…not to be confused with NC Knows, a wonderfully useful chat reference service offered through the Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center, and other NC public libraries.
NC Snows is the wonderful event that happened last week and allowed even us big kids to have a snow day!
As an Ohio gal, I was kinda impressed. It really snowed like it meant it…best snowstorm in the 4 years I’ve lived in NC. 🙂 It was a great day for snuggling in with a good book. I finished Pandora’s Star by Peter F. Hamilton, and immediately started on the sequel, Judas Unchained.
These two wonderful books take readers on an interstellar odyssey following the adventures and mishaps of a cast of characters: a genetically predisposed detective tracks a deadly terrorist group that insists that human events are being manipulated by an alien, an astronomer makes a startling observation of a distant star that may have dire implications for humanity, the rich, the wealthy, and politically powerful angle and jostle for the supremacy of their family’s fortunes and sometimes, just sometimes, they act in the best interest of the rest of the madding crowds.
I loved the large cast, although I had to go back a couple of times to make sure I remembered who was doing what, I loved the huge scale of the story, the twisty morality and the temporizing of right and wrong, good and evil, especially when the very nature of life and death has changed. Is is such a heroic act to sacrifice yourself for a person or a cause if you know that your memories will be preserved and you will be “re-lifed” in a new body? If it’s us versus them, if we as a species must choose to kill or be killed, is genocide ever acceptable? Hamilton gives us a glimpse into his version of the future as we face that which is alien, and discover what makes us truly human.
Check out the Unshelved booktalk here!
Thanks for reading! I’ve got to get back to business now…
*crosses fingers and checks the local weather: snow snow snow*
Always,
Missy
Teens @ CCPL&IC 