker for healing magic, and with life comes death, making The Sun Blessed Prince a promising read. Author Lindsey Byrd is very deliberate in her parallels between fantasy and reality, which makes for a more engaging read. The romance was a very light dusting, which was surprising because it is advertised as an enemies to lovers situation. All this to say, I was stoked when I looked at Lindsey’s website and found the announcement for the next novel!