Lisa Francine
A compelling mystery told in alternating time periods (2015 and 1822). In 2015, Kate goes home to Charleston, SC, after her mother's death to unlock unanswered questions from her family tree, and to continue research into the Denmark Vesey almost uprising of 1822. Thanks to Joy Jordan-Lake for illuminating a piece of American history that I was unaware of, and needed to know.
I received an advanced e-ARC from NetGalley.
McCauley's irreverent sense of humor about life, love, and living make me laugh out loud!
If you appreciated Emperor of Maladies...you will appreciate Jebelli's historical overview on Alzheimer's disease, and his humanity when sharing the stories of those who are living with the disease, and the caregivers who are taking care of their loved ones.
A new classic!
Windows has the sumptuous feel of previous picture book classics, such as Ezra Jack Keats.
I predict that Julia Denos will be a Caldecott winner someday!
Alice McDermott's precise prose and storytelling ability immerse you in this world: multigenerational, Catholic, Brooklyn, turn of the 20th century, nuns, a single mother, a suicide kept hidden, and more. Life is simple and complicated; McDermott reminds us with her characters, their relationships, and the history they are living, daily.
This high octane sequel to The Silent Corner is just as compelling, suspenseful, and unputdownable! Jane Hawk is a complex, fierce, intelligent, & athletic woman, mother, & widow. I wish for the next two in the series to be published speedily!
Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC.
An outstanding listen if you enjoy audiobooks. Adjoa Andoh is stunning with the variety of accents, and her ability to “become” each of the characters. What would happen to our world if woman were physically stronger than men? Read this dystopian present day classic to find out!
4.5/5 stars
“Only the most extraordinary circumstances can reunite the Birch Family for the holidays...”
The British Birch Family will be together, quarantined for 7 days, as the eldest daughter, Olivia has just returned from treating an epidemic in Liberia. Over the course of the week we experience the twists and turns of dysfunctional family relationships, awash with secrets, jealousies, misunderstandings, but also with humor and love.
Hornak's character development and dialogue kept me turning the pages. Looking forward to her next work of fiction!
Xiomara speaks her truth with passion, pizzazz, persistence, and personality! Powerful prose from beginning to end!
A serious of interviews transcribed into this small & powerful book. Much food for thought from the Honorable Dalai Lama XIV.
Hats off, once again to Katherine Applegate, and her ability to share some of the problems of the world with her young, and not so young, readers. Friendship, immigration, nature, and conflict are some of the themes in Wishtree, which Katherine tells with warmth, compassion, humor, and empathy.
The tagline for Feiwel and Friends (the publisher's of Wishtree) is: “Our books are friends for life” and Wishtree is destined to become a favorite book for life of many Applegate friends, both old and new!
A story about identity, race, culture, and finding your place and your home in the world! Perkins, once again, develops characters that you care about, and you hope will succeed in our complicated world.
4.5/5 stars
Thomas Mullen's follow up to Darktown is the intricately plotted Lightning Men which again takes place in the segregated Atlanta, Georgia of 1950. Melding the genres of mystery and historical fiction we follow the day in and day out police beat of “Negro Officers,” Lucius Boggs and Tommy Smith.
Multiple storylines/threads are interwoven in this police procedural:
How do Boggs and Smith effectively “police” when some white officers are members of the Ku Klux Klan?
How do Boggs and Smith support/protect black families as they start to move into predominantly white neighborhoods?
Additionally, Officer Denny Rakestraw, is back again as well, and dealing with brother-in-law Dale, who is a member of the KKK, whereas Denny has refused to be a member. Denny continues to struggle with how to help Boggs and Smith, without drawing too much negative attention to himself from his fellow white officers on the force.
Mullen's superior storytelling shows us the dignity of these first “Negro Officers” with the ongoing inequities they had to deal with in their jobs, and that moving towards “separate is not equal” took courage, persistence, and personal risk, and many would argue still does in 2019!
4.5: Annie Spence urges us all to read with her outrageous humor, accessible writing style, and expansive knowledge of books. Spence has me considering which books I would compose “love letters” or “breakup notes” for - and thinking of how many copies I will purchase for gifts this year! As Kirkus Reviews said, “A charming epistolary volume that begs to be read with pencil in hand.”