River Solomon’s An Unkindness of Ghosts is an imaginative, violent science fiction novel that explores the brutality of plantation slavery in a generation ship setting, which holds the descendents of those who fled a dying Earth hundreds of years ago. The world of Matilda (the spaceship) is very well built, exploring a very diverse population…
The story of Cabeza de Vaca is one that I was dimly aware of from High School and College history classes but I never got the detail and perspective afforded by A Land So Strange. The basic story was de Vaca ends up being one of the few survivors of and expedition into Florida and…
If you liked Jen’s recommendation of Watergate: A New History by Garret M. Graf check out her Watergate reading list A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures by Ben Bradlee This is the witty, candid story of a daring young man who made his own way to the heights of American journalism and public life, of…
Cress Watercress by Gregory MaguireIn – “Picked it up because I loved Wicked (Both the book and the play) and it’s a good story with GREAT illustrations by David Litchfield.” – Chelsey When Papa doesn’t return from a nocturnal honey-gathering expedition, Cress holds out hope, but her mother assumes the worst. It’s a dangerous world for…
Reviewing Emery Lee’s Meet Cute Diary is a challenge because it is the most overt celebration of trans joy, trans culture, and trans love that I have ever had the privilege of reading, which makes it so hard to think about with a critical eye. The young adult novel follows main character Noah, a transgender…
While Susan Rigetti’s crime fiction novel Cover Story is not the best book I’ve read recently, it was engrossing and I couldn’t put it down. It has strong Inventing Anna vibes, and if you are enjoying all the con artist shows that are currently streaming as much as I am, I confidently recommend this book.…
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman When Britt-Marie’s husband leaves her, she is left adrift, with no employable skills, no family and no home. Low on social skills and obsessed with cleaning, Britt-Marie doesn’t seem to have a lot to offer. When the employment office manages to get her a job in the dying town…
Watercress by Andrea Wang, Illus. by Jason Chin This beautifully illustrated picture book packs a punch. Watercress can be read to younger kids but is rich enough in story to discuss with older kids, teens and adults alike. Andrea Wang tells a story about pride, family, poverty and immigration in just a few words. Winner of…
Watergate: A New History – Garret M. Graf I’ve been a Watergate junkie since college and have consumed over the years, every book, documentary, podcast, and movie I could find on the subject. In recent years however, the stories behind these scandals have lost their appeal due to the extreme unlikelihood that we’ll ever see…
Amanda Pellegrino’s novel Smile and Look Pretty exposes the precariousness of industries which rely on the exploitation of assistants to maintain status quo. Cate, Lauren, Max and Olivia are four close friends who are all assistants to powerful figures in various entertainment industries. These twenty-something women all had big dreams when starting their careers, and…
Julie Otsuka’s new book, The Swimmers, is a little bit of a puzzle. It is beautifully written, and heartbreaking in its clarity. Is it a novel? Is it essays? Is it a collection of three novellas? Maybe it does not matter what it is, but it is a little jarring when the first “novella” or…
After finishing a reread of Martha Wells’ Murder Bot Diaries series I was looking for something similar to read. You may not know this but the library has access to a program that helps you pick new books to read: Novelist. I availed myself of its services and it suggested among other things The Salvage…
True Biz is Sara Nović’s latest novel, and takes the reader on an amazing journey. The story is told from the perspective of three narrators. One is February Waters, the headmistress at an Ohio boarding school for Deaf students. February is a hearing ally to the Deaf community, who grew up with a Deaf mother.…
When I saw the new CD audiobook of Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown hit our shelves, I figured that was my sign to revisit the ageless classic. And I was right! Our shelves are lined with her cozy mysteries, but this 1970s coming of age novel has a special place in my heart. Being…
Sally Hepworth’s latest novel, The Younger Wife, is an engaging domestic suspense story that will appeal to everyone who loves Sally’s writing as much as I do. The book begins at the wedding of Stephen Aston and Heather Wisher, and the narrator is an unnamed wedding guest. Stephen’s adult daughters Tully and Rachel are bridesmaids,…
In our Today In History Reading List feature, we take the events of a particular day in history and try to give you a work of fiction and a work of non-fiction relating to those events. 1689 – Bostonians Rise Up And Imprison Edmund Andros, the governor of the Dominion of New England In the…
Cuphead, Volume 1: Comic Capers & Curios by Zack Keller This graphic novel is a series of short stories and adventures of Cuphead and Mugman as they encounter old friends, enemies, shenanigans , thrills, and fun. The comics reflect the vintage animation of the popular video and computer game of Cuphead. The illustrations are amazing and…
The Fashion Orphans by Randy Susan Meyers and M.J. Rose [This book is so new no libraries own it yet. Please check back here to see about future availablity] In this novel by co-authors Randy Susan Meyers and M.J. Rose, estranged sisters Gabrielle and Lulu find themselves thrown together to solve some mysteries around their…
House Of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas Also Available On Libby The first in Maas’s new adult fiction series will feel at home to fans of her YA works. This series can feel as long as it’s 803 pages but there is a big surprise payoff around page 650 if you are willing…
April is poetry month so we thought we’d share some of our favorite poems and poetry collections. Poetry Collections Dog Songs: Thirty-Five Dog Songs and One Essay by Mary Oliver. Elise Cowen: Poems and Fragments edited by Tony Trigilio. If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho translated by Anne Carson Ariel by Sylvia Plath. Life on…
We have added a Book News widget to the Read This blog. It’s located under the picture of the library in the right sidebar. It will be a regularly currated list of interesting book news from around the web. Think there’s something that belongs in the list? Email us and let us know: danversref@noblenet.org.
The Me You Love in the Dark by Skottie Young and Art by Jorge Corona Also Available On Hoopla The premise is one we have all seen before in the horror genre. Seeking to find themselves, a person or family retreats to a quiet house in the country, but it seems something else already lives…
Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series is the most comforting read I’ve picked up in a while. The young adult graphic novel romance series currently has four volumes with a fifth on the way (although if you’re too impatient to wait for the fifth to be published, author Alice Oseman releases updates three times a month on…
These books explore the experience of people from around the world who seek safety and a peaceful life after their countries are torn apart by war. Click For More Titles
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free is about the residential hotel for women that was built in 1928 and functioned as a hotel until the 21st century when it was converted into condos. Bren writes about how and why the Barbizon was built, but the overall story is about the history of women working…
A friend of mine recommended Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers to me after I ranted about a different romance novel I disliked, and it was the perfect palate cleanser! At its most basic core, this is a lesbian spin on the classic “waking up married to a stranger in Vegas” trope, but it is so…
In March 2007 the United Nations desiganted March 25 as a day to honor and remember the victoms of slavery and the internation slave trade. If you would like to observe this day of rememberance, the library is providing this reading list. This is by no means an exhaustive list on this topic. If you…
How Do I Un-Remember This?: Unfortunately True Stories Podcaster Danny Pellegrino’s new book will make you laugh-out-loud one minute, and shed some quick tears the next. Danny shares memories of growing up in the 1990s as a “closeted kid” in a small town in the midwest, and we learn how the internet and reality television…
In some ways The Brothers York is your standard history of the Wars of the Roses. It follows the myriad of factions vying for the English throne. All of the side switching and reverses of those factions. However, Penn does make an interesting argument. For all this civil war is presented as House of Lancaster…
Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan This book was an excellent read and when I saw it on the shelves I had to check this out. The book is about a young girl named Xinyin who is the daughter of the moon goddess Chang’e who explores various kingdoms on her quest to…
The Irish Assassins by Julie Kavanagh One sunlit evening, May 6 l882, Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Burke, Chief Secretary and Undersecretary for Ireland, were ambushed and stabbed to death while strolling through Phoenix Park in Dublin. The murders were funded by American supporters of Irish independence and carried out by the Invincibles, a militant…
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi, is the first book in the Jaipur Trilogy, and is currently being adapted for a TV series. The novel tells the story of Lakshmi, who escaped an abusive marriage at age seventeen and fled to the city of Jaipur. She establishes herself as a henna artist to the women…
My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress – this book about Anna Delvey (the infamous subject of Inventing Anna), written by her former friend Rachel DeLoache Williams. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup – this book is written by John Carreyrou, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter. This nonfiction book…
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. Winner of the Printz Award for best teen fiction of the year, this thriller features part-Obijwe native Daunis Fontaine, newly graduated from high school and about to start college in the fall. When a brutal murder-suicide thrusts her into the midst of an FBI investigation into drug dealers and fatally…
The Sisters Sweet by Elizabeth Weiss. The Sisters Sweet is the debut novel of author Elizabeth Weiss. The story is set in Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s, and narrated by Harriet. Harriet and her twin sister Josie are the daughters of Maud and Lenny. Maude is a former Vaudeville performer, whose rise to fame…
Some of the books that I have setting on my nightstand waiting to be read The Florentines: From Dante to Galileo the Transformation of Western Civilization by Paul Strathern Between the birth of Dante in 1265 and the death of Galileo in 1642, something happened that transformed the entire culture of western civilization. Painting, sculpture,…
Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillman This beautiful, heartbreaking story takes place in a small Australian town in 1968. Tom Hope, a farmer, is a dependable, solid man who suffers many painful losses. Tom’s wife, Trudy, leaves him, and then shows up a year later pregnant with another man’s child. Tom loves the…
All the titles link to a digital format of the book in our catalog. There may be other audio formats available so please search our catalog for them. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders The long-awaited first novel from the author of Tenth of December: a moving and original father-son story featuring none other…
David Green’s The Hudrend Years War is not a standard chronological history of the Hundred Years War. In fact if you need a history that follows the course of the war this probably isn’t the book for you. What this book does really well is cataloging the ways that a war that lasts for several…
Was Told It Would Get Easier by Abbi Waxman I Was Told It Would Get Easier is Abbi Waxman’s latest novel, and while I recommend it to fans of her books, be aware that it is not as great as The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. I Was Told It Would Get Easier is told…
Hola Papi!: How to Come Out In a Walmart Parking Lot and Other Life Lessons by John Paul Brammer The first time someone called John Paul (JP) Brammer “Papi” was on the popular gay hookup app Grindr. At first, it was flattering, but then it happened again and again…and again, leaving JP wondering: Who the…
Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Tall of Boeing by Peter Robison A fast-paced look at the corporate dysfunction–the ruthless cost-cutting, toxic workplaces, and cutthroat management–that contributed to one of the worst tragedies in modern aviation Boeing is a century-old titan of American industry. The largest exporter in the US, it played a central…
Ari Reviews The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress By Ariel Lawhon I enjoyed reading this book very much. The story is set in 1920’s and 1930’s New York that focuses on three main characters Stella Crater the wife of Judge Crater, Maria the Crater’s Maid, and Judge Crater’s mistress Ritzi that are in a…
In our Today In History Reading List feature, we take the events of a particular day in history and try to give you a work of fiction and a work of non-fiction relating to those events. 748 – Abbasid Revolution The Abbasid revolution over threw the Umayyad Caliphate and establised the Abbasid Caliphate which lasted…
A Little Hope by Ethan Joella A Little Hope is a beautifully written novel, with an unusual balance of joy and heartbreak. The book begins with a young family, Greg and his wife Freddie, and their young daughter Addie. Greg and Freddie are reeling from Greg’s recent diagnosis of multiple myeloma, and trying to keep…
Here are some of the staff’s favorite audiobooks. Perfect for your commute, a quiet walk or a workout at the gym. Where possible we’ve linked them to our digital download services Overdrive (aka Libby) or Hoopla but they are often available in other audio formats as well. Check our catalog. Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa…
Several People Are Typing This book was my book group’s January pick, and it is an unusual choice for my book group. We are divided on our opinions of the book, but we all agree that it is very thought-provoking. All of the dialogue and action is told through the Slack messages of employees at…
The unique thing about Thompson’s Sea People isn’t that it’s a history of Polynesia but that it is a history of the search to figure out who Polynesians were. Ever since Ferdinand Magellan first crossed the Pacific Europeans have been trying to figure out where the people who lived on the islands of the Pacific…
The Madness of Crowds by Louise Penny Chief Inspector Gamache finds his holiday with his family interrupted by a simple request. He’s asked to provide security for what promises to be a non-event. Then Gamache starts looking into Professor Abigail Robinson and discovers an agenda so repulsive he begs the university to cancel the lecture.…
Kindred by Octavia E Butler Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned across the years to save…
The Voyagers. The islands of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia stretch across a huge expanse of ocean and encompass a multitude of different peoples. Starting with Captain James Cook, the earliest European explorers to visit the Pacific were astounded and perplexed to find populations thriving thousands of miles from continents. Who were these people? From where…
A Carnival of Snackery by David Sedaris In this follow-up to his previous volume of diaries, Theft by Finding, the award-winning humorist chronicles the years 2003-2020, charting the years of his rise to fame with his trademark misanthropic charm and wry wit. The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich From one of our most innovative and…
Crow by Barbara Wright This middle grade historical fiction novel was written in 2012 and covers the 1898 Wilmington Race Riot and only successful coup on American soil. The local elected government in Wilmington that included African American Alderman and white officials who supported them were threatened and banished from the town. White Supremacists completely…
Bright Ages is not your usual book about the Middle Ages and not just because it seeks to do away with the “dark ages” myth about the fall of Rome and the west. It’s lay out is episodic. It uses events throughout the middle ages to demonstrate how people in the middle ages saw themselves…
Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit By Colby Cedar Smith This novel in verse captures one young woman’s struggle for independence, equality, and identity as the daughter of Greek and French immigrants in tumultuous 1930s Detroit The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel: A Story of Sleepy Hollow. By Alyssa Palombo When her secret lover, Ichabod…
Walking in Two Worlds by Wab Kinew There is both a depth and a playfulness in the telling of this YA story about Bugz and Feng. They live in a post pandemic, futuristic world where young people live not just in a virtual reality but also in an augmented reality. They constantly see the world…
Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America by Maria Hinojosa. Emmy Award-winning NPR journalist Maria Hinojosa shares her personal story interwoven with American immigration policy’s coming-of-age journey at a time when our country’s branding went from “The Land of the Free” to “the land of invasion.” Nubia. Real…
The Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book: From Lefou’s Brew to the Jedi Mind Trick, 100+ Magical Disney-Inspired Drinks by Ashley Craft. As a Disney lover when I saw this book in the new nonfiction display I knew I had to check this one out to bring home to try out the recipes. This book…
Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner Anne Glenconner has been at the center of the royal circle from childhood, when she met and befriended the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, the Princess Margaret. Though the firstborn child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, who…
I stumbled on this series when I was reading Seeking Truths Through: Historians on Writing Historical Genre Fiction in Perspectives On History. Laury Silvers is a scholar in the medieval Islamic world. She had moved from academia to writing historical fiction because it was one of the only ways to get at the lives of…
Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown As World War II comes to a close, the United States and the Soviet Union emerge as the two greatest world powers on extreme opposites of the political spectrum. After the United States showed its hand with the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, the Soviets refuse to…
Janis: Her Life and Music I loved this book so much! – Charlotte From GoodReads Janis Joplin’s first transgressive act was to be a white girl who gained an early sense of the power of the blues, music you could only find on obscure records and in roadhouses along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast.…
I highly recommend this nonfiction book and it was an interesting read to learn about the life of Empress Maria Theresa and her three daughters that includes Marie Antoinette, queen of France. Nancy Goldstone did an amazing job in how she wrote the book and laid out each chapter relating to a particular topic about…
I came across this book in the Children’s room and had seen it is really popular among patrons so I thought I would read it. The story follows a girl Emily, her brother, and mother as they process the sudden loss of their father and must move into their great-grandfather’s home to start over. Emily discovers…
Fran’s comment: This eerily prescient novel about a global virus is a well written but troubling read. The saving grace is the relationship and input of the doctor friends that give it a much needed human perspective. The healing power of their friendship is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit. About the…
“Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages. When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper…
“Henri Lefebvre has considerable claims to be the greatest living philosopher. His work spans some sixty years and includes original work on a diverse range of subjects, from dialectical materialism to architecture, urbanism and the experience of everyday life. The Production of Space is his major philosophical work and its translation has been long awaited…
“When “The Fourth State of Matter,” her now famous piece about a workplace massacre at the University of Iowa was published in The New Yorker, Jo Ann Beard immediately became one of the most influential writers in America, forging a path for a new generation of young authors willing to combine the dexterity of fiction with the…
“In Italo Calvino’s cosmicomics, primordial beings cavort on the nearby surface of the moon, play marbles with atoms, and bear ecstatic witness to Earth’s first dawn. Exploring natural phenomena and the origins of the universe, these beloved tales relate complex scientific concepts to our common sensory, emotional, human world. Now, The Complete Cosmicomics brings together…
“In the early days of the new millennium, pages of a worn and weathered original sonata manuscript―the gift of a Czech immigrant living out her final days in Queens―come into the hands of Meta Taverner, a young musicologist whose concert piano career was cut short by an injury. To Meta’s eye, it appears to be…
“A meditation on the nature of life and time, Água Viva (1973) shows Lispector discovering a new means of writing about herself, more deeply transforming her individual experience into a universal poetry. In a body of work as emotionally powerful, formally innovative, and philosophically profound as Clarice Lispector’s, Água Viva stands out as a particular…
I just finished Louise Penny’s latest – but it’s not a Three Pines/Gamache book. She wrote a political thriller with Hillary Clinton. I don’t usually read thrillers, but decided to try State of Terror because I love Louise’s writing. And it was great! Once I started reading it I couldn’t stop. Highly recommend. I am…
“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…
