Ancestral Night
Ancestral Night by Elizabeth Bear
Haimey Dz works on the “tugboat” Singer, a sentient AI spaceship, along with her shipmate Connla and their two cats. What should have been another routine job towing a derelict spacecraft turns out to be something much stranger. They discover a giant artifact belonging to a long-dead race of aliens called the Koregoi. Deciding to dock with the artifact and investigate, Haimey inadvertently becomes infected with a virus. She soon realizes that the virus allows her to feel the contours of space-time and dark matter, allowing her to navigate thr...
The Tattooist of Auschwitz
The Tattooist of Auschwitz, written by Heather Morris, is a testament to the strength that the human spirit can endure during times of tragedy. Lale Sokolov is an educated, multi-lingual, Jewish Slovakian man who loves his family. In 1942, he is told that if he wants to keep the rest of his family safe, he must board a train and head for a work camp. He would do anything for his family so he does as he is told and ends up in the concentration camp known as Auschwitz-Birkenau. He is immediately sent to work to help raise other buildings in the camp so that they can house more prisoners and e...
Home Again
Heartwood Hotel: Home Again by Kallie George
Recommended for ages 7-10
I recently discovered a wonderful book series called Heartwood Hotel. The one I enjoyed most was the recent one, Home Again, by Kallie George.
Mona mouse has had quite a few adventures with the hotel staff where she now resides. She’s a kind and gentle soul with a penchant for bravery. Though the staff has become her family, she still longs for some kind of knowledge of the one she’s never known. During a dry summer, a wedding, and a hotel full of guests, dangerous conditions ...
Her One Mistake
Her One Mistake
By Heidi Perks
What should have been a fun-filled, carefree day takes a tragic turn for Charlotte when her best friend Harriet’s child goes missing while in her care. Harriet is so devastated that she can’t even look at Charlotte. The police are practically living with Harriet and her husband Brian while they search for any leads on the little girl who seemingly disappeared into thin air. But, as the plot unfolds, dark secrets come to light and things may not be as they seem for Charlotte or Harriet. Harriet may soon need to turn to ...
Stuck in Manistique
Stuck in Manistique By Dennis Cuesta
A reluctant innkeeper keeps acquiring guests he just can’t get rid of in this warm and funny story set in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
When Mark inherits his estranged aunt’s Victorian home in Manistique, he takes what he thinks will be a quick trip north to make arrangements to sell it – but no sooner does he arrive, than people start turning up on his porch looking for rooms for the night.
Unbeknownst to Mark, Aunt Vivian ran her home as a bed and breakfast – and she had booked a season full of guests. Mark knows nothing ab...
Blended
Blended by Sharon M. Draper
Recommended for ages 8-12
Isabella is an 11- year-old bi-racial child that is dealing with many social issues and middle school problems. On top of all that her parents have decided to get a divorce. She begins to split time between two households which starts to make her wonder where does she really fit in? Isabella begins to uestion her racial identity. Switching between houses to her feels like she has to switch identities. The book ends with a shocking incident that occurs due to a racist encounter. Isabella and her brothe...
That Churchill Woman
That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron
That Churchill Woman is a deep dive into the society lives of American and English ladies in the late 19th and early 20th century. Our main character is one Lady Randolph Churchill, the American born socialite mother of Winston Churchill. Jeanette, or Jennie as she was known was a beautiful and magnetic woman. This fictionalized account is supported by real events and characters and offers a stunning glimpse into her life, her loves, and her triumphs. She was much more than a wife and a mother. The c...
Lost Lake
Lost Lake written by Emily Littlejohn is a fast paced thriller that is a true whodunit. Four campers decide to camp near the ominous Lost Lake; when the campers wake the next day, one of the campers has vanished. Sari Chesney had a lot going for in life, or so it seemed, so why would she vanish into thin air? Is it foul play or just someone walking away from their past? Detective Gemma Monroe is assigned to the case and as she starts to look for clues to figure out what happened to Sari, a relic at the museum Sari worked at is stolen. Then Sari’s boss, Betty Starbuck, is murdered. Is D...
Force of Nature
Force of Nature by Jane Harper
Force of Nature is about a corporate team-building retreat gone wrong. Ten employees are signed up with “Executive Adventures” to take a three day hike through the Australian bush. There are two groups of five men and five women going, including the president of the family run company and his sister. The men make it to the ending point half an hour early. Hours later, only four women limp back. What happened to Alice?
The chapters alternate between the women’s experiences each day and Federal Agent Aaron Falk, who is inves...
Devil's Day
Devil’s Day by Andrew Michael Hurley
As he does every year around harvest season, John Pentecost is returning to his hometown of the Endlands, a remote farming community in England. This year, he is drawn home earlier than usual when he gets word that his grandfather, the “old Gaffer,” has passed away. Accompanied by his pregnant wife, Kat (who is seeing his hometown for the first time), he finds himself yearning for the rhythm of small-town life. But the rhythm is strange; the land is cold and cruel, and the people are odd. No one believes in God in the Endlands, but they all bel...
The Late Bloomers' Club
The Late Bloomers' Club by Louise Miller
Nora Huckleberry has always tried to be responsible. After her parents died, she took over the running of the family diner in Guthrie, Vermont. She keeps watch over her impulsive younger sister and stays friends with her ex-husband. She doesn’t need the burden of taking over a cake baking business or paying off other people’s creditors, but that’s exactly what happens when her former neighbor lady dies unexpectedly and leaves Nora an executor of her estate.
It turns out no one knew Guthrie’s “cake lady,” Peggy Johnson, as well as ...
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia
Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia is book with a lot of secrets. Dark secrets that are cleverly revealed throughout this gripping thriller set in Minnesota’s boundary waters. The characters are compelling and the scenery is breathtaking. The story follows Lucas Blackburn, a recently returned from the missing young man looking for help in a society that he does not understand. Maya Stark is a speech therapist assigned to help him communicate with a past of her own. They find a voice together and work to piece together the...
The Book of Essie
The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir
The Book of Essie is the debut novel for Meghan MacLean Weir. The story is based on a teenage girl’s life. The girl has been part of a reality TV series her entire life, as her parents showcase their ultra conservative Christian lifestyle and an abundance of kids. As the story moves along we discover that all that is shown on the screen isn’t the case for Essie. When Essie ends up pregnant the family’s first concern is their image to the public and how to deal with this unplanned pregnancy. Should they have the baby aborted, pass it o...
Trail of Lightning
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Maggie Hoskie just wants to be left alone. Unfortunately for her, monsters are running around chewing people’s throats out, and they don’t particularly care about what she—or anybody—wants. The needs of the people living on her reservation drag her out of her ennui, calling on her to do what she does best: slay monsters, both human and otherwise. Summoning the powers of her clan ancestors, she can kill with superhuman speed and agility. Maggie meets a sexy, charismatic man named Kai, reluctantly accepting him as a partner as they wander a po...
The Woman in the Window
The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn
Thirty-eight-year-old Anna Fox is the focus of this gripping novel. As the story begins to unfold, we learn that Anna lives alone in a three-story home in uptown Manhattan. At the beginning of the story, we don’t know why Anna has “chosen” this solitary life, as she speaks with her eight-year-old daughter and husband frequently. As Anna reaches back into her past we learn that there was a defining moment for her and her family that led to Anna’s agoraphobia and depression leading to her attempt at healing herself. She is phobic of going outside, ...