Jane’s Pick: The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton I really liked this tale of liminality. It is in the new genre I love: end of days speculative fiction with a touch of the magical and a message that is both depressing and hopeful – (examples: Station Eleven, Leave the World Behind, The Displacements) The Light…
Category: Fiction
Reprieve
Jane’s Pick: Reprieve by James Han Mattson Quigley House is an escape room designed like a haunted house – the twist is that it is full-contact – the actors, dressed in horror costumes interact and menace the contestants. Contestants are paired in groups of 4 and must use teamwork to get through all 6 cells…
The Swimmers
Jane’s Pick: The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka This book surprised me – I began the book thinking it would be a quirky book about a community swimming pool. And it is for a while, but then the book shifts to the personal and becomes a heartbreaking, poignant story about a mother fading into dementia and…
Sharpe’s Assassin
Bob’s Pick: Sharpe’s Assassin by Bernard Cornwall It’s been a number of years since the last book was written about Richard Sharpe. With over twenty books dedicated to his exploits with the British army during primarily the Napoleonic Wars, he is undoubtedly one of the most documented people in fictional history and if anything else,…
The Orchid Farmer’s Sacrifice by Fred Yu
Bob’s Pick: The Orchid Farmer’s Sacrifice by Fred Yu Sorry, no helpful tips on growing orchids are in this book. Think more about Ancient China, presumably about the third century A.D.. This period of time is often referred as the time of the three kingdoms and five “tiger” generals. It was a very tumultuous time…
This Poison Heart
Rebecca’s Pick: This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron Okay, I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for a beautiful book cover! Briseis, who we quickly learn is adopted, lives with her moms in Brooklyn. They own a flower shop, which is convenient as Bri has a proclivity for plants…. Alright, it’s more than that. She’s…
The Eagle’s Claw
Bob’s Pick: The Eagle’s Claw by Jeff Shaara What hasn’t been said about the Battle of Midway? It is one of the most studied and analyzed battles of WWII. It was the key battle of the war in the Pacific that halted the advance of the Japanese Empire, protected Hawaii and America’s west coast, and…
Arsenic and Adobo
Bob’s Pick: Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manansala Mabuhay! or Welcome! to the first of a series of murder mysteries collectively known as the “Tita Rosie” series. Ms. Manansala introduces us to a world involving a Filipino community living in Shady Palms, a suburb just outside the city of Chicago. The main character of the…
The Bad Guys
Rebecca’s Pick: The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey Straying a little from my usual picks I give you: The Bad Guys. Is it a children’s graphic novel? Yes. Are there fart jokes? Yes, lots. But, stick with me, this is a fun one that adults can enjoy – with or without kids! Just because a…
Mary Jane: a novel
Cori’s Pick: Mary Jane: a novel by Jessica Anya Blau Today I offer the third installment of summer Beach Read Season 2021! I’m switching it up a bit with this recommendation in that it’s not a romance, but a coming-of-age story that I completely fell in love with. It transported me to a decade that…
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