BUON POMERIGGIO PARTICELLE LETTRICI!
E buon sabato a tutti voi! Inauguriamo una nuova rubrica, che ci vuole visto che è un pò che volevo farla: Il salotto delle Particelle. Ed era un pò che volevo parlarvi dei vincitori dei Goodreads Award per il 2017. Ovviamente vi lascerò la lista dei vincitori con tutti i dati del caso e vi parlerò delle scelte dei lettori che mi hanno lasciata basita e di quello di cui, invece, sono felice.
NB: Per chiunque non riesca a comprendere le trame in inglese, potete usare il traduttore che si trova nella colonnina di lato. Ve lo tradurrà alla meno peggio ma almeno sarà comprensibile.
CATEGORIE E LIBRI VINCITORI
Fiction
Titolo: Little Fires Everywhere
Autore: Celeste Ng
Trama: From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.
In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.
Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.
When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town–and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs. Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.
Mystery & Thriller
Commento
Avendo letto il libro in questione posso dirvi che non si merita neanche un pochino di aver vinto la categoria. Infatti io ho votato tutt’altro, inizialmente ho proposto Good Me Bad Me (Una ragazza bugiarda in Italia), poi andando avanti con la semifinale – nonostante non avessi letto altri libri – ho votato tutt’altro perchè non volevo permettere che questo libro vincesse.
Mettiamo le cose in chiaro, ci sono ottocentomila thriller migliori di questo. Per carità, l’ambientazione bella ma scontato, troppo scontato. Io mi domando e dico, come ha fatto a piacere alla gente? Solo perchè ha la nomea l’autrice? Non saprei spiegarmelo ma fatto sta che questo è il risultato.
Voi, cosa ne pensate al riguardo?
Historical Fiction
Titolo: Before We Were Yours
Autore: Lisa Wingate
Trama: Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge—until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents—but they quickly realize the dark truth. At the mercy of the facility’s cruel director, Rill fights to keep her sisters and brother together in a world of danger and uncertainty.
Aiken, South Carolina, present day. Born into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career as a federal prosecutor, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family’s long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.
Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.
Fantasy
Titolo originale: Fantastic Beasts and where to find them
Titolo italiano: Animali fantastici e dove trovarli
Autore: J.K. Rowling
Trama: Il Magizoologo Newt Scamander arriva a New York con l’intenzione di rimanerci soltanto per una breve sosta. Ma quando la sua valigia magica finisce nelle mani sbagliate e alcuni dei suoi animali fantastici scappano, sono guai per tutti…Ispirato dal manuale scritto da Newt Scamander e usato dagli studenti di Hogwarts, Animali Fantastici e dove trovarli segna il debutto nella sceneggiatura di J.K. Rowling, autrice dell’amatissima saga di Harry Potter, conosciuta in tutto il mondo: un trionfo della fantasia, un’avventura epica allo stato puro, con un cast di personaggi e creature magiche indimenticabili.
Un libro irrinunciabile sia per chi è già un appassionato del Magico Mondo di J.K. Rowling, sia per chi vuole scoprirlo. Il film Animali Fantastici e dove trovarli è stato distribuito nei cinema nel novembre 2016.
Commento
Premetto che non ho letto questo libro e non ho intenzione di leggerlo – che è solo lo SCREENPLAY originale del film tra l’altro – ma ho guardato il film quindi mi permetto di dire due parole al riguardo. In questa categoria era possibile votare veramente dei bei libri e siamo caduti su questo… questo… non saprei definirlo. Io amo Harry Potter e la saga ma qui stiamo esagerando proprio. Possibile che non riusciate a rendervi conto che stiamo sfiorando il ridicolo? Che come pubblica una cavolata che basta ci sia scritto Harry Potter sopra la gente compra? (Adesso mi aspetto gente che mi faccia il lavaggio del cervello sul fatto che io non capisca la vera bellezza, risparmiatevelo perchè non avete ragioni. Neanche una!) Trovo sia veramente triste, oltre il fatto che questo film non è che fosse il massimo della bellezza. Carino si, ma niente di che. Lo definirei al massimo passabile.
Possibile che siamo così incapaci di votare e di scegliere un bel libro o una bella storia/bel fantasy?
Romance
Sono assolutamente curiosa di leggere qualcosa della Hoover, quindi vi farò sapere al più presto di qualche suo libro.
Science Fiction

Lo comprerò nei prossimi giorni visto che è in promozione per la Newton Compton avrò modo di parlarvene e di sapere se è bello come dicono.
Horror

Autore: Stephen King and Owen King
Trama: Dooling è una piccola città fortunata del West Virginia, con una splendida vista sui monti Appalachi e lavoro per tutti. È a Dooling, infatti, che qualche anno fa è stato costruito un carcere all’avanguardia destinato solo alle donne, che siano prostitute o spacciatrici, ladre o assassine, o ancora tutte queste cose insieme. Ed è una di loro, in una notte agitata, ad annunciare l’arrivo della Regina Nera. Per il dottor Norcross, lo psichiatra della prigione, è routine, un sedativo dovrebbe sistemare tutto. Per sua moglie Lila, lo sceriffo di Dooling, poteva essere un presagio. Perché poche ore dopo, da una collina lì vicina, arriva una chiamata al 911, ed è una ragazza sconvolta a urlare nel telefono che una donna mai vista ha ammazzato i suoi due amici, con una forza sovrumana. Il suo nome è Evie Black. Intorno a lei svolazzano strane falene marroni e sembra venire da un altro mondo. Lo stesso, forse, dove le donne a poco a poco finiscono, addormentate da un’inquietante malattia del sonno che le sottrae agli uomini. Un sonno dal quale è meglio non svegliarle.
Sleeping Beauties è una favola nera gloriosamente ricca di storie, idee, eventi e personaggi memorabili, che inizia con un C’era una volta a Dooling e termina con un finale degno dei King. Potente, provocatorio, sorprendente. Anonymous Content (casa di produzione di True Detective e Mr. Robot in TV e di Revenant e Spotlight al cinema) si è assicurata i diritti di Sleeping Beauties, per farne una serie con la collaborazione di Stephen e Owen King.
Altro libro che voglio comprare! Mi tenta da parecchio e spero sia bello 🙂
Humor
Titolo originale: Talking as fast as I can
Autore: Lauren Graham
Trama: In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?” She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!”), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway (“It’s like I had a fashion-induced blackout”).
In “What It Was Like, Part One,” Graham sits down for an epic Gilmore Girls marathon and reflects on being cast as the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore. The essay “What It Was Like, Part Two” reveals how it felt to pick up the role again nine years later, and what doing so has meant to her.
Some more things you will learn about Lauren: She once tried to go vegan just to bond with Ellen DeGeneres, she’s aware that meeting guys at awards shows has its pitfalls (“If you’re meeting someone for the first time after three hours of hair, makeup, and styling, you’ve already set the bar too high”), and she’s a card-carrying REI shopper (“My bungee cords now earn points!”).
Including photos and excerpts from the diary Graham kept during the filming of the recent Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, this book is like a cozy night in, catching up with your best friend, laughing and swapping stories, and—of course—talking as fast as you can.
Nonfiction
Titolo originale: How to be a Bawse
Autore: Lilli Singh
Trama: Lilly Singh isn’t just a superstar. She’s Superwoman – the title behind her wildly popular YouTube channel. Funny, smart, and insightful, the actress and comedian covers topics ranging from relationships to career choices to everyday life. It’s no wonder she’s garnered more than a billion views. But Lilly didn’t get to the top by being lucky – she had to work for it. Hard.Now Lilly wants to share the lessons she’s learned while taking the world by storm and the tools she used to do it. How to Be a Bawse is the definitive guide to conquering life. Make no mistake, there are no shortcuts to success, personal or professional. World domination requires real effort, dedication, and determination. Just consider Lilly a personal trainer for your life – with 50 rules to get you in the game, including:
- Let Go of FOMO: Temptation will try to steer you away from your goals. FOMO is just a test for your priorities – a test that a bawse is ready to pass.
- Be Nice to People: Treat niceness like a task on your daily to-do list. People will go out of their way to help and support you because you make them feel good.
- Schedule Inspiration: Lack of motivation isn’t permanent or a sign of weakness. Expect it, and proactively schedule time to be creative.
- Be the Dumbest: Challenge yourself by surrounding yourself with people who know more than you do. It’s a vital way to learn and improve.
Told in Lilly’s hilarious, bold voice and packed with candid stories from her own journey to the top, How to Be a Bawse will make you love your life and yourself – even more than you love Beyoncé. (Yes, we said it!)
Memoir & Autobiography
Titolo: What Happened
Autore: Hillary Rodham
Trama: For the first time, Hillary Rodham Clinton reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history. Now free from the constraints of running, Hillary takes you inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules. This is her most personal memoir yet.
In these pages, she describes what it was like to run against Donald Trump, the mistakes she made, how she has coped with a shocking and devastating loss, and how she found the strength to pick herself back up afterward. With humor and candor, she tells readers what it took to get back on her feet—the rituals, relationships, and reading that got her through, and what the experience has taught her about life. She speaks about the challenges of being a strong woman in the public eye, the criticism over her voice, age, and appearance, and the double standard confronting women in politics.
She lays out how the 2016 election was marked by an unprecedented assault on our democracy by a foreign adversary. By analyzing the evidence and connecting the dots, Hillary shows just how dangerous the forces are that shaped the outcome, and why Americans need to understand them to protect our values and our democracy in the future.
The election of 2016 was unprecedented and historic. What Happened is the story of that campaign and its aftermath—both a deeply intimate account and a cautionary tale for the nation.
History & Biography
Titolo: The radium Girls
Autore: Kate Moore
Trama: The incredible true story of the women who fought America’s Undark danger. The Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War. Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” are the luckiest alive ― until they begin to fall mysteriously ill. But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for centuries to come. Written with a sparkling voice and breakneck pace, The Radium Girls fully illuminates the inspiring young women exposed to the “wonder” substance of radium, and their awe-inspiring strength in the face of almost impossible circumstances. Their courage and tenacity led to life-changing regulations, research into nuclear bombing, and ultimately saved hundreds of thousands of lives…
Science & Technology

Titolo: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Autore: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Trama: What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson. But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day. While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.
Food & Cookbooks

Titolo: The Pioneer Woman Cooks –Come and Get It!
Autore: Ree Drummond
Trama: For home cooks, nothing beats preparing a long, leisurely dinner for your family, stirring slowly, seasoning gradually, and savoring every flavorful step. Screeeeeech! Reality check! Okay, let’s face it: With school, sports, work, obligations, and activities pulling us in a million directions, not many of us can spend that amount of time in the kitchen anymore! What we really need are simple, scrumptious, doable recipes that solve the challenge of serving up hearty, satisfying food (that tastes amazing!) day after day, week after week without falling into a rut and relying on the same old rotation of meals. Cooking should be fun, rewarding, and it definitely should feed your soul (and feed the people in your household in the process)! Here are some of my favorite make-it-happen dishes, pulled from my nonstop life as a busy wife, mother of four, and lifelong lover of food! The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! includes more than 120 of my best solutions for tasty, wholesome meals (with minimal fuss!) for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. (And let’s not forget the glue that holds it all together: desserts! There are some dandies in here, friends.) With a mix of categories and flavors that will please everyone, this book has everything you need to whip up delicious, downhome recipes that you can get on the table without a lot of stress. Now that’s something to get excited about!
Novels & Comics

Poetry

Veramente curiosa di leggere questa raccolta di poesie.
Debut Goodreads Author

Il commento ci sarà nella prossima sezione.
Young Adult Fiction

Titolo originale: The Hate U Give
Titolo italiano: The Hate U Give – Il coraggio della verità
Autore: Angie Thomas
Trama: La sedicenne Starr Carter si muove tra due mondi: il quartiere povero in cui vive e la scuola di lusso che frequenta. L’equilibrio già al limite tra questi mondi viene spezzato quando Starr assiste alla morte del suo miglior amico d’infanzia Khalil, per mano di un ufficiale di polizia. Khalil era disarmato. Poco dopo la morte del suo amico è sulle prime pagine di tutti i giornali nazionali. Alcuni lo considerano colpevole, forse anche uno spacciatore di droga e un appartenente a una gangband. Le proteste si sollevano sulla strada in nome di Khalil. Alcuni poliziotti e il signore della droga locale cercano di intimorire Starr e la sua famiglia. Quello che tutti vogliono sapere è: cosa è successo veramente quella notte? E l’unica persona viva che può rispondere è Starr. Ma ciò che Starr può dire o non dire potrebbe abbattere la sua comunità. E potrebbe anche mettere in pericolo la sua vita.
Commento
Questo libro mi è piaciuto davvero tanto e sono felice che abbia vinto la categoria dello Young Adult e il Debutto su Goodreads. Però addirittura due categorie? Ho sentito tanto parlare di Caraval, che presto leggerò e sarei stata felice se ci fosse stato quello in una delle due categorie. Ma non si può e allora va bene così. Sono comunque felice per questo libro che se li merita tutti.
Young Adult Fantasy
Titolo: A Court of Wings and Ruin
Autore: Sarah J. Maas
Trama: Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places. In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.
Middle Grade & Children’s
Titolo: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
Autore: Rick Riordan
Trama: Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. One day, he’s tracked down by an uncle he barely knows—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. Uncle Randolph tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god. The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years. When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision. Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .
Picture Books
Titolo:
Autore: R. J. Palacio.
Trama: Wonder is the unforgettable story of August Pullman, an ordinary boy with an extraordinary face. With over 5 million copies sold, Wonder is a true modern classic, a life-changing read, and has inspired kindness and acceptance in countless readers. Now younger readers can discover the Wonder message with this gorgeous picture book, starring Auggie and his dog Daisy on an original adventure, written and illustrated by R.J. Palacio. With spare, powerful text and richly-imagined illustrations, We’re All Wonders shows readers what it’s like to live in Auggie’s world – a world in which he feels like any other kid, but he’s not always seen that way. We’re All Wonders taps into every child’s longing to belong, and to be seen for who they truly are. It’s the perfect way for families and teachers to talk about empathy, difference and kindness with young children.
Cosa ne pensate? Fatemi sapere con dei bei commenti qui sotto!
A presto,
Sara ©