Big Little Lies, a novel by Liane Moriarty; Reviewed by Pamela Felton | Jane Chapman is a young, single mother moving into a new community with her inscrutable little boy, hoping to start a new life. She leaves behind a hurtful past full of secrets that eventually unravel in the novel as she is taken under the wings of her new friends, Madeline and Celeste. But her past is not the only thing that unravels.
Lighthouse, by P.D. James, reviewed by Elliott Brack: “Starting to read a newly-purchased book, immediately the writing wasn’t interesting. The author didn’t keep me alert after a few pages. So I turned to a book I had for years, by the English mystery writer P.D. James. Immediately I was hooked with her ‘Lighthouse.’ “
Reviewed by Jennifer McQueen: Happy Money, nonfiction by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton
Happy Money explains how to get the best bang for your happiness buck by answering questions such as: Would you be happier spending money on an expensive car or a pricey vacation? Should you frequent expensive restaurants, or purchase a Roomba? Is time money? Should you volunteer, spend an extra hour at work, or go to the gym?
Nonfiction by Ruth Reichl Ruth Reichl, a world-renowned food critic and former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, needed a plan to effectively critique high-profile establishments in the biggest restaurant town in the world. If they knew she was coming, she would be treated as a queen with the best prepared entrees and service. The only way to get the real picture was […]
A novel by Ruta Sepetys reviewed by Darryl Woods: In 1939, the Soviet Union overran the Baltic States. Anyone suspected of being anti-Soviet — especially teachers, doctors, lawyers and former military members – were rounded up and placed in prisons. Their families were herded and packed into train cars like animals and sent to Siberian work camps.
Reviewed by Mike Nelson: I recently saw an Amazon Original Series called The Man in the High Castle. The alternative history angle intrigued me so I watched the first episode and was hooked.
A novel by Charles Martin: This book looks at how different people react to tragedies in their lives, yet it is very uplifting. A man who has an unexplained tragedy in his past meets a 7-year-old girl who is living a tragedy in her life now. However, the author makes us love these characters and ultimately come to root for them.
Fiction by David Mitchell: Slade House: A Novel is a follow-up to the 2014 novel, The Bone Clocks, and exists in the same magically realistic world. It is not necessary to have read the previous book because Slade House is neither a sequel nor prequel but simply tangential to the original story. — Reviewed by Kathy Sanders.
A novel by Sophie Perinot, reviewed by Darcy Coover: Opening in 1564, Médicis Daughter recounts the early life of Marguerite of Valois, the last surviving member of the French House of Valois.
Fiction by Octavia E. Butler: Parable of the Sower was written in 1993 and is considered a classic amongst lovers of realistic dystopian literature. There are no zombies, vampires or modern-day gladiator games; only the harsh reality of world order destroyed by greed.
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