He may have died in 2015, but Terry Pratchett’s spirit lives on in more than seventy of his books. His feel-good novels consistently advocate not only for the underdog, but the under-troll, the under-gremlin, the poor, the powerless, and the downtrodden. His stories and novel-series create new worlds and even […]
The Piper: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Story, by Charles Todd
Charles Todd’s Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery Series guides readers across early twentieth-century London, the English countryside, and occasionally on trips to the continent. Readers observe as Scotland Yard’s ace investigator solves the cases everyone else finds impossible. Wherever Rutledge goes, Hamish MacLeod is sure to follow. Normally, Todd offers Rutledge […]
Before the Fall, by Noah Hawley
This #1 National Bestselling novel begins as Flight 613 lifts off the tarmac. Serious concerns plague more than half the travelers—concerns they set aside until after the hop from Martha’s Vineyard to Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Sixteen minutes later the plane crashes, leaving only two passengers alive: JJ, the four-year-old […]
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, by Elizabeth Kolbert
Elizabeth Kolbert’s journalistic style offers an exciting and thorough case study of humanity’s impact on life, and the likelihood that human behavior may extinguish all earthly life, including human life. Not one to research in dusty museums, Kolbert meets the current extinction experts in the ecological hotspots that serve as […]
6 Dates to Disaster, by Cynthia T. Toney
Life can be horribly unfair, especially if you are a teen. Or so you may think. Sometimes parents can be right, but not all adult decisions seem just and reasonable. Unfortunately, adults usually have the last word. In her third book in the Bird Face series, 6 Dates to Disaster, […]
10 steps to Girlfriend Status, by Cynthia T. Toney
Adolescence is the most difficult time of life. How do we survive it? What with all the physical, emotional, external, and self-inflicted challenges, it is no wonder that many teens lose their way on the path to maturity. In 8 Notes to a Nobody, Cynthia Toney’s first volume in the […]
8 Notes to a Nobody, by Cynthia T. Toney
Ten years in the writing, 8 Notes to a Nobody is required reading for any family with adolescents. Cynthia T. Toney packs her pages with humor, realism, and insight. She also deserves an MS degree as a Master of the Simile for this stylistic labor of love. Wendy Robichaud is enjoying eighth […]
Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d, by Alan Bradley
Flavia de Luce fans stand to applaud her return from her interminable trials in the tundra of Toronto. Unfortunately, her family barely recognizes her existence. “Like a pair of sick suns rising, (her sister) Daffy’s eyes came slowly up above the binding of her book. I could tell she hadn’t […]
Ornamental Graces, by Carolyn Astfalk
If you enjoy emotional rollercoasters, Ornamental Graces by Carolyn Astfalk is your book. Among the author’s many gifts is her ability to conjure up fictional characters in many shades of human decency. Imagine, if you will, Dan Malone. He has let himself go; his business teeters on the brink of […]
Feast of Pontius Pilate, by E. Ann McIntyre
Who would have thought that any of the Gospel villains would merit a feast on the liturgical calendar or have churches erected in their memory? Believe it or not, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church considers Pontius Pilate and his wife, Claudia to be saints. A clear case for Claudia begins […]