MPIBA 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

“This book was adorable. Liz is a badass Black, queer female who should be an inspiration to all teens. The way that she navigates her identity is beautiful and, at times, heartbreaking.”

“Migrations is an unusual and amazing story – a bit of a modern Moby Dick. Franny is broken and adrift after years of searching for a sense of her troubled life and hope for our planet. Animals are extinct, except possibly a few Arctic Terns who Franny is determined to follow. The crew on the Saghani adds great depth to the story. Lovely prose especially of nature and expertly placed flashbacks of Franny’s past troubles adds just the right amount of suspense and insight to Franny’s determination. Don’t peak, but…the ending is perfect.”

“I wish I could give Vesper Flights twelve stars out of five. In this beautiful, loving, poignant portrait of a nature lover’s world — gosh, what an understatement — Helen MacDonald continues to prove herself a nature-writing powerhouse. Her literary skills make her a modern legend, and Vesper Flights is sure to touch as many hearts, if not more, than H Is for Hawk did.”

“An epic high fantasy that follows several different characters, throughout different points in time as they are all set to converge on the day of a solar eclipse. On this day, the fate of their world will be altered. An incredible story and great listen on Libro.fm, but definitely something you have to pay attention too or you will miss important details!”

“I don’t think there is a square mile of ground on this planet where Robert Macfarlane couldn’t dig up a new, wondrous story. Underland continues the tradition of profound storytelling, reflection, and, quite simply, gorgeous writing we have come to expect from him. Macfarlane’s ventures into the underworlds of our planet, both mythical and literal, may amount to his finest work yet, and not just because these are the places that have captivated me most throughout my life. I feel fortunate to be living at the same time as him, knowing that as long as he is writing, there is something to look forward to.”

“Set in Mexico in the 50's, this book follows a young woman, Noemi, to a moldy old Gothic manor in the countryside where she is hoping to find out why her newly married cousin is sending letters home detailing strange visions and a real fear of her new family. Moreno-Garcia's writing was fantastic, I felt immersed in the creepy mansion, imagining often I could smell the rot and could hear the walls and floorboards creaking with the fungus that seemed to be moving throughout. Noemi's character was heroic and brave and while she made choices that caused me to cringe, I rooted for her throughout, feeling triumphant with her when she found ways to escape the disturbing household. This story is part mystery, part horror and will really get under your skin if you let it!”

“My husband and I have had the pleasure of seeing Jerry Seinfeld live on two occasions. Obviously, we are big fans. When I learned that Seinfeld was releasing his book at the same time as a cross-country road trip that we had planned, I was ecstatic. Jerry did not let us down. The miles flew by quickly as we laughed our way through Connecticut. I highly recommend this book - especially if you are planning a road trip during the holidays.”

“A beautiful patchwork of a story. Astonishing in its complexity and heart. I listened to the audio through Libro.fm and loved hearing the author read his story, to hear his pronunciation and cadence. Brilliant! Cannot recommend enough. ”

“One of the best parts of listening to this audiobook was getting to hear Jason Reynolds breathe further life into the heartbreaking words he wrote. I don't doubt the emotion would have been evident in the text, but as he said in the interview at the end of the audio, only he knew the right beats in order to make sure his message wasn't lost. I highly recommend listening if you get a chance. ”

“This is a great book for a family read aloud. Loved the narrator for the audiobook.”