Reviews Alphabetically by Author
Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem
Mycroft Holmes
4 stars
Sherlock Holmes' older brother and his best friend face danger when they travel to Trinidad to solve a mystery.
Addario, Lynsey
It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War
3.5 stars
An unflinching look at a photojournalist's life as she tries to navigate career and personal life.
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
Purple Hibiscus
4 stars
A young woman in Nigeria becomes an activist to try to save her village from a US oil company and their destruction of her tribe's land.
Adiele, Faith
Meeting Faith: The Forest Journals of a Black Buddhist Nun
4 stars
The personal journey of a black woman who grows up in small town Washington and ends up becoming an ordained Buddhist nun.
Albanese, Laurie Lico
Stolen Beauty
4 stars
Historical fiction told in two timelines; Gustav Klimt and his muse at turn of the century and a woman and her family at the beginning of WWII.
Alexie, Sherman
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (The)
4.5 stars
A book to read in a day that explores some serious themes in a sometimes lighthearted way.
Anderson, James
Never-Open Desert Diner (The)
4 stars
A quiet book about a long distance trucker delivering to remote people along a highway in Utah; he meets a mysterious woman and his life changes.
Aveyard, Victoria
Red Queen #1
3.5 stars
YA fantasy standard story of enslaved race rebelling against ruling class - a young girl love triangle, politics, special powers, and more.
Backman, Fredrik
Beartown
5 stars
A small town that revolves around hockey deals with an accusation against their star player. (mini review)
Baldacci, David
One Good Deed
3 stars
A parolee takes on what seems to be a simple debt collection job and finds himself a suspect for murder. (mini review)
Barclay, Linwood
Stone Rain
4 stars
A reporter gets caught up in a mystery when a good friend goes missing and he actually becomes a suspect. (mini review)
Barclay, Linwood
Elevator Pitch
4.5 stars
A thriller where the elevators of New York are being sabotaged. (mini review)
Bardugo, Leigh
Ninth House
5 stars
Magic and ghosts, a plucky teen heroine, and murder on the Yale campus.
Barker, J.D.
She Has a Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be
4 stars
Astonishing, creative story of a boy who meets a girl and follows their unique 'relationship' through the years.
Barry, Dave
Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs
4 stars
A funny collection of listener comments about the "worst" songs.
Barry, Dave
Lessons From Lucy
4.5 stars
As humorist Dave Barry turns 70, he turns to his dog Lucy for an example of how to live a happy life - he talks about his dog's influence on him and the changes he's made in his life as a result of her gentle guidance.
Barton, Fiona
Widow (The)
3 stars
Set in the UK, a man is accused of abducting and killing a little girl. Does his wife know what really happened?
Bauerschmidt, Tim
Driving Miss Norma
3.5 stars
A 90 year old woman diagnosed with cancer takes an epic road trip instead of treatment. (mini review)
Beagle, Peter S.
Last Unicorn (The)
4.5 stars
Told in a fairy tale style, this lyrical and haunting fantasy is about a unicorn leaving her magical world and searching the 'real' world for more of her kind.
Beanland, Rachel
Florence Adler Swims Forever
3.5 stars
A hurtful tragedy, family secrets, a little romance, and friendship make this book a good read.
Bleeker, Emily
What It Seems
3.5 stars
A young woman escapes an abusive situation and tries to find herself while working with a YouTube family.
Bondoux, Anne-Laure
A Time of Miracles
3.5 stars
Upper middle grade story of a boy and his mom trying to leave war-torn Russia for a safer life with all the trials and tribulations of a perilous journey.
Box, C.J.
Open Season #1
4 stars
Award winning first book with a game warden who discovers and solves a murder. (mini review)
Box, C.J.
Blue Heaven
4 stars
Bad cops, a rancher with a good heart, the wilds of Idaho, and two kids on the run. (mini review)
Boyne, John
A Ladder to the Sky
2 stars
The story of an aspiring writer who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. (mini review)
Burton, Jeffrey B.
Finders (The)
4 stars
A man who trains cadaver dogs and his newest trainee dog become embroiled in a murder. (mini review)
Butcher, Jim
Storm Front #1
4 stars
The first of a long running series of magic creatures and a wizard detective that is funny and smart. (mini review)
Buxbaum, Julie
Tell Me Three Things
3 stars
A YA story about a young girl's family changes & a move to CA where she doesn't fit in, until she makes a friend. (mini review)
Cameron, Bill
Lost Dog
4 stars
A quickly paced novel about an 'average Joe' gets caught up in a murder investigation. (mini review)
Cameron, W. Bruce
Dog Master: A Novel of the First Dog (The)
4 stars
Historical fiction set in time of early tribal man and how one man befriends a wolf and it changes things forever.
Card, Orson Scott
Ender's Game
5 stars
A sci-fi story about a little boy who is sent to pilot school, then command school, training to run the fleet when the alien invasion occurs.
Center, Katherine
Things You Save In a Fire
3.5 stars
A female firefighter has to move to Boston to care for her ailing mom, learn to fit into a new station house, fight and attraction to a rookie, and come to terms with her past.
Chamberlain, Diane
Pretending to Dance
3 stars
As a couple is trying to adopt, a woman struggles with her past and her own adoptive mom. (mini review)
Charleyboy, Lisa
#NotYourPrincess
4.5 stars
A profound book about the Indigenous Woman experience by Native American women.
Clarke, Lucy
Blue (The)
3 stars
Adventure and danger find two young women who sign on to help crew a yacht. (mini review)
Coates, Ta-Nehisis
Water Dancer (The)
4.5 stars
A powerful story told in the first person about slavery and the underground railroad and strong family ties, all with a splash of magic.
Cohen, Jon
Harry's Trees
5 stars
After his wife dies a man finds his way back to the world with the help of the woods, a little girl, and her treehouse.
Colgan, Jenny
Bookshop on the Corner (The)
4 stars
A book about the love of books and the desire to match everyone with their perfect book is the basis for this charming story. This is the story of how a librarian becomes a literary book matchmaker.
Collins, Bridget
Binding (The)
4 stars
Part historical fiction, part magical realism, this book has an unusual premise....book binders exist to capture your worst memories into a book. And then you no longer have them. Is that a good thing?
Constantine, Liv
Last Mrs. Parrish (The)
3.5 stars
A devious, manipulative social climber insinuates herself into a couple's marriage with the goal of stealing the husband.