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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

Power where she could find it

Cover of Agrippina: The Most Extrao
A review of Agrippina: The Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World by Emma Southon

A bit ago I read Emma Southon's A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and loved the deep dive into how murder and assasination were viewed in ancient Rome. Not long after posting that review I heard another book mentioned in a podcast about Agrippina, a woman who was a descendant of Julius Caesar and a sister, niece, wife, and mother to three other emperors. It sounded intriguing so I put the book on hold and lo! It's also by Emma Southon. A happy surprise.

Dec 17, 2024

Something is brewing

Cover of The Unwedding
A review of The Unwedding by Ally Condie

Ally Condie had a major hit years ago with her young adult Matched trilogy, and has been a mainstay of the children’s and young adult lists since. The Unwedding marks her adult debut, an entry into the crowded thriller/crime field. Happily, The Unwedding is a winning effort, infusing one of the most traditional of crime sub-genres—the locked room mystery—with a subplot of grief and coping through tremendous loss.

Dec 16, 2024

This books will give you jiggles (joy and giggles)

Cover of Give Me a Snickle!
A review of Give Me a Snickle! by Alisha Sevigny

What do you get when you combine a snuggle and a tickle? That’s a snickle! And what do you get when you read Give Me a Snickle! by Alisha Sevigny? Just about the best feeling ever and the cutest board book around! This beautiful book pairs colorful photographs of babies and toddlers being cuddled by their loved ones with silly, rhyming, made-up words that describe different kinds of snuggles. Give Me A Snickle! is gorgeous and fun and captures the joy of snuggling. It is sure to delight little ones, ages 0-3, and their caregivers.

Dec 13, 2024

Sharing with love

Cover of Read Together
Read Together

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude and family so I'm really excited to share two new picture books especially for young readers ages 4-8 that combine these concepts to beautifully illustrate one of the oldest and most human arts of all: fixing something precious with the help of someone who loves you.

Dec 6, 2024

Never too much

Cover of Knockout
A review of Knockout by Sarah MacLean

All her life Lady Imogen Loveless has been told she's "too much". And given her interest in blowing things up and lack of interest in any of the things a "real" lady does, she's convinced that she'll always live up to her name and remain single. But that fact doesn't stop her from truly liking (and lusting after) Scotland Yard inspector, Thomas Peck. For his lights, while Tommy may at times be very frustrated by Imogen, he's also totally fascinated by her. The only way in which she's "too much", as far as he's concerned, is in her station - she's an aristocrat and he a commoner.

Dec 5, 2024

Watch out for the birds

Cover of The Midnight Feast
A review of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley

This richly detailed thriller starts with two hikers in the woods stumbling upon a dead body in an open cottage. A single black feather goes unnoticed at the death scene. This is an omen of more black feathers to come and the nightmare-inducing murders of crows that have been haunting me ever since. Full disclosure: I find crows unnerving in the best of times. The crows in this novel represent the absolute worst of times. I'll leave it at that.

Dec 4, 2024

Too Good to Miss - December 2024

Photo of Too Good to Miss books
New Titles

Every month there are new titles purchased for the Too Good to Miss collections at our libraries. If you're not familiar with TGTM (as we call it here in library-world), it's a special collection of popular books that are truly too good to miss. Some are new and popular titles, others are older titles that might not have had as much media attention as a bestseller or celebrity book club selection but are still great reads that deserve another look.

Dec 2, 2024

Murder at the club

Cover of The Bangalore Detectives C
A review of The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harin Nagendra

Kaveri Murthy has recently joined her doctor husband, Ramu, in Bangalore in 1921 India. And while Kaveri is happy with her new husband, she's chafing a bit under the watchful eye of her new mother-in-law and her expectations of what a "good" wife should be. Kaveri is smart and has dreams of continuing her education, but knows that much will depend on what her husband may allow. When Kaveri witnesses strange interactions at the club and a murder occurs directly after? Kaveri is determined to investigate.

Nov 26, 2024

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