Jenny Ashcroft's Under the Golden Sun swept me off of my feet and back to 1940s England and Australia. I was completely absorbed by the story, and simply couldn't put it down. Traumatized by the war and her own personal tragedies, Rose isn't looking for any more life-changing experiences. Yet when she sees the ad [...]
Caroline Brooks DuBois's The Places We Sleep is an evocative middle grade book written in verse. Abbey is, once again, the new girl. This time, her family isn't living on base. As she adjusts to a new house, a new school, and new potential friends, her world is rocked by the September 11, 2001 attacks. [...]
Though the main review contains no spoilers, there will be a section with a trigger warning well-marked below. Imogen Clark’s Reluctantly Home was an emotional roller coaster that pulls you in from the first moment and doesn’t let go. Pip is recovering from a traumatic incident that sends her reeling. To help with her recovery, [...]
When Stars Rain Down swept me off my feet. Angela Jackson-Brown's words captured my heart right away, making this book thoroughly in-put-down-able. A heart-racing plot, relatable characters, and a beautifully described setting make this novel one I won't soon forget. The voice is engaging and pulls you in right from the start. You can hear [...]
While working as a bookseller over a decade ago, I stumbled across a beautiful cover that evoked childhood memories and tugged at my heart. Yes, I know; we aren't meant to judge books by their covers. But we all do, don't we? I knew I needed to give this book a home, so I tucked [...]
Barbara O'Neal's books always have 3 things in common: strong women discovering who they are and where they belong; the value of friendship; and a lovable pet who makes the tough things in life a little easier to bear. The Lost Girls of Devon includes these themes in the best of ways. While When We Believed [...]
Fredrik Backman's writing first captured me with My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry, and I've since read nearly all of his work and am equally enamored with each moving piece of fiction. His latest novel, Anxious People, is due out September 8, 2020 from Atria. Net Galley and Atria provided me with an advanced copy [...]
Way back in 2008, I was working at Barnes & Noble and found myself in the mystery section. Now, back in those old days I didn't really stray from my general fiction section. The mystery covers were often, quite frankly, terrifying. While we all say the adage don't judge a book by its cover, I often [...]
Author Katherine Center grabbed my attention with Things You Save in a Fire. She has a knack for thoroughly developed characters, and her latest novel is no exception. Both the characters and the world they inhabit are impeccably crafted. Maybe too well, as it sent me virtually house hunting in Galveston! It may or may [...]
What if one fact could turn your entire world upside down? The Sweeney sisters, still reeling from their esteemed author-father’s death, find themselves in this very situation upon their discovery that there is a fourth sister out there. Well, half sister. But this family doesn’t do anything by halves. With a big cast of characters, [...]
Paw Prints in the Sink 