Reviews Alphabetically by Title
#NotYourPrincess
Charleyboy, Lisa
4.5 stars
A profound book about the Indigenous Woman experience by Native American women.
5th Avenue, 5 a.m.
Wasson, Sam
3.5 stars
Nonfiction about Audrey Hepburn and the making of Breakfast at Tiffany's. (mini review)
7-1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (The)
Turton, Stuart
3 stars
A fantastical, intriguing story as a man is given 8 days and 8 different host bodies to solve a murder in a gothic setting.
A Big Little Life: Memoir of a Joyful Life
Koontz, Dean
3 stars
A loving tribute by Koontz to his joyful dog Trixie after her death. (mini review)
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World
Fletcher, C. A.
4.5 stars
A dystopian story of a stolen dog and the adventures and hardships endured trying to rescue her.
A Christmas Carol
Dickens, Charles
3 stars
The classic story of Scrooge and his three spirits.
A Curious Beginning #1
Raybourn, Deanna
4 stars
Veronica Speedwell #1 in series: London 1800s. A feisty, outspoken, liberated heroine. A strong, emotionally damaged, mercurial hero. A cozy mystery with murder, lies and deception galore, scientific minds being challenged to solve a winding trail of clues.
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Kemmerer, Brigid
4.5 stars
A prince is cursed and goes on a killing spree once a year and can only be saved by true love.
A Ladder to the Sky
Boyne, John
2 stars
The story of an aspiring writer who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal. (mini review)
A Long Walk To Water
Park, Linda Sue
4 stars
Based on true, this middle grade story is of Salva Dut and his formative years during the Sudan war and how he survived.
A Memory of Violets
Gaynor, Hazel
3 stars
Set in London in the late 1800s, this novel tells the story of a young woman who gets a housekeeping job at a home that attempts to help the orphaned girls that sell flowers on the street corners. Part light mystery, part light romance.
A Murderous Relation #5
Raybourn, Deanna
4 stars
Set in Victorian London, this action packed murder mystery features the independent Victoria Speedwell.
A Time of Miracles
Bondoux, Anne-Laure
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.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Smith, Betty
3.5 stars
The classic coming-of-age story of a young girl in Brooklyn at the turn of the century.
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (The)
Alexie, Sherman
4.5 stars
A book to read in a day that explores some serious themes in a sometimes lighthearted way.
After the Flood
Montag, Kassandra
4 stars
Set in post-apocalyptic world of water, a woman faces dangers as she tries to find her oldest daughter.
All My Puny Sorrows
Toews, Miriam
3 stars
A story about sisters and the strong bond they share. One wants to end her life and the other wants to save her and give her a reason to live.
All the Light We Cannot See
Doerr, Anthony
4.5 stars
Set in WWII, it's two separate stories - one of a blind French girl and one of a German boy - their lives and how they cross during the war.
Amarillo Slim
Preston, Amarillo Slim
3 stars
A fascinating look at how Amarillo Slim became a renowned gambler, celebrities he knew, and the some of the history of gambling in Vegas. (mini review)
An American Marriage
Jones, Tayari
4.5 stars
A newlywed black couple in the south finds their marriage severely tested when the husband is falsely imprisoned for rape.
An Unkindness of Ghosts
Solomon, Rivers
2 stars
Aboard a spaceship a slave woman is trained by the ship's doctor and fights to learn about her mother. (mini review)
Anatomy of a Scandal
Vaughan, Sarah
3.5 stars
A courtroom drama set in the UK that revolves around three women - the prosecutor, the defense, and the victim - and the crime is rape by a high-ranking cabinet member.
Anne of Green Gables #1
Montgomery, L.M.
4 stars
A spunky orphan becomes part of a household and gradually everyone falls in love with her exuberant ways.
Arf: A Bowser & Birdie Novel #2
Quinn, Spencer
4 stars
An 11 year old heroine and her dog work to solve her dad's murder from years ago. (mini review)
Ask Again, Yes
Keane, Mary Beth
5 stars
Young love sidetracked by a tragedy that breaks up two families. Can forgiveness save them?
Ask and the Answer (The) #2
Ness, Patrick
4 stars
Todd and Viola finally get to Haven only to find the army there ahead of them. They are then drawn into the politics of trying to prevent war.
Beartown
Backman, Fredrik
5 stars
A small town that revolves around hockey deals with an accusation against their star player. (mini review)
Beautiful Mystery (The)
Penny, Louise
3.5 stars
Set in a monastery in remote Canada, this has all the elements of a locked-room mystery with the added interest of music.
Becoming
Obama, Michelle
4 stars
Her very personal autobiography covering childhood to leaving the White House.
Before She Knew Him
Swanson, Peter
3.5 stars
A thriller in which a woman becomes suspicious of her neighbor being a murderer, with plenty of twists. (mini review)
Before the Fall
Hawley, Noah
3.5 stars
Eleven people board a private jet flying from Martha's Vineyard to NYC. When the plane crashes into the ocean, only two survive.
Bibliostyle
Freudenberger, Nina
4 stars
A beautiful coffee table book celebrating home libraries and collectors. (mini review)
Binding (The)
Collins, Bridget
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?
Binti
Okorafor, Nnedi
3.5 stars
Sci-fi trilogy of novellas about a young woman who leaves Earth for another planet to attend University, makes friends, faces danger, and finds herself.
Black Sky (The)
Minneci, Timothy
2.5 stars
A debut novel set in a dystopian future with lots of action, chases, escapes, and close calls as a man tries to survive the wastelands.
Blue (The)
Clarke, Lucy
3 stars
Adventure and danger find two young women who sign on to help crew a yacht. (mini review)
Blue Heaven
Box, C.J.
4 stars
Bad cops, a rancher with a good heart, the wilds of Idaho, and two kids on the run. (mini review)
Bluebird, Bluebird #1
Locke, Attica
4 stars
A black Texas Ranger deals with personal issues while trying to solve the racially charged murders of a black man and white woman.
Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (The)
Richardson, Kim Michele
5 stars
An impressive story about the Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky full of emotion, a strong female protagonist, and so evocative of a place and time.
Bookman's Tale (The)
Lovett, Charlie
3.5 stars
After a man's wife dies he finds meaning in life by finding a book potentially belonging to Shakespeare.