Good Reads

Good Read: 'Bomb' by Steve Sheinkin

Matt Markgraf and Katherine Farmer — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:30:00 +0000

We continue our occasional series previewing good reads for young adults from Katherine Farmer, Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. This week's recommended read is "Bomb: The Race to Build - And Steal - The World's Most Dangerous Weapon" by Steve Sheinkin. This nonfiction book tells the story of how the atomic bomb came to be - and how it came to be used. Critics have called this book a 'must read,' 'a complicated thriller that intercuts action with the deftness of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Good Read: Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

Matt Markgraf and Katherine Farmer — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:45:00 +0000

We continue our occasional series previewing good reads for young adults from Katherine Farmer, Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. This week's recommended read is Splendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy Schlitz. Winner of the 2013 Newbery Honor, Splendors and Glooms tells the story of two orphans in splendorous Victorian London who unravel the mystery of a girl gone missing, a suspicious puppeteer, and a sinister old witch. Critics describe this young adult novel as "wonderfully twisty, delightfully eerie, and utterly transporting."

Click here to purchase the book on Amazon.

Good Read: 'When Beggars Die,' an Uncommon Mystery

Kate Lochte and Michael Cohen — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:47:31 +0000

Michael Cohen, Professor Emeritus at Murray State University, brings us his latest 'Uncommon Mystery,' When Beggars Die by E.A. Allen.

E. A. Allen, When Beggars Die (2013) ISBN: 978-1-60653-066-5

When I met Ed Allen—that’s a great moniker, by the way, for one writing in the tradition of Edgar Allan Poe—he was finishing a Ph.D. in history at Tulane and I was teaching at the University of New Orleans. He went on to a career that included a post as Senior CIA Analyst for European Security Affairs. I can’t think of a better background for someone writing a historical thriller about the precarious balance of power in Europe at the dawn of the twentieth century. That’s the period when the action of When Beggars Die takes place, just after the turn of the century, when the English King Edward VII is in Paris to negotiate a treaty.

Kayaking The Waterways in 'Liminal Zones'

Kate Lochte — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 20:33:23 +0000

Murray native, and Maryville, Tennessee resident Kim Trevathan is on the water again with a book with a new book recounting his kayaking places where dammed reservoirs give way to the current of rivers that feed them. Trevathan signs his new book Liminal Zones: Where Lakes End and Rivers Begin at Murray State this Friday. See more about Trevathan and his work at Amazon.com.

Good Read: In Darkness by Nick Lake

Matt Markgraf and Katherine Farmer — Fri, 31 May 2013 21:39:07 +0000

We continue our occasional series previewing good reads for young adults from Katherine Farmer, Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. This week's recommended read is In Darkness, by Nick Lake. Winner of the 2013 Printz Book Award, In Darkness is set in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, and follows the perspective of a 15 year-old boy trapped in the rubble of a hospital. Critics describe this young adult novel as "vivid and unforgettable, nuanced, and incredibly moving.

Good Read: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Matt Markgraf and Katherine Farmer — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:12:39 +0000

Age Range: 12 and up

We continue our occasional series previewing good reads for young adults from Katherine Farmer, Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. This week's recommended read is Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Saenz, winner of the 2013 Stonewall Book Award, Printz Honor, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, and Pura Belpre Author Award. It's a lyrical novel about family and friendship that critics and readers have called "tender, thought provoking, and breathtaking."

Good Read: The White Bicycle by Beverly Brenna

Matt Markgraf and Katherine Farmer — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:13:51 +0000

We continue our occasional series previewing good reads for young adults from Katherine Farmer, Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. This week's recommended read is The White Bicycle, by Beverly Brenna, a 2013 Printz Honor coming-of-age adventure told from the perspective of Taylor Jane, a young woman with Asperger's Syndrome. Booklist calls this story, for ages 14 to 17, a "finespun gem" that would be "a shame" to miss.

Good Read: Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Matt Markgraf and Katherine Farmer — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:32:35 +0000

We continue our occasional series previewing good reads for young adults from Katherine Farmer, Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. This week's recommended read is Dodger, by Terry Pratchett, a 2013 Printz Honor recipient for young adults that The New York Times describes as "a masterwork from a treasure and hero of a writer... that will delight you."

Good Read: The One and Only Ivan

Matt Markgraf and Katherine Farmer — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:58:51 +0000

We continue our occasional series previewing good reads for young adults from Katherine Farmer, Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. This week's recommended read is The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate, a Newberry Winning book for ages 8 and up that School Library Journal describes as a must-have, that the characters will capture readers' hearts and never let go.

MSU Professor Emeritus Pens 'Hell' of A University Farce

Tracy Ross — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:58:42 +0000

Dr. Kenneth Tucker, professor emeritus of Murray State University's department of English and philosophy, has added another novel to his list of published titles. Hell is Where the Heart Is, which Tucker describes as an unabashed farce about behind-the-scenes events at a state university, is now available to the public. He spoke with Tracy Ross about the book, now available in paperback, on Sounds Good. Click here to purchase the book on Amazon.