Best Young Adult Books of 2014

2014 has ended, and people have started making their top ten lists for a variety of topics: the top ten best books they've read this year, the top ten best songs of the year, and the top ten worst songs of the year, just to name a few. One of my favorite lists is the End of the Year Book Survey, hosted by Jamie at The Perpetual Page-Turner. While I'm not going to do her survey, I've been thinking a lot about the best books I read in 2014, and that's what this post is about. The best books I read last year aren't limited to books that were published in 2014, though most of them did come out last year. My list also doesn't include books that I had re-read in 2014.

It's not easy to say what makes a book so amazing that it's one of the best books you've read. Looking at my Goodreads account, I gave 38 books five star ratings last year, but I realized that I don't actually remember a whole lot about most of those books. A handful of them did stand out, though, and those are the books I've picked as the best books I read.

Prisoner of Night and Fog, by Anne Blankman. Prisoner of Night and Fog is terrifying, but not in the typical sense. It's not a horror story; it's historical fiction. But because it's about a girl whose family is close friends with Adolf Hitler, it's terrifying, particularly when that girl realizes what Hitler's beliefs truly are.

Love Letters to the Dead, by Ava Dellaira. Dellaira is from Albuquerque, and the book is set in Albuquerque. I loved every word of it, and because of the connection to Albuquerque, I recommended it to everyone I possibly could.

Of Metal and Wishes, by Sarah Fine. I like retellings, and going into the book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I definitely didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. What I loved the most was the combination of a Phantom of the Opera retelling set in a meat-packing industry, inspired by The Jungle. It sounds like a strange combination, but the setting lent itself perfectly to the story.

Blood of My Blood, by Barry Lyga. I knew I was going to love it, since it's the last book in the I Hunt Killers trilogy, which is one of my favorite trilogies. What I wasn't expecting was for Lyga to take the story where he did, and even though it was disturbing, it also had a wow-factor that worked perfectly.

I'll Give You the Sun, by Jandy Nelson. Nelson's first book, The Sky is Everywhere, was published in 2010. I wasn't sure if Nelson would publish another book, but then I heard about I'll Give You the Sun, and I knew I had to read it. Four years is a long time to wait for an author's second book, but in this case, the wait was well-worth it. I'll Give You the Sun was so much more than I thought it would be. It was family and heartbreak and romance and love and self-discovery. It was beautiful and sad and hopeful. I'll Give You the Sun is the type of book that you will be fully immersed in, from beginning to end.

The Beginning of Everything, by Robyn Schneider. I read it while I was on vacation, and after I finished it, it took me a good day before I could even start another book. The Beginning of Everything has one of the best opening chapters I've read. The book made me rethink so many things and gave me a new perspective on my life.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters, by Laini Taylor. It might be a cliche to call this book a stunning conclusion to a trilogy, but really, it was. The more I read, the less I wanted it to end, because I knew the ending was going to break my heart.

What were the best books you read this year? Let us know in the comments!

Proust Questionnaire

A page from a confession album

Happy New Year! It's that time of year when everyone takes stock of their lives and resolves to make changes, right? So, a perfect time of year to talk about a personality quiz, or, at least, personal confessions.

Personality quizzes seem to be ubiquitous these days - at least, we can't seem to log into Facebook without seeing that someone's found out "What Is Your '70s Anthem?" or "How Spiritual Are You As a Human Being?" or "What Color Should You Die Your Hair According to Your Personality?" - but they are hardly a new idea. According to Wikipedia, personality testing was developed in the 1920s and "intended to ease the process of personnel selection".  Probably the most famous personality test of this type is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. But questionnaires that asked people for "confessions" or "confidences" have been around much longer than that!

Remember autograph albums, wherein one collected signatures of family, friends, and the famous? Well, in late 19th century Britain, "confession albums" were popular - only, instead of having blank pages to fill, their pages were filled with a series of questions which you answered.  Those same kinds of questions are still around in the form of the "Proust Questionnaire", which is often used for celebrity interviews.

We first discovered the Proust Questionnaire in the pages of Vanity Fair magazine, where a version of it appears monthly. It poses questions to celebrities - including John Malkovich, David Hockney, Donatella Versace, Danielle Steel, and Terry Gross - such as:

• What is your chief characteristic?
• What is your main fault?
• What is your idea of happiness?
• Who are your heroes in real life?

Are you intrigued?  Looking to learn more about your personality or see how your answers compare to others'? You can take the Proust Questionnaire yourself - in the "links" section, there is a link to an interactive version - or just peruse some of the library catalog's offerings on personality assessment, listed below.

Who Are You Meant To Be?: A Groundbreaking Step-by-Step Process For Discovering and Fulfilling Your True Potential by Anne Dranitsaris, PhD & Heather Dranitsaris-Hilliard

Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional by Dale Archer

Personality Power: Discover Your Unique Profile, and Unlock Your Potential For Breakthrough Success by Shoya Zichy [eBook]

The Complete Personality Assessment: Psychometric Tests to Reveal Your True Potential by Jim Barrett and Hugh Green  [eBook]

Why Him? Why Her?: Finding Real Love By Understanding Your Personality Type by Helen Fisher

How Do You Compare?: 12 Simple Tests to Discover Hidden Truths About Your Personality and Fascinating Facts About Everyone Else! by Andrew N. Williams

Do You Know the Real You?: More Than 66 Ways to Understand Your Personality by Claire Gordon

The Birth Order Book of Love: How The #1 Personality Predictor Can Help You Find "The One" by William Cane

Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career For You Through the Secrets of Personality Type by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron

What Color Is Your Slipcover?: How Discovering Your Design Personality Can Help You Create the Home of Your Dreams by Denny Daikeler  


Links

Proust Questionnaire [Wikipedia]

Confession Album [Wikipedia]

Interactive Proust Questionnaire [Vanity Fair]

Celebrities' Answers to the Proust Questionnaire [Vanity Fair]

New & Novel: Exhibitions

We love to go to art museums. Do you know you can still see Gods and Heroes: Masterpieces from the École des Beaux-Arts,Paris at the Albuquerque Museum until January 4, 2015? Later in 2015, we are looking forward to Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe! If you like museums too, have you checked out our Museum Discovery Pass Program yet? It ends March 15, 2015, so take advantage of it now!

However, sometimes you don't get out to museums as much as you'd like. You get busy, you don't have the cash, the exhibition you want to see isn't coming to town. One of the coolest things the internet has made available is online museums and virtual tours - you can see a list of some below.  But, also, we have a collection of exhibition catalogues available for checkout in the library catalog! Here are some of our latest acquisitions:

Manuel Carrillo: Mi Querido México by Stuart A. Ashman, curator

Kandinsky: A Retrospective with essays by Angela Lampe and Brady Roberts

Art of the American Frontier: From the Buffalo Bill Center of the West with essays by Stephanie Mayer Heydt, Mindy N. Besaw, Emma I. Hansen

Abelardo Morell: The Universe Next Door by Elizabeth Siegel with Brett Abbott and Paul Martineau

Damage Control: Art and Destruction Since 1950 by Kerry Brougher, Russell Ferguson and Dario Gamboni

Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture, and Cuisine edited by Judith A. Barter

Everything Loose Will Land: 1970s Art and Architecture in Los Angeles edited by Sylvia Lavin with Kimberli Meyer

Korea: Ein Fotoprojekt = Korea: A Photo Project by Dieter Leistner

Barbara Nessim: An Artful Life edited by David Galloway

Color Rush: American Color Photography from Stieglitz to Sherman by Katherine A. Bussard & Lisa Hostetler

Art and Music in Venice: From the Renaissance to the Baroque edited by Hilliard T. Goldfarb

Brassaï: For the Love of Paris by exhibition curator Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr

Behind Closed Doors: Art in the Spanish American Home, 1492-1898 edited by Richard Ast

The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects by Richard Kurin


Also consider taking a look-see at:

The Great Museums [DVD]

The Barnes Collection [DVD]

Louvre City [DVD]

Herb & Dorothy [DVD]

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry [DVD]

Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present [DVD]

Hidden Treasures: What Museums Can't or Won't Show You by Harriet Baskas

The Ideal Museum: An Art Lover's Dream Collection by Phillippe Daverio

Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony M. Amore and Tom Mashberg  

Art is Every Day: Activities For the Home, Park, Museum, and City by Eileen S. Prince [eBook]


Online/Virtual Museums (a random sampling)

The Collection Online - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Collections Online - Cleveland Museum of Art

Online Tours - Louvre Museum

Browse the Collection Online - Guggenheim Museum

British Museum - Online Tours

Diego Rivera Web Museum

Museum of Computer Art (MOCA)

Virtual Tour: The Frick Collection

Victoria and Albert Museum: Search the Collections
   

New & Novel: Military Romances

According our literary eResource NoveList, author Lindsay McKenna created the contemporary military romance subgenre in 1983 with her book Captive of Fate (though military heroes featured in Regency romance long before that). What is the appeal of the military romance?  NoveList suggests:

the appeal of  all romances, including military ones, may be described as character and plot driven with an intensifying pace as the relationship and sexual tension grows between the hero and heroine. Their tonal appeal elements vary, however, by time period, topic and setting, but most military romances are blends of romantic suspense with a suspenseful tone of high drama as a mission or rescue is carried out. Others deal with the experience of coming home, with loss or PTSD and obviously have a more bittersweet, emotionally intense or heart wrenching tone.

Author Lisa Marie Rice sums it up: "If you have a man who's stuck with you when bullets are flying, this is a man who will stick with you if you get breast cancer."

Navy SEALs have become popular military romance heroes.  Author Suzanne Brockmann started researching SEALs in 1995 - they are known for "their use of stealth and being able to slip into a location unnoticed; their tight bonds with teammates; the fact that SEALs are alpha males who prefer to take action, they are in topnotch physical shape, highly intelligent and top scholars, intensely motivated and highly driven"* and are typically depicted in romance fiction as

testosterone-laden, commitment phobic, smart, handsome "bad-ass" accomplished lover[s] with six-pack abs who [are] attracted to, protective of, and supportive but not controlling of, smart women heroine...giv[ing] the reader the literary satisfaction of watching a gigantic redwood fall.*

Are you a fan of military romances? We have some titles for you! Here are some of the newest books from the catalog in this compelling subgenre:

Breaking Danger: A Ghost Ops Novel by Lisa Marie Rice

Free Fall by Catherine Mann

Hell For Leather by Julie Ann Walker

Light Up the Night by M. L. Buchman

Breaking Point by Lindsay McKenna

Dangerous Games by Lora Leigh

Return to Glory by Sara Arden

Bad Nights by Rebecca York

Feeling Hot by Elle Kennedy 

Headed for Trouble by Suzanne Brockmann

Navy Husband by Debbie Macomber [eBook]

A Hero To Come Home To by Marilyn Pappano

Killing Time by Cindy Gerard

The Officer and the Secret by Jeanette Murray

Her Perfect Mate by Paige Tyler

Back to You by Jessica Scott


Link

There Are More SEALs in Romance Fiction Than in the U.S. Navy: The Appeal of Military Romances [NoveList]*

Six Reasons to Love Military Romances [Huffington Post]

Popular Military Romance Books [Goodreads]

The Ultimate List of Military Hero Romance Books [Maryse's Book Blog]
organized by military branch

Get to Know Your City...Website!

So you think you know Albuquerque? We bet many of you can tell us the best breakfast burrito or your favorite park, or even some our most famous authors.  But have you ever looked at the city's website?  It's a handy compendium of things to do, employment options, transportation info, community and business services, and more! We've cherry-picked a few links you may or may not have seen before, and encourage you to explore the site yourself.

• Current Municipal Development Projects: Active DMD projects from the Admin, CIP, Construction, Facilities, Parks, Storm, Street Maintenance, and Traffic Engineering divisions, mapped.

• Free Things To Do: Gallery talks, folclórico music, art fests, and more.

• Albuquerque Clean Team: The Albuquerque Clean Team (ACT) is a group of individuals keeping their communities clean and safe. Under the direction and support of the City of Albuquerque's Solid Waste Management Department, ACT brings together community groups and individual homeowners who want to take responsibility for creating and maintaining a clean community, and in the process create a better living, working, and playing environment.

• Quick Facts: Quick facts, demographics, and statistics for Albuquerque and the surrounding metro areas.

• Online Town Hall: A snapshot of what's going on in the City along with ways you can give input and get involved.  Have something to say? Want to learn more? Join the discussion that’s happening right now around the city.

• Air Quality in Albuquerque: Air quality (includes indexes for carbon monoxide, fine particulates, and sulfur dioxide), pollen count, OK to burn?  You can sign up for alerts.

• Rock Climbing Wall: Information about a climbing wall that can be transported to any location in Albuquerque! The use of the climbing wall is for people who want to participate in an introduction to climbing. Users must have at least 25 climbers participating. Users can not charge or profit financially from the use of the climbing wall. The climbing wall is best utilized by schools, youth groups or other learning organizations. All participants must be taller than 43” and under 300 lbs.

• Bicycling: View an interactive bike map, the Paseo del Bosque bike map, learn about trail etiquette, Tingley Bike Rentals, the Esperanza Community Bike Shop.

• Volunteer Opportunities: Foster grandparents, senior companions, education and literacy, outdoors, for youth.

• Tree Information: suggested tree species for planting in Albuquerque; reporting dead trees; contact the City Forester.

• ABQ Apps: Check out these mobile apps developed for the City of Albuquerque! Includes ABQ Ride, ABQ Parks, ABQ 311, Albuquerque Museum Sculpture Garden Guide, and more. 

Visit the city's website for even more links! You can also check out the Albuquerque A-Z page.  And check out the city on Twitter!

On Reading Young Adult Fiction as an Adult

Every now and then, an adult patron will tell me, "I actually really like young adult books. They're so good," in a hushed, embarrassed way, as if admitting that they enjoy young adult fiction is a problem.

This happens more often than I'd like, but let's be honest: when you're an adult, it can be hard to admit that you enjoy fiction written for teens, particularly when online essays talk about all the reasons why we should be embarrassed to like young adult fiction. In June, Ruth Graham posted an essay called Against YA, in which she stated that while it's okay for people to read whatever they want, adults should be embarrassed when they read books written for young adults. To summarize, here are some of Graham's key points:

• Her essay isn't about books like Twilight and Divergent, which she calls "transparently trashy," and which "no one defends as serious literature."
• She is, however, writing about realistic fiction, which can also be called contemporary fiction or contemporary realism. Examples of realistic fiction include The Fault in Our Stars, and according to Graham, "These are the books that could plausibly be said to be replacing literary fiction in the lives of their adult readers. And that's a shame."
• Graham wonders if her reaction to The Fault in Our Stars (she apparently said, "Oh, brother," out loud, more than once, while reading it) makes her heartless or if it makes her an adult.
• And then there's this: "But crucially, YA books present the teenage perspective in a fundamentally uncritical way. It’s not simply that YA readers are asked to immerse themselves in a character’s emotional life—that’s the trick of so much great fiction—but that they are asked to abandon the mature insights into that perspective that they (supposedly) have acquired as adults."
• Graham then goes on to say that all young adult books have satisfying endings, which are created for readers who like things to be wrapped up nicely by the end of a book.
• Finally, Graham says that adults are "better than this" and that if we're reading young adult fiction instead of "the complexity of great adult literature, than we're missing something."

Graham's essay resulted in a lot of talk among the community about why adults shouldn't feel embarrassed to read young adult literature. It's a topic that comes up again and again in the online book community, because we are told again and again that we should be embarrassed to read young adult literature. And I disagree--I don't think we should be embarrassed at all. So, if you're an adult and you're embarrassed to read young adult literature, here's why you don't need to be ashamed of it:

• Adult fiction has just as much "trash" as Graham thinks young adult fiction has. Would anyone argue that 50 Shades of Grey or Danielle Steele is good, literary writing? Probably not. All genres will have books that people consider fluff or trash, whether it's young adult fiction, adult fiction, or even non-fiction. That's just the way it is, and there's nothing wrong with reading and enjoying things that can be described as fluff--sometimes, it's a nice break from the more intense books that are out there.
• Contrary to what Graham says, young adult fiction might not be replacing adult fiction for readers at all. I read a small amount of adult fiction (mainly Stephen King and a few of the classics). But what about non-fiction? Graham didn't talk about that at all, and while I don't read as much non-fiction as I do young adult fiction, I still read a decent amount of it.
• Adult fiction isn't always that interesting. Of course, young adult fiction isn't, either, but that's why I don't read certain young adult titles, just like I don't read every adult fiction book that's published.
• Plenty of young adult books do present the teenage perspective in a critical way. It happens all the time, as the characters in young adult books look at themselves critically. Books like I'll Give You the Sun, The Beginning of Everything, The Girls of No Return, and Dangerous Girls are just a few examples of books that take on a critical teenage perspective, whether the narrators are looking at themselves or other characters in a critical manner.
• Not all young adult books have satisfying endings. If you've read Atlantia or Dangerous Girls, you'll know that not every ending is satisfying. Also, what's satisfying to one person might not be satisfying to someone else, so it's hard to use an objective argument for something like this.
• Are we really missing something if we read young adult fiction instead of adult fiction? Sure. I suppose, after all, that I'm missing the unhappiness I would have if I were reading something like Cloud Atlas or Ayn Rand. I'm missing the misery I would be putting myself through if I forced myself to read a book I didn't like. Do I feel like I'm missing out on something amazing by not reading books I don't enjoy? Not really.

What it comes down to is, I'm not a fan of book shaming, and I'm not a fan of telling people why they should be ashamed to read young adult fiction when the argument is based on generalities, especially when some of those generalities also hold true for adult literature.

Do you read young adult fiction? If so, tell me what your favorite young adult books are in the comments!

Come Fly With Me

Are you traveling by air this holiday season? Travel in the past has seemed so glamorous - loading your steamer trunk onto a passenger ship (unless, of course, it's the Titanic, Lusitania, or other famous disaster), flying in a propeller plane.  Maybe we've watched old movies too many times, or too many Indiana Jones movies (where you see Indy's itinerary traced out on a map), but in our heads, every time we get on our plane and sit in our economy class seat and are served our lackluster airplane meal (if we get one), it's a bit disappointing.  Whether you are an armchair traveler or heading out into the wild blue yonder this season - well, you can dream, can't you?  Or, at least, check out what travel was really like in the past.

Jet Set: The People, The Planes, The Glamour, and The Romance in Aviation's Glory Years  by William Stadiem

In October 1958, Pan American World Airways began making regularly scheduled flights between New York and Paris, courtesy of its newly minted wonder jet, the Boeing 707. Almost overnight, the moneyed celebrities of the era made Europe their playground. At the same time, the dream of international travel came true for thousands of ordinary Americans who longed to emulate the "jet set" lifestyle. Bestselling author and Vanity Fair contributor William Stadiem brings that Jet Age dream to life again in the first-ever book about the glamorous decade when Americans took to the skies in massive numbers as never before, with the rich and famous elbowing their way to the front of the line. Dishy anecdotes and finely rendered character sketches re-create the world of luxurious airplanes, exclusive destinations, and beautiful, wealthy trendsetters who turned transatlantic travel into an inalienable right. 

Airline: Style at 30,000 Feet 

written and designed by Keith Lovegrove

This fascinating book examines every aspect of airline style, from the company liveries and interior designs of planes to advertising, haute couture and airborne haute cuisine. Divided into four sections covering fashion, food, interior design and identity, Airline shows how airborne culture has changed since the 1920s. The book spans the conservative to the outrageous, from saris to hotpants, from Hugh Hefner's private jet to the huge Airbus A380. A wide selection of retro styles are illustrated with illuminating archive material and images of ephemera. Airline uncovers the style, image and experience of the parallel universe that exists at 39,000 feet.   *book blurbs are taken from the catalog unless otherwise noted  Links   Take a One-Way Trip from Tatty to Natty [Slate]   All Aboard AirBnB's Airplane Apartment [Messy Nessy Chic]   Come Fly Away [RL Magazine]   What It Was Really Like to Fly During the Golden Age of Travel [Fast Company]  Forget 1960, The Golden Age Is Now [New York Times]   The Endless Holiday [Vanity Fair]