Safe to say, neither of us are really big sports ball fans, but we know lots of other people are so we figured we would center this Themed Thursday post around the two teams going to the big game! And ok, we are going to be completely honest and admit that we had to Google who is playing in the Super Bowl this year. But apparently it’s the Kansas City Chiefs facing the San Francisco 49ers so this week we will be suggesting some books set in those cities to help you get in the spirit for the game!
Kansas City, Missouri
Dark Places by Gillian FlynnPublished by Shaye Areheart Books on May 5, 2009
Pages: 349
Goodreads
Noggin by John Corey WhaleyFrom The #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Of Gone Girl
Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice" of Kinnakee, Kansas. She survived—and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, the Kill Club—a secret secret society obsessed with notorious crimes—locates Libby and pumps her for details. They hope to discover proof that may free Ben. Libby hopes to turn a profit off her tragic history: She’ll reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club—for a fee. As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma tourist towns, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started—on the run from a killer.
Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers on April 8, 2014
Pages: 340
Goodreads
Unchained (Feathers and Fire, #1) by Shayne SilversListen — Travis Coates was alive once and then he wasn’t.
Now he’s alive again.
Simple as that.
The in between part is still a little fuzzy, but he can tell you that, at some point or another, his head got chopped off and shoved into a freezer in Denver, Colorado. Five years later, it was reattached to some other guy’s body, and well, here he is. Despite all logic, he’s still 16 and everything and everyone around him has changed. That includes his bedroom, his parents, his best friend, and his girlfriend. Or maybe she’s not his girlfriend anymore? That’s a bit fuzzy too.
Looks like if the new Travis and the old Travis are ever going to find a way to exist together, then there are going to be a few more scars.
Oh well, you only live twice.
on August 9, 2017
Pages: 282
Goodreads
Meet Callie Penrose. Is she Heaven’s Devil, or Hell’s Angel?
Callie is a middle-class, Midwest American girl. And a wizard in training. She works for Roland, a member of the Vatican Shepherds – an elite group of twelve warrior priests who travel the world smiting whatever offends them or their Good Lord.
One problem. Callie isn’t a huge fan of churches… Not even a minor fan, really.
She trains with Roland only to learn how to use those strange magical powers inside her. And because Roland had once saved her and her friend from monsters in a dark alley.
But when a Heavenly spear enters an auction in Kansas City, and Roland is gravely wounded, Callie finds herself forced to step up as an interim Shepherd, and her first night on the job puts her in a bidding war against the infamous Nate Temple – the billionaire wizard from St. Louis. And when demons, shifter bears, vampires, and Nephilim attack the auction for the spear, Nate and Callie are forced to join teams, and one-time foes become hesitant allies.
Callie must learn where she stands as a wizard. Will she hide behind a man, or light Kansas City afire with a name of her own? And will she finally come to appreciate God? Or will the demons and monsters in the shadows take her for themselves?
Because Callie soon learns she isn’t just a wizard, and it was never just about the spear. Monsters have evidently been hunting Callie her entire life, and now, they’ve finally found her…
San Francisco, California
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1) by Robin Sloanon October 2, 2012
Pages: 288
Goodreads
Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss, #2) by Stephanie PerkinsThe Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, but after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything; instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends, but when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls.
Published by Usborne Publishing on June 1, 2014
Pages: 384
Goodreads
The Immortalists by Chloe BenjaminBudding designer Lola Nolan doesn't believe in fashion... she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit – the more sparkly, more wild – the better. And life is pretty close to perfect for Lola, especially with her hot rocker boyfriend.
That is, until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket return to the neighbourhood and unearth a past of hurt that Lola thought was long buried. So when talented inventor Cricket steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally face up to a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door. Could the boy from Lola's past be the love of her future?
Fall in love with the international bestseller from queen of young adult fiction, Stephanie Perkins.
on January 9, 2018
Pages: 346
Goodreads
If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?
It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.
The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.
A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.
What About You?
Have you read any books set in these cities? Are there any we missed? Will you watch the game or just the commercials, like us?
So fun! I love this Superbowl teams city theme!! If I had a choice I’d much prefer a trip to San Francisco because it’s an awesome city! (no offense KC?)
Dark Places was really good but the Satan ritual stuff made me a little queasy.