New Booklist: If You Like...Stranger Things

A new booklist has been added to the content of the libraries' BookGuide readers advisory pages -- "If You Like...Stranger Things". If you're a fan of the Netflix series that is an affectionate throwback to all things geeky in the 1980s, and can't wait for new content between the short seasons that come out annually, you may find some reads in this list that will tide you over until season four arrives in 2020!

Check out the list of recommended reading at the following link: 

If You Like…Stranger Things

The 100 by Kass Morgan

The 100
by Kass Morgan [YA PB Morgan] 

In this post-apocalyptic world, the human race now resides on spaceships. Enough time has passed that the leaders believe the earth may be inhabitable once again. They decide to send 100 juvenile delinquents to earth, to see if they can survive… if they can’t, no one’s going to miss the delinquents anyway, right? We follow Clarke- the girl who was arrested for treason, Wells- the chancellor’s son, who refuses to leave his girlfriend’s side, Bellamy- who fought his way onto the ship to protect his little sister, and a handful of others as they arrive on earth and attempt to establish some kind of order and life, while struggling to survive against the elements of this planet that they have never experienced.

The book was an enjoyable, quick read. Switching between perspectives of the characters gives insights and clues about what is happening elsewhere. The reader can become conflicted about characters, as they view them from other perspectives, and also hear the internal thoughts of the character, and the reasons behind certain actions. The book ends with a cliff-hanger that makes the reader eager for the next book of the series. This book also has a television show based off of it.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Carve the Mark, by Veronica Roth, The Testing, by Joelle Charobnneau or Legend, by Marie Lu.]

[ Wikipedia page for The 100 book series ] | [ Wikikpedia page for Kass Morgan ]

Recommended by Marie P.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

The Flash: Season Zero by Andrew Kreisberg

The Flash: Season Zero
by Andrew Kreisberg [YA PB DC Kreisberg] 

This “graphic novel” trade paperback compiles several issues of a comic book that ties directly into the new Flash tv series on the CW network. There’s a twist — obviously The Flash on the CW is based on the character of The Flash (Barry Allen in his civilian life), introduced into the DC comics universe back in the 1940s. The producers of the TV series have altered some of his origins and created a team of supporting characters for their version of the character. This comic book/graphic novel tells all-new comic-style stories, but based on the current TV version of the character, NOT based on the version of The Flash as seen throughout 70+ years of comics history — in some cases the differences are minor and in other ways they are major.

The stories in this graphic collection are all set between episodes of the first season (2014-15) of this new tv series, and integrate well (sometimes even expanding upon) the plots in those TV episodes. The artwork ranges from excellent to not-so-good. If you are a big fan of the TV series starring Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, then I highly recommend this to you. If you are a fan of the long-time Flash comics character, but haven’t tried the TV series, this would still be a good read. If you’re unfamiliar with the history of the character of Barry Allen (a.k.a. The Flash), you’ll probably want to pass on this one.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Flash, starring Grant Gustin.] [ The Flash: Season Zero page on the Arrowpedia ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

The Con Job: A Leverage Novel by Matt Forbeck

The Con Job: A Leverage Novel
by Matt Forbeck

This is the first of a series of three original tie-in novels written based on the TNT cable television series Leverage, which ran for five seasons from 2008 through 2012. This book is most definitely a wink and a nod to the fans of the show, with lots of inside references and appearances by minor supporting characters from episodes of the series. The gist of the show is that a group of former "bad guys" has teamed up to form an organization that assists the "little guys", being victimized by corrupt but powerful people. The "team" consists of -- a Hitter, a Hacker, a Thief, a Grifter and a Mastermind. In this particular story, set somewhere in the middle-to-late part of the TV series' run, the gang is hired by the kid of a classic comic book illustrator, who had entrusted his life's work of art to a man who proceeded to rip him off. The team must infiltrate in infamous San Diego Comic Con, and somehow figure out a way to either recover the artist's work, or con the corrupt art dealer out of his ill-gotten gains. As in the series, problems crop up in the middle of the con game, and other players enter the situation, which requires a lot of quick changes to the team's plans. Forbeck, a part-time-novelist, part-time-game-designer, does a great job of capturing the personalities of the TV series' characters and vocal styles. The "mystery" plot is a bit floppy, but that really doesn't matter here -- you read this type of novel to recapture some favorite characters and see where their relationships are going. For fans of Leverage, I give this one solid marks. If you've never seen the TV show, I think this one is still written well enough to suck you in. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ See Scott's Reviewer Profile ][If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try either of the other two Leverage novels, The Zoo Job and The Bestseller Job, both written by other authors.]

[See more titles like this in the TV Tie-Ins booklist, elsewhere on the libraries' BookGuide site!]

[ Wikipedia page on Leverage the TV Series ] | [ official Matt Forbeck web site ]

Have you read this? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Frozen Heat

Frozen Heat
by Richard Castle

After a vaguely disappointing third entry in this meta tv tie-in series of novels, this fourth volume was terrific. The Nikki Heat novels are supposedly written by Richard Castle, the famous writer character played by Nathan Fillion on the TV series Castle. The multiple layers of meaning to the characters' relationships -- Nikki and Jameson's relationship in most ways parallels the on-screen relationship between Castle and Kate Beckett -- means that fans of Castle will get more out of the Nikki Heat novels that the average reader. However, even standing on their own, the Nikki Heat novels are excellent mystery/thriller stories. In Frozen Heat, NYPD detective Nikki Heat is finally able to dig into the unsolved murder of her mother over 10 years earlier -- a new murder victim has distinct ties to Cynthia Heat. Ace reporter Jameson Rook assists Heat and her squad, as Nikki delves into elements of her own past that reveal previously unknown secrets. The dialog is snappy, the plot is fast-paced, and the characters are likeable, even if somewhat formulaic. This was a quick read, and I do recommend it very strongly. If I weren't a Castle fan, I'd probably rate it slightly lower, but since I love both the show and the books, it gets a 9 from me! I, like many other fans, am still intense curious as to the identity of the author who is actually writing these novels. The studio and publisher have still managed to successfully conceal who is ghost-writing these as "Richard Castle". [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the rest of the Nikki Heat novels, as well as the Castle DVD sets.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [Subscribe to Scott's monthly booklist newsletter It's All Geek to Me! - on the Books, Movies & More newsletter sign-up page]

[Also available in book-on-cd and downloadable E-book formats.]

[ Frozen Heat page on the "official" Richard Castle web site ]
 
Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewers recommendations!

Stargate Atlantis: Homecoming

Stargate Atlantis: Homecoming
by Jo Graham and Melissa Scott

For fans of the television series Stargate Atlantis, the end of the series after five seasons seemed abrupt and premature, and although the final episode brought a limited sense of closure, most fans thought that there were still new stories to be told. Homecoming is the first in a series of six novels set after the events of that series finale episode, that carry the SGA characters' stories forward into the future. Featuring some crossover appearances by characters from the original Stargate SG-1 series, these novels send the Atlantis station back to the Pegasus galaxy, with all of the well-known and beloved crew members aboard -- Col. John Shephard, Dr. Rodney McKay, Zelenka, Ronan, Teyla, Richard Woolsey, etc. The Wraith continue to be a major threat, including sometimes ally "Todd". For anyone who loved the series Stargate Atlantis, these writers capture the tone and voices of the characters perfectly, and this book feels like slipping into a delayed sixth season. For those unfamiliar with the series, I recommend viewing the five seasons of the show before starting these novels. [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Lost, the second book in this projected six-book series.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Fandemonium publisher web site ] | [ Stargate Atlantis episode guide at epguides.com ]

Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Heat Wave

Heat Wave
by Richard Castle

This novel is a tie-in to the popular ABC television series, Castle (airing Mondays at 9:00, with repeats on Saturday nights). As such, it is one of the most unusual and unique tie-ins in TV tie-in history. The conceit of the television series is that New York Times bestselling thriller writer Richard Castle is shadowing NYC cop Kate Beckett, using her as the inspiration for the main character in his latest crime novel, Nikki Heat. Heat Wave is the first Nikki Heat novel by Richard Castle. The research for, writing of, publishing of, and promotional efforts for this novel have all featured in episodes of the TV series. The "real world" release of the book was timed to coincide closely with the release of the book in the continuity of the show. And the publishers are not letting us know who the actual author of Heat Wave is, continuing with the conceit that it is written by the fictional Richard Castle, who, since this book showed up for weeks on the NYT Bestseller Lists, is now, really, a New York Times bestselling thriller writer. So...how does the book do on its own? Like the show, it is a character-driven police procedural, filled with snappy dialog and lots of sexual tension. Unlike the show, that's not UNresolved sexual tension, as the novel's thinly disguised versions of the series' characters go a lot further in exploring their heated relationship that ever happens on the show. But, at the core of it all is a very solid mystery, filled with lots of twists and unexpected turns. I love the series, Castle, and this is an excellent addition to the overall story arc of that show's characters. Mystery fans and TV fans alike should both enjoy this thriller -- a second Nikki Heat novel is scheduled for the fall of 2010. [If you enjoy this, you might also like the TV series Castle; the first season of which is out on DVD so far.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in downloadable audio, book-on-cd formats.]

[ official Castle novel web site ] | [ official Castle TV show web site ]


Have you read this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The Fix

The Fix

by Tod Goldberg

This is an original novel based on the recent popular spy drama series, Burn Notice (which aired in the summers of 2007 and 2008 on the USA network and returns in January 2009 with more new episodes). Goldberg manages to take an extremely stylized TV series and capture much of that feel on the printed page. This novel makes extensive use of main character Michael Westen's "on-screen" narration -- a tribute to such 1980s series as Magnum, P.I., where the hero keeps up a running monologue to us in the audience. Burn Notice has a wicked sense of dark humor, and Goldberg captures that essence pretty well, too. The main characters -- Michael, Sam and Fiona, are all extremely well definied, although some of the supporting charactes is this novel come off as slightly two-dimensional. Never-the-less, Goldberg's wry humor, incredibly fast pacing, and complex caper-related plot make The Fix a very worthy tie-in novel for fans of the series. I would also recommend it to fans of Florida-set thrillers, such as those written by Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard and Tim Dorsey. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Burn Notice TV series web site ] [ Tod Goldberg's official blog ]

Have you read this one? What did you think?

Ten (or more) new reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog over the course of the entire month.