Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth. Cold Light is an amazing book that takes readers for a dark ride. Primarily a mystery, Cold Light is also a psychological exploration into the minds and psyches of three British school girls. Lola is friends with a much more popular girl, Chloe, who often gets in trouble. Lola, also known as Laura, has to clean … Continue reading Cold Light by Jen Ashworth
Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
In this atmospheric and mythical work, a mother and daughter are fiercely attached and then violently separated. Sarah isolates Gretel from the rest of the world by raising her in a desolate riverboat community. Having almost no visitors, the two of them live in their own world and create their own language. Everything Under is … Continue reading Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
Spineless: the Science of Jellyfish by Juli Berwald
Spineless by Juli Berwald Spineless is a fascinating memoir about a woman obsessed with jellyfish. Berwald became enamored with the marine life after taking a course in Israel. Once she explored the Red Sea coral, Berwald was hooked. After having children, though, Berwald felt sidelined by her options. Though she faced many obstacles, Berwald's slippery … Continue reading Spineless: the Science of Jellyfish by Juli Berwald
Book Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Bi-racial January has always felt out-of-place and ignored by her beloved father, Julian, who is a field agent for Mr. Locke, head of the New England Archaeological Society. Julian travels the world looking for rare objects for his benefactor and boss yet he rarely spend time with his daughter. Lacking a father's love and support, … Continue reading Book Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow
Texas Great Reads
Butterfly Yellow: A Novel by Thanhha Lai This year the Texas Center for the Book chose Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai as a "Texas Great Read." Access to this book is available through January 16, 2020. Read the book by visiting this site, https://www.tsl.texas.gov/greatreadtexas Butterfly Yellow has won four major literary prizes: Cooperative Children's Book … Continue reading Texas Great Reads
Book Review: The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen
Joanna and her father, Sir Hugo, couldn't be more different. After his death, Joanna is startled to find a love letter to a woman in Italy. Intrigued, Joanna goes to San Salvatore in Italy, to discover more about her father's life. She knew he had crashed while serving in World War II but she had … Continue reading Book Review: The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen
Notable Large Print Books
Gemini by Carol Cassella Cassella is an M.D. so there are many accurate medical details given in this story about Jane Doe, the woman brought in to hospital after a hit-and-run. The novel moves back and forth fluidly between the present and the past. Eric and his girlfriend, the medical doctor treating Jane, want to … Continue reading Notable Large Print Books
Book Review: The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley
The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley is a retelling of Beowulf and a social critique of contemporary society. On many levels, it succeeds. Gated community residents label anyone who live outside their boundaries "monsters". Dana and her ancestors have actually lived on the mountain long before it was turned into a high-end suburb. After serving … Continue reading Book Review: The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley
Book Review: I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
This is a new memoir by novelist Maggie O'Farrell who lived through some horrifying experiences--seventeen brushes with death. Some are more chilling than others, like the time she met and almost succumbed to a serial killer. Other times were less dramatic like the time that she jumped off a harbor wall into the sea from … Continue reading Book Review: I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
Book Review: Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen
Readers who likes eccentric characters and strange twists of fate will love Harry's Trees. Oriana and Amanda live near the woods in the Endless Mountains area of Pennsylvania. Life is ordinary until Amanda's perfect husband and Oriana's perfect father dies. Dean dies sprawled out like a snow angel in a snowy field. His buddy, Ronnie, is … Continue reading Book Review: Harry’s Trees by Jon Cohen