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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

The play's not the thing

Cover of The Appeal
A review of The Appeal by Janice Hallett

I started this novel with not much information. I thought the title referenced a legal appeal, and there is one on deck here, but it also references an appeal for money in a fundraising campaign for a child with cancer. A couple of junior attorneys are tasked with looking back at the epistolary record of a case (emails, letters, texts, etc) and determine if there is an argument for a legal appeal.

Jul 28, 2022

The other Kennedy

Cover of Kick Kennedy: The Charmed
A review of Kick Kennedy: The Charmed Life and Tragic Death of the Favorite Kennedy Daughter by Barbara Leaming

Very interesting look at the life of Kathleen Kennedy. I knew her name but that was about all before I started reading this biography on the recommendation of a friend. Kick and her brother Joe Jr. had a lot in common as favorites of their father Joseph Kennedy, they both had in many ways a silver spoon existence with a lot given to them materially and in status. But along with that came the pressure to live up to their father’s expectations, and yet somehow also establish themselves as individuals. And World War II gave them both the chance to do so.

Jul 26, 2022

The oldest of five daughters

Cover of Amal Unbound
A review of Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

Amal is the smartest student in her Pakistani village with the best grades, highest scores, and a desire to become a teacher. Her family is in crisis after the birth of a fifth daughter and Amal struggles to care for her younger sisters, complete homework, and help around the house while her mother recovers. Well aware of how she's treated differently because she's a girl, Amal wants another kind of life for herself. She misses school and her classmates and especially her best friend, Omar.

Jul 25, 2022

Be careful what you wish for

Cover of Nothing But the Truth
A review of Nothing But the Truth by Holly James

The night before her thirtieth birthday Hollywood publicist Lucy Green is waiting for her boyfriend, again, when the bartender offers to make her a special cocktail. As she takes her first drink Lucy makes a wish for a perfect birthday - perhaps on which her boyfriend will finally propose. Little does she know that that wish will upend her entire life. She wakes the next morning and soon realizes that she's not able to lie. What's a publicist, who lies pretty routinely for her very sensitive and temperamental clients, to do?

Jul 22, 2022

One more gig

Cover of Kings of the Wyld
A review of Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

Kings of the Wyld has a Band of old, fat and worn out men getting together for one last tour. Only this is a band of mercenaries once known as Saga and the tour is a trek across the realm battling monsters, magicians, crooks and other mercenaries along the way. Their quest? Defeat a horde of thousands of monsters to reach a besieged city and rescue the daughter of one of the members. Easy, peasy, right?

Jul 7, 2022

Scary summer thrills and chills

Cover of The Girl in the Lake
A review of The Girl in the Lake by India Hill Brown

Are you looking for a great summer ghost story for middle grades? I highly recommend The Girl in the Lake. Celeste, her younger brother Owen, and their cousins Daisy and Capri are invited to spend several weeks at their grandparents' lake home where the water is murky, the weather is stormy and tensions are high. Without giving too much away, there's a haunted house, a family mystery, a spooky lake and enough summer thunderstorms to send anyone hiding under the covers.

Jul 5, 2022

Through the eyes of love

Cover of I am Golden
A review of I am Golden by Eva Chen

Written and illustrated by Chinese-Americans whose parents came from China and raised them in the United States, I am Golden celebrates the heritage behind the Chinese-American experience. With poetic language and colorful, captivating imagery, Mei's story is shared with us through the eyes of her immigrant parents. This is a loving, encouraging book with additional photographs and backstories about the author and illustrator at the end.

Jul 1, 2022

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