Heiligman, Deborah. Vincent & Theo.

Heiligman, Deborah.  Vincent & Theo.      Macmillan/Henry Holt    2017  454p  $19.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-0-8050-9339-1      hs/adult    Biography  VG-BN 

This is a comprehensive biography about two brothers who shared and supported each other through life’s highs and lows, with information based on the letters between Vincent and Theo over the course of their lives. For quite a while most of the world paid attention to Vincent van Gogh and not to Theo. We are now able to see Theo because Vincent sketched several portraits of Theo sitting, in the countryside, in a garden, and so forth. Based on this book, readers will realize that the brothers were intimately entwined. They depended upon on one another in many ways. Vincent was prone to melancholia, depression, and wide mood swings, while Theo was the stable brother, who funded Vincent’s life and career and promoted his artwork.
   

The story of Vincent’s life is multifaceted. He had mood swings that made him sad, low, and angry. During these days he used dark colors and dark shadows in his artwork, and it was full of pessimism. On other days he was full of energy, ideas, and enthusiasm, which resulted in the use of brighter colors, sunlight and passion.
    

This book provides an insight into the life of a struggling artist.  It would be a good addition to a high-school collection that needs biographies or materials on artists.

Summary: This is a comprehensive biography about Vincent and Theo van Gogh, two brothers who supported each other through life’s highs and lows, with information based on their letters.

Vincent van Gogh, Theo van Gogh                             --Linda McNeil

Lieberman, Leanne . The Most Dangerous Thing.

Lieberman, Leanne .  The Most Dangerous Thing. Orca   2017 225p $14.95  Paperback  ISBN 978-1-4598-1184-3        hs/adult  Realistic fiction  VG        

Lieberman has ventured into territory that is both thought-provoking and educational.  First, she presents her protagonist, Sydney, a teenage Jewish girl, who cannot face life normally.  She wakes up daily in a fog that can render her helpless, but that can lift if she uses the techniques that she has developed through participation in sessions with Dr. Spenser.  The support cast includes her sister Abby, whose current objective is to help the world recognize that women are not just vaginas, grandfather Zeyda who is not facing the loss of his wife, much less his own dissatisfaction with growing older, her best friend Sofia, who encourages Sydney using love and common sense, and Paul, a lab partner who has more than a crush on Syd.  What Lieberman has accomplished with this myriad cast is a book that will hold readers’ attention and at the same time offer them ideas on how to deal with both anxiety and depression.  Lieberman’s message to her fans is the importance of making changes in one’s life, and it will resonate with anyone who faces the angst of growing up and trying to ensure her own happiness.  On the other hand, do we have control over our happiness?  Sydney feels happy when she bikes with her friend Fen, or when she helps her sister figure out how to present her play based on “The Vagina Monologues”.  It happens when Sydney helps her grandfather cope with loss and aging and when she accepts a new way to present Passover.  Readers of any religion and background will enjoy Lieberman’s writing style, her character development, and the ins and outs of her plot as it moves forward to the resolution.  Orca rarely disappoints, and Sydney’s story will not disappoint either.  With more mature vocabulary and topics, this book is best for high-school readers and higher.  Fearless in presenting topics that are controversial, it is so much more than just a love story.

Summary: Sydney’s depression makes building relationships difficult.    This novel features an original pairing of the topics of depression and sexual awareness.  Sydney deals with both as she faces her inability to function normally from day and also learns to accept herself as a sexual being who can develop a meaningful relationship with a young man.

Depression-Fiction                                          --Martha Squaresky

Stanton, Angie. Waking In Time.

Stanton, Angie. Waking In Time. Capstone Publishers   2017  360p  $17.95      ISBN 978-1-63079-070-7    hs/adult  New Adult  VG-BN

As Abbi settles into college life at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she becomes immersed in a time-travel journey that will ultimately lead to solving a family mystery. On her deathbed, Abbi’s grandmother told Abbi to “find the baby”. One morning, Abbi awakes in her same bed, same dorm room, but in a different year as she travels backward in time. With each new jump back in time, she meets some of the same people at varying stages of their lives, including her own spunky grandmother and great grandmother. The historic details about clothing, slang, and events are integral to the novel. Could her grandmother have a sibling that no one knows about? Abbi meets a fellow time traveler, Will, who seems to only travel forward in time. Through their combined efforts, along with those of a physics professor who studies string theory/time travel, the three manage to solve the question of the missing family member. The descriptions, plot devices, and most of all the love between Abbi and Will are compelling. This is a book that is meant to be devoured in one big gulp and then reread for subtle clues at a more leisurely pace.  Perfect for romance fans who believe in fate, mystery lovers who love to untangle puzzles, and readers who want more sophisticated reading than the standard teen romance affords. A perfect bridge from teen to adult reading.              

Summary: A college freshman awakens to find herself in the same bed and same college dorm room, but several years earlier. She has a family mystery to unravel as she travels backward through time. Romance ensues with a fellow time traveler.  Grades 10+.

Romance, Time Travel                                              --Lois McNicol

Stanton, Angie. Waking In Time.

Stanton, Angie. Waking In Time. Capstone Publishers   2017 360p $17.95     ISBN 978-1-63079-070-7    hs/adult  Fantasy  VG-BN

Just before beginning college at the University of Wisconsin, Abbi’s grandmother dies with a final request on her breath … "Find the baby.” Thus begins this time-travel mystery aboout love and family.
     

This tale hooked this reviewer immediately, and will undoubtedly do the same for most who pick up the book. Abbi goes to bed one night and finds herself having gone back in time, waking up in 1983, where she meets Colton, the first clue in this time-travel mystery. Her next wakeup is in 1970, and each subsequent time hop continues to send Abbi back further in time. Will, having started college at the same school in 1927, finds himself traveling forward in time. Their relationship through time is what drives the story. The book is quite reminiscent of The Time Traveler’s Wife by Niffnegger, but written for a YA audience. The story is well written and held this reader’s attention throughout the book, and is a comfortable read. The romantic and intimate allusions referred to throughout the book make this a high-school age book. It would make an engaging high-low title, but will no doubt also find an audience with students who like romance and a bit of sci-fi.            

Summary: A college freshman awakens to find herself in the same bed and same college dorm room, but several years earlier. She has a family mystery to unravel as she travels backward through time. Romance ensues with a fellow time traveler.  Grades 10+.

Romance, Time Travel                                                    --Lynn Fisher

Bardugo, Leigh. Crooked Kingdom (series Six of Crows #2).

Bardugo, Leigh.  Crooked Kingdom (series Six of Crows #2). Macmillan/Henry Holt     2016  546p  $18.99  ISBN 978-1-62779-213-4  Hardback  hs/adult     Adventure  VG-BN

Fans of Six of Crows will be lined up for its sequel, Crooked Kingdom. Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.      Bardugo picks up the threads of the first novel and it is just under a week since the Dregs reached Ketterdam (about a month since they left Djerholm). The stakes for the band of thieves keep increasing. They are fighting to snatch Inej from Van Eck before he has his way with her, and they are almost out of time. They devise a clever plan to destroy Van Eck’s sugar crop, using Wylan’s weevil, and to destroy his reputation at the same time.

The action and tension is non-stop. Convoluted plots-within-plots with unexpected twists and turns will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Readers will invest in these well-drawn characters and tear through the pages to see who survives and who does not. The ending is unpredictable and shocking. Darkly compelling, this novel will make readers demand another volume for the series in order to provide closure after the surprise ending.             

Summary: In this sequel to Six of Crows, Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives.

Outlaws-Fiction, Adventure-Fiction                          —Hilary Welliver