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Two Books by Erika Swyler posted by Robyn

In Light from Other Stars, Nedda Papas is an 11-year-old girl is 1986 who aspires to be an astronaut.  Her father Theo is a laid off NASA scientist working on his own secretive project that proves to have severe consequences.  Nedda and her classroom witness the horrific televised unsuccessful takeoff of the Challenger, but it doesn’t compare to the horror she will soon observe – one which is the direct result of her father’s work.  Nedda’s mom Betheen is a professional cake baker and decorator, who is working on her own creative project.  Betheen’s involvement in the disaster proves surprising to Nedda, who has never been close with her mom.  Years later, Nedda’s dream of being an astronaut has come true.  She finds herself on a space mission in anti-gravity with three crewmates - where her past comes back to haunt her.  This story goes back and forth in time, which wraps the story together.  This is a great title for those Summer Readers who need to read a book with “Star” in the title!

The Book of Speculation is a tale of family, magic and the power of books.  Simon Watson is a librarian who lives in his old dilapidated family home precariously perched on a bluff by the sea in Long Island Sound.  His mother taught him and his kid sister Enola how to hold their breath underwater for several minutes at a time – she had a history working as a travelling “mermaid”, yet she drowned in this same sea when the kids were young.  Their father died years later, so Simon lives alone and rarely sees his sister, who reads tarot cards for a travelling carnival.  Simon has recently lost his library job, and receives a mysterious book that contains many details about his family’s history.  He discovers that many generations of women died on the same date as his mother – July 24th.  When his sister Enola arrives one July day, he fears she will repeat the family curse.  Meanwhile, the house is crumbling around him.  This title is also available in audio.

 

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