The Executive Order: A Novel

These thrilling reads will take you up against an outbreak in Greenland, on a journey through the Middle East in search of a missing man, and into a Post-Trump/Biden nation struggling under new leadership. The stories are authentic, action-packed, and full of surprises around every turn.

Phase Six: A Novel – Jim Shepard

An eleven-year-old, from Greenland, and his friend steal from a mining site and take the objects back to their village. Little do they know that the thawing permafrost in the mountains has caused exposure and creates the catalyst to Aleq's journey to becoming one of the first survivors of an outbreak. His experiences as the index patient lead to isolation which adds to Aleq's guilt over being the source but his story isn't without hope as he searches for answers. Epidemic Intelligence Service Investigators arrive from the CDC to help. Epidemiologist Jeannine and M.D. Danice work to put an end to the outbreak. Jeannine transfers locations from Greenland to the Rocky Mountains where she enters a Level 4 facility to help Aleq. Taking a direct look at the political, biological, and cultural structures that go into place when a disaster occurs, the story highlights the bonds formed during an outbreak while the various characters come to understand what it means to support loved ones during a crisis.

Proof of Life: Twenty Days on a Hunt for a Missing Person in the Middle East – Daniel Levin

Daniel Levin's life was normal as he worked in his office when a phone call changes everything. He leaves New York to take a mysterious meeting in Paris which puts him on the trail of a missing man in Syria. No agency offered their assistance so it's up to Daniel to take a brutal journey through the Middle East over the course of twenty days. As Daniel evolves from a lawyer to an arm-conflict negotiator, he tracks down leads while encountering a variety of dangerous people including sheiks, drug lords, and sex traffickers. The story also provides a study on how leverage can be used for people to get what they want from someone else. A cinematic thriller, /Proof of Life/ is fast-paced and intriguing with an adventure that goes inside a hidden world.

The Executive Order: A Novel – David Fisher

In a time after Trump and Biden, a new president has been elected and charged with fixing the friction within the nation. Ian Wrightman was an independent senator who is now tasked as president to create normalcy which citizens like Rollie Stone and his co-workers happily accept. Stone works as a journalist who spent his career reporting the chaos at the White House. Everything changes following terrorist attacks that shook the nation. Wrightman and his administration release executive orders under the guise of keeping the people safe while steadily declining their constitutional freedom. Stone is a wounded warrior who, along with his Mighty Chair which assists during his investigations, discovers surprising evidence behind the terrorist attacks. His only hope is getting the evidence to the right people but the president's war on journalists and anyone who fights back forces him to make a run for it. An underground resistance movement springs into action to help Stone as he works to stay alive, to tell the truth to the nation. This is inspired by the Sinclair Lewis novel /It Can't Happen Here/.

The Vanishing Point: A Novel – Elizabeth Brundage

Rye Adler and Julian Ladd are both studying photography when they cross paths in a Brodsky Workshop. The two soon become roommates when Julian moves in with Rye but it's not long before Julian becomes envious of Rye's success. The two roommates fall for the stunning Magda who stands out in the class due to her unique photographs taken in her Polish neighborhood. A romantic entanglement begins with each man though only one of them will be able to love her. The story then jumps twenty years later where Rye has achieved fame for his celebrity photos but he's removed himself from the downtrodden subjects that sparked his career. Rye is thrust back into a broken world of addicts and street people when Magda reappears in his life requesting his help which pushes him on a dark path in search of a missing boy. He's forced to look at the artist he was in the past as he engages in his own battle for survival. The months that follow find Julian stumbling across an obituary for his former roommate. Rye's death has been ruled a suicide and despite how they ended things, Julian goes to the funeral only to find no casket or body. He soon begins to question his own life and the circumstances around Rye's death.

Arctic Storm Rising: A Novel (Nick Flynn Book 1) – Dale Brown

Nick Flynn has been exiled from the CIA after a covert mission went sideways and is now tasked with being a guard in Alaska's Arctic frontier where he's assigned to protect a remote radar post. The assignment is meant to end his career but he refuses to let go easily. As freezing storms sweep through Alaska and Northern Canada, an opportunity is created for a Russian aircraft to make its move. Is this a rehearsal leading to a strike or is there another reason behind these actions? A collision between an American F-22 and a Russian craft leads to missiles fired and no survivors. Flynn and a team parachute into the site despite the weather in a desperate attempt to reach it before the Russians. The Pentagon and CIA are keeping information from them, forcing Nick and his team to risk the jump which unfolds into a deadly game between them and Spetsnaz commandos secretly working in the United States. As they discover other aircraft have disappeared, the Kremlin searches for a prototype that disappeared with missiles armed and onboard. Nick is tasked with finding the bomber and saving the world from a nuclear holocaust.

City on the Edge – David Swinson

Graham is thirteen years old when a tragedy causes his family to move to the coast of Beirut, Lebanon, live on the border of cataclysmic violence. Graham soon comes to the assumption that his State Department father actually works for the CIA and that his family's life is merely a front for the American efforts taking place on the Israeli border. As 1972 evolves, Graham faces a series of challenges including his parent's marital problems, two murders, and along with ex-pat friends, discovers forces beyond his understanding. The story is authentic and atmospheric, unfolding a journey about the plights innocents face in American espionage. Compared to /The Body/ by Stephen King and /A Perfect Spy/ by John le Carre, /City on the Edge/ is transformative and tells the story of the children caught beside the dangerous turns of history.

Scorpion: A Novel – Christian Cantrell

Quinn Mitchell strives for balance in her life working as a nine-to-five spy and as a mom in her off time. After she loses her daughter, Quinn strives for normalcy through a new assignment which puts her on the path of assassinations that have occurred across the globe. The victims were found with numeric codes that were burned, carved, or tattooed on them. The trail of the killer takes her on a harrowing journey, keeping her a step behind until she makes an unsettling connection that she has with the murders. She's closer to understanding the encrypted message, called the Epoch Index, found in the Large Hadron Collider archives. She struggles to find the connection between the murders, the killer, a physics prodigy, and her own past. A shocking discovery leads her to a surprising twist that threatens everything she believed about her past and could impact her future.


Hug me

Hug Me is a beautifully written book that illustrates the importance of human life and how it is directly affected by the emotions and actions of those around us. The message of this book is simple, yet so important. Life moves so fast sometimes that we forget what it is that is truly important in our lives.

Dr. Zack is a very successful psychiatrist who, from the outside, seems to have everything anyone could ever want out of life. Sure he is single with no children, but he is also wealthy, has his own private practice, a cool car, and a house overlooking the ocean. But Dr. Zack, despite all of his expensive material possessions, suffers from depression despite all of his wonderful material possessions. He soon develops a drinking problem after trying all different modalities to "fix" his depression. He smokes marijuana, goes jogging, and tries meditation to cure his depression. He even goes to a hypnotist to find out why he can't find happiness. He wants very much to find a woman to share his life with and be happy but his relationships always seem to go wrong.

Then Dr. Zack meets a patient named Gee. Gee is a young boy who can read minds, however, Gee too is looking to be loved in a way that his physical mother seems not to able to give him. He just wants to be hugged and loved. Gee and Dr. Zack learn and grow together to find the missing pieces in their lives.

Hug Me dives deep into the psychology behind why humans need interaction with other humans. Feeling loved and being hugged or touched can help to cure many things including depression and anxiety. After a stressful day, it is easy to see how an embrace by a loved one can help relax the human body out of fight or flight mode.

I really loved the characters in Hug Me because they were vulnerable and showed raw emotions. Gee is a very wise boy who ends up helping Dr. Zack in his own life even though he is the patient.

This book is well-written and conveys a story that many people will be able to relate to. Hug Me is a book about life, the messiness of it, and the unlimited possibilities of the things it can bring. It is a book that will leave you pondering about the wonders of life long after putting it down. I recommend this book to people of all ages who come from all walks of life; a timeless piece.


“It started with drugs.”

 For Brook Jones, a child of the Sixties, “It was just another in a long line of sad, sorry, self-indulgent nights, no different than any other..” except this time she overdosed.

For eight minutes she was dead, or so it would appear to her companions, but that was time enough for her to have an intimate chat with God asking him a variety of questions detailed in her book, Why Are There Monkeys? (and other questions for God).

Standing at His front door, she says “I probably don’t belong here, but may I come in?”  To which He replies, “We’ll see”, his most frequent response throughout the narrative with “Time will tell” running a close second.

What follows are many unoriginal questions accompanied by witty repartee on the part of both parties. Yes, God, evidently, does have a sense of humor, frequently laughing at his own jokes and more surprisingly even some of the authors. He also has the annoying habit of answering a question with a question.

Maybe that has to do with the questions Jones wants to be answered? Here are some of them, the old standard “what would you ask God if you got to meet him” questions like:

- Is it creationism or evolution, or creative evolution?

- Why is there good and evil, or why do I feel good when I do bad things?

- What is moral responsibility, or why do I feel bad when I do fun things?

- Which religion has the winning ticket and the corollary, does He take the call from everyone or do some religions get “the party is not available” message?

- What came first God or the chicken?

- Is it Fate, or Que sera sera?

- Is Prayer more than “...wishing and hoping and thinking …planning and dreaming”

- Is there a Devil – in the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress?

Why Are There Monkeys? is a one-joke book. If you find humor in giving God human characteristics (over and over again), you’ll enjoy it. However, I would suggest it would be more suitable delivered as a monologue in a comedy club with an audience primed by a good deal of alcohol. Presented as it is, it seems more like a script proposal for the vastly more entertaining Oh, God! the 1977 movie that starred the late George Burns, or more recently Jim Carrey’s Bruce Almighty in 2003.

As for the epilogue, it’s not clear if Brock Jones is attempting to have the reader believe this was an actual near-death experience or as a metaphor to the unexceptional metaphysical musings she apparently has derived meaning from.


Stay On Track!

"When a conductor loses his way, it's up to his faithful train to remind him to stay focused—to "Stay on Track!" Vibrant illustrations and snappy writing come together to make this children's book a ton of fun to read. Parents will love the message, and kids will love the lyrical rhymes that keep things rolling to the end." --Ben Haskett, Manhattan Book Review


Camper Girl

Shannon is at a difficult time in her life. She has just graduated high school, but she hasn’t figured out what she wants to do with her life, so she doesn’t see any reason to go off to college and waste what little money her parents have. The mill in their small town has closed, and Shannon’s dad hasn’t been able to find a job since. Since many people are out of work or have left the town, Mom’s craft shop business is drying up and losing money. They are going to have to run it out of their garage. Shannon is working at the local gas station/convenience store, getting whatever hours she can to help out at home and to pay for her car insurance and cell phone. Her two best friends are leaving for college, and Shannon is having a tough time. But her eighteenth birthday is coming up, and her beloved and eccentric Aunt Rebecca always comes for her birthday, so she has that to hang on to. But Rebecca doesn’t show up, and finally, a phone call comes notifying the family Rebecca has passed away. Shannon is devastated. She isn’t able to function and ends up losing her job, and although it was a crappy job, at least she had money coming in. She and her parents are summoned to a lawyer’s office for the reading of the will. Rebecca leaves Shannon with a little money, a letter, and an old camper.

Shannon’s mother tries to get Shannon out of her funk. She has made Shannon a partner in the craft business and thinks keeping her busy will help her move on, but Shannon has other ideas. Sometimes the ending of one thing is the beginning of another. Without letting herself think things through too carefully, Shannon jumps in the camper, and with her father’s blessing, she drives off to find herself. Rebecca’s letter is the beginning of a scavenger hunt that will help Shannon on that quest. Shannon does learn some important lessons about herself and what she is capable of, but at one stop along the way, she finds out a family secret that rocks her world.

Coming-of-age stories these days usually have younger protagonists, but perhaps author Glenn Erick Miller has it just right. Many young people really pass this rubicon as they leave high school and start to find out who they really are. That rings very true in this book, and many in the young adult audience will relate to Shannon’s story. Journey stories work very well for coming-of-age stories, and this is no exception. Shannon’s journey is interesting and challenging, and it allows for a cast of interesting secondary characters to be introduced. The only thing that keeps this from earning a five-star review is that it stretches credulity too far with the small amount of money Shannon has and what she is able to do with it, and the fact that she travels for many days (not weeks as she states in the book), and yet never is more than a four-hour drive from home. Overall this is a well-written, engaging story with characters readers will care about, and it even offers the possibility for a sequel.


Dear Mr. Dickens

Eliza Davis loved reading Charles Dickens’ books. She thought his stories were really good. He writes about dirty conditions and children forced to labor in workhouses, which motivated people to give money to charities and demand change. Eliza really liked reading his books until she read Oliver Twist, where there is "an old shriveled Jew." Eliza is a Jew! The Jew in Oliver Twist was cruel, selfish, and ugly. Eliza wanted to stand up. But how? Eliza decided to write a letter to Dickens. Will he change and stop making Jews the bad guys?

I thought this true story was very enjoyable. I really like how Eliza stood up to a famous and powerful author. The Jewish people in the time that this happened weren't treated fairly, and the fact that Eliza stood up was very brave and memorable. I really like the illustrations and thought they were realistic. I had a great time reading this true and detailed book!


Being Mindful Like Grandpa

A little boy’s grandpa gives him a calming stone before he moves away from the house, school, friends, and grandfather he loves. Grandpa tells him to rub the stone between his fingers and think of something for which he’s grateful when his worries come alive. On a hike up a hillside with his parents, despite the gorgeous fall leaves and the alluring sound of the giggling stream, the boy’s mind is overwhelmed with a hundred what-ifs. Remembering his grandpa, he pulls the stone from his pocket, softly rubs its smooth surface, and lets his concerns drift off with the wind as he welcomes the gifts nature brings his way.

This is a beautifully written and masterfully illustrated book. It’s one that children who are close to their grandparents will treasure for years to come. Not only is it about love and admiration, it’s about trust, wisdom, and mindfulness. The young child reflects on his grandfather’s words as he struggles to adjust to change. By following his guidance, the boy discovers hope and peace. The depth of his emotions is portrayed through both words and pictures. Simile, metaphor, alliteration, and vibrant colors fill the pages, which are uniquely smooth and delicately thin. Their appearance will captivate youth.


Spidernaut: Arabella, the Spider in Space (Animalographies)

When a young high school student proposes an experiment to investigate whether or not spiders can spin webs in space, NASA sends three astronauts and two orb-weaving spiders to the International Space Station to determine just that. Upon arrival, Arabella is placed under the spotlight of observation. Feeling woozy and disoriented, she tries to spin a web. It’s asymmetrical with several holes. With time and practice, her attempts edge toward success and start to resemble those made on Earth. The second orb-weaving spider, Anita, makes some as well. Hers take a little less diligence. After fifty-six days, they’ve completed their mission and head home.

Children will find this a fascinating pick. The author brilliantly uses Arabella’s voice to tell the story, enabling readers to closely connect with her experience. Her trepidation about participating in the study as well as her excitement about becoming the first orb-weaving spider to ever spin a web in space are highlighted. Youth ages five to nine will be intrigued by her journal entries and the progress she makes, and the detailed illustrations of her webs will transfix them. This is a notable read and one well worth adding to libraries and classrooms around the globe.


The Second Life of Trees (Imagine This!)

When a tree falls in a forest, it’s likely no one will hear, and even more likely no one will be there to clean it up, and that is just fine because that tree still has a great deal to offer the forest. It will become a host to a large variety of other plants and animals, providing much that they will need to survive. The first third of the book introduces young readers to living trees and how they support forest creatures, but most of the book tells the story of their value after they have died. Insects will burrow into the bark and wood helping them to break down, and bigger creatures, from mice to bears, will eat those insects and build homes in the decomposing tree. Fungi will grow on the log, also helping with decomposition. And on it goes until the tree becomes soil and other trees grow from it.

Aimée M. Bisonette has written a charming text filled with fascinating facts that will keep youngsters glued to this wonderful, educational book. The gorgeous illustrations by Nic Jones are filled with tantalizing details that perfectly complete this story. Don’t miss this beautiful book.


More than Just a Game: The Black Origins of Basketball

This nonfiction book highlights the history of the Black community and basketball. It records teams and people that have now been remembered. It explains how the game went from being segregated to united.

The text is written in a typical nonfiction fashion. I appreciated how much research the author did on the history of Black people and basketball. Most of the book flowed very well and gave the reader a good picture of the timeline. The illustrations were very well done. I like the realistic-looking pictures. The emotion on the players' faces was a truly great addition to the book.

I think this is a great book for schools and parents to show history told differently than we’ve heard before. Each group’s and person’s story needs to be told so we can get a clear picture of the true history. I look forward to sharing this with my children, so they can see multiple sides of the history of basketball. I find it interesting that it went from a segregated sport to now, when seventy percent of NBA players are Black. It just goes to show that we should let everyone have a chance to try everything.


Saturday at the Food Pantry

Molly and her mother survive on leftovers, ingenuity, and love. Molly exhibits physical signs of hunger as their food supply dwindles. Despite inopportune circumstances, Molly tries to make the best of an uncomfortable situation by coloring pictures while in line for the food bank. She sees her classmate Caitlin, who admittedly feels embarrassed to be seen here. Several strangers ask Molly to color pictures to lift their spirits. Molly asks Caitlin for help, and they are able to spread happiness to the customers and food bank workers. Caitlin learns that accepting assistance is easier when you are able to support and help others.

This story is essential for teaching kids about food insecurity and hunger in their community. The author includes an epilogue that presents starvation statistics and words of encouragement regarding food deprivation. Food is a basic need and an inalienable right; admitting that you need assistance can be challenging, but living without food can be detrimental to one’s health. While reading this story, I was consumed by empathy and inspired to help impoverished individuals. I believe children who cannot personally relate to this story will feel a similar inclination to help individuals who are experiencing starvation.


We Want to Go to School!: The Fight for Disability Rights

Janine was born with cerebral palsy, or CP for short. It made it hard for her to walk, talk, and use her hands. Janine learned to read before she could talk! Janine had a lot of teachers. She had a classroom teacher, a physical therapist, a speech therapist, and an occupational therapist. One day, Janine read that back in the 1970s, kids with disabilities weren't allowed to go to school...

It is really sad that many kids were excluded from school because they had disabilities. Many kids lived in hospitals and didn't get any education at all. In this book, you learn how these kids fought to go to public school. I wanted to keep reading to know how these kids and their parents would fight to have their own rights. The illustrations in this book bring the story to life. Now, go and read how these kids fought... and see if they won!


You Can Be a Farmer, Too!

My family recently moved to a farm property, so I had been on the hunt for books about farms for young children. I was delighted to read this book. It’s the tale of Noah and his sister Emily visiting their uncle’s farm. Noah doesn’t like the farm––it is messy and loud and the animals are scary. It is up to Emily and their uncle to show Noah how much fun the farm can be!

The story is told in rhyming couplets and makes use of word bubbles and changing text sizes. The illustrations are done in bright, cheery colors and the animals follow the children around the farm from page to page, giving a great sense of movement and progression. One animal is featured on each spread, but at the end of book, all the animals come together to surround Emily and Noah, giving a great sense of completion to the story.

There are a lot of great classic books about farms for children, and this was a nice contemporary volume. It will surprise no one that by the end of the book, Noah loves the farm animals. There is only so much new ground you can cover in these types of stories, but I appreciated the fresh take on new experiences through a child’s eyes.


There Was a Silly Unicorn Who Wanted to Fly

This whimsical book about a unicorn who wants to fly is adorable! The vibrantly colored illustrations tell a funny story about a creative unicorn who thinks eating flying animals will help her to fly. This book reminds me of the books about the old lady who ate stuff. When the unicorn doesn't fly after eating a butterfly, it moves on to eating larger flying creatures. The illustrations of the eaten creatures in the unicorn's stomach are absolutely hilarious. What the precious unicorn doesn't know is that it doesn't have to eat flying creatures to fly, it just has to use it's magical unicorn powers mixed with a rainbow!

This is a great book for young readers, with a rhyming text that makes it fun and easy to read. My most favorite thing about this book is the great illustrations, which help readers to visualize the nonsense story! I really recommend this as a book for older siblings to read to younger brothers and sisters. The text is just challenging enough, and it is a fun book to read aloud to others! I would like to see what adventures this silly unicorn goes on next.


Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home

Orcas are known for their intelligence, beauty, and communication with a strong place in our culture along with the endangerment and extinction they face. The book looks at the history of these stunning creatures by delving into what caused their endangerment decades ago with interviews included that speak with various scientists as well as Northwest Native tribal members.

Stunning photographs are paired with an exploration of the orca world which delves into their plight, their journey, and the extinction they face.Orca allows you to genuinely get to know these stunning creatures and doesn't hold back on the emotional impact. The various stories woven throughout include the personal losses of familial pods, the loss of their food sources, and the damaging effects destruction and pollution have caused. This takes a look at real stories of mankind and orcas such as Ted Griffin and Namu to explore our connection to these whales and the causes behind the depletion of resources and low birth success. From their ecology to their behavior, Orca is the ideal resource for learning about orcas and gives an honest approach to what has endangered them, including our own involvement in the plight they face.


I love having my mom read me stories, especially when driving in the car or before bed. I was excited when she showed me An Illustrated Collection of Fairy Tales for Brave Children because these stories are fun to read and watch on TV. I was surprised that I only knew one of the stories, and my parents only knew two of the many. This surprised me because I thought we would all know more than that.

When my mom was reading them to me, I liked them all; there wasn't one story that I didn't like. There were parts of some of the stories that were kind of scary, like when a boy had to visit the devil, a girl had to go to a witch for some fire, and a boy found a mean genie in a bottle. I felt myself getting a little scared at first, but then it went away as the story went on.

I don't have a favorite fairy tale, but my brother asks to hear “The Three Golden Hairs,” “Hansel and Gretel,” and “Vasilisa” over and over. I believe that you do have to be brave to listen to these fairy tales, but each one is exciting and fun to read.


Hello Baby Animals, Who Are You? (Hello Animals)

Hello Baby Animals, Who Are You? is definitely a book for little guys. Big kids will think it is boring but it will be fun for little kids because of all the animals and the nice pictures. The pictures are really soft and make all of the animals seem very nice and cuddly.

The book teaches you what baby animals are called. Most of the animals everybody already knows, but a baby rabbit being called a kitten is new to me. I don’t really believe it is true though because baby cats are kittens.

This book is part of a series and I've seen one other from the series and it is nice too.


The Forest of Stolen Girls

Five years earlier, Hwani and her sister Maewol went missing in the forest and were later found unconscious next to the body of a young woman. Since then, thirteen girls have gone missing from the village near the forest which has now come to be known as The Forest of Stolen Girls. Hwani’s father, a well-known detective, thinks there is a connection between the missing girls and the incident involving his daughters. He returns to the forest to solve the crime only to go missing himself. Hwani, defying tradition, returns to find her father, solve the mystery and reunite with her sister, who stayed behind all those years ago. Hwani will discover that evil doesn’t always look like you expect.

This was a fascinating look into 1426 Korean history. The glimpse into village life during the Ming dynasty was very well done by the author. I had never heard of tribute girls before and it's always fun to learn something new even while reading a fictional story. If you enjoy stories about strong women, sisterly bonds, and the things that fathers will do to protect their daughters, or historical fiction, then I highly recommend you read this book.


All These Bodies

It’s the summer of 1958 and fifteen people have been murdered, all completely drained of their blood. At the scene of the most recent murders, Marie, a fifteen-year-old girl is found covered in blood and arrested. As the town tries to make sense of All These Bodies and an innocent-looking girl, Marie decides to tell her side of the story, but she will only tell it to aspiring journalist, seventeen-year-old Michael. As the interview unfolds over the next couple of months, Michael discovers that the truth might be even harder to believe than the stories we tell each other to make sense of such tragedy.

I have never heard of Kendare Blake before, but after this, I’m going to be checking out all her other books. This is one of the best examples of writing I’ve ever seen. The chapters are short, but draw you in, pushing you to read just one more until next thing you know, you’ve read the whole book. The characters were fantastic, especially Michael, Marie and Percy. This story left me with so many questions, but in a good way. I look forward to discovering more of Ms. Blake’s books. I highly recommend this book.


I'm Getting a Shark!

Everybody wants a pet, but when I think of a pet I think of a dog, cat, or rabbit. In this story, a little girl wants a pet. She thinks she is going to be getting a shark as a birthday present. She imagines what kind of shark she will get. What will it do? Where will it live? What will it eat? Those are just some of the questions she must answer. Is a shark as a pet a good idea? Her insanely super-smart dog, Ralphie, will try to help her answer some of these questions to determine if a pet shark is right for her and her family.

The illustrations in this book are incredible and have vivid colors. The story is funny! The illustrations help to show what a terrible idea having a pet shark is! I mainly like the smart talking dog Ralphie, who gave facts about each shark. There is valuable information in the story about how we can help sharks and their environment. I like the message that even if we can't have a shark as a pet, we should help keep them alive in the wild.


The Tea Dragon Tapestry (The Tea Dragon Society)

Have you ever heard of a tea dragon before? If not, it’s time you do! One day, a young goblin girl named Greta is awarded her very first tea dragon, but the tea dragon will not eat even a single bite of food. Greta also has one more problem that she needs to solve: She has to forge something that will impress Kleeitos, a hybrid cow-human and master blacksmith. What should Greta do?

I love the artwork in this book, which is very gentle, tender, and sweet. The characters in the book are Greta and Minette (Greta’s hybrid deer-human best friend), and a lot more hybrid and non-hybrid characters. My favorite character is Greta because she is the main character. This book is long, but it is a very fun read. I still love recommending really great books like this one to people. I hope you get a chance to enjoy The Tea Dragon Tapestry. I recommend this book to people who like magical dragon stories.


A Voice for the Everglades: Marjory Stoneman Douglas (She Made History)

An inspiring story about a woman who loves nature enough to devote her life to protecting it, A Voice for the Everglades: Marjory Stoneman Douglas is a book that everyone should read. Whether or not you have actually been to the Everglades in Florida, you will appreciate all of the information about the various animals and plants that make up the unique ecosystems of South Florida.

The story is written in such a way that you get a lot of interesting facts without it being tiresome. By the end, you feel like you really know Marjory Douglas and would like to have been able to sit down to tea with her and just listen. Like any good story, it leaves you asking more questions, and even though it’s a good length, you want to know more about why she picked the Everglades and specific details about what she did to champion the protection of this national treasure.

A Voice for the Everglades is a picture book that is clear enough for little ones to understand but also keeps the interest and captures the hearts of an older audience.


Shipwreck Reefs (Imagine This!)

I liked this book, but it was very long and kind of hard to read in one sitting. I broke it up and read a few pages at night. I normally like nonfiction books but I think the amount of text on each page made me struggle. I did really enjoy looking at all the very detailed pictures, though. I would read a few pages then flip through and look at all the pictures.

If you like shipwrecks or sea life, this book would be perfect for you! I love that there are little facts on each page. They are interesting and I like stumping my uncle with them! I feel like when I have a science project at school, this book will be very helpful. I will be able to do my report on how reefs are made! I also think it would be pretty cool to go scuba diving and see the sunken ships and tanks!

I care a lot about our environment, so the last few pages made me sad. I think it would be a cool job to help protect the natural and artificial reefs.


The Wind May Blow

“On the day you were born,” begins this charming picture book, as an adult tells a child how wonderful the day was when the child was born. How the sun shone and roses bloomed in the child’s cheeks. The child grows and is told that someday a storm may grow, the wind may blow,  and the sun may go. It may be really hard, but one must just breathe and remember the strength one has to get through times like this. Each storm will eventually pass, and the sun will always come back.

Author Sasha Quinton tells this enchanting story in spare, lyrical language that makes the message just that much stronger. It is powerful that it is told as an adult speaking to a child, encouraging and heartening with each sentence. The illustrations by Thomas Hegbrook are beautifully rendered in gentle colors and soft lines. Cutouts in the pages bring extra interest by highlighting certain items in the pictures or words or phrases that emphasize the message. This book will be a great gift for a person of any age facing new challenges. This beautiful book will become a favorite of any lucky enough to have it.


In the Land of Fairies

When I was a child, I loved the Flower Fairy books by Cicely Mary Barker. The finely detailed drawings and accompanying poems evoked a feeling of wonder and realism. I experienced something similar while reading Daniela Drescher’s In the Land of Fairies, and I was able to share it with my children.

The illustrations are wonderful; vivid colors and scenes fully saturate the pages. Captured in watercolor paints and ink, the fairies, animals, and landscapes are detailed and have a dreamy feel. The drawings convey a lot of action, as the fairies and creatures travel all over each page.

The text is translated from German and I thought the story flowed very well. It made me curious to read the original version. While spare, the words were descriptive and thoughtful, without being flowery. The words and pictures complemented each other well, which is always a tricky balance in picture books. As the drawings were so detailed and fantastical, I appreciated there being less text. I truly felt comforted and transported while reading it. I was delighted to see that Drescher has authored and illustrated several children’s books, and I look forward to reading more of them.


Manga Classics Othello

This is a very sad and tragic story. Othello is a loved and well-respected general who marries the beautiful Desdemona. Iago hates Othello and wants to destroy him. But Othello doesn't realize Iago hates him. Iago sets up a situation to make it seem like Othello's lieutenant Cassio is Desdemona's lover. His lies and deceit cause Othello to become enraged with jealousy until, ultimately, he kills his beloved and completely innocent wife. Iago's lies are eventually discovered, but not before he kills his own wife and his supposed friend. Cassio is direly wounded and Othello, upon realizing Iago's deception, kills himself.

The illustrations in this telling are finely drawn, but frequently include what is happening in someone's imagination, making it hard to tell if the pictures are about reality or just projections. The extensive use of pure black makes it hard to see what is going on, but well reflects the tone of the play. It is probably preferable to see the play performed, as it is hard to know if the illustrations' interpretation is accurate to how the characters in the play would show actions or expressions, but this is still a good format to introduce you to Othello with all of Shakespeare's original text.


21st Birthday (Women's Murder Club, 21)

21st Birthday is the story of a twenty-year-old woman named Tara and her baby, Lorrie, who goes missing. The main suspect is, of course, the husband/father, Lucas. The Women's Murder Club is on the case as Chronicle journalist Cindy is approached by Tara's rather livid mother. From there, Police Sergeant Lindsay Boxer and ADA Yuki Castellano work the case using all the resources they have to convict Lucas.

While this is the first Women's Murder Club novel I've read, it is not my first James Patterson book. I have to say this one really fell flat as far as excitement goes. The characters were all "good enough" but there was never really any climax to the story. They all thought that Lucas did it, even when there wasn't any evidence. There is a twist to the book as well, which was so far-fetched I had to roll my eyes. It was the only part of the book that added a little bit of action and suspense. All in all, I'd say skip this one and you won't be missing too much of anything.


tu_youyou's_discovery

This book reminds me of COVID-19 because malaria was spreading just as fast! The girl in this book seemed sad watching the news and wanting to help all the people, just like me. But it was awesome to see that she was able to help so many people using a plant from her family history.

I hope that one day I can be a scientist and help people just like Tu Youyou. I liked seeing the equipment she used on her land and how the sickness and plant worked in her lab. And wow! Girls didn't go school? I couldn't imagine going to school with no girls. After me and my mommy read this book, mommy read other stuff that talked about why girls stayed home. If she had stayed home and didn't go to school, she would have never helped all those people!


How to Haunt a House

This book is incredible! If I could I would give it ten stars! Have you ever wondered what Ghosts do, and how they learn to haunt houses? If so, this book is for you! Ghosts go to ghost school to learn how to be creepy and haunt others' houses. Groana, Moana, and Shrieky must study hard because each household is unique and what works to scary one family doesn't always work to scare another family. The three little ghosts must persevere and study to pull out all their creepy tricks to pass their test. You must read this book to find out if they can pass!

I really love this book, it is perfect for Halloween! The text is fun and has a nice rhythm and rhymes. The illustrations are incredibly detailed and colorful! Each page is full of small details that just add so much fun to the story. I especially like how the jack-o-lantern's expression changes on different pages. My favorite detail is the daisy chain the ghosts put together. This would be a fun book to read in a classroom or with a whole family. I would love to see another book featuring the ghosts, perhaps on another adventure. This could be a funny series.


Princess Persephone Loses the Castle (Money Tales)

I like money, but my parents say I don't always know the best things to do with it. I am learning about saving money, but it is hard because I like to buy toys and candy. In the story Princess Persephone Loses the Castle, the princess learns about doing the right things with her money and how to keep it safe. One cold winter’s day, the princess hears a knock at the door, and it's a guy who smiles a lot. The man wants to see her dad, the king, but he's gone, so Persephone tries to help him. The man ends up selling her something that she doesn't have enough money for, and then she loses her castle because she can't pay the bills!

I learned a lot from this book about money. I didn't know what interest was, or a contract. I thought that the story and my mom did a good job of explaining what these things are. It is kind of scary thinking about how someone can get tricked and have to spend so much money! Kids of any age will like this story, but I think kids my age and older will understand it the best.


The Girl from the Sea

Fans of Molly Knox Ostertag will delight in her latest graphic novel, The Girl from the Sea. The story centers around fifteen-year-old Morgan who has a secret she’s afraid to share. Morgan has a plan though. She wants to survive high school, leave her small island, and go away to college to start her real life. However, along comes Keltie who will change the course of Morgan’s plans.

I absolutely loved this book! The story and the plot were phenomenal; I was completely engrossed in the story from the beginning till the end. I love that the story involves the selkie folklore which I had never heard of prior to reading this book. I received an advanced reader’s copy so the ARC didn’t have any color, but the illustrations were still wonderful. Unlike The Witch Boy series, I think this book is more suitable for older kids due to the romance and kissing and some suggestive behavior. This is the perfect book to read for Pride Month! I HIGHLY recommend this graphic novel for anyone who enjoys a great romance and a coming-of-age story.


For the People: A Story of Justice and Power

Since 2017, Larry Krasner, a former defense attorney, has been the elected district attorney of Philadelphia. This is a remarkable occurrence. Philadelphia’s previous policing policies have been some of the most egregious uses of excessive force in the country, including the 1985 bombing of city blocks against the MOVE movement in that city. The former district attorney was convicted of a felony and no one seemed to want to take on this prosecutorial nightmare. The police union openly laughed at Krasner’s candidacy because he was known for working diligently for civil rights and policing reforms.

In this book, Krasner writes about the state of policing in America and the need for common sense reforms such as his no bail policy and his desire to decriminalize minor offenses that crowd the courts and disproportionately affect people of color. Since Philadelphia has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the country, his reforms were milestone events for the city. In this book, Krasner’s reflections over his long career are wide ranging and always refreshing and interesting.


Hike the Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park: Best Day Hikes, Walks, and Sights

Rocky Mountain National Park is certainly one of the most magnificent parks in the system. Perhaps the best way to really see the park is to hike it. This handy little (4x7 inch) guide has excellent information on 35 different hikes.

It starts with an overview map of the park, followed by a quick-view guide of the hikes. This section lists the distance, elevation gain, highest point, and difficulty for each hike. The next section discusses the park, its human history, flora and fauna, and must-see sights and activities. Then it covers planning one’s trip, covering weather, when to visit, campgrounds, park rules and regulations, and safety.

A short section on how to use the guide is followed by sections on the individual hikes. Each of these repeats the information from the quick guide as well as what type of surface the trail has, what maps cover it, GPS coordinates, and notes. There is a map specific to that trail and how to get there. Then there is a good write-up and color photo of what one might see. This is a terrific hiking guide, well written and complete.


Can a Rock Grow?

Do you like rocks? or are you an aspiring geologist? You may ask yourself can a rock grow? In this book, we find out if rocks can grow and what causes it. Typically a rock doesn't grow bigger but there are many different reasons why a rock would change its shape or get smaller. Natural elements like wind, gravity, and rain are some reasons why rocks would change shape or get smaller over a long amount of time. This book is also very informative and describes many different types of rocks and how they are formed.

This book has nice life-like illustrations of rocks, but like many rocks, the illustrations are somewhat dull colored. Overall, I liked this book, as I like learning about different types of rocks and how each one is different. Different types of rocks are formed in different ways over a long period of time, and rocks are not formed or shaped quickly. My favorite type of rocks in the book are obsidian and flint because they can form sharp edges as they break or can be carved into arrowheads.


She Stitched the Stars: A Story of Ellen Harding Baker's Solar System Quilt (She Made History)

Ellen Harding Baker’s three daughters lived lives of adventure and curiosity, despite it being an era when girls and women were expected to know their place in the world and remain within those confines. They loved to roll down grassy hills, trace the constellations in the starry sky, and read about things not taught in school. When their mother announced they were going to embroider the universe, they could hardly wait. They set to work learning about the planets, studying maps, and drafting pictures of telescopes, and after seven years, they had created a masterpiece that now hangs in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.

This is an inspiring story about hoping and dreaming big during a time when females’ roles in society were traditional and educational development was mostly reserved for men. Ellen certainly passed down her yearning for knowledge and innovative spirit to her girls. They loved novelty and were inquisitive and mischievous, and the mark she made in their lives as well as on history is spectacular.

This book is ideal for second- and third-grade science and social studies teachers teaching youngsters about courageous women who have stepped outside of the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary. It’s perfect for encouraging students to believe in themselves and their own capabilities.


Chicken Frank, Dinosaur!

Children’s Roundup

Despite covering decidedly different subjects and featuring various artistic styles, the five picture books included in this roundup all highlight the wonder and charm of the format. Children ages four to eight will be entranced by the tales in these books, whether they read them themselves or have them read as bedtime stories.

The Welcome Chair by Rosemary Wells

In the early 1800s, a young German boy named Sam Siegbert discovers that he has a talent for woodworking and determines to become a carpenter, much to his father’s displeasure. Sam’s love for carpentry endures despite the obstacles he faces, and when he moves to the United States some years later, one of his first tasks is to craft a wooden rocking chair with “Willkommen” (“Welcome”) carved on the back. The chair remains in Sam’s family for four generations, welcoming various new arrivals over the years, with “Welcome” being added in a new language each time. Rosemary Wells has based the plot of The Welcome Chair, which features illustrations by Jerry Pinkney, on her own family history and the journal kept by her great-great-grandfather, a German Jew who moved to the United States toward the start of the 1800s. He actually crafted a wooden chair that remained in the family for decades before being mislaid. In an effort to keep the memory and spirit of the chair alive, Wells has imagined various scenarios in which it has impacted the lives of new owners from around the world.

Charlotte and the Nutcracker: The True Story of a Girl Who Made Ballet History by Charlotte Nebres

Written by Charlotte Nebres and illustrated by Alea Marley, Charlotte and the Nutcracker tells the real-life story of twelve-year-old Nebres’ experiences as the first Black ballerina to dance the role of Marie in a New York City Ballet production of The Nutcracker. As the only thing Nebres loves more than dancing is Christmas and all the magic of the holiday season, she jumps at the change to play Marie in the much-loved festive ballet. However, it takes a whole lot of work to be a professional ballerina and Nebres has to dedicate numerous hours to practicing her positioning and perfecting her jumps. It’s hard work, but she loves it. Plus, with the support of her Trinidadian and Filipino family, the encouragement of her sister, and the presence during performances of her mother and father, there’s no way she won’t succeed with everything she tries. Nebres’ dedication and resilience shine through on the pages of this inspiring story.

Chicken Frank, Dinosaur! by S.K. Wenger

Chicken Frank is convinced that he’s a descendent of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, the scourge of the Upper Crustaceous period, but none of the other farmyard animals believe him. Why not? Well, pretty much because he’s a chicken and chickens seem to be about as far away from dinosaurs as its possible to get. Despite the mocking, Chicken Frank is determined to prove his dinosaur lineage and so orders a DNA test, banking on the results confirming his ideas about evolution in general and the connection between birds and dinosaurs in particular. S.K. Wenger’s Chicken Frank, Dinosaur! is an amusing and engaging story with a solid educational message about the science of evolution. The bright and humorous illustrations completement the text of the story really well, and children are sure to be both entertained and informed as they read it.

Thankful by Elaine Vickers

As the first snow of the year starts to fall, a young girl tears pieces of paper into strips, writes all the things she’s thankful for on them, and then links them together into a paper chain. Then, as one thankful thought leads to another, the paper chain grows longer and longer and the little girl starts to realize just how much she has to be grateful for. Among the many wonderful things in the little girl’s life that make her happy are a dear friend, parents who take the time to read her stories, a home where she is safe and secure, things that are hot and things that are cold, all the amazing colors of the world, and that fact that pretty much everything can be fixed. Thankful by Elaine Vickers is charming tale of gratitude that stresses the importance of recognizing and celebrating all the little joys that make life living, even those that might not appear quite so joyful at first. The unusual diorama-style illustrations give the book a unique and playful feel that is sure to appeal to young readers as they follow the little girl’s journey of thanks.

The Volume by Luis Camnitzer

On a dark, dark night a long, long time ago, the explosion from the Big Bang launched a little dot off into space. At that time, space was empty, and although the dot traveled and explored as much as it could, it did not encounter any other beings. Feeling lonely, the dot split into two, which was fun until the two dots got bored of each other. In an effort to overcome their boredom, the two dots multiplied themselves until they were able to form a line. From there, the line multiplied itself until it became a surface and then the surface multiplied itself until it became a volume. One line chose to branch off from the volume and went on to explore the concepts of shape, color, and pattern, which eventually led to the creation of writing and art. Luis Camnitzer’s The Volume offers a whimsical exploration of the concepts and techniques that form the foundation of life and art. It’s a wonderfully illustrated and mind-boggling work that’s sure to spark conversations among youngsters interested in discussing the magic and mystery of artistic expression.


Murder Most Fair (A Verity Kent Mystery)

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber takes up Verity’s story on the first anniversary of the Armistice, November 1919. Verity and her husband return to her home and family, where she must finally deal with the death of her brother. She is joined there unexpectedly by her German Great Aunt Ilse, who also brings her maid Fraulein Bauer. As is to be expected, anti-German sentiments are quickly on display among the staff and townspeople, and when the pretty maid turns up dead, chaos ensues.

As with all the Verity Kent novels, this one must be read in its place in the series for the reader to keep up. I have honestly not always been enamored with Verity or Sidney and didn’t fully buy into their relationship; however, in this novel, she finally seems to make them more believable as a couple for me. Unlike the previous novels, Verity finally comes to terms with some of the emotional baggage she has been carrying and lets Sidney, and everyone else for that matter, fully into her heart and psyche. Perhaps because we see deeper personal relationships among the characters we have become so invested in, I find this novel much better than any of the others.


Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West

The story of the Whitman family killings during the mid-1800s in the Walla Walla area is finally being reconsidered and studied critically. This book is more than just a rehash of the events leading to the death of Marcus Whitman, his wife, and nine other people, who were all Protestant missionaries in Oregon Country. In fact, this book looks at how the story was twisted, lies fabricated, and how it became a much larger story than it originally was, morphing into something school children learned as the truth for decades until people began digging.

Much reconsideration of the events leading to the deaths of the eleven people is needed, including making sure that the story follows the documents at hand during the events and not just the word of one person who constantly changed the story to suit himself so he could find work in an ever-changing world. This is a step toward looking at things in the past in a whole new light, including how the native tribes in the area felt about Whitman and the role that failed medicine men played.


Twice Shy

In the acknowledgements, Hogle describes this book as a “cozy nest” and a “fluffy escape” and it’s an apt categorization. There is something very soothing about a book where, as a reader, you know nothing really bad is going to happen––you can just relax and soak up the atmosphere. And a nice atmosphere it is, from an imaginary café in Maybell’s dreams to a proposed animal sanctuary in Wesley’s. These rival imaginings conflict when Maybell and Wesley find they have co-inherited Maybell’s great aunt’s stately home in the Smokey Mountains. In learning to live with each other, will they learn to love each other?

I found this novel to be meandering and a slow burn, neither of which are bad on their own, although they did contribute to a slower pace. I found myself wishing for things to hurry up and get resolved. The characters repeated themselves often and their backstories felt a bit forced. The character traits that contributed to the slow burn are anxiety and shyness, feelings that both Maybell and Wesley experience often. I found this story very touching. What’s meant to be will always find a way, no matter how unready or inadequate we feel.


Atoms / Los átomos (My First Science Textbook) (Spanish Edition)

Have you ever wondered what makes up everything you see? like everything in the whole world? Atoms! Atoms are teeny tiny particles that makeup everything in the world. This book explains atoms for young readers. Can you believe atoms are made of even smaller components called protons and neutrons that are squished together to make electrons? when you use a different number of protons or neutrons to make different atoms for different elements. A perfect example is oxygen is made from h2o. What does that mean? it takes one hydrogen and two oxygen atoms to bond together to make an element. It is mind-blowing to think everything is made of tiny particles held together by bonds. The elements make up the periodic table and elements from the periodic table make up everything in the world. I think this book was very informative. I would love for it to cover more on the different types of elements and how protons and neutrons make them. The book was very brightly illustrated. I also liked that this book was in Spanish in English for readers who can speak either language.


Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend: Notes from the Other Side of the Fist Bump

Humor allows difficult truths to be revealed. Ben Philippe’s autobiography is a collection of essays that reveal the author’s early experiences of Blackness as a Haitian immigrant to Canada and his awakening to the racial dynamics and realities in the United States. In sharing stories about fitting in, immigration, and racial thriving, Philippe uses the opportunity to illuminate his readers about racist slights and aggression, even by those who profess solidarity with racial equity.

Living in New York City as a French-speaking Ivy League graduate with a budding writing career, Philippe’s stories elucidate the complexities of race, national origin, class, and gender through deeply personal anecdotes. While Philippe confesses that he wrote this book primarily for white people, anyone can learn valuable lessons about divesting performative “wokeness.” Reading the book from my perspective as an immigrant, the stories are recognizable to newcomers who have experienced the pain of displacement from familiar comforts.

Each essay is disarming; each revelation goes beyond what one might expect from a book about being a willing accomplice to self-congratulatory white allyship. Philippe’s stories serve to refute persistent stereotypes of what it’s like to be Black in America. He notes that his Blackness is “Ben-shaped,” referring to the novel convergence of family dynamics, personal idiosyncrasies, and racial encounters that make this book hard to put down.


Eat With Us: Mindful Recipes to Make Every Meal an Experience

You will love using this gorgeous cookbook; the photographs alone (which accompany each recipe) present a modern, clean aesthetic that leaves you calmer just looking at them. This fits perfectly with the theme: to slow down and enjoy the entire experience of cooking and eating through mindful creation as well as consumption, focusing on taste, peace, and connection that comes from embracing the good in life with those you love. In this book you will find recipes for appetizers, breakfasts, salads, main dishes, and desserts in each chapter; chapters include Simple (recipes for every day), Comfort (when that is just what you need), Lavish, Al Fresco, and Feast. Recipes serve four, except for those in the Feast chapter, which serve eight, suitable for a bigger gathering. Old favorites are given a twist that will make them new again; others introduce you to new flavor combinations that may well become your favorites. Although recipes range in prep time from about thirty minutes to just over an hour of hands-on time, none of these will be difficult to prepare for those with some experience in the kitchen. Suggested meal plans and tips for presentation round out the book's invitation, one you will love to accept.


The Plague Year: America in the Time of Covid

In hindsight, we can see how COVID-19 could have been halted in its tracks. In The Plague Year, Lawrence Wright delves into the whys and wherefores of the pandemic, showing where the US failed and may not yet have learned essential lessons.

Three key reasons, not excuses, explain how the trouble started: China, aware of the Wuhan epidemic, refused WHO workers access. Next, COVID tests were botched repeatedly, causing a considerable delay in finding remedies. Above all, the need to wear a mask when requested and maintain social distancing was unequivocally important.

Wright takes the story further and organizes the book so admirably that no need arises to traipse back and forth to keep track. Somewhat regrettably, due to persistent TV news, the pandemic has acquired an almost impersonal feel despite its incalculable personal impact. Wright introduces the key players affectionately, focusing on the heroes both named and still anonymous, giving scant space to the villains who have made a sufficiently bad name for themselves.

The book is replete with information, details, and even humor. Anyone seeking a good beach read this summer may well prefer this to the customary fare.


Margreete's Harbor: A Novel

This is a wonderful book about a family coming together to help an aging parent, Margreete, although it is far from being the same old story about an aged person’s descent into senility. This story is fresh and new. The characters are all multi-faceted and realistically portrayed by Eleanor Morse, a very gifted storyteller.

The story takes place over ten years as the family is uprooted from Michigan to Maine, sacrificing their careers in order to sustain the ailing Margreete. She, however, has her own ideas about how she should live and tolerate the disruption in her home.

For anyone who grew up in the sixties and seventies, the historical events at the periphery of family life add a dimension of realism to the story. The mother of the family struggles with her creative desires as a working classical musician. The father’s idealism puts him at odds with the times in which he lives and challenges his children to live up to his ideals, even if he may fail in that regard. This is a wonderful book that transports readers into the heart of this family.


Some Faraway Place: A Bright Sessions Novel (The Bright Sessions, 3)

If you are searching for another world bereft of logic or sense, this is the ideal book. The author writes the story of his father’s aneurism. The father traveled from Taiwan to mainland China in order to visit his first family and take a tour of the countryside. The main character and his mother must hie to the run-down filthy hospital where the father lies in a helpless coma, attended by his half-brothers. This quickly descends into a dreamscape of relentless sameness day after day only relieved by the horror of the situation and his father’s condition. The author writes these situations with brutal honesty and gross descriptions which linger with this reader long after turning the page. The author is relentless in bringing the bestial horror of the father’s medical condition, the strangeness of the strange land and customs, and the tedious repetition of the many days attempting to transfer his father away from this purgatory. Resonant writing but as endless as the scenario which is described.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow

The time has come for Willow to leave everything behind, including Sunnydale. She needs time and space, even if she doesn’t know from what or who, and it’s not like she even has a who. But after a weird bus ride leaves her stranded in a small town, Willow meets a strange and alluring new woman who invites her to stay for a bonfire.  After all, what else does she have to do? At first, the town seems distant and cold, treating her like an outsider. But without cell service or a way home, Willow decides to stay. The following morning, Willow is seen and spoken to, and it’s like she has belonged the whole time, but something isn’t adding up, and soon Willow will have to learn to listen to her heart and pull on all the magic that she possesses.

Fans of Willow will delight in this magical new book, Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Willow.  Willow will continue to capture hearts with the same quirky wit and loveable nerd charm as shown in the television series. Stunning illustrations convey the true Buffy the Vampire Slayer aesthetic, making this a go-to book for any fan of the series.


Inside the Suitcase

Inside the Suitcase is the story of a boy going on an adventure. The boy has a suitcase that he is packing before he leaves for somewhere. The things that he brings along will help him on his trip. He brings things to wear and something to eat. He finds more along the way that he uses when he comes to monsters and dark places. The boy goes on land and in the ocean––he ends up finding houses in both areas!

Inside the Suitcase is like another book by this author called The House of Madame M. I read both of these books with my younger brother, and we both loved flipping the flaps on each page. The flaps in Suitcase are bigger and wider than those in Madame M; lots of times, they went from big to little as you found out the secret something underneath all the flaps. The pictures sometimes had funny things drawn on them. A couple had a fish in the air!

This story was fun to read. The first time, we didn't understand the ending well, but then after reading it a few times, we understood it and enjoyed the whole book.


Just Desserts: Good Things Come to Those Who Bake

If you love baking desserts, Just Desserts is the book for you. Charlotte Ree has done an impeccable job of compiling some of the most decadent yet simple recipes for the ultimate baking cookbook. Page after page, I found recipes that I wanted to try. I also noticed that none of the recipes were too intricate or had too many ingredients. The book has recipes for cookies, bars, cakes, and tarts.

According to Ree, "A Bundt pan is a magical cake pan that looks more like a piece of art than your regular bakeware." I would have to agree! In fact, her Brown Butter Bundt Cake had my mouth watering while I was looking at the picture.

From Kingstons to Apple Hand Pies to Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns, Just Desserts has something for just about everyone. With whimsical artwork and brilliant color photos of the baked goods, this book will have you whipping out your apron and measuring cups in no time. I also appreciated the fact that Ree includes both imperial and metric measurements, something that not all cookbooks do.


To Asia, With Love: Everyday Asian Recipes and Stories From the Heart

I was excited to finally own a Chinese cookbook when To Asia, With Love arrived. After perusing the entire book, I was a little disappointed that it’s a vegetarian cookbook because I didn’t realize the entire book would be devoid of meat. However, I brushed my disappointment aside and picked my recipes to try.

First, I tried the Matcha Chia Seed Pudding because I love all things matcha. I didn’t make the chia seed pudding with vanilla ice cream, but I did add yogurt to it as a suggested alternative. The chia seed pudding was very thick––too thick! And the matcha flavor was very subtle so you can barely taste the matcha flavor at all. For the second recipe, I tried the Soy Sauce Chow Mein with a Fried Egg. I didn’t have bean sprouts on hand so I substituted them with shredded broccoli and carrots. My chow mein recipe usually has sucanat to add some sweetness to the salty soy sauce, but I like her recipe better. It wasn’t as salty as I thought it would be.

This isn’t your classic Asian cookbook, but if you are looking for an Asian fusion cookbook with a contemporary twist, then look no further.


Daughter of the Morning Star: A Longmire Mystery

Sheriff Walt Longmire is called in to investigate threatening letters written to a young woman named Jaya. Jaya is a budding basketball superstar with a chip on her shoulder, which is alienating her from everybody. Jaya’s attitude stems from a frazzled family life, including the disappearance of her sister. Her sister, Jeanie, disappeared in Wyoming, where the disappearance of indigenous women is far too common. Walt has his work cut out for him, as Jaya isn’t revealing too much. Walt searches for links between the letters and Jeanie’s disappearance.

Walt’s inquiries take him to the outskirts of the Great Plains. One of the last witnesses to see Jeanie has been spooked by a vision of an entity named “The Wandering Without.” The entity is known as the “thing that takes and never gives.” As Walt’s investigation begins to gain traction, the potential for an explosive conclusion grows as suspects range from white supremacists to apocalyptic survivalists.

Daughter of the Morning Star is the fresh new release from Craig Johnson. He spares little time in weaving an enjoyable and sharp mystery that will welcome new readers and engage his stalwart audience. Johnson’s view of the plight of the indigenous women who are too often forgotten makes a salient point.


The Retreat

Maeve travels to the High Water Center for the Arts to refocus on her dance career and start her own dance company. She’s trying to find herself again after escaping a violent marriage and knows she doesn’t have long before her dance career is over. The Center is so peaceful and seems like a great place until the weather turns and the residents are all snowed in. The Retreat becomes a fight for survival as the other guests begin to turn on each other and bodies start piling up. Maeve finds that her marriage survival skills might actually help her make it through the nightmare alive.

Who doesn’t love survivalist stories with just a few people and possibly a psychopath among them? Usually I do, but unfortunately, this one didn’t satisfy. I don’t know if the author has a low view of artists, but none of the characters in this story, especially Maeve, were very likable. The plot had a lot of holes and ended in a confusing manner. If I was snowed in and this was the only book to read, my tension would run high too. There are better stories out there, so don’t waste your time with this one.


Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son (Ali Cross, 2)

Ali Cross: Like Father, Like Son is the second book in the Ali Cross series, which is geared toward ten- to fourteen-year-olds. Ali is the young son of police officer Alex Cross. Ali and his friends are at his friend Zoe's mom's concert when Zoe leaves the group and says she'll be right back. Time passes and Ali and his friends get worried about Zoe. All of a sudden there is a gunshot and Zoe's friends find her with a bleeding wrist. She was shot! The book is about Ali trying to get to the bottom of what happened to Zoe. He knows she is keeping something from him.

Although I enjoyed the story, there were a lot of obvious political messages throughout. For example, Ali's teacher starts a discussion about how Black people are not treated fairly and a student says that if a Black person is the victim in a case, the police don't investigate it. Ali starts explaining that this is not true and the teacher quickly shuts the conversation down. I also noticed that instead of a person being homeless, the author used "a person was experiencing homelessness" instead. I had to roll my eyes at this new "politically correct" description.


Can I Mix You a Drink?

T-Pain shares stories and musings alongside elegant cocktail creations in his mixology collection Can I Mix You A Drink?. The book itself is gorgeous, ornately designed, perfectly photographed, and styled with a black and gold color scheme. Each page contains a new drink recipe, as described in T-Pain's witty voice. He sprinkles in anecdotes and observations from his own life with every drink.

The drinks themselves are pretty intricate but not too complex for the beginner bartender. A lot of the recipes do contain a specialty liquor that you may not already have on your shelf, although many of them overlap, so you can splurge on a new liquor and try out a few different drinks with it. T-Pain also tells you about his favorite cheap alternatives to the fancy liquors, so you can make substitutions where you see fit.

I haven't yet tried a drink in Can I Mix You A Drink? that wasn't good, and it's especially fun to tell your happy-hour guests that your recipe is courtesy of the one and only T-Pain. I also highly recommend this book as a fun birthday or holiday gift!


Super Magic Forest

The world of comics can seem a little daunting sometimes, because there’s just so much out and there and the genre continues to explode with new stories coming weekly. Well here are four less run of the mill and more good times and fun stories to warm your heard and tickle your funny bone.

Super Magic Forest

It’s not easy being an elf, short in stature, ignored by many. Twit Leaf spends his days in the Magic Forest, located in a big national park for us humans, where he picks berries. But then one day he comes across a magical glowing box that is an enigma shrouded in mysteries. To us humans, it looks a lot like a Nintendo. Now it’s up to Twit Leaf to go on a bold quest and seek to return it to the shadow Lost and Found chamber, which can only be located in the dangerous Visitor Center.

No One Returns From the Enchanted Forest

Pella is not happy. Her world has been turned upside down with a series of earthquakes destroying her village. It’s been said that they were caused by the Earth Queen, and now even the Midsummer Festival, one of her favorite events, has been canceled. Pella has heard that the Earth Queen’s tower lies within the very heart of the Enchanted Forest, where it is said no one returns. Now she’s decided to take matters into her own hands, and her sister, Bix, joins her because it’s her job to keep her safe.

Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic

Aster’s life is anything but boring, even after she moved to the middle of what she thought was nowhere. Her mom concocts all these cool science experiments, while her dad’s cooking has vastly improved, and then there’s the fact that Aster can do magic. No feat or challenge is too small for her, whether it’s helping others, rescuing her family, or saving the whole town. It’s kind of what she was destined for and she’s going to have a lot of fun adventures along the way.

Secrets of Camp Whatever

Willow, who’s eleven, just got invited to her dad’s weird summer camp, and what’s worse they’re not apparently moving to the very town where that camp is located. Little does she know she’s going to be anything but bored as there is a growing mystery here that begins with stolen snacks, involves possible vampires, and now campers have gone missing. What exactly is going on at camp . . . whatever it’s called?


Velvet Was the Night

Elvis is a low-level hoodlum in 1970 in Mexico City. Insecure, he’s been drawn into the disciplined life of a foot soldier in the Hawks, a below-the-radar gang, possibly government sponsored, that infiltrates student protests and weeds out political activists. Maite is a dowdy young woman. A bottom-of-the-ladder secretary in a law firm, her dreams are filled with the dashing heroes she reads about in the romance magazines. It might seem unlikely that their paths would ever cross, but then an art student, Leonora, goes missing. Maite happens to be babysitting her cat; Elvis is searching for photographs thought to be in Leonora’s possession.

On one level, Velvet Was the Night is about Maite’s and Elvis’s insecurities. She is fighting her inferiority complex and daydreaming of romance; he is striving to emulate his sophisticated commander, known as El Mago. On another, it’s about stake-outs, beatings, and killings, all set against the shadowy uncertainty of never knowing who is working for whom. Although the key piece of evidence is found by chance rather than clever investigating, the story’s denouement contains a huge twist that will surprise even seasoned readers. The plot may be slow moving, but the superior writing, strong character development, and full-blooded action scenes make this a worthwhile read.


How to Survive America

It is a truism that standup comedians are a very angry bunch with many unresolved issues. Well, the author of this book, along with co-writer Doug Moe, is very angry indeed and uses this writing to unleash a scathing and true attack upon this country’s racial injustice and patriarchal offenses.

In Part IV of the book, they write “…the most dangerous place for a Black person to live is in a white person’s imagination.” And what the white person imagines of a person of color is deeply ingrained, flawed, and seriously ill-informed. All reason enough for the authors’ rage against all the apparent and egregious offenses against people of color in America today.

This unleashing of rage may be the first step in how to survive given this climate of bigotry and hate. Hughley wants us to get real about what is going on and how it affects the health of our political and economic systems. The final chapter laments that there is no vaccine for racism. Sadly true and a great burden for people of color navigating this unjust system.


Never Say You Can't Survive

As we begin our third year of the pandemic, contrary to the ignorant people who insist it’s over, we can all acknowledge it’s been long and hard and bleak. Nevertheless, there has also been some incredible art and writing to come out of it. Charlie Jane Anders wanted to give something to us, to help us get through and survive, and so she wrote a series of essays on writing, and writing through the pandemic, which she wrote during the pandemic when she was in lockdown. Never Say You Can’t Survive brings those essays together in a wonderful book.

Writing is hard. Writing in a pandemic is even harder. Fortunately, Charlie Jane Anders is her to help you along with way, explaining the intricacies of writing, as well as the many pitfalls to avoid, and more importantly, how to help you out when you end up in one. Where Anders thrives is in providing stories and advice from her own many years of writing, what has worked for her and what hasn’t, and what has gotten her through the troubling times. Filled her with wit and sharp humor, Never Say You Can’t Survive will get you through this pandemic.


Haven Point: A Novel

Skye Demarest is returning to Haven Point. She’s been there before, as a child fleeing her alcoholic mother, but never felt connected to the place. Now, after her mother Annie’s death, Skye returns to scatter her ashes. She yearns to understand why Annie hated Haven Point, and what drove her to become the person that Skye knew.

Maren Demarest has said a lot of goodbyes in her life. This time, it’s to her daughter. She knows that Annie passed along her opinions of Haven Point to Skye, but Maren also knows that Skye doesn’t know the whole story. Maren hopes to reveal the truth to Skye, and maybe explore her own grief in the process.

As secrets and betrayals swirl around Haven Point, Skye will learn exactly what happened that day of destiny -  and what Annie’s past might mean for Skye’s future.

This book was a dramatic exploration of small-town dynamics, buried secrets, life’s mountains of joy and sorrow, loss, and letting go. Skye and Maren were interesting characters with fascinating backstories that were explained in great detail, and I liked reading their chapters. I will look forward to more books by this author in the future!


Sparrow Rising (Skyborn #1)

The world of the Skyborn series was amazing. I love seeing how different people create their worlds and the stories within them. This is a fantastic tale of adventure and growing up. The main character, Ellie, is daring with high hopes of growing up to become a Goldwing. She can be stubborn at times, but she has a good heart. Watching Ellie try to see where she wants to go, with her new friends who go directly against everything she has been preparing for, makes for an interesting read.

I always enjoy it when books tackle the question of what is morally right and wrong, where the villains and heroes sometimes intermix, and although Sparrow Rising is targeted toward younger audiences, I still enjoyed reading it. It was a nice quick read and I can’t wait for the next book! If you enjoyed any of Khoury’s other books, like The Mystwich School of Musicraft, then you are sure to enjoy this one! The book also had a summary of all the different clans and a map at the front to keep you on track if you forget anything.


Better With Butter

Marvel is anxious about everything, it seems, to the point that the school is aware of her issues, and she is working with the school therapist. Marvel’s father is in the navy and usually away at sea, her mother runs a business, and Marvel’s brother, Reef, is a teenager, seemingly oblivious. When Marvel has to give a speech in front of the entire school, she freezes up and has to be carried off. On her way home, she finds a little goat, Butter, being bullied by some boys, and rescues it. It is a fainting goat, and Marvel feels a kinship. She wants to keep the goat and makes it her emotional support animal, but there are obstacles she never imagined. Still, Marvel fights for Butter, but can she win?

Victoria Piontek has written a marvelous middle-grade novel that is pitch-perfect for the age. The characters are all credible and fully realized, the writing is spectacular, the dialogue is snappy, and the story is very compelling. There are few books in the middle-grade category that address anxiety disorder. This one does it so well and will help many youngsters navigate those difficult waters. This is a winner.


No One Returns From the Enchanted Forest

Bix is an overthinker and a worrywart, while her little sister Pella is stubborn and carefree. Bix can’t believe it when Pella runs off to the enchanted forest to give a piece of her mind to the Earth Queen, the one who's been causing the earthquakes in the goblin village where the two sisters live. Because of this, Bix has to overcome her fears and venture far from her village. It’s not long until Bix meets a playful and free-spirited tree troll named Cici. Adventuring together, things are looking up. Bix may have a small chance of finding Pella, but will she and her sister return to their village? After all, no one returns from the enchanted forest, right?

I love how this book is an adventure story about two sisters. Pella is such a hoot! This book was funny, silly, and beautiful at the same time. Be prepared for magical beings, amazing art, and fantastical adventures––what’s not to like? I recommend this book to fantasy lovers all around the world and to people who love great adventures. If you do, then this is definitely the book for you!


What Boys Do

Boys and girls all around the world can work and play together. What can boys do? Anything they put their mind to! Boys also have feelings and should be supported by others no matter how they feel. Read this book to find out all the great things boys can do.

This book has a very positive and uplifting message for all readers. This is a book all about boys and what can they do. I think this book is to help us think more about not to label activities for boys or girls. This book shows that activities like cooking or picking flowers aren't just for girls, there are many male chefs or florists. This book also talks about how it is ok to show your feelings, and that boys don't have to hide their feelings just to be strong.


The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature

As the voice of the woodland trees, German forester Peter Wohlleben shares his attachment to the forest milieu with the reader. Tracing how our senses benefit when surrounded by trees, he encourages breathing the oxygen-enriched air, tasting the individual saps from twigs, feeling the tree trunks’ girding barks, harking to the wind’s tuning of the leaves and the calls of the local denizens, and perhaps distinguishing the chemical messages that plants emit into the surroundings.

Forests provide solitude and serenity, take up carbon dioxide for use in photosynthesis, and store the carbon within their woody mass, with it only being released again as the gas when the body is burned. Along with extolling the wonders of trees, which rhythmically slowly raise and lower their boughs, similar to a heartbeat, in response to the light, while their root system is contrasted with a controlling brain, Wohlleben weighs heavily on the tragedy of the decreasing number of old-growth forests in Europe and the associated loss of the life dependent on those ancient giants. The tragic human destruction of our primeval forests is distressingly described.

This is an interesting book but, whether it is due to translation issues or not, the writing is rather choppy and, unfortunately, several chapters require more cohesive explanations.


Murder in a Scottish Garden (A Scottish Shire Mystery)

Paislee Ann Shaw's landlord, Shawn Marcus, is trying to evict her from her knitting shop in the center of town. She hopes to contact him while she's chaperoning her son's class on a field trip to Shawn's estate. But before she can do that, a man is shot dead on the grounds. Paislee is determined to find out if Shawn was involved or if he was the intended victim.

Murder in a Scottish Garden has what you would expect from a cozy mystery: a lovely setting, community spirit, a puzzle to solve, and colorful characters to boot. The story moves at a good pace, making it engaging and interesting. The dialogue, however, leaves a lot to be desired. There was far too much of an attempt to make all of the characters sound more Scottish than the Scots themselves. To me, this took away from the story itself, making it sound a bit silly. On the other hand, I like that there were quite a few suspects with varying motives, and it wasn't clear which way the story was headed until the end. Overall, I had mixed feelings about this one.


The Verdigris Pawn

Beau is the son and heir to the cruel, distant, power-hungry ruler of the Land. Isolated his entire life, Beau knows only his father’s version of the Land’s history and people. He knows nothing of the cruelty perpetrated on his people, especially the young children of Mastery House. Escaping his rooms, Beau abruptly discovers that there are two sides to history and everything he took as truth may not in fact be so. Set against a backdrop of a chess-like game called Fist, Beau must discern the truth and find his own strength to play a real-life version of the game with the help of his friends Cressi and Nate to save the people of the Land.

Author Alysa Wishingrad has written an engrossing, middle-grade novel. In Beau, Cressi, and Nate, she has created three distinct, multi-dimensional characters who come alive on the page. In the Land, Wishingrad has made a politically complex world both accessible and interesting to younger readers. Finally, she crafts her plot in such a way the reader will remain hard pressed not to turn the page. Overall, this is a fine debut that would make a good beginning to a series.


The Insiders

Hector is a loud and proud gay boy who loves theatre and lives his life dramatically. This is fine when his family lives in San Francisco, but when they move to Orangevale, and Hector goes to school wearing purple pants with glitter on his face, things don’t go well. He ends up at lunch with The Misfits, a group of kids who have been bullied by Mike. All the teachers love Mike and are completely blind to his bullying. Hector is Mike’s new target. Hector hides in the janitor’s closet, and there finds a safe place. It’s a magic room that is exactly what he needs. He meets two other kids from across the country in the room who are also LBGTQ+ and are having similar problems. It is in the magic room that all three find what they need.

Mark Oshiro has written an important book for middle graders to help them stand up to bullies, get the help they need from adults around them, and learn ways to get along with other kids. It’s exciting and well written. The only problem is that almost everyone in the story is LBGTQ+, which makes it somewhat unbelievable, but it’s still worth the time.


The Endless Skies

A charming and utterly refreshing young adult fantasy novel, The Endless Skies takes you on a coming-of-age journey as warrior-elect Rowan grapples with love, sacrifice, and finding her place in a world desperately in need of change.

We are first introduced to Rowan on the eve of her warrior ceremony, where she will take the oath to officially join the warrior ranks of the Leonadai. As a crisis unfolds, Rowan begins to uncover small omissions of truth that expose the faults of long-held traditions. She finds herself struggling with what the Leonadai motto, “loyalty above all,” truly means: is it following with blind faith or questioning the status quo? Her decision to act sets in motion a chain of events that reveal both the worst and most endearing aspects of the creatures that inhabit her world. Rowan’s physical journey runs parallel to her emotional and personal journey as she discovers who she is and where she wants to be.

The story manages to smoothly navigate thought-provoking themes around survival, humanity, hope, and forgiveness that resonate strongly in the present day. I absolutely adored this story and am slightly disappointed it’s a stand-alone work.


Under the Whispering Door

YA Roundup

If you enjoy reading young adult fiction with a side of passion, warmth, determination, empowerment, and LGBTQA+, then this roundup article includes five books that will be perfect for you. All five are compelling reads, and while some are more lighthearted than others, all are equally accomplished.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune is a tender and witty story that will undoubtedly fill your heart with warmth. Wallace refuses to let go of his life when a reaper knocks at his door. Finally, full of indignance, Wallace reluctantly accepts that he is dead. He is offered assistance with crossing over by patient ferryman Hugo, whose door to the other side is located in his tea shop. Through Hugo, Wallace meets many people with captivating stories and begins to realize that his imperious manner and work-centered life were not as fulfilling as he thought. This is a story that inspires and impresses with very skillful worldbuilding. You will quickly become devoted to the main characters and tumble into their world on a wonderful emotional journey. It will leave you reveling in all the benevolence of humanity, not forgetting the scones and tea, in addition to a chipper ghost dog!

When We Make It by Elisabet Velasquez

This empowering debut young adult novel by Elisabet Velasquez will deeply touch your life, likely causing you to laugh and cry out loud. Passionate, stormy, and honest, When We Make It is a coming-of-age story that will move you and leave you rooting for the main character long after you have finished reading. Sarai is a first-generation Puerto Rican eighth-grader who sees the beauty and pain in life with full clarity and without the sentimental idealism that people normally associate with poetic talent. Along with her older sister, she takes you through the pressures of mental illness, sexual assault and toxic masculinity, poverty, and the gentrification of her home in Brooklyn. Openly questioning things around her, along with her Boricua identity, she learns to navigate through her teenage years with determination and braveness. Despite the odds appearing to be stacked against her, Sarai comes out on top, learning to embrace and celebrate herself. This book will tune into your heart and make you feel seen.

Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson

Jack Nevin is a master of thievery and trickery, and with his consistent supply of stolen tricks, he proves to be a profitable and invaluable assistant to a revered stage magician of the early 1900s, The Enchantress. However, Jack’s pilfering catches up with him and the pair are forced to make a getaway to America. Luckily, they are able to find steady work on the West coast at Seattle’s Alaska–Yukon–Pacific World’s Fair Exposition, which improves their financial outlook, although they are forced to reconcile with the fact that they are not the shining stars of the show. Jack tries to uncover the secrets of this seemingly transcendental performance, but he discovers much more than he expected. He forms a bond with the behind-the-scenes master of tricks, and due to this growing affection, he is forced to choose between his employer, who has given him everything in life so far, and the boy who promises to give him so much in the future. Shaun David Hutchinson’s Before We Disappear is a love story that provides all the twists and turns of a well-crafted heist story. Lovers of historical fiction and fantasy will also enjoy the book and be captivated by its many forms of magic.

You Feel It Just Below the Ribs by Jeffrey Cranor

Set in an alternative twentieth century, You Feel It Just Below the Ribs by Jeffrey Cranor is a haunting tale about loss and trauma as well as human attachment and betrayal. It delves into the cleverly constructed corners of dystopian fantasy, being ultimately melancholic in tone and quietly beautiful, although it has the pace of an edgy intellectual thriller. Miriam grows up during the Great Reckoning, a war than spans decades and wipes out much of humanity, including her friends and family. Alone and heartbroken by her loss, she avoids any other human contact, focusing solely on her work. Time passes, the war ends, and the New Society is founded, forcing all survivors into lives of reclusion to prevent tribal loyalties from forming, including families. Miriam, already used to a life of exile, now sees everyone suddenly being forced to live as she does. A researcher at heart, she becomes involved with organizing this detachment process. Unfortunately, she does not realize that the world as she knows it is on the brink of another dark and sinister change. Over time, she begins to see the disturbing nature of this new system and decides to take a stand against it from within.

Here’s to Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Here’s to Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera is the captivating follow-up to the pair’s romantic bestseller, What If It’s Us. It is a thrilling read on its own, but it’s even better if you have previously enjoyed the first novel. A breezy tale with a tone of optimism, it is a story that wears its heart on its sleeve. Ben has been working on his fantasy manuscript with writing partner and fabulous kisser Mario throughout his first year of college. Arthur has recently returned to New York City for an internship on Broadway, although he is in a perfectly happy long-distance relationship with his boyfriend from his hometown. Yet, sparks fly when Ben and Arthur happen to come into close contact again, reviving old passions. They decide to persevere on their well-trodden, comfortable and separate paths, knowing that things between them didn’t work out the first time around. Little do they realize, however, that the universe seems to have other ideas in mind and paves the way for a series of encounters that make them both question their feelings for each other.


Five Tuesdays in Winter

The stories in this astounding collection show women and men in various stages of self-discovery, searching, and change. The very young girl in “Creature” is the recipient of tantalizing but unwanted attention from a troubled married man, while the bookstore owner in the title story navigates a frightening new attraction in the wake of his wife’s abandonment. Other characters, too, face uneasy terrain after loved ones die or leave. “When in the Dordogne” portrays the deep impact kind strangers can have on a life; “North Sea” reveals the cruelty grief can elicit. Lily King gave readers an unforgettable young writer in her last novel, Writers & Lovers, and “Timeline” returns to that territory of art and ambition.

Violence, devastation, and sadness mark the final stories in the collection, “Hotel Seattle,” “Waiting for Charlie,” “Mansard,” and “South.” Yet King saves the most shocking for last in “The Man at the Door,” which turns again to a young writer, who this time is also a new mother confronted with a vision of her future that elicits a kind of horror that will change the entire course of her life. This entire collection is stunning, each story a punch to the gut. It’s a must-read this fall.