A Young Adult novel by Elizabeth Wein This YA title is the follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Code Name Verity, but familiarity with that book is not necessary to enjoy this one. To be honest, the ongoing exposition at the beginning of this World War II novel is a little taxing, but there is a pay-off for those who stick with […]
Reviewed by Delores Schweitzer: “Hamilton, winner of 11 Tony awards, is the hottest show on Broadway and has generated phenomenal interest in the Founding Fathers, as reinterpreted for modern day America. With show tickets near-impossible to come by, it’s nice to know you can experience the history, culture and music of Hamilton at your local library. “
Reviewed by Maggie Mohr: “A Head Full of Ghosts,” by Paul Tremlblay: The Barretts are a family of four who live in suburban New England. When 14-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia and resulting medical treatment is ineffective, the family turns to a local Catholic priest for help.
Reviewed by Lindsay Clark: “Jane Eyre meets Dexter in this darkly humorous crime novel inspired by Charlotte Bronte’s classic. Jane Steele, orphaned as a child, struggles with guilt over becoming a “murderess” several times over, beginning with the accidental death of a predatory male cousin.’
Hoyt Tuggle: This is a brilliantly poignant personal essay on the plight of poor working class whites, the Scots-Irish of Appalachia and the Rust Belt. Experience through Vance the migration of “hillbillies” from Appalachia to the booming factories of the Midwest during WWII and the years following.
Reviewed by Sarah Burriss: Disrupted is hilarious and scary in equal measure. Dan Lyons, former technology editor of Newsweek, is summarily let go from his position after decades in journalism. Over 50 and professionally adrift, Lyons decides to hop on the start-up train and joins software company HubSpot. During a painful year, Lyons learns that it’s not a train so much as a dangerously precarious bubble he’s boarded.
Reviewed by Helen Walker: “There are so many self-help and advice books out there that it is difficult to choose which one will actually help. Byron Katie’s book, Loving What Is, introduces and explains “The Work,” a series of four questions that helped free Katie from her suffering.
Reviewed by Michel Hammes: The Secret Keeper, a novel by Kate Morton. The Secret Keeper is one of those hidden gems you can find when you peruse the library stacks.
Reviewed by Darryl Woods: The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, by Vivek J. Tiwary
Settling the debate, Paul McCartney once said “If anyone’s the fifth Beatle, it’s Brian Epstein.” This graphic novel explores, in vivid color, the life of the man who is the subject of the song “Baby, You’re a Rich Man.”
Reviewed by Jennifer Lively: Sarah Vowell’s latest work, Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, published last fall, quickly found an audience among readers whose daily lives have been inundated with stories regarding the Founding Fathers. From the latest Broadway sensation, Hamilton, and talk of changing the face on the $20 bill, to patriotic bellows seeking to “make America great again,” the country’s revolutionary lore is seemingly at an all-time high.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina! (2019) by editor and publisher Andy Brack offers incisive commentaries on the American South, politics, the common good and interesting South Carolina leaders. Available exclusively for Kindle for $7.99. A paperback version will be ready soon. Learn more.
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