PAGE 8 • GO! MAGAZINE
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 • THE BULLETIN
LOCAL LITERARY HIGHLIGHTS
bendbulletin.com/goread
Recommended reading from
Central Oregon librarians
Children’s books
“I Dream of PoPo,”
by Livia Blackburne; illustrated by Julia Kuo
In this touching picture book, soft and
expressive illustrations lend themselves to a
young child’s emigration from Taiwan to the
U.S. while simultaneously chron-
icling her deep relationship
with her beloved PoPo, the
grandmother she is leav-
ing behind. With heart-
felt touches in both
text and illustrations
reflecting the immense
connection shared be-
tween these two, the
reader is given snapshots
of the traditions they hold
dear, even when an ocean
comes between them. Despite big
changes, new customs and the inevitable
passing of time, there is one thing that will
remain unchanged: the love shared between
this young girl and her PoPo.
“From the Desk of Zoe Washington,”
by Janae Marks
On the day Zoe Washington turns 12, ev-
erything in her life begins to change. She re-
ceives a letter in the mail from her birth fa-
ther, Marcus, who has been in prison since
before she was born. Despite her mother
not wanting her to have a relationship with
him, curiosity gets the better of her and she
responds. Through the exchanging of let-
ters, Zoe starts to suspect that Marcus might
have been telling the truth when he claimed
he was innocent. In this middle-grade
novel, which explores systemic racism and
inequities in the criminal justice system,
readers will root for Zoe as she tries to find
a way to help Marcus, focus on her lifelong
dream of becoming a baker, and navigate
the complexities of families and friendship.
— Ericka Brunson, Community Librarian
Teen books
“Chlorine Sky,”
by Mahogany L. Browne
Mahogany Browne, writer of the viral
poem “Black Girl Magic,” serves us the per-
fect follow up to her powerful poem with
this coming-of-age novel in verse.
We meet Sky as she navigates
her relationships with her
sister (her biggest bully),
her best friend (who has
abandoned her), her first
boyfriend (her first heart-
ache), and her rela-
tionship with her-
self (her biggest
silencer). Pick up
this beautiful novel
about a girl learn-
ing to internalize Browne’s
“Black Girl Magic” and TAKE
UP SPACE in a world that vi-
olently stamps this out of young
black girls. This is a must read for
any lovers of “Poet X,” by Elizabeth
Acevedo. “Chlorine Sky” is available at the
Deschutes Public Library in electronic for-
mat on Libby.
“A Complicated Love Story
Set in Space,”
by Shaun David Hutchinson
“A Complicated Love Story Set in Space”
is a romance, mystery, space saga about
Noa, a teen boy who inexplicably
wakes up in a spacesuit just as
his spaceship is set to blow.
The last thing Noa re-
members, however, is go-
ing to bed in his Seattle
home. With the help of
DJ and Jenny, Noa sets
out to find out how he
ended up there, but a
mysterious murder, alien
monsters, a killer school
dance, and the most diffi-
cult challenge — healing and
falling in love — make it easier said
than done. You won’t want to put this book
down until you finish! Content warning for
segments detailing a sexual assault and sub-
sequent mentions of the assault. “A Compli-
cated Love Story Set in Space” is available at
the Deschutes Public Library in electronic
format on Libby.
— Rodrigo Gaspar-Barajas,
Latino Services Coordinator
Adult books
“Oona Out of Order,”
by Margarita Montimore
Margarita Montimore
delivers a charming de-
but that reminds you to
make every day count.
In this fantastically sweet
time-travel novel, Oona
Lockhart is transported to
a different year in her life ev-
ery Jan. 1, starting on her 19th
birthday. In her first jump, she’s
become a middle-aged version of her-
self, living in a large mansion in New York
City and understandably confused. With
help from a mysterious young man and
her mother, Madeline, Oona learns about
her peculiar condition and braces for her
whirlwind life ahead. You can’t help root for
Oona when she finds herself as a philan-
thropist, rave-girl, and married to a stranger.
Every surprise chapter of Oona’s out-of-or-
der world is a pure delight.
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue,”
by V.E. Schwab
“The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” tells
the story of what happens when two
people, Addie and Henry, both re-
ceivers of a Faustian bargain,
meet and fall in love. Addie
has traded a life of immor-
tality in exchange for per-
petual anonymity. Three
centuries later, Henry
makes a deal to live one
year with the doting atten-
tion of everyone he meets.
Lurking in the background
and making unexpected ap-
pearances is the dark spirit Luc, the
granter of both of these bargains. Told
in a nonlinear storyline, Schwab takes you
back and forth in a timeframe of 300 years
to learn the reasons why Addie and Henry
made their deals with Luc. Part historical
fiction, part fantasy, and part romance, this
book will satisfy a wide range of readers.
— Rya Fennewald, Community Librarian
ý
David Jasper: 541-383-0349, djasper@bendbulletin.com
national
bestsellers
Here are the bestsellers for the week that
ended Saturday, March 6, compiled from data
from independent and chain bookstores, book
wholesalers and independent distributors.
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. Life After Death. Sister Souljah. Atria
2. The Four Winds. Kristin Hannah. St. Martin’s
3. Dark Sky. C.J. Box. Putnam
4. The Affair. Danielle Steel. Delacorte
5. Klara and the Sun. Kazuo Ishiguro. Knopf
6. The Midnight Library. Matt Haig. Viking
7. A Court of Silver Flames. Sarah J. Maas.
Bloomsbury
8. The Sanatorium. Sarah Pearse. Viking/Dorman
9. The Vanishing Half. Brit Bennett. Riverhead
10. We Begin at the End. Chris Whitaker. Holt
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. Beyond Order. Jordan B. Peterson. Portfolio
2. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. Bill Gates. Knopf
3. Professional Troublemaker. Luvvie Ajayi Jones.
Penguin Life
4. Believe It. Jamie Kern Lima. Gallery
5. Dusk, Night, Dawn. Anne Lamott. Riverhead
6. Just as I Am. Cicely Tyson. HarperCollins
7. Think Again. Adam Grant. Viking
8. Greenlights. Matthew McConaughey. Crown
9. Walk in My Combat Boots. Patterson/Eversmann.
Little, Brown
10. Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess, Caroline
LeafBaker
MASS MARKET
1. Camino Winds. John Grisham. Dell
2. The Numbers Game. Danielle Steel. Dell
3. By the Neck. William W. Johnstone. Pinnacle
4. Hush. Patterson/Fox. Grand Central
5. Journey of the Pharaohs. Cussler/Brown. Putnam
6. A Quiet, Little Town. William W. Johnstone. Pinnacle
7. Fairy-Tale Forever. Debbie Macomber. Mira
8. From the Shadows. B.J. Daniels. HQN
9. Bridgerton: The Duke and I (TV tie-in). Julia Quinn.
Avon
10. Reckless Road. Christine Feehan. Berkley
TRADE PAPERBACK
1. Later. Stephen King. Hard Case Crime
2. The Home Edit Workbook. Shearer/Teplin.
Clarkson Potter
3. The First-Time Gardener. Jessica Sowards. Cool
Springs
4. Sisters of War. Lana Kortchik. HQ Digital
5. The 20th Victim. Patterson/Paetro. Grand Central
6. Split Second. David Baldacci. Grand Central
7. Bridgerton: The Duke and I (TV tie-in). Julia Quinn.
Avon
8. Home Body. Rupi Kaur. Andrews McMeel
9. The Nickel Boys. Colson Whitehead. Anchor
10. Burn After Writing (pink). Sharon Jones.
TarcherPerigee