The Elephant

Olive lives with her Dad and Grandad. Olive's Dad is constantly with an elephant when he is sad. Olive tells her best friend Arthur about the elephant. Olive sees imaginary animals following people around when they are sad. She's seen a tortoise for Grandad, an elephant for her Dad and Freddie the dog for her. Olive hatches a plan with Arthur to make the elephant go away. Olive sees all the pictures of her when she was little in the shed and realizes her Dad loves her. When her plan works and the elephant leaves, Olive says good-bye to Freddie because she doesn't need him anymore. Olive invites her Dad to the Jacaranda tree for a breakfast, and then they decide to get a dog as a pet. Olive wants to name it Freddie.

This was was an interesting story. I like how Olive sees imaginary animals whenever people are sad. This is a sweet story, but also sad sometimes. I'm glad Olive will get a real dog, and she's going to name it Freddie. I think kids who like animals and kids who like sweet stories will enjoy this book. It is a good read-out-loud book.


Unfollow Me: A Novel

Charlotte Duckworth’s Unfollow Me is a crazily relatable and modern story. Violet, a YouTube influencer for a mommy blog, goes missing, with all her accounts on social media platforms having been erased over the course of an evening. As an influencer, her immediate disappearance comes as quite a shock. What happened to Violet? Some of her devoted viewers begin to speculate about her husband having something to do with it, but is that true? The reader will follow the alternating accounts of four main characters to gain maximum understanding through multiple viewpoints.

Unfollow Me shows the good and bad of social media as well as how easy it is to get carried away with issues in our lives. There could be possible triggers for women reading the book; the main problem with the female characters relates to children, both trying to conceive them and trying to raise them successfully. Duckworth continuously gives the reader more information as the story progresses, and the reader will experience a slap in the face at the end with the final reveal. I would liken this book to thrillers such as The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.


Under the Lilacs

Under the Lilacs is about a little girl called Katie who builds a playhouse under a lilac bush. Everyone is busy, so Katie runs away with her cat to her backyard and builds a playhouse. I like that the cat's name is Mango. While she is playing and eating strawberries, Katie decides that she needs to make room for her mom and her sister to move in. So she lets everyone into her playhouse.

The illustrations of plants in the book are very pretty and very calming and soothing. They look like water color paintings. It looks like it is autumn in the story because the leaves are yellow. I also think Katie is funny because she builds the whole playhouse and then she leaves after making room for her family. The lilac bush looks more like a tree than a bush, so lilacs must get really tall. Reading the book makes you want to have a lilac bush in your yard.

I recommend this book to people who like stories about kids going on an adventure and to people who enjoy stories with pretty pictures.


Twinkle Thinks Pink!

//Twinkle Thinks Pink// is about a little fairy who absolutely loves pink so much that she accidentally turns all of the fairy godmother’s roses pink. It's really funny! You’ll already know by the cover that the illustrations are exquisite. The story is so captivating that readers will wish the book were much longer. It’s similar to Rainbow Magic because it’s about fairies and Cinderella because of the fairy godmother, but mostly readers will be reminded of the amazing Angelina Ballerina series, which is by the same author and has the same sense of wonder. This book, Twinkle Thinks Pink, is even more magical. Girls and boys of all ages will love this book.


The Dog Patrol: Our Canine Companions and the Kids Who Protect Them

The book gives all types of facts about different types of dogs. A fact that I liked, was when they wrote about wolves and dingoes.

The Dog Patrol tells you how to be responsible and care for a dog, the history of dogs, people who help dogs (finding homes & adopting strays), and much more!

Did you know that all dogs are allergic to chocolate and grapes? I learned that from the book! I also learned that the first dogs may have come from the Middle East! Super cool right?!

If you like to learn about dogs, or want to get one, you would love The Dog Patrol. It is just right for all ages!! I would definitely recommend the book, and I hope you will read it.


House of Trelawney: A novel

House of Trelawney by Hannah Rothschild introduces you to a hilariously dysfunctional family of old fortune and current misfortune. The story of three Trelawney women, Blaze, Jane, and Anastasia, is set against the curious backdrop of the Trelawney estate. Now in immense disrepair, Rothschild does a wonderful job weaving the ornate past of Trelawney into the complicated now. The eccentric family members interact with the space on their own unique terms, and every Trelawney player gets their moment in the story. The overall affect is a charmingly discordant family coping with their resplendent past and wholly muddled future. Rothschild effectively weaves an engaging tale of redemption and family bonds that comes off as both utterly untranslatable, but emotionally connective to the reader at the same time. It is a delightful escape and will leave you mentally roaming the halls of the house of Trelawney long after the last page has turned.


The Drudge Revolution: The Untold Story of How Talk Radio, Fox News, and a Gift Shop Clerk with an Internet Connection Took Down the Mainstream Media

Matthew Lysiak’s The Drudge Revolution tells the story of unorthodox media mogul, Matthew Drudge, and gives an intriguing history of the press in the United States. Lysiak’s style is fast-paced and never dry as he delves into the Drudge himself, framing him as a unique individual whose rise to fame lines up with recent changes in American mainstream media. Beginning with his early life, the story follows Drudge through his coverage of the Lewinsky Scandal, up to his involvement in Trump’s election.

This book’s strength lies in its balance between Drudge’s biography and the larger narrative of US media regulation, censorship, and the debate over freedom of the press.

Lyisak manages to give a relatively unbiased look at a controversial, and politically charged subject and figure, both of which have increasingly been at the center of public debate. The debate: what is the responsibility of the media to deliver truth and how do we get the most objective truth without preventing the possibility of multiple political and social narratives? The answer to the question is complex, and this book does not shy away from that complexity nor does it make an attempt at any definitive solution. Instead, it presents the facts and allows the reader to come to their own conclusion.

In a time when the U.S.'s political climate is so polarized, this book will give readers a different lens through which to examine power, the nature of truth, the owning of narratives, and politics in the US today.


Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us

George Zaidan is a recognized science TV communicator and also a featured writer for national magazines. This is his first book about the chemicals we apply to our bodies and ingest. It is chock full of information, most of it interesting, however unfortunately not coherently organized. In his chapter on processed foods, the question of what actually defines a processed food, whether whatever it is, or if it is healthy or not, remains ambiguous. In his excoriating manner, he tosses out all sorts of questions about chemicals seeded with pungent puns. He delves into the process of photosynthesis and the operations developed by aphids into securing food with great detail, along with descriptions of the plant mechanisms developed for defense. So much interest is devoted to poisons such as cyanide, formaldehyde, and nicotine; best to whet morbid interest in such lethal substances. Much space is devoted to smoking danger, and then a look at vaping, to show the nasty ingredients and their potential hazards. Interest in ultraviolet rays and sunscreen ingredients follows. Written in a hyperactive style reminiscent of a TV script where science is shown to be fantastical miraculous fun, this book is a challenging read where science becomes transformed into a circus act rather than a contemplative and fascinating theme.


The Twin

The Twin is the next thriller you've been looking for. This book was an absolute page-turner. Ivy and Iris are twin sisters. Ivy lives with their dad, while Iris lives with their mom, since their parents are divorced. One day, the twins' mom is involved in a fatal running accident and so Iris goes to live with Ivy and their dad. What happens from there onward is a nightmare.

Ivy is the tomboy of the twins and loves her jeans and rock 'n roll vintage tees. I pictured Iris to be more of the mean girl type with her high heels and skirts. Regardless of their differences, Ivy makes an effort to help her twin through tough times. But Iris has not shed one tear for their mother. As one bad thing after another happens to Ivy, she realizes that Iris is trying to not only sabotage her life but also to take all the good things she has going for her away.

This book was a quick read because the storyline flowed so well. I wondered the whole time what would happen next. I also couldn't understand how it wasn't obvious to the people around the twins just how manipulative Iris was, especially to their dad, who was really close to Ivy. The ending was a bit disappointing and I wish the story had a bit more closure to allow readers to foresee what would happen to the characters in the future. Overall, it is a fun and exciting read for fans of suspense and domestic thrillers.


The Cost of Loyalty: Dishonesty, Hubris, and Failure in the U.S. Military

West Point stands as the gateway to military service and potential leadership. A long line of distinguished generals have attended the famed academy. However, as the glory of past victories has dimmed, the declining qualities of its education and values have tainted the legacy of the institution.

As the stalemate of Korea and the loss in Vietnam lingered, the lessons that should have been learned were too quickly forgotten. The futility of fighting an ideological/civil war didn’t resonate. The importance of counterinsurgency was dismissed as the subject disappeared from classrooms. The power of the bombastic general and his proclamations overtook strategy, style over substance. Dissent or even slight disagreement is verboten, leading to the exclusion of valuable opinions in battle.

West Point is not the sole target of scrutiny in this book, as the US Air Force and Navy face criticism for downplaying misbehavior and criminal activity by their men and women. There is a disturbing tendency to disregard sexual assaults and even war crimes. The problems stem from the top down, a system that may be irreparably broken, unless changes come soon.

The Cost of Loyalty strikes hard at the military establishment. The author’s condemnation of the idea of loyalty above all else is not without stark examples. The author has been a target of reprisals for espousing contrary views, yet a steely resolve led him to fight. The power of persuasion is present throughout this work.


The Stars We Steal

Princess Leonie “Leo” is forced to attend this year’s Vlag season, basically a month of events encouraging the royals and rich to become romantically attached and engaged by the end. Leo could care less for the finery, food or being romantically involved with anyone for that matter… until Elliot arrives. Elliot Wentworth, AKA the boy Leo was engaged to but broke it off with. The one she let get away.

The stakes rise as she finds out Elliot is also going to be involved in the Vlag events. As their time together increases, Leo begins to realize that she is falling in love with Elliot again despite convincing herself otherwise. But will the love continue between the lies and past regrets?

I enjoyed The Stars We Steal. It was quite the page-turner. I thought the hate-to-love concept was very well executed. I love Leo and Elliot’s characters and many of the side-characters. The world-building was well done; I loved the description of the different events they go to. However, I often forgot that we were in space on a luxury spaceship.

My main issue with the book is that it’s a young adult book promoting the risky behavior of drinking to get drunk. It was an easy plot device to get the characters to say what they wanted, but it happened throughout what seemed to be half the book. I think this would be appropriate for eighteen and up.


Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed

Laurie Halse Anderson, with illustrations by Leila del Duca

On the hidden island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons, Diana has been eagerly awaiting her sixteenth birthday, when she hopes to become a true warrior. Instead, Diana’s birthday finds her people dealing with holes in the barrier that protects them from the outside world. When Diana leaves Themyscira through one such hole, her only thought is to save the refugees who need temporary shelter on her island’s shores. Instead, Diana finds herself trapped on the outside, a refugee in her own right. Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed gives readers a glimpse into the superhero’s teenage years. In a story that is all too relevant to modern times, this graphic novel delves into issues of love, strength, and activism. Bestselling YA author Laurie Halse Anderson brings Diana to life, building a strong personality for her and creating a story that many readers can relate to on one level or another. And artist Leila del Duca’s illustrations truly do the character and the story justice, visually showing the characters and the setting in a perfect blend of classic comic art and modern style. This book is both deeply enjoyable for long-term Wonder Woman fans and a fantastic introduction to the character for newer readers.


Kamik Takes the Lead

This is a very sweet story about a boy who loves his dogs and takes care of them every day, even if he doesn’t feel like it. He’s training to run a dogsled race.

The book offers a glimpse of what it’s like to live in another place and culture, so kids who want to learn about that kind of lifestyle will love this story. The font is a little hard to read and the pictures are simple but do a good job of complementing the words.

Kamik Takes the Lead reads like a journal without any major plot, so it’s a quick read. It's a good book about the love of dogs.


Up On Bob

Up on Bob is the funny story of a dog that just wants to take a nap. Bob wants to take a nap on someone’s bed, but that bed is full of pillows and blankets. Finally, Bob gets the bed as he wants it and lays down on the pillow to fall asleep, but Bob can’t fall asleep because someone is watching him! He tries closing his eyes really tight and pretending like no one is there. Too late, the someone watching him pounces up and bothers him. Now the someone messes with the bed to get it how she wants it so she can take a nap too. Both Bob and the someone work hard to get the bed how they want it, and then they both get to enjoy their work with a long nap.

I like Up on Bob because I like animals and the words were kind of easy for me to read. There aren’t a lot of words on each page, and the pictures on each page show what is happening if you have trouble reading the words. I don’t like taking a nap too much, but I like the story where Bob the dog does.


Princess Adventures: This Way or That Way? (tabbed find-your-way picture book)

Sylvie Misslin, with illustrations by Amandine Piu

Princess Adventures is a really fun storybook for kids of any age! I normally don't have an easy time making decisions, but with this book, it doesn't matter which thing I choose because all of the answers are exciting. The story is about two princess sisters, Rose and Josephine. The two sisters want to go on an adventure, but right at the start Rose wants to go one way and Josephine wants to go another. As the reader, you choose if you want them to go "this way" with Rose or "that way" with Josephine. Depending on which way you choose, your adventure with the princesses will go different ways. There are small decisions, like deciding whether they should put their feet in some water or take a nap, and bigger, like if they should sneak into a castle through an open window or a secret tunnel. There isn't really a wrong choice, but with some of them they'll send the princesses straight back to the castle, but if you choose a different way, then it might keep them there and they learn something cool. I had a lot of fun with this book and know that everyone else will too!


Small Mercies: A Novel

Small Mercies by Bridget Krone is about an adopted eleven-year-old girl and her struggles to fit in. She has two foster mothers, Aunt Flora and Aunt Marry. Aunt Flora has a disease called Alzheimer's which messes with her memory. At school, her problems just get worse. She does not participate in almost any public speaking activities and her teacher and principal want her to talk to a social worker. Mercy is extremely scared of social workers. She thinks they will want to relocate her to a “safer home.”

Watch the journey unfold as she makes new friends, stands up for what's right, and finds her voice. I think ages nine to fourteen should read this book. Small Mercies would definitely make a great series. There are a lot more things she could accomplish and discover. This book reminds me of books like The One and Only Ivan by Kate DiCamillo and Bob by Wendy Mass. I would definitely recommend this book because it kept me interested and wanting to read more at every part of it. I couldn’t put it down!


Miss Impossible (Best Babysitters Ever)

The Best Babysitter Ever is about how three girls have a babysitting business and struggle. The girls' names are Dot, Bree, and Malia. They have to work together to babysit a ton of kids. Will it get easier on them or will it get harder to work with these kids? It all went down when they went to their current babysitting job and to find out that they got replaced by three French girls and the kids' mom said they wanted a babysitter who can teach a different the kids a different culture. The girls need to find a way to add more stuff to their resumes, like tutoring and more.

I thought this book was so good because I love babysitter books because I love to babysit so I feel like I can relate to the girls because any time my cousins need babysitting, if no one else can, then they ask me, and I feel like it relates to me like that. And it also can get hectic but you have to try to make any bad situation into a positive situation and always have as much fun as possible.


Other People's Pets

Ever since being abandoned by her mother Elissa, La La has relied on her father Zev for everything. Zev is both protective and reckless, allowing La La to accompany him on burglaries starting when she is eight years old. Zev, a locksmith by trade, has made a career out of what he sees as harmless theft, and La La, his apprentice, proves to be a valuable partner. La La is an animal empath, able to both feel an animal’s physical and emotional pain and communicate with animals to calm and support them. With La La able to soothe barking dogs in target houses, Zev is able to expand his success. It all goes wrong, however, when a homeowner has a stroke in Zev’s illicit presence. Forced to earn money for Zev’s legal fees, La La finds herself going deeper into a world she thought she’d left behind, and she risks losing everything she values in life—including veterinary school and her relationship with her fiancé.

Told with humor, irreverence, and warmth, Other People’s Pets is a story about unconventional choices, great loss, and the dangerous hold the past has over the present. Zev and La La operate in a shadowy area where right and wrong have different shades of meaning, and though there are consequences for every action, their love for each other and their open-throated search for happiness will have readers rooting for their freedom all the way.


The Queen's Secret: A Novel of England's World War II Queen

Adolf Hitler once called Queen Elizabeth (the current queen’s mother) “the most dangerous woman in Europe” for her effect on English morale. Karen Harper’s new novel shows that side of her, but also a softer side. Readers get to see the queen awkward around her husband, affectionate with her children, and vulnerable. It’s a touching portrayal that brings humanity to a woman who could easily be nothing more than coolly unflappable and queenly.

My enjoyment of the book was somewhat marred by the narration at times going too far in the opposite direction. Elizabeth’s bemoaning her weight as the result of too many “chocs” and “drinky poos” felt rather flippant, especially given the oncoming war. Unless something happened which immediately affected her or London, the war felt very far away, despite the book spanning the full length, from the Phoney War at the beginning to V-E Day. The titular secret at times felt overblown.

What you get out of The Queen’s Secret depends a great deal on what you look for in it. If you want a serious novel about the home front, you’ll be disappointed. If you want a breezier novel that humanizes an often unknown queen, you’ll enjoy it a great deal.


I Am Goose!

Chicken, Turtle, Fox, Pig, Dodo, and Rabbit are having a rousing game of Duck, Duck, Goose in the meadow one day while some opinionated squirrels look on, commenting on the action. Goose comes upon them and asks if he can join the game. Rabbit, who is running the game, welcomes Goose, but the first time one of the animals taps someone to be the goose, Goose gets quite upset. Rabbit tells Goose to wait his turn, but Goose simply doesn’t understand how Turtle or Pig or any of the other animals can be the goose. With fun comments by the squirrels and the frustrating misunderstanding by Goose, this is the goofy kind of humor very young children will love.

Author Dorothia Rohner has written a really clever text that will keep little ones giggling all the way through. The beautiful illustrations with plenty of fun details will keep youngsters engaged with the text. There are plenty of surprises in both the text and illustrations and a great twist at the end. This book is a real winner and will be a great addition to any library — personal or school.


We Are Together

Don’t be expecting a book that’s pages with just pictures. The book We Are Together also has holes in it! People are peeking through the holes, and the group of friends gets bigger and bigger.

The pictures are beautiful and colorful, and there are lots of interesting things to find in them. The story is about people who are being nice.

It is a nice story that makes you feel happy because there aren’t any mean people. They are all working together. All kids will probably like this book.


Here Comes Lolo

Here Comes Lolo is about a girl named Lolo and her everyday life. It is very easy to understand her life because she does the same things real people do like go to school and make friends. You get to know Lolo, who and what she likes. What I like about Lolo is that when things happen that she doesn’t like, she gets over them quickly and goes on knowing that it is not the end of the world. It makes me feel proud of Lolo. Here Comes Lolo makes you feel like you are really part of the book and friends with Lolo. The pictures are really detailed, which is good, but sometimes it is hard to tell the people apart in the pictures. If you like the Betsy and Tacy or Ramona books, you might like Lolo. I think girls and boys about five to nine would like this book. It is a good book for kids who have just learned to read to themselves. It is a good book to show how to write a realistic, non-adventurous fiction.


The Familiar Dark: A Novel

The small and impoverished Ozark town of Barren Springs is reeling after twelve-year-old best friends Junie and Izzy are found at the playground with their throats slashed. While the police conduct their investigation and the parents appeal to the public, Eve, Junie’s mother, decides to take matters into her own hands and will stop at nothing to find out who is responsible and get justice for her beloved daughter. Although Eve had a rough upbringing with a drug-dependent and abusive mother and was determined to raise Junie right and while she shielded her from the troubled life she led, she realizes that the life lessons taught to her by her own mother are just what she needs to bring the person responsible for her daughter’s death to justice.

Author Amy Engel has written an atmospheric mystery that also explores family relationships, class, and lost opportunities. As is so often the case with the residents of fictional small towns, many have secrets that are slowly revealed and are essential to the reader’s understanding of the personalities and motivations of the characters. While the murders are the beginning of the story, the heart of The Familiar Dark is the dark and disturbing journey of a woman trying to understand, and come to terms with, who she is.


Weather: A novel

Lizzie works in a university library and answers mail for a former mentor, whose work inspires questions from people who are “either crazy or depressed.” At home, Lizzie navigates the social trickiness of Brooklyn parenting, strategically avoiding other mothers, and trying to quell lingering regret over having only one child. Lizzie’s brother Henry, with whom she is very close, is a new father and determined to stay sober and stable. As the reverberations from the 2016 election upend every aspect of society, Lizzie becomes fascinated and then obsessed with doomsday preppers and their safety- and survival-conscious worldview. There is little about her life that she can predict or control, and she isn’t at peace with any of it—despite her half-hearted attempts at meditation.

These and other slices of Lizzie’s life build in short bursts of observation and reflection. Though Offill does create a resonant portrait of this not-so-young woman facing family strife, the true heart of this novel is the buzzing, constant, shimmering unease that unsettles even the most ordinary social interactions. The world is almost literally on fire; the effects of climate change will crash upon our children’s heads; maybe the preppers have the right idea after all. The question Offill demurs from answering is whether anywhere is truly safe.


Everything's Not Fine

Rose Hemmersbach is a seventeen-year-old artist biding her time until she finishes high school, when she can escape her small town to learn art at a real college. But her dreams--and her life--are shattered the day her little family secret breaks free in a huge, scary way. Rose’s mother is a heroin addict, and an overdose leads to a whole new series of life complications, including eviction, Child Protective Services, and younger siblings struggling to process the trauma. Is this the end of Rose’s dreams of art school? Does she even want her mom to come home again?

Sarah J. Carlson’s new novel breaks into some scary topics, but this story reflects real life for far too many young adult readers, making it more important than ever for subjects like this to be explored. Rose is a complicated character: struggling artist with big dreams, older sister who has taken on the role of “mother” for far too long, dutiful daughter who helps hold the family together, and teenager with all the same types of hopes and dreams as any other child her age. This book is not an easy read, but it’s compelling and hard to put down.


The Story Pirates Present: Quest for the Crystal Crown

There once was a race of people called the Lysors. They were like normal people, but they had magical powers, given to them by their most prized possession, the crystal crown. But one day the crystal crown was stolen by these creatures called Hexors, at least that's what the Lysors believed. Many years later, the Lysors went into hiding in a town called Hillview where a girl named Laura lives. Laura is a young girl who wants to see what life is like outside of Hillview. Hillview was a normal town, but one day everything changed. Two Hexors found the village and ransacked it. Why? Because the Hexors believed the Lysors had the crystal crown. After not being able to find the crown, the two Hexors leave, threatening to come back with an army and destroy the Lysors. After that, Laura decides she has to leave Hillview to search for the crystal crown to save the Lysor kind.

This book is an action fantasy that will make you want to keep reading. The book has a great story that is easy to understand. Also the characters in the story are really good, especially the main character. All in all it is a great book for people who love a good story and climactic moments.


The Ghosts of Sherwood

Robin of Locksley and his one true love, Marian, are married. It has been closing in on two decades since they beat the Sheriff of Nottingham with the help of a diverse band of talented friends. King John is now on the throne and Robin has sworn fealty in order to further protect not just his family, but those of the lords and barons who look up to him - and, by extension, the villagers they protect. There is a truce, an uneasy one, but a truce nonetheless. But when the Locksley children are stolen away by persons unknown, Robin and Marian are going to need the help of everyone they’ve ever known, perhaps even the ghosts that are said to reside deep within Sherwood.

The Ghosts of Sherwood is a wonderful novella - from the wonderful setting, wonderful plot, to the descriptions of nature surrounding the Locksley manor and fast (yet enjoyable) pacing of the story, there is a lot that drew me into the story; though one of the things that I couldn't help but love the most about The Ghosts of Sherwood is that it reads like a fairytale. Though, as much as I loved this novella, at times, I couldn't help but feel as if the story was going by a bit too fast for my liking, most likely due in part to how short the story was.


Weasel Is Worried

Ciara Gavin, with illustrations by Tim Warnes

Different things make different people scared. In this book, a storm makes sure that Weasel is worried. Weasel doesn't like getting so wet or getting cold from the wind. When the thunderstorm doesn't stop, he starts building a wall from rocks to keep himself safe. Weasel gets the whole house built and feels safe at last. One day, Weasel is enjoying being safe and dry when he finds a mole sitting on his couch. Weasel gets worried when Mole is there; he remembers how scared he was of the storm before Mole arrived and doesn't want to have to go back out into the thunderstorm. Mole helps Weasel to calm down; they become friends.
I like this story because it has a happy ending and teaches us a good lesson in the end. Thunderstorms can make me scared sometimes, too, especially when there is heavy rain and hail. Weasel does the right thing when he builds himself a house at the beginning, and he does it right at the end when he trusts Mole. I think kids of all ages will like this story because the story is fun to read, and the pictures are colorful. I have my mom read this to me many times throughout the days!


Thank You for Coming to My TED Talk: A Teen Guide to Great Public Speaking by Chris Anderson was very helpful and full of public speaking tricks! I’m a seventh grader and my school has us do a lot of presentations, so I wanted to improve my skills. The things I learned in this book will definitely be helpful for next year.

Chapter 13, which is called "Scaring Off Mountain Lions (and Other Hacks to Help You Feel Less Anxious)," was especially helpful to me because I always get really nervous when I have to talk in front of people. Some tips I got from it were to read your lines in a funny voice before you have to talk or to scrunch your toes to release some anxiety. These are things that I think will work.

The author shares different ways to structure your presentations whether you’re using PowerPoint, flash cards, or just having to memorize your talk. He shares things to avoid using in PowerPoint, such as bullet points and multiple fonts in the same line. The author also shares advice based on things he has noticed from watching other TED speakers.

Overall, these tips will help me with my presentations and I’d say this is a good book, especially since it’s written just for teens.


The Fabled Life of Aesop: The extraordinary journey and collected tales of the world's greatest storyteller

Lessons learned through colorful stories can be the best teachers. This lovely book recollects the famous fables credited to Aesop. Exactly who Aesop was remains a mystery, yet the wisdom emanating from these parables has been used as a set of guidelines for moral behavior through the ages. The author has invented a background story about a slave named Aesop who through guile has crafted messages that would answer his master’s requests, but at the same time offer no offense or complaint. These replies using animal characters become transformed into the moral tales that have survived through the ages. How wonderful for children to be reminded of the goose and the golden egg, the fox and the grapes, the tortoise and the hare, these among other fables that teach about steadfastness, greed, and disappointment. Among my favorite tales, one oft recited to me as a child when attempting some minor deceit is the story of the boy who cried wolf. To be believed, one must be truthful. While the illustrations are sumptuously beautiful, their richness conflicts with the basic message inherent in the stories. This is a colorful, educational, and delightful reading that will introduce children to moral principles in a language they can understand and appreciate.


The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water

A fateful encounter at a coffeehouse leads a young woman named Guet Imm to lose her job and join a group of bandits. Of course, not everything is as it seems. There are secrets to be uncovered and some things that should stay hidden. Now that Guet Imm has found herself in the middle of a situation far more complicated then she knew, she has to decide what’s right.

I was disappointed by the heavy language throughout and several adult subjects are brought up a few times. Other than that, I adored this book. The bandits are an odd group of misfits that make up a family, and Guet Imm fits right in. At times it was difficult to remember who was who, mostly because some characters are called more than one name. The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected on Water is a sweet story centered around family and faith with just the right amount of action thrown in.


Legendary Children: The First Decade of RuPaul's Drag Race and the Last Century of Queer Life

RuPaul, Divine, The Werk Room, lip synching drag queens, pop culture, Paris is Burning—if this list makes your eyes grow wide wanting more, then this is your book. Legendary Children by Fitzgerald and Marquez is partly a history, partly a social commentary, partly a book of mini-essays/vignettes. It is the kind of book that you read a few pages of, learn something new, maybe laugh or cry (or emphatically nod) and then put down for a bit. It doesn’t read like a novel, which is not a criticism. It reads like a series of little histories, woven together through RuPaul’s Drag Race and its history.  LGBTQ+ history, specifically drag history, is explored through everything from the Stonewall Riots to John Waters to The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. It is helpful if the reader has watched at least a couple of episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race before reading it. Otherwise, the reader doesn’t need to have any background knowledge in order to thoroughly enjoy the book.


The Whispers of War

Often, war is the province of men. I’ve been pleased to see that in recent years, there has been a shift in historical fiction toward examining the role of women during war, from those who find a way to be involved in combat to those looking after the home front. The Whispers of War falls right in the middle in its presentation of three women at the very beginning of World War II.

Nora, Hazel, and Marie have been friends since they first met at school, and though they come from very different backgrounds, they are certain nothing can tear them apart. In ordinary times, this might be true, but Marie was born in Germany, which is now step by step becoming England’s enemy. As public opinion turns against those Germans living in England, Nora and Hazel must do all they can to shield Marie from the worst of their nation’s prejudice.

The Whispers of War is not a novel about combat. It is nevertheless a war novel, showing the effects of war on ordinary women and illustrating how even those uninvolved in battles can nevertheless take a stand. Julia Kelly has created a touching tale of female friendship, one that I was very glad to have a chance to read.


Death on the Page: A Castle Bookshop Mystery

Shelby Cox is getting Bayside Books ready for visiting true-crime author Savannah Page, who has come to the castle to do research for her upcoming book about the previous mobster owner. Little does Shelby know this trip will quickly turn deadly. Savannah Page soon goes missing only to be found dead. She seeks to uncover the secret Savannah’s fiancé is keeping, the motives of two writers, and what the murder may have to do with the island’s caretaker. As Shelby navigates rocky waters in search of a killer, she navigates her budding relationship with the handsome coast guard Zack Griffin and uncovers a few surprising secrets that could rock the island.

The mystery has several surprises in store for Shelby as she explores Savannah’s life and the connection between her death and the death of the mobster who once owned the castle. The romance Shelby has with Zack continues to be sweet as they’re still working on how to define their relationship, which has a few complications when Shelby discovers someone from Zack’s past on the island. The story is grounded in Shelby’s various relationships with the lives of her friends woven into the background through Edie’s knee replacement and Taylor’s trouble with her mother-in-law and her pregnancy. Her friends help her throughout the mystery with various clues and suspects, which puts her into a little conflict with Zack. Death on the Page is charming, funny, and clever with an addicting mystery that pulls you in right from the beginning.


The Becket List: A Blackberry Farm Story is a short but very fun story about a city girl named Rebecca Branch who is starting a new life with her family in the country.

Rebecca, her twin brother Nicholas, her older sister Caroline, her mom and dad, and their trusty dog Mr. Fancypants are moving to the country. Rebecca makes a list of how to become a country kid. First, she gives city life the official goodbye and then she decides to change her nickname to Becket!

Once they get to the country, they move in with their grandmother. Becket starts to take responsibility for all the animals and other chores on the farm. She wants to work toward the new country dog her parents are thinking of getting her. Becket also wants to make friends but soon discovers that making new friends in a new place is hard! Jealousy strikes when her younger, usually shyer, brother makes more friends than her!

This was a lovely book. The illustrations were kind of like a kid was drawing out the story while telling it. The illustrator was the same person who illustrated the Princess in Black series, which I used to like a long time ago. I would recommend this book to kids aged 8-12, and to any kids who might move to the country soon!


The Crow's Call: Amish Greenhouse Mystery - book 1 (Amish Greenhouse Mysteries)

Amy King would tell you that she has a nearly perfect life: family, relationships, and a loving Savior. But in the blink of an eye, she finds that she struggles to say this about two of the three things mentioned. An accident takes the lives of Amy's father, brother, and brother-in-law, and thus turns everyone's lives upside down.

The Crow's Call is an Amish mystery about the King family, who has just lost half their family members to an accident, but it's not just the lives of the family members that are lost, but also some of their faith in God. While the women left in the family work at staying afloat with their greenhouse and personal lives, mysterious things are happening that seem too coincidental to be unrelated.

The Crow's Call is the first Amish story I've read by Wanda E. Brunstetter, and I was pleased by my experience. The ending left me wanting more, but I suppose that might be what book two reveals.It read differently to me than other books; the characters were unique, yet held much symbolism if you looked hard enough. Fans of Brustetter will enjoy her newest creation and leave the reading session feeling refreshed and revived.


The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World_and Globalization Began

In The Year 1000, Yale University historian Valerie Hansen argues that trade increased in numerous regions throughout the world around the year 1000 due to surplus agricultural production. This increased production allowed some people to stop farming and produce goods for markets. They were then able to become merchants who traveled old and new trade routes near and far to exchange not only physical products but also information and ideas, making the world more connected at that time than we might at first assume. Each chapter in the book focuses on a different region of the world, ranging from the Viking invasion of Greenland, and their travels to North America, to China, which by 1000 had flourishing trade routes and a considerable population.

This book is perfect for historians and history buffs alike. It clearly shows us that globalization is nothing new. Humans have been exchanging ideas and goods that have shaped the world in numerous exciting and interesting ways throughout the past. The information the author presents in this work might make readers look at the world in a whole new light once they see what was happening around the globe in the year 1000.


Star Trek: Picard: The Last Best Hope

Captain Picard is thinking back to where it all went wrong. The Romulan star is going to supernova. His superiors are asking him lead a mission to help relocate the Romulan people, but that means leaving the Enterprise and taking up the rank of admiral. After a little debate, Admiral Picard begins work right away.

They solve some problems and must convince others that it’s the right thing to do since the Romulans have been their enemies for years. There is also the question of trying to help a culture that does not like them much either. Things go well for a while, but when an extreme problem near Earth comes to pass, will Starfleet do the right thing or abandon the mission completely?

I love Star Trek. I think Captain Picard is one of the best characters. I think the author did an excellent job with descriptions and characters feeling like the real Picard, Geordi, and others. The settings were beautifully written.

It took me a long time to get into this book. I’m normally a fast reader, but with long chapters and little action I really had to push myself to read more than one chapter in a setting. I also didn’t love the back-and-forth between six-plus places going in and out of different characters’ thoughts and feelings, it was too much, and I honestly had to look back to see what setting I was in and who the story was about in that section.


The Red Lotus: A Novel

When ER doctor Alexis visits Vietnam for a bicycling tour with her boyfriend Austin, she believes they are there to see the countryside and to allow Austin to mourn an uncle who died in the Vietnam war. As the plot of Chris Bohjalian’s  The Red Lotus develops, Austin’s real motivations are revealed and Alexis is forced to confront all she did not know about him while also uncovering a scheme that could result in millions of deaths.

Austin disappears within the first few pages of the novel and Alexis, along with a private investigator she hires, spend the bulk of the book unraveling the mystery of what happened. Along the way, research related to pathogens tied to the plague keeps Alexis intrigued not only by what really happened to her missing boyfriend but also by the strange and terrifying science at the heart of the story.

The book takes a few predictable turns, and an event late in the novel seems somewhat implausible given other similar moments earlier in the book, but the suspense is consistent throughout. If you have an aversion to rats, this won’t be the book for you, and in the middle of a pandemic, it may be a difficult read for some. However, if you are a fan of Bohjalian’s other work or are looking for an engrossing mystery, you are sure to enjoy The Red Lotus.


Ballast Point Breakdown

Rolly Waters, a part-time musician, and part-time private investigator, is approached by a young woman who asks him to investigate the death of Janis Withers. Janis once ran the fan club of Rolly's old band, The Creatures. She died after crashing a boat into the admiral club on the Navy base in San Diego. Police claim it was a suicide, but there may be more to the story. Before her death, Janis claims to have seen Arion. Is Arion a spy, or is he Butch Fleetwood, a man who has been dead for over twenty years. Rolly decides he owes it to Janis to find out. But he might not be prepared for where the case leads him.

Ballast Point Breakdown begins with a bang, or more precisely, a spectacular crash at the boat club. It was the excellent first chapter that drew me into the story. It hinted at exciting things to come, and it set the stage for the rest of the story. I also liked the fact that it was filled with enough action and twists and turns, which kept me glued to the page. Interestingly, the story didn't always play out as I was anticipating.

The San Diego backdrop filled with water scenes and dolphins made this story a very scenic one for me. I appreciated the author's ability to make me feel like I was on a journey with Rolly. I couldn't help but feel I was looking over his shoulder experiencing everything he noticed.

Rolly was a character that I enjoyed getting to know, especially his complicated past. And I like that he was always straightforward, ready to put his cards on the table whether he was dealing with a suspect or the police. The other characters in the book were also interesting and well-developed. I found I had a soft spot for Rolly's dad, Dean. The author did a good job of making his characters come alive. They felt like more than just people on a page.

Another thing that I found particularly enjoyable about this story was the author's moments of comic relief. I am thinking specifically about chapter forty-two where Rolly tells Tammy at a critical point in a scene that he does not own a gun. I nearly laughed out loud. It is probably the mix of dark spots, good dialogue, and unpredictable events that make this an entertaining read and a book that I enjoyed. Getting to know Rolly Waters made me want to read more of his adventures.


Ballast Point Breakdown: A Rolly Waters Mystery

A party is going on at the Admiral’s Club with live music in the background when a boat crashes through the glass wall, landing in the middle of the party. A woman stands on the boat shouting about saving the dolphins. Another woman tells her to get down, but the woman on the boat is having none of it. She seems determined to get attention for her cause and does so by shooting herself in the head with a flare gun, setting off a huge fire as people escape through every egress. A few days later, Roland “Rolly” Waters, a part-time musician and a part-time private investigator, is accosted in a bar after playing the last set of the night. Melody Flowers, a pretty young thing, says Janis Waters, the woman who killed herself days earlier, gave Melody some dog-tags and told her to get Rolly to find the man whose name, Butch Fleetwood, is on the tags. Rolly takes on the job even though Molly doesn’t have much money. Janis, it turns out, had been the president of the fan club for a band Rolly had years before, so he does it out of affection for her. He has no idea what a jumbled mess he has stepped into. The police and the FBI are also interested in Janis’s death and the connection to Bruce Fleetwood, a man who supposedly died a long time before, and some undercover dolphin work. It’s a good thing Rolly has a good relationship with Bonnie Hammond, a local cop, and works with her sharing information, or things could get really bad for him. But nothing in this book is as it seems, and the more Rolly gets into the case, the more dangerous things are for him. An old friend, Harmonica Dan, keeps popping up as a person of interest in the case and in Rolly’s life, making things even more muddled. Everything seems anchored to dolphins, and it all comes to a head, a very dangerous head for Rolly, on a small Mexican island. Some people aren’t whom they seemed to be, and Rolly is in the crosshairs.

Author Corey Lynn Fayman has written an engaging mystery with more red herrings than readers can shake a stick at. Rolly is an affable character who bumbles his way through the case and seems to spend more time introducing himself and handing out his business cards than doing very difficult or creative detective work. The writing is good, although it could use a good trimming, the characters are interesting, quirky, and fully-developed, the dialogue is snappy and believable, and there are enough mystery and tension to keep readers turning pages.


Everything Here Is under Control: A Novel

I won’t lie: I chose to read and review Everything Here is Under Control because, well…, nothing is under control these days, and the title made me smile. The book follows two lifelong yet estranged friends, Carrie and Amanda, who are thrown together again after Amanda has a new baby and feels like she doesn’t quite know what she is doing.

Amanda returns to her hometown, where she seeks the comfort and advice of Carrie, who became a mother when she was very young. Everything Here is Under Control expertly weaves together the narratives of these friends as they figure out their relationships with each other, their children, their lovers, and themselves.

This book was a delight to read. The author seems to really understand the true sense of what it is like to be a new mother, with all the self-doubt, worry, and pure love that come along with that role. The relationship between Carrie and Amanda has depth and strength that lend even more complexity and nuance to their friendship. The book is easy to read, because you want to know and understand the characters better. In the end, you do understand them, and maybe understand yourself a bit better as well.


Churchill's Shadow Raiders: The Race to Develop Radar, World War II's Invisible Secret Weapon

In 1941, Great Britain had their backs against the wall in their battle against Nazi Germany. Their combined forces had yet to achieve a victory. Their cities were bombarded by Germany’s powerful Luftwaffe. A mass evacuation from Dunkirk was successful, but it was still a defeat. Operation Colossus, the first nighttime raid behind enemy lines, aimed to turn the tide. The objective was to sabotage an aqueduct in Italy with commandos undertaking the mission. The dicey reconnaissance photographs along with sporadic word of mouth evidenced a failure, yet the opposite was true. The mind of the British Government churned with ideas of how to thwart the Nazi war machine. The British Air Force had been stymied in efforts to attack Axis power positions, and the German Radar proved superior in pinpointing British planes. A plan was hatched to steal the Wurzburg radar and access its secrets. If successful, the momentum would be altered.

Churchill’s Shadow Raiders engages the reader immediately in detailing the British strategy to strike at the Axis powers. The tension depicted in the stealth actions of the Special Air Service is electric and palpable. Author Damien Lewis reignites the past with a passion and eye for detail in this spellbinding narrative. This is a notable inclusion in World War II literature.


Mercy House: A Novel

At first glance, the mid-sixties woman in her Mets sweatshirt and blue jeans may seem out of place in the roughest parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant, but for the locals who know Sister Evelyn, her presence is common. Along with three other nuns, Sister Evelyn runs Mercy House, the home for abused women at the heart of Alena Dillon’s novel.

Women who have been beaten, assaulted, intimidated, and broken have found their way to Mercy House for over twenty years, and the nuns who run the house have ministered to them in the ways they see fit: counseling them, praying with them, and, occasionally, going against the edicts of the Catholic church. But, in 2010, the long arm of the church comes to investigate Mercy House in the form of Bishop Hawkins, a man who shares a violent history with Sister Evelyn. Her protection of Mercy House, and the women it serves, becomes a battle of wills between herself and the bishop, and no one she cares about is safe as he seeks to bring her down.

The elemental nature of mercy is at the heart of this story: who grants it, who denies it, and who deserves it. While the book is fictional, the stories within it ring honest and true. Much of Dillon’s dialogue feels like eavesdropping, and the characters feel alive on every page. For fans of Ann Patchett’s The Patron Saint of Liars or Maile Meloy’s Liars and Saints, Mercy House is a must-read.


The Illness Lesson: A Novel

Samuel Hood has a vision: girls should be educated with the goal of becoming more than wives and mothers. In the Massachusetts of 1871, this is a revolutionary idea, though Samuel has lived his values by raising his daughter, Caroline, with all the education usually bestowed on boys. Now grown, Caroline helps Samuel and his acolyte David create an all-girls school called the School of the Trilling Heart, named after the rare and remarkable red birds that have begun appearing on the grounds with surprising frequency. Soon, the new students arrive, including a girl named Eliza who has a complicated relationship with Caroline’s family history. When Eliza begins suffering from odd symptoms that seem to be connected to the trilling hearts, and the other girls seem to fall ill by suggestion, Samuel’s best intentions are tested—and the girls are subject to cruelty beyond anything Caroline could have imagined.

Dread suffuses The Illness Lesson, and the trilling hearts—though gorgeous—glow on the page with a dangerous shimmer. The question of whether Eliza and the other girls’ strange symptoms are real or imagined recedes as other questions—of agency and weakness, knowledge and denial, loyalty and self-deception—pull readers into a fictive dream as uncomfortable and unsettling as what goes on within Trilling Heart’s walls. The past’s pull on the present is harrowing, Caroline finds. But it is more insidious to blindly accept that we are unable to push the past aside and move forward with strength and new vision.


Red Hood

Bisou has lived with her grandmother since the fateful day her mother was killed. She’s happy with her quiet life, until one night with her boyfriend James, and she finds herself running through the woods, over roots and between trees, claws and teeth tearing at her back. As Bisou stumbles home with the wolf’s blood on her hands, more questions arise. Then more come in the following days, about her past, her grandmother, and what comes with the full moon.

I found myself hooked within the first couple of pages. Red Hood is told through second person as if you are Bisou, it’s weird at first, but once I got used to it, it really drew me into the story. Each character is different yet at the same time simple and relatable to a degree. I am disappointed that at several points Bisou and James have intimate moments with too much detail. There is some heavy cussing sporadically, and some adult themes are brought up. The adult themes do add to the meaning and theme of the story, though some of them could have been left out. I would not recommend this for anyone under sixteen, and even then you have to be careful.


The Heartbeat of Iran: Real Voices Of A Country and Its People

Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Iran has been politically isolated by its neighboring countries and the rest of the world. Political developments (such as the Iranian hostage crises, Iran-Iraq war, economic sanctions in 1995, more sanctions in 2010, and the nuclear deal in 2015) have only deepened Iran’s isolation. As a result, most people who live outside Iran have no idea of how everyday Iranian people live, the cultural heritages that Iranians share, and the diversity within Iran.

This book (written by an American journalist who grew up in Iran) profiles the lives, aspirations, regrets, and hopes two dozen everyday Iranians. Each chapter profiles one individual, and through that individual readers gain a sense of what life is like in Iran, the various textures of Iranian life, and the many facets of its society. Readers meet Amir Saneei, a teacher whose life is very different from those living in the West, but whose desires (and complaints) are eerily similar to his American counterparts. Also profiled is Pedram Safarzadh, a former drug addict. His experiences, regrets, and hopes are not that different from those of other former addicts. In the end, the collection of narratives shows that even though we live in very different worlds, our struggles and aspirations are the same.


All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything

Annette Bay Pimentel, with illustrations by Nabi Ali

All the Way to the Top is a true story about a girl named Jennifer, who has a walking disability. When Jennifer is old enough to go to school, she is so excited and can’t wait, but the school says that she can’t go because of her wheelchair. Her mom finds a different school, but Jennifer is only able to come to that school part of the day. Jennifer’s family finds a group of people who have different types of disabilities and they start protesting all over the country for disability rights. Jennifer is only a girl, but she went all the Washington to protest for congress to pass the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act.

I really liked reading All the Way to the Top because I love reading stories that are based on real people. I learned that there used to be a time when kids with disabilities couldn’t attend school, and if they did they couldn’t do things like each lunch in the cafeteria with the other kids. I really liked the illustrations and the photograph of the real Jennifer crawling up the steps in Washington. I would recommend All the Way to the Top to kids who might have a disability or to kids who like to learn about real people.


The Joyce Girl: A Novel of Jazz Age Paris

Lucia Joyce wants nothing more than to be known for her independent spirit, exceptional dancing, and remarkable clairvoyance. Unfortunately, she is The Joyce Girl, daughter of James Joyce, one of the most renowned writers of all time. To make a name for herself, she will have to carve out a space that hasn’t been touched by her father; no small feat in 1930s Paris.

Annabel Abbs relates the tragic and beautiful story of Lucia Joyce with precision and heartbreaking detail. As Lucia pursues a dancing career, she begins to achieve real success, only to have it thwarted by her selfish and shortsighted parents. As she begins a secret infatuation with one of her father’s greatest admirers, the Irish writer Samuel Beckett, she also becomes entangled with other men who would have her as their wife. The pull of her own talents and ambitions is so strong that there is cause for alarm as her mental health deteriorates and she is sent to work with Carl Jung, a psychoanalyst who—at the request of her father—is tasked with helping the girl. But what help can there be for a young woman who only wants to live her own life?

The Joyce Girl is a delicate and destructive joy to read. While your heart breaks for Lucia, you will also be inspired by her.


Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices

Eid is the most festive of all Muslim holidays. There are two Eid holidays: one at the end of the month of fasting, and the other to celebrate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. Both holidays are celebrated with roughly the same level of gusto. This book is a collection of short stories, poems, and a graphic story relating to Eid.

While most stories center around Eid-al-Fitr (celebrations after the month of fasting), a small number focuses on Eid-al-Adha (celebrating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son). The themes center on the spirit of generosity, stresses that surface with large family gatherings, Shia-Sunni differences, challenges of wearing a hijab, and the diversity of customs related to Eid celebrations. Stories seamlessly incorporate blended and new traditions that arise from families that bring multiple cultures together.

While the stories are intended for middle school readers, adults would enjoy them as well. Recommended for readers who would like an insider’s perspective on Eid celebrations.


The Girl with the Louding Voice: A Novel

A stunning debut from Abi Daré, The Girl With a Louding Voice tells the traumatic story of a 14-year-old Nigerian girl, determined to overcome her wretched circumstances to achieve her lofty aspiration of becoming a teacher. Following her dear mother’s death, Adunni is forced by her father, desperate for money, to marry a man with two other wives and a handful of children, the oldest the same age as Adunni. One of the wives attempts to help Adunni acclimate to their cruel husband’s treatment. But a devastating event sends Adunni on the run for her life. Hoping to find safety, she only stumbles into another miserable trap: domestic slavery. The mysterious disappearance of the unpaid house-girl she replaced looms heavy over her, and the abuse she sustains while working in the home threatens Adunni’s ambition. But perhaps with the help of an unsuspecting friend, Adunni can finally acquire the western education to become a teacher that she’s always dreamed of.

Written in broken English, this first-person narrative is tedious to read at first; however, readers will eventually become acquainted with its cadence. Though incredibly bleak throughout, there are glimmers of hope that stand out as the true strength of the novel. Daré manages to highlight social grievances in a way that calls for action. It’s astonishing that this is Daré’s first book; hopefully there will be more.


Ballast Point Breakdown

A soiree at a club is suddenly interrupted by an uninvited party crasher. After a short argument with two guests, the woman lights herself ablaze. The conflagration runs its course throughout the club, word quickly spreads throughout the town. Rolly Waters is a musician who does occasional investigative work. He is soon approached by a young woman who tasks him with locating an individual. The young woman is connected to Rolly’s past, as she was friends with the woman who set herself on fire. Rolly knew her in his glory days when he was on the road to fame and fortune in a band. The road took a fork when Rolly was involved in a fatal car accident, which killed the lead singer of the band. Rolly benefited by a skillful defense from his lawyer, which led to Rolly doing some work for him as well as giving up the bottle. The new case threatens to open up old wounds. As Rolly initiates his query, he starts to draw attention from various corners of law enforcement. The missing person was a diver involved in a covert operation utilizing dolphins. The dolphin program is set to be closed down, the dolphins are to be utilized in a new amusement park. However, animal rights groups are descending on Ocean Beach, protesting the captivity and treatment of the dolphins.

The FBI gets wind of Rolly’s missing person case. They are overlapping connections between the missing diver, another local musician and the possibility of the animal rights group engaging in terrorism. Rolly runs afoul of bigwigs and musicians in his search. As he approaches people of interest, bodies start to fall. Danger creeps in on Rolly and others connected. Rolly desires answers and to extricate himself from the perils of the case, yet he feels compelled to see things to the bitter end. Atonement for past sins is his ulterior motive. Sometimes the past is better left in the rearview mirror.

Ballast Point Breakdown is a high-speed mystery that picks the reader up and never lets down. The protagonist is absorbing in his quest, worth following down the rabbit hole as questions and occasional dead ends pile up. The dialogue is snappy, evoking frequent laughs but also interspersed with the dramatic narrative wending its way. This is a book in the continuing series with lead character Rolly Waters, one that will make new fans and please the already familiar.


Boats Will Float

There are a lot of different kinds of boats, everything from canoes to tugboats, from fireboats to dragon boats, from sailboats to cruise ships and so many more. Each kind of boat has its own special purpose. Some speedboats pull kites that take people up in the air. Fishing boats drop nets to catch many fish. Tug boats help to guide big ships into port. And where there are boats, there are lighthouses and beaches and all kinds of sea life to be seen. There are even divers and a submarine deep in the ocean.

Author Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum has written a sweet text all in rhyme that will have little ones rocking to the perfect meter and guessing the coming rhymes. Illustrator Brett Curzon has filled every page with bright colors and lots and lots of fun details that will keep little eyes on the pages searching for all that illustrated fun. These drawings are the perfect complement to Rosenbaum’s cute text. This book is sure to become a fast favorite and will have youngsters pleading, “Read it again!”


Amazing Islands: 100+ Places that Will Boggle Your Mind (Our Amazing World)

There are thousands of islands on our planet — some very large, such as Greenland, and some not much bigger than several football fields. Each has its own unique flora and fauna, or an unusual history, or a different way of coming into being.

Readers (kids and adults alike) will be fascinated to discover some islands have one species reigning supreme, as the animal has no natural predators there. For instance, an island in China is overrun by venomous pit vipers, while one in Japan is overrun by cats.

There are several islands around the world that became prisons, each with an interesting history. There are even man-made islands, including floating islands in Peru made by the Uros people from reeds. There are island nations and island cities and more.

Each spread in the book tells the story of one to several islands and what is unique about the subject. All are illustrated with stylized illustrations in muted tones that indicate what one might see there. The back matter includes a glossary, a pronunciation guide, an index, and an extensive list of sources.

This is a book that will engender curiosity and further research, and it would make an excellent addition to any library.


Witchy Things

Another of Witch’s potions has gone horribly wrong, and Witch’s hair is now an awful fairy blue. Blue is meant for happy and good things, instead of a color that resembles things like ash, boogers, or blood. Too bad the only thing that Witch can do to make everything right again is to snatch a naughty child. When she spies a little boy playing with dolls in the park, she knows she has found the right child. Is he really the naughty boy that has stolen his sister’s dolls, or is he going to teach her a lesson in perceptions?

An unpredictable turn takes this book from another bad behavior witch to a truly delightful life lesson. Witchy Things will appeal to younger readers and will make them fall over in fits of giggles because of the witch’s silly antics and her angry exclamation: “stinking skunk farts!” Mariasole Brusa knows how to write to her exact audience, keeping a child’s attention throughout the entire book. Marta Sevilla’s simple, colorful illustrations are fun and engaging lending just the right amount of over-exaggeration needed for the story.


A New Chance

LOCAL AUTHOR

A New Chance is a remarkable tale of new beginnings, unlikely connections, and bright futures. Kevin E. Ready does an amazing job of character development and creating realistic military scenarios.

Ex-Army operative Mark Kelleher is on his way to a date with a girl he met in his online dating app when a drunk driver in a Ford truck on the Bay Area highway is headed right for Mark in his BMW. Mark has nowhere to go, and as the emergency team tries to get him out of his car with the jaws of life, there is a massive explosion. Mark screams as he burns to death.

Eighteen-year-old Naomi Donnelly has been in a coma for three months after finding herself in a situation that ended up with her swallowing several baggies of different narcotics. Those narcotics seeped into her system, and the nurses call her Sleeping Beauty, expecting her to pass at any time.

At the exact moment Mark dies in the explosion, Naomi wakes up with Mark’s memories. She remembers nothing about how she ended up in the hospital, and even as the medical staff monitor her vital signs and perform tests on her, there is no sign of her body deteriorating except for the fact that she is underweight after being in a coma for so long.

This is where I thought the book would take a supernatural or religious turn. But instead, the two characters seem to mesh seamlessly the more the story progresses. With Mark’s memories and Naomi’s gorgeous physical features, it's as if the perfect person has been created. Although this part of the book was very unrealistic, it sparked my interest, and I was very pleased when Naomi moves on to become a nurse and then enlists in the Army. Before enlisting, she meets Jesse who was also in the Army. They fit together perfectly, although they both have some very big secrets that they are keeping from one another.

A New Chance is filled with exciting military scenes while we follow Naomi as she uses Mark’s knowledge to become a super nurse. The description of warfare, battle scenes, and medical set-up were so realistic that it is obvious these details were collected firsthand by the author himself. These scenes were the most exciting parts of the book.

On the other hand, there were a few random parts where the author was describing something not hugely relevant to the storyline, and the dialogue seemed to drag on a bit. For example, when Naomi went to put things in a locker, she asks someone if the locker was taken, and so on and so forth. Or when Naomi and Jesse were sitting on the couch, there was a whole paragraph on the remote control and how Jesse turned the TV off and Naomi snuggled with him. I felt there were certain parts that could have been summed up a lot quicker.

Another thing that was odd was how Naomi and Jesse spoke to one another in the third person sometimes. Naomi would be talking to Jesse, and then she would say something like, “I see Jesse got a new car” or “I know this about Jesse.” Instead of saying the word you. It read very strangely in those parts.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I felt it was put together and planned out very well, had amazing characters, and was very exciting during the military scenes.


Cosas de Bruja (Spanish Edition)

Everyone has something about themselves that they wish to change. In Cosas de Bruja, the witch is unhappy with her “blue fairy” hair. Nobody will believe she is a witch with that appearance. She would much rather have a “blood red” or “snot green” color. When countless color-changing potions fail, the witch must find a different way to prove she can be witchy.

Mariasole Brusa most likely intended this book to appeal to younger children or any age novice Spanish readers such as myself. With the occasional help of google translate, this short picture book should be fairly easy to get through.

In the end, the witch realizes that her natural features are beautiful and she doesn’t need to prove her worth. An important lesson for all ages told along with funny and vivid pictures.


A Wave of Stars (Nubeclassics)

Dolores Brown, with illustrations by Sonja Wimmer

The sky darkens and rain begins to fall as Mimbi and Kipo suddenly realize the night is closing in on them. When the storm clears, the two glance up and discover a majestic moonbow resting above the horizon. They quickly transform from a beautiful white seal and an enormous, green sea turtle into mere humans. Though legend had foreshadowed this occurrence, they find themselves unprepared and fearful they will never return to their former selves. As fate has it, the two meet a kind and gentle fisherman who unveils the secret of their return to the sea.

A Wave of Stars is a high-quality picture book with an intriguing and creative storyline. It is sure to keep young children’s interest and is one they will want to read again and again, uncovering and sharing new insights and observations with each new read. The illustrations are strikingly gorgeous, illuminating each page with their vibrancy and colorful allure. The text is written at the second- or third-grade reading level but will undoubtedly appeal to a wider age range of children.


Echo North

When Echo’s father journeys to the city only to disappear, her life is turned upside down. Weeks pass with no sign of him before Echo runs away to the woods only to find her father half-frozen in the snow. To save him she strikes a deal with a white wolf: live in his castle for one year. The castle is falling apart, every room needing to be sewn together to keep from unraveling. Untold secrets unfold as she finds a library of mirrors and meets a mysterious boy named Hal. As the year ticks by, Echo is no closer to rescuing Hal or the wolf from enchantment, and if she doesn’t, Echo, the wolf, and Hal may be lost forever.

Echo North is a fantastic retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I love the characters; some are shallow but still intriguing, whereas others are relatable in different ways. The beginning was a little hard to get into because of the way it’s written, but later on in the book it makes since the way it’s told and I really liked it.


How to Hold a Grudge: From Resentment to Contentment-The Power of Grudges to Transform Your Life

In 2014, the writer Anne Lamott, in an essay in her book Small Victories, wrote about holding onto grudges and the power of forgiveness. I don’t know if the author was inspired by this essay, but it rings very familiar. Spoiler alert: of course, the author really can’t hold a grudge and struggles to find forgiveness. So, in that sense, this book reads like so many others. Chapter four is devoted to rating grudges as to their power. Similarly, there is a quiz at the end of the book for deciding if grudges are forgivable or not. Again, this reader could not relate to the questions. The scenarios seem very specific to the author and may not hold much relevance for the reader. In all, the book feels very personal to the author. This book has a very amusing premise, and this reader had hoped that the book itself would have been more humorous and relatable.


In his newest book, Daniel Mallory Ortberg brings characteristic humor and depth to his contemplation of gender and religion. Something That May Shock and Discredit You resists easy categorization, with satirical poems, moving personal essays, and thoughtful critical analyses fruitfully bumping up against one another. With an artful hand, Ortberg also brings a wide array of texts into conversation with one another, considering the Bible alongside the The Golden Girls and taking on the voices of both Marcus Aurelius and Regina George.

Ortberg’s skilled exploration of wide-ranging topics and genres results in a book that delivers delightful surprises again and again—one is never sure what cultural reference will next reveal itself as a jumping-off point for a funny or stirring reflection on Ortberg’s gender transition or his relationship to his faith. While I was most drawn to the sections of the book that reflected on literary texts or cultural figures I was already familiar with, Something That May Shock and Discredit You is never boring. Each page buzzes with Ortberg’s energy, humor, and perspective, conferring readers with the sense that deep meaning can be found even in things that are seemingly silly, archaic, or mundane.


Dragonslayer (Wings of Fire: Legends)

Dragonslayer is an adventurous story about how humans survive in a land full of dragons. The story follows the lives of three children as they grow up in a time where they have been taught to fear the dragons that fly overhead.

One girl's town tries to sacrifice her to the dragons but she escapes and forms an unlikely bond with a dragonet. Her brother returns home from a hunting trip to the news that his little sister has been captured by dragons and he makes it his mission in life to become a dragonslayer with the help of his older sister. Another girl from a different town, born the daughter of the well-known dragonslayer grows up in awe of the dragons that her town fears so much and wonders about her father and the treasure that he has hidden from everyone. Each child learns valuable lessons as truths unfold and they make their own destiny despite what others may think is best for them.

Dragonslayer is the perfect tale for anyone who enjoys the Wings of Fire series or who loves dragons. It is a Legends book, which helps to answer a lot of the questions left unanswered in the Wings of Fire series. This story gives you the perspective of humans during the time of dragons and makes you feel as if you could survive despite the dangers. As a fan of dragons myself, I could not put this book down. It is a definite "must read" for any dragon lover!


Snapdragon

Snapdragon is a great graphic novel! The characters are fun and their growth throughout the story is great to watch!

Snap is an awesome protagonist, determined, accepting, and protective of the people she cares about. Lulu’s character development is also amazing. I loved watching her find out who she wanted to be; she's so nice and friendly. The flashbacks from the past really help to connect the story, and the action scenes and world building are really well done. The comedy also makes the characters more relatable.

I can't say I’m a big fan of scary movies but I loved watching Snap and Lu watch them together in this book. And don't worry Snap, I’m sure your family will realize that you caught the casserole soon!


Binkle's Time to Fly

Sharmila Collins, with illustrations by Carolina Rabei

Since the beginning of his existence, as an itty-bitty egg, then a furry caterpillar, a magnificent cocoon, and at last a unique butterfly, Binkle has dreamed of flying. With deep despair, he quickly realizes his wings have unusual holes in them, are strikingly weak, and have a pale, unseemly hue. Even the ravenous, black crows think better than to eat him, for he will surely be nothing more than a mere scrap. However, when two cheery butterflies approach him offering to help, Binkle finds himself surrounded by silkworms and spiders who fortify his wings and bees who inject them with vibrant colors. With this unfailing aid and some courage of his own, he spreads his wings and at once begins to fly.

This is a gorgeously illustrated, heartwarming story that will touch the lives of many young children. It’s ideal for those who feel a little different than the rest as well as those who struggle with life-altering conditions. It’s a noteworthy resource as well for preschool and early elementary school teachers to use for creating empathy, community, and bravery in their students. Sharmila Collin’s story demonstrates that with perseverance, love, and assistance miracles are possible. Her daughter served as the inspiration for writing this endearing picture book because she lives with a chronic and debilitating skin disease yet exudes admirable hope and resilience.


This picture book is all about the people who tried to crack the mystery of monarch butterfly migration. Gardeners, scientists, and butterfly lovers were stumped as to where monarchs went in the winter. Why did they migrate?

Canadian scientist Fred is a prominent character in the book. He spent 30 years studying the mystery of the monarch. He drove all over the US with his research partner and wife, Norah. After placing an ad in the newspaper, Fred and Norah got help from a Spanish-speaking man named Ken. He traveled to Mexico and discovered the keys to unlocking the butterfly mystery.

If you want to learn more about this fascinating quest for knowledge, you’ll need to read Winged Wonders: Solving the Monarch Migration Mystery. The illustrations in this hardcover volume really tie the book together with a specific feel and color palette.

I recommend this story to nature lovers of all ages and anyone who has ever wanted to know how to help the butterfly population.


Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier

Jim Ottaviani, with illustrations by Maris Wicks

Astronauts is a graphic novel about famous female astronauts like Mary Cleave and Valentina Tereshkova and Sally Ride. Valentina was the first women in space. It talks about how hard it was for women to join the space program back many years ago. Women had to go through lots of crazy difficult tests to be accepted into the space program. A lot of it was unfair because men treated the women unfairly. They didn't think women were smart enough, strong enough, or good enough to be astronauts compared to men. The dedicated women had to keep trying and pushing and proving that they belonged in space along with men astronauts.

This is the first book I've read by Jim Ottaviani, but I am a big fan of Maris Wicks' illustrations and her books. The pictures help make the book read easier because there's some different stories going on the same time which make it a little confusing. This is definitely a very educational graphic novel about the true stories of some of the famous astronauts. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books about space and astronauts.


Every Second: 100 Lightning Strikes, 8,000 Scoops of Ice Cream, 200,000 Text Messages, 1 Million Gallons of Cow Burps ... and Other Incredible Things That Happen Each Second Around the World

A second is such a tiny moment in time, as every youngster knows, so what could possibly happen of any importance in that amount of time? Well, if one takes a true world view, it seems that quite a lot can happen in one second. While only one wedding happens every second somewhere in the world, two hundred thousand texts are sent and three million emails are sent. While only one airplane takes off every second, forty-seven thousand gallons of oil are extracted from the earth, but only one-third of an ounce of gold is taken. Kids will be fascinated to discover how much gas cows produce each second (it’s a HUGE number) and how much human poop piles up (also a pretty big number) and much more. This book will really put into perspective just how much impact humans have on the planet and also some of the amazing things nature does. Each page has some fun information overlaying a highly stylized illustration in muted tones, and each fun fact is just the sort of thing that will make youngsters want to know more, sending them off to the library or internet. This will be a great addition to any library.


Low & Slow Cooking: 60 Hands-Off Recipes That Are Worth the Wait

Each of these sixty recipes is thoughtfully and carefully composed to make sure layers of flavor marry during the long slow cooking of the ingredients. Although most don't take an extraordinary amount of time to prep, they are a labor of love where the pleasure comes from crafting a delicious. Some use an electric slow-cooker and a dutch oven. Either way, they all take a significant amount of time to actually cook. All the recipes are delicious, although very little here is vegetarian-friendly. Most of the dishes are meat-centric main dishes from Pot Roast or Chicken Tacos, to Brisket and Cassoulet. There are several recipes for soups and stews, several appetizers or party fare recipes, and even a few long-cooked desserts, like Chocolate Pots de Creme or Gooey Monkey Bread. Condiments and side dishes round out the fare. With a few exceptions, the ingredients can be easily found in a well-stocked supermarket, and instructions are clear and easy to follow. Each recipe is accompanied by a mouth-watering photo; while you wait for the slow cooking to do its work you can browse with pleasure and dream about your next creation.


Lying Bastard

"A life of quiet desperation examined with well-crafted cynicism, insight, and humor. This clever exploration of existential angst manifests in a character who epitomizes the axiom that those who can do and those who can’t teach. Margrave asks the question, 'Can one get by faking a purpose in life, and the corollary—is the idea of purpose in life fake?'"


A Leg in Oklahoma City

A Leg in Oklahoma City is a heart-wrenching story about a boy named Tris Killian who meets the love of his life and narrates the story about he about how he loses her. As he retells the story about the Amish girl who moved to California from Oklahoma, he refuses to give the reader her name. That is something that he keeps for himself. What we do know about her is that she has a duffel bag full of money she inherited, her parents and grandparents have passed away, and she lives inside a redwood tree. The chapters alternate between Tris telling the story of how he and his love met and became close in a short period of time and with chapters that described the death penalty being carried out for the man convicted of the Oklahoma City bombing. What I thought was interesting was how the tone of the story changed from chapter to chapter. The chapters that involved Tris and his girlfriend are full of love and tenderness and caring. The chapters that have to do with the death penalty and people who have come to witness it being carried out are full of hate and rightfully so because these people have also have lost their love ones to this horrible man.

One thing I like the most about this book was that there were not too many characters. It was very simple— much like the girl in the book who only need a handful of things to live and survive. I think this is what attracted Tris to her immediately. Her sweet demeanor made the story beautiful and innocent like a first true love would be. It was also the little details that made this book great, such as the chip in her tooth or the description of the art that she painted. Although the reader knows that something bad is going to happen, we don’t know exactly what or how Tris loses his love. We only know that it has something to do with the Oklahoma bombings.

Because the characters are in California, we can only make assumptions until Tris tells us what happened. This book is a page-turner that I could not put it down. It's a book that you could read over and over again because of the beautiful prose the author uses when describing the relationship between Tris and the girl. The author knows how to build up the climax of the story and, although we can feel the happiness of both Tristan and the girl, there is a sense of dread as the book comes to a close. But even then the reader hopes that there is some way or somehow the characters defeat the odds. This book was unlike any other book I've ever read. It was a love story, lessons learned, and the gathering of those who have lost.


The Great Rift: Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, and the Broken Friendship That Defined an Era

Friendships are defined by more than longevity. They are strong when they can weather turmoil. The friendship of Dick Cheney and Colin Powell seemed built to last but was frayed by ideological differences and bureaucratic warfare. The two men were on divergent career paths as Cheney buckled down after youthful indiscretions to work in government and Powell worked his way through the Army from scrappy beginnings. Their paths intersected during the second term of the Reagan Administration. Cheney would write the minority report of the Iran-Contra affair, while Powell took the position of national security advisor, which carried its own stigma in the wake of the scandal. The friendship began there but would blossom during George H. W. Bush’s administration, where Cheney was secretary of defense and Powell was chairman of the joint chiefs. The men were thoroughly in sync on policy and practice, but as they went their separate ways during the 1990s, a change set in that would have both men on opposing sides during the George W. Bush Administration.

The Great Rift is a thoroughly enjoyable narrative exploring the lives of two powerful men. The reader may know the end of the story going in, but the journey leading up proves fascinating. James Mann carves a niche in biography/history with his latest release, a book not to be missed this year.


A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz

This is a beautiful story of hope, love, pain, and most of all endurance. My favorite part was when Dita Kraus explains her job in the Auschwitz concentration camp working as the librarian there. Because she kept literature alive in such a foul place, Dita Kraus is my hero.

Kraus grew up in a fair, middle-class area, but that all changed. Jews weren’t allowed to do things like go to school and wear non-branded clothing. Dita was sent to the Terezín ghetto, where there was a lack of food. After Terezín, she was deported to Auschwitz, where her father died. Luckily, Dita was able to get a job working in the children’s school as the librarian.  She kept watch over the books and gave them to the teachers. After six months, she left her job to be taken to do hard labor like filling holes made from bombs and making bricks.  Her final destination was Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp where food was almost non-existent.  After liberation, Dita’s mother died. She later married Otto Kraus, who was a teacher in Auschwitz, and left the communist-ruled Czech Republic for Israel. Both worked hard to earn money for their growing family. All this work paid off in the end, and they were able to live happy lives together.

Everyone should read this book, and its sister novel,  The Librarian of Auschwitz . It is absolutely astounding what some people can go through and come out all the stronger for it.


Fire & Wine: 75 Smoke-Infused Recipes from the Grill with Perfect Wine Pairings

Explore the fine art of pairing wine with wood-fire smoking and grilling in, Fire & Wine.

Pitmaster Sean Martin and sommelier Mary Cressler elevate the art of backyard grilling into a level of sophistication that can be expected from any fine dining restaurant. This book is a one-stop guide for anyone truly interested in elevating their BBQ experience into a culinary work of art. With the proper foundation, readers will learn about equipment, cooking methods, grills, smokers, charcoal, and how to manage the heat of a perfect flame. Fundamental elements behind pairing the smoke-infused recipes with wine take a beloved flavor profile and elevate it by using the wine’s complementary and contrasting flavors along with its acidity and sweetness.

From first sight, the Grilled Cedar Plank Brie and Strawberry Balsamic Glaze leap off the page, while the Smoked Salmon Crostini will leave you craving a nice crisp chardonnay or sparkling wine.  Stunning, rustic style photographs grace the pages, displaying recipes that will make any reader want to delve right in.  Dip your fork into the perfect sauce, then take flight with “Birds on the BBQ,” while moving onto the “King Of Meat,” and “Porklandia,”, as well as seafood and vegetarian dishes. Whether you are craving pork belly burnt ends or delectable Grilled Scallops with Honey Butter, this book delivers it all.


Things Seen from Above

Sixth grade isn’t an easy time for anyone, but April is having a particularly hard time. Her best friend has changed a lot, but April really hasn’t changed at all. In an effort to escape the sixth-grade drama, she volunteers to be the Bench Buddy, a person whom kids can come to for companionship, during the fourth-grade lunch. Soon after April takes this on, a new volunteer, Veena, a recent immigrant from India and in fifth grade, joins April. They notice a pale boy who keeps to himself, dragging his feet through the woodchips on the playground. But they discover the shy boy, Joey Byrd, is actually making huge pictures that can only be appreciated from above. Everything changes.

Author Shelley Pearsall has found a most interesting set of characters to tell the story of some kids who don’t seem to fit in and one who has an unusual talent. Told in two points of view—April’s and Joey’s—this lovely story will speak to kids who see themselves as living on the fringes and help them to find their own strengths. The writing is beautiful and the story is compelling. Don’t miss this one.


When It Was Grand: The Radical Republican History of the Civil War

The birth of the Republican party in the mid-1800s came on the back of a fracturing of the Democratic party, which was being split along sectional lines, and the death of the Whigs. With few places available for people who were against slavery and who advocated for abolition, they needed a new place to go, which led to the formation of what would eventually become, in 1856, the Republican party.

This book looks at the more radical Republicans, although they did not get that name until after the Civil War, and the influence they had on the movement. All the characters were active in politics, albeit for other parties and political factions. They only really came together so they could find the strength to go against the slave-holding oligarchy.

Trying to tell this entire story in one book is almost impossible, as there are so many names, characters, and organizations spread across the North and parts of the South. LeeAnna Keith tries her best, but often gets bogged down in focusing on one specific part of the United States before moving on to another and, at times, completely ignoring large areas. Also, most of the book is not about the Civil War, but rather about the lead up to it, including Bleeding Kansas.


The Scapegracers (1)

Sideways Pike uses her unique skills to do magic tricks for other students, which catches the attention of three popular girls that pay her to do a spell at their party. Their town always gets into the Halloween spirit, and this year Sideways is getting more than she bargained for. Sideways and her three new friends form their own coven, which takes Sideways on an unforgettable journey as she discovers the value of friendship, tries to catch the attention of a mysterious girl, and fights to stay a step ahead of dangerous witch hunters.

Sideways has carved her place out as a witch loner that does magic tricks for other students until her whole life is shaken after the popular girls to do a spell for Halloween. She soon forms a bond with them that is built upon female empowerment, support, and encouragement to be true to themselves. The Scapegracers balances out the witch elements against the teenage angst through the carefree spirit of youth and the bond between the girls. Hannah Abigail Clarke presents a fun teenage tone through the girls' relationship as they plan parties, hang out, and get to know each other deeper than what's on the surface. The story weaves romance throughout as Sideways tries to catch the attention of the lovely Madeline who is a mysterious and alluring presence that keeps appearing in her life at unexpected moments. Clarke breathes new life into the supernatural genre, giving a new voice to teenage witches and shining a light on the growing pains of getting older and magic.


The Burden of Truth

Omar Ortega is an 18-year-old with a promising future. High school is soon to be a memory. A hitch with the Army guarantees him a trip away and some extra money to aid his struggling family. Omar looks after his younger siblings, as his mother works long hours. Omar has been working, setting aside money to help secure an apartment for his kin. One fateful night, all these plans are torn asunder.

Travis Jackson relocated from Wisconsin to Southern California with an eye toward climbing the police hierarchy. The early results haven’t been stellar, his work hours are brutal, and his wife is unhappy and oldest son is rebellious. Travis wants to serve the public and put the bad guys away. One day he is teamed with a new partner. A raid on budding gangsters proves fruitful, yet Jackson and his partner are lectured for moving too soon and spoiling a bigger bust. Omar and Travis are on a collision course, yet they possess no foreknowledge of this. A deadly shooting will tear into both of their worlds.

The opening salvo of The Burden of Truth rips into the reader's consciousness with intensity. The emotional roller coaster refuses to slacken as the tension-packed world inhabited by citizens and police officers clashes. The current climate provides an even more poignant backdrop for this harrowing novel. This is an excellent, moving story.