“Clementine is a seventy-two year-old reformed con artist with a penchant for impeccably tailored suits. Her life of crime has led her from the uber-wealthy perfume junkies of belle epoque Manhattan, to the scented butterflies of Costa Rica, to the spice markets of Marrakech, and finally the bordellos of Paris, where she settles down in…
Chelsey’s comment: I just finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and highly recommend it! “Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature…
This House is Haunted by John Boyne “This House Is Haunted is a striking homage to the classic nineteenth-century ghost story. Set in Norfolk in 1867, Eliza Caine responds to an ad for a governess position at Gaudlin Hall. When she arrives at the hall, shaken by an unsettling disturbance that occurred during her travels,…
It’s challenging to change our perspective on long standing traditions and holidays. Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that mark the beginning of winter festivities and brings families together over turkey and pie. So, when we are asked to rethink this holiday from a perspective of Native Americans, it isn’t easy. The Mourning Road to…
The Massachusetts Book Awards recognize significant works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s/young adult literature published by current Commonwealth residents. As a judge for the 21st Annual Awards, I’ve been tasked with reading all fourteen fiction nominees. Read more reviews here and here. An interwoven set of linked chapters, Inheritors is also a generational saga…
The Scorpio Races – Maggie Stiefvater “It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.” I reread this book every November. It has unforgettable characters and the descriptions of the fictional island of Thisby will draw vivid images in your mind. Based loosely on old myths and stories, the vicious, carnivorous…
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid “Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?…
“Raw and Emotional” are two words that come to mind when describing the October Biography Book Club pick The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This book was chosen at an opportune time as an article was recently published on 10/6/21 in the Boston Globe (link to article) with the headline “Lack’s family sues…
The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music – Dave Grohl Jen’s comment: Personal stories rather than a straight autobiography. Very personal and engaging. I’m only a casual fan of Grohl and his music – mostly because of the Foo Fighters connection to David Letterman – but I’m really enjoying it. “Having entertained the idea for…
House of Gold – Natasha Solomons “The start of a marriage. The end of a dynasty. It’s 1911 and Greta Goldbaum is forced to move from glittering Vienna to damp England to wed Albert, a distant cousin. The Goldbaum family are one of the wealthiest in the world, with palaces across Europe, but as Jews…
The Massachusetts Book Awards recognize significant works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s/young adult literature published by current Commonwealth residents. As a judge for the 21st Annual Awards, I’ve been tasked with reading all fourteen fiction nominees. Read more reviews here. Set in a (post-apocalyptic?) future, The Bear follows an unnamed father and daughter through…
Are you looking for some spooky movies and books to read this month to countdown to Halloween? Here are my favorite movies and books to watch and read for the month of Halloween! Movies to Watch Addams Family Values Clue The Nightmare Before Christmas BeetleJuice Sleepy Hollow Corpse Bride Crimson Peak Frankenstein The Shining Nosferatu…
If you love historical fiction and a storyline that reflects hope, romance, mystery, and a wonderful set of characters in the book, I highly recommend The Lions of Fifth Avenue. This book is set in two time periods that focus on two female main characters that tell their stories and is set at the beautiful…
“Susan Brind Morrow brings her singular sensibility as a classicist and linguist to this strikingly original reflection on the fine but resilient threads that bind humans to the natural world. Anchored in the emblematic experiences of a trapper and a beekeeper, Wolves and Honey explores the implications of their very different relationships to the natural…
Currently immersed in A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. This has been on my To Be Read list for a long time and I’m glad I finally picked it up since historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. It follows the life of a former Count who is placed under house arrest at…
For many people, the stars are something we only happen to see when we chance a gaze up at the sky. Sure, they’re sparkly and may remind us of how small we are in this enormous universe, but unless you have a true interest in the exploration of space, a simple glance is all you…
Wilmington’s Lie: the Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy – David Zucchino. I won’t lie, there are no silver linings in this work of nonfiction. It is the unflinching and highly readable account of a well planned overthrow of the Republican government in Wilmington, North Carolina by the local Democrats. There…
The Appalachian Trail: A Biography by Philip D’Anieri is a great quick read for anyone wanting to learn more about the people who shaped the beginning of a national landmark from the first idea, to the creation, to the politics involved in protecting it. Each chapter is neatly organized and dedicated to specific people and…
As you might expect from a librarian I am fascinated by how books are made throughout history and recently I have been reading a lot about how they were produced in the middle ages before the invention of the printing press. This is an off shoot of my last recommendation The Bookseller of Florence which…
The Massachusetts Book Awards recognize significant works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s/young adult literature published by current Commonwealth residents. As a judge for the 21st Annual Awards, I’ve been tasked with reading all fourteen fiction nominees. Looking for an eccentric short story collection? Try Julian K. Jarboe’s Everyone on the Moon Is Essential Personnel.…
In her September newsletter Deanna Raybourn*, author of the Veronica Speedwell series and the Lady Julia Grey series, shared an intriguing list of books, several of which I plan to read. This, in particular, sounded really interesting: The Woman Before Wallis: Prince Edward, the Parisian Courtesan, and the Perfect Murder – Andrew Rose “Prince Edward…
Who says children’s books are only for children? Rereading books from my childhood with my children has been exciting and eye-opening. Through adult eyes, the nuances jump out at me like newly discovered treasures making for fun and often lively discussions with my kids. With her immigrant background and through personal anecdotes, Mitali Perkins’ new…
I came across this book at my other job while working in Tech Services and it caught my eye. I had to check this book out to read during the summer as one of my summer to read books. Clash focuses on two main characters in the story Olive and the new girl Natasha who…
For my morning and evening commutes I’ve been listening to The Bookseller of Florence. I haven’t quite finished it so I don’t feel comfortable reviewing it. However, I’ve really been enjoying it so I totally recommend it. It’s available on Hoopla, Overdrive or in hardcopy. What I really love about it is its mix of…
The Traitor’s Blade by Kevin Sands, the 5th book in the Blackthorn Key series. This terrific middle grade series for older elementary/teen readers (and people like me!) features an apothecary’s apprentice in London in the mid-1600s. Every book finds Christopher and his friends using chemistry and ciphers to help solve a crime or mystery. I…
Fran’s review: This prequel to the Cork O’Connor series by this author is a really wonderful book. It deals with so much: father/son relationships, Native American Indian lore, mystery, suspicion, and youthful coming of age. One of the best summer reads! Highly recommend. About the book: “Aurora is a small town nestled in the ancient…
“When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis—known as Jack—she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn’t holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford professor and the beloved writer of The Chronicles of Narnia, yet their minds bonded…
Steeped in Stories – Mitali Perkins “The stories we read as children shape us for the rest of our lives. But it is never too late to discover that transformative spark of hope that children’s classics can ignite within us. Award-winning children’s author Mitali Perkins grew up steeped in stories–escaping into her books on the…
Anyone who has ever fallen head over heels for their best friend can understand how painful that can be. Tack on the pressure of heading to UCLA and the impending doom of losing a job you cherish, and you’d be as stressed out as Wesley Hudson is. He’s been out of the closet for years…
Compared to both The Stepford Wives and Get Out, Harris’s debut is a tense psychological thriller that had me compelled from the start. Set over a few months, The Other Black Girl follows editorial assistant Nella after she’s introduced to her new cubicle neighbor Hazel, the eponymous Other Black Girl; receives threatening notes; and uncovers…
The patron’s comment: “That was so good!” About Hour of the Witch: “Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four-years-old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England she might have had many suitors. But here in the New World, amid this community of saints, Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a…
Ghosts starts and ends on Nina Dean’s birthday but, in between, the reader gets to spend a year in the life of someone trying to figure it out. She falls in love and also out of it, she starts arguments and then reconciles them, she struggles and makes mistakes and realizes big things… and then…
The Sweetness of Water – Nathan Harris “In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry—freed by the Emancipation Proclamation—seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle. The Walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping…
In a town where supernatural beings are known to exist, human children are raised with the knowledge they need to protect themselves. Vampires plague the small town of Fulton Heights, Illinois but the residents know that so long as they stick to curfew and remain inside when the sun sets, they have a much better…
The Forest of Vanishing Stars – Kristin Harmel “After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror.…
Patron’s comment: “Mrs. Roberts outdid herself with Legacy. She held my attention so well. I can’t say enough about this book.” About the book: “Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her―before her mother, Lina, stepped in. Soon after, Adrian was dropped…
Churchill & Son – Josh Ireland “We think we know Winston Churchill: the bulldog grimace, the ever-present cigar, the wit and wisdom that led Great Britain through the Second World War. Yet away from the House of Commons and the Cabinet War Rooms, Churchill was a loving family man who doted on his children, none…
Midnight in Chernobyl – Adam Higginbotham “Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded, triggering one of the twentieth century’s greatest disasters. In the thirty years since then, Chernobyl has become lodged in the collective nightmares of the world: shorthand for the spectral horrors of…
My current TBR stack is a little unusual for me – two non-fiction and only one fiction. I love mysteries, and I have Donna Leon’s latest, Transient Desires, right at the top of my stack. About the book: “In his many years as a commissario, Guido Brunetti has seen all manner of crime and known…
Our patron said The Maidens was “really good, one of those page turners.” “Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike—particularly by the members of a secret society of female students…
I enjoyed reading this book. I could not put this book down and as a historical fiction book lover this one I highly recommend for those who love historical fiction. The Social Graces takes you into 1870’s New York City during the Gilded Age that focuses on the Vanderbilts and Astors in the book. It…
The Beekeeper Of Aleppo – Christy Lefteri “Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in…
The Social Cinema of Jean Renoir – Christopher Faulkner “Reinterpreting twelve of Renoir’s best-known works, Professor Faulkner attributes their qualities not to the director’s unified sensibility but to varying social and historical circumstances.” Mythologies – Roland Barthes “‘No denunciation without its proper instrument of close analysis,’ Roland Barthes wrote in his preface to Mythologies. There…
1774 The Long Year of Revolution – Mary Beth Norton “In this masterly work of history, the culmination of more than four decades of research and thought, Mary Beth Norton looks at the sixteen months leading up to the clashes at Lexington and Concord in mid-April 1775. This was the critical, and often overlooked, period…
The Age of Insight: The Quest to Understand the Unconscious in Art, Mind, and Brain, from Vienna 1900 to the Present – Eric R. Kandal “At the turn of the century, Vienna was the cultural capital of Europe. Artists and scientists met in glittering salons, where they freely exchanged ideas that led to revolutionary breakthroughs…
Hour of the Witch – Chris Bohjalian “Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four-years-old. Her skin is porcelain, her eyes delft blue, and in England she might have had many suitors. But here in the New World, amid this community of saints, Mary is the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he…
A Master of Djinn – P. Djeli Clark “Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer. So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most…
The Last Traverse -Ty Gagne “On a mountain somewhere above treeline, in some of the coldest and worst winter conditions imaginable, two men lie unconscious in the snow as explosive winds batter the nearby summits. In The Last Traverse; Tragedy and Resilience in the Winter Whites, Ty Gagne masterfully lays out the events that led…
A Distant Grave – Sarah Stewart Taylor “Long Island homicide detective Maggie D’arcy and her teenage daughter, Lilly, are still recovering from the events of last fall when a strange new case demands Maggie’s attention. The body of an unidentified Irish national turns up in a wealthy Long Island beach community and with little to…
One Last Stop – Casey McQuiston “For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving…
The titles selected for the Massachusetts Children’s Book Awards list are always popular. See one you’re interested in? Reserve a copy today!
Angelina did a survey with her book club to find out their favorites that they’ve read so far. Here are the top three so far! 1. Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl “When Condé Nast offered Ruth Reichl the top position at America’s oldest epicurean magazine, she declined. She was a writer, not a…
Fifty Words for Rain – Asha Lemmie Sue’s comment: I really liked this! “Kyoto, Japan, 1948. “Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist.” Such is eight-year-old Noriko “Nori” Kamiza’s first lesson. She will not question why her mother abandoned her with only these final words. She will not fight her confinement to the attic…
The Yellow Wife – Sedeqa Johnson Lorraine’s thoughts: I liked it but was wishing for a little more historical information. Perhaps I didn’t care for the author’s writing style? I would like to try another of her books. “Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life.…
I have always been curious about the Depression-era pack horse librarians, so when I saw The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I knew I’d be interested. And I learned a lot, but about more than just this WPA project to bring books to people living in remote parts of the Appalachian Mountains. I also learned…
Do you enjoy hiking? Listed below are three amazing non-fiction books for those of you that enjoy reading about mountain adventures. All three books take place in the familiar White Mountains of New Hampshire. Although with a similar setting each book comes with their own powerful lessons to be learned. Even if hiking is not…
Next up on Chris’ to be read list: Lincoln in the Bardo – George Saunders “February 1862. The Civil War is less than one year old. The fighting has begun in earnest, and the nation has begun to realize it is in for a long, bloody struggle. Meanwhile, President Lincoln’s beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, lies…
Abe : Abraham Lincoln in His Times – David Reynolds “From one of the great historians of nineteenth-century America, a revelatory and enthralling new biography of Lincoln, many years in the making, that brings him to life within his turbulent age. David S. Reynolds, author of the Bancroft Prize-winning cultural biography of Walt Whitman and…
“A landmark collection of new and published works by one of our finest poets that is a testament to the clarity and thoughtful lyricism of his poems Fire to Fire collects the best works from seven books of poetry by Mark Doty, acclaimed poet and New York Times bestselling author of two memoirs, Firebird and Dog Years. Doty’s subjects—our mortal situation,…
The Ex Talk—two rival coworkers pretend to be exes in lieu of unemployment!—is a fresh take on enemies-to-lovers with that certain charm I loved in Today Tonight Tomorrow. The addition of Shay’s personal life and her feelings of inadequacy, imposter syndrome, and lingering grief gave an otherwise tropey romance layers, but I especially enjoyed how Solomon…
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a very haunting, magical, and spooky story. Hester Fox did an amazing job in combining the spooky and gothic touch with the paranormal in this book. The story takes place in 1840’s Boston, Massachusetts where two sisters Tabby and Alice escape from their relatives to seek…
“This is a book-length poem – a collage of water-stories, taken mostly from the Odyssey – about a minor character, abandoned on a stony island. It is not a translation, though, but a close inspection of the sea that surrounds him. There are several voices in the poem but no proper names, although its presiding spirit is…
Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters – Andrew Morton “Perfect for fans of The Crown, this captivating biography from a New York Times bestselling author follows Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret as they navigate life in the royal spotlight. They were the closest of sisters and the best of friends. But when,…
Just finished: The Midnight Library – Matt Haig (Loved it!) “Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you…
“Selected by Joy Harjo as the winner of the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets Emily Skaja’s debut collection is a fiery, hypnotic book that confronts the dark questions and menacing silences around gender, sexuality, and violence. Brute arises, brave and furious, from the dissolution of a relationship, showing how such endings necessitate self-discovery…
“A timeless murder mystery with the fascinating, glamorous Mitford sisters at its heart, The Mitford Trial is the fourth installment in the Mitford Murders series from Jessica Fellowes, inspired by a real-life murder in a story full of intrigue, affairs and betrayal… It’s lady’s maid Louisa Cannon’s wedding day, but the fantasy is shattered shortly after…
“A powerful work that examines how―even without country or settled identity―a legacy of love can endure. Eavan Boland is considered “one of the finest and boldest poets of the last half century” by Poetry Review. This stunning new collection, A Woman Without a Country, looks at how we construct one another and how nationhood and history can…
The Witch Boy – Molly Knox Ostertag (ebook) “In thirteen-year-old Aster’s family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn’t shifted . . . and he’s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden…
I’m going to kick off the celebration with a project I discovered last year: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Big Read. I was instantly hooked after listening to the first reading (by actor Jeremy Irons—see below—which I may or may not have listened to more than once) and eagerly looked forward to the next…
Lisa Scottoline has brought to life the fear and terror of Mussolini’s reign and the horrors of Fascism in World War II Italy. Through the characters of Elisabetta, Marco, Sandro and their families. the reader can visualize what it felt like to be a Jew or a friend of a Jew and the inhumane consequences…
“IN A TIME OF RASPUTIN’S MAGIC AND ROMANOV MYSTERY, A YOUNG GIRL FINDS HERSELF AT THE HEART OF THE ROYAL FAMILY She was an orphan, ushered into the royal palace on the prayers of her majestry. Yet, decades later, her time spent in the embrace of the Romanovs haunts her still. Is she responsible for…
“We order our lives with barely held stories. As if we have been lost in a confusing landscape, gathering what was invisible and unspoken…sewing it all together in order to survive…” Nathaniel and his sister Rachel were children when their parents left them in the care of a man they called The Moth. The connection…
Did you know we already have a collection of full-cast radio dramas on CD? We do! Titles range from Agatha Christie’s mysteries to David Tennant reprising his role as the Tenth Doctor to comedies such as Cabin Pressure and Jeeves and Wooster (and plenty more besides). Below are a few new-to-the-library dramas that will soon…
The Mitford Scandal – Jessica Fellowes (Also available in Large Print) “In the third book in the Mitford Murders series, lady’s maid Louisa Cannon accompanies Diana Mitford into a turbulent late 1920s Europe. The year is 1928, and after the death of a maid at a glamorous society party, fortune heir Bryan Guinness seizes life…
Amari Peters would do anything to find her missing brother, Quinton. When a classmate at the prep school she attends on scholarship suggests involvement with a gang likely got him killed, Amari comes strongly to his defense. Her responsible and brilliant older brother, Amari knows, would never join a gang. When that same classmate’s mother…
Lily King is a local author, having grown up on the North Shore, her father was a teacher at Pingree and she is an alumni of the school. Her latest book Writers & Lovers is a book about grief, determination and challenging decisions. Casey Peabody, a young girl living in Brookline is mourning the unexpected…
The Ghost of Gosswater – Lucy Strange “The Lake District, 1899. The Earl is dead and cruel Cousin Clarence has inherited everything. Twelve-year-old Lady Agatha Asquith is cast out of Gosswater Hall to live in a tiny, tumbledown cottage with a stranger who claims to be her father. Aggie is determined to discover her real…
The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication – Alexander Larman (ebook) “On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII brought a great international drama to a close when he abdicated, renouncing the throne of the United Kingdom for himself and his heirs. The reason he gave when addressing his subjects was that he could not…
Keeper of the Lost Cities – Shannon Messenger (ebook) “Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at…
The Best of Me – David Sedaris (ebook | eaudio) “For more than twenty-five years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and…
After watching several webcasts presented by marketing teams from various publishing houses my notebook is now full up with lists of upcoming titles of interest. Below is a very small selection of fiction and non-fiction titles pulled from those lists (release dates range from February to June). Happy (future) reading! We Begin at the End…
The Massey Lectures is an annual series of lectures delivered by Canadian writers, scholars, and thinkers, that take form around a central idea or theme. In 2011, Adam Gopnik chose as his theme the winter season. His lecture (Winter: Five Windows on the Season), structured in five-parts, focuses on ideas, events, and activities typically associated…
This past year, many of us have faced quarantine boredom and tried to combat it with puzzles, books, games, or television shows. While all of these are acceptable substitutes, sometimes the best way to drag our minds away from the monotony of the world we are currently living in is through films that leave us…
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is a children’s fantasy book that will take young readers into a world of gods, monsters, villains, and heroic folklore legends. The story tells of a seventh grader named Tristan Strong who feels horrible in not being able to save his best friend Eddie during a bus…
Head over to our Facebook page to view the image below as a PDF with clickable links to the catalog and our streaming services. Thanks to Assistant Librarian Jonathan for compiling this terrific all ages list of films, documentaries and series!
Working at the library today, this book I was checking out for someone caught my eye. I knew nothing about it, but, reading the summary, it looked interesting. Checked Amazon and it apparently was a New York Times bestseller and won several awards when it came out in 2015. I’m not sure how I missed…
Kaila enjoyed Planet Earth is Blue, and thought fans of books like Wonder and The War that Saved My Life might like it, too. “Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger–it’s the first time a teacher is going into space, and kids across America will watch the event on live…
I came across The Kingdom of Back on Tumblr and I had to purchase this book since it had a story involving Mozart and his sister Nannerl since I am a big fan of classical music and the Mozart family. The story takes place when the Mozart children are young and the main character focuses…
A very engaging and well-written memoir. The actor’s strong educational background is very evident as he recalls his strict Catholic upbringing and all the factors in his life that brought him such success as a respected actor. About Walking with Ghosts [ebook]: “As a young boy growing up in the outskirts of Dublin, Gabriel Byrne…
Knowledge is a Light,” she whispered. “Yes,” replied Malachi. “Knowledge is a Light, Lenora. Throughout history that light has at times burned very dimly, and nearly even gone out, while in other times it has blazed up gloriously.” Smart and voraciously curious, eleven year old Lenora chafes at the restraints placed on her by the…
The Darkest Minds – Alexandra Bracken “When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that…
Three of our more popular mystery authors are Louise Penny, Donna Leon, and Ann Cleeves, whose books are set in Quebec, Venice, and England respectively. Always on the lookout for new (to me) mystery series with international settings, here’s one I’m enjoying now, and a few I’ll be trying soon. And if you’re looking…
Author and illustrator Jan Brett has captured the hearts of adults and children alike over the past four decades. Her books often feature adorable animal characters getting into mischief and you can find a hedgehog either front and center or secretly hidden in many of her stories. You can check out many of Jan’s books…
If Tim and Eric made Metroid, you would get Journey to the Savage Planet. You play as a nameless goon sent to explore a thought-to-be-uninhabited planet by the proudly “fourth best” interplanetary exploration company. Surprise, the planet is very much teeming with life so your mission becomes to determine what exactly is living there. To give…
Valentine’s Day: a holiday meant to celebrate the Feast of Saint Valentine and also a day filled with the promise of candy, flowers, jewelry, and love. Annually couples traverse the streets, making reservations at fancy restaurants where they can share a meal and celebrate love. However, with the events of 2020 following us into 2021,…
“Since she was a pup, Zima has been taught to fear humans—especially witches—but when her family is threatened, she has no choice but to seek help from the witch Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga never does magic for free, but it just so happens that she needs a wolf’s keen nose for a secret plan she’s…
My German Friend “After World War 2, Argentina became a haven for Nazis and Jews alike. Friedrich and Sulamit are childhood friends, and later lovers, whose paths wind apart and back together as Friedrich becomes involved in extremist political activities that drive a rift between them and lands the young man in prison. Sulamit’s love…
Middle Grade readers aware of the story of Saint George and the Dragon may be happy to meet a St. George who opts to adopt and love the dragon he encounters rather than slay her. Desperate to be accepted into London’s Chesterfield University of Science and Magic, Stormancer Lionel St. George casts a spell to…
Stepsister is a dark version of the tale of Cinderella that is told from the viewpoint of the stepsister named Isabelle. Isabelle does not have the qualities compared to Cinderella with beauty, grace, kindness, etc. Isabelle tries to deceit the prince to claim him when she removes her own toes to fit in Cinderella’s glass…
I understood too well what it was like to feel like you were defined by one superficial thing- to feel like you would never escape the box people had put you in.” Despite being an avid reader, there are only a few books that I have read all in one sitting, and Tahereh Mafi’s A…
Do you want to bring some of the Scholastic Classic stories to life? Enjoy the Scholastic Storybook Treasure DVDs! There are 12 different topics including: Family Adventures, Nature Stories, Holiday Adventures and more! Each DVD includes 20 stories that come to life! Perfect to enjoy with the family! Titles currently available in the children’s DVD…
The Downstairs Girl is set in 19th century Atlanta, Georgia that tells the story about a young seventeen-year-old girl named Jo Kuan. Jo and her guardian Old Gin live secretly under Mr. Bell’s house who is a publisher for the newspaper called “The Focus” that is not doing so well with publications and public interest.…
“Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary. Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never…
I Love You So Mochi tells the story of a Japanese American girl named Kimi Nakamura who is a senior in high school. Kimi feels uncertain about her future goals and whether she wants to attend art school after high school to become a painter like her mom. Kimi feels frustrated and often clashes with…
The War that Saved My Life – Kimberly Brubaker Bradley “Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join…
