MADreads Reviews

Cal Hooper is a retired Chicago police detective who is recently divorced. Those two major life changes have prompted him to make a third. He's bought a rundown farmhouse (from an online posting) in a rural part of Ireland and is determined to live there bothering no one and bothered by none. His first weeks in his new home live up to that ideal. He heads to the local village when he needs supplies or to stop in the pub for a drink, but otherwise is keeping to himself. His solitude is disrupted one day when he realizes someone is watching him.

I LOVE baseball!  When I was a kid it was my dream to be the first girl to play major league baseball.

Clark introduces readers to a new fantasy world in this latest novella and I'm so here for it.

Eveen is a an undead assassin. When she died she was offered a chance at an undead life - though she has no memory of how that came to be or why she would have made such a choice. As part of her deal she owes her goddess years of service as an assassin. As the goddess's assassin she has to follow 3 rules:

And that conclusion is death.

Every month Madison Public Library hosts a variety of book discussions and each of them warmly welcomes newcomers.

Stuntboy by Jason Reynolds is the story of Portico and Zola and their new friend Herbert, who used to be

Karen Brooks gives Chaucer's Wife of Bath a chance to tell her side of the story in this vivid and absorbing tale of how a woman could gain agency in her own life in a time when she legally had none.

Crinolines, at first glance, are towards the more ridiculous end of fashion inflicted on ladies of the mid-Victorian period.

A little girl using a power wheelchair does not want to get bundled up in a heavy coat, itchy hat, and stiff boots to go out into the cold and wind.  She does not like going to new places, but her mother assures her it will be all right.  They head to a park where an ice sculpture event takes place.  The artists are drilling, sawing, chiseling, and more to create something out of ice.  The girl and her mother talk about why someone might spend so much time creating something that will melt and are not in agreement about whether it's worth it or not.  

The big book news for June circles around one day and one book: June 3, the day that Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel

A young boy takes on the legacy of farming from his Papa/grandpa in The Last Stand by Antwan Eady and Illustrated by Jarrett & Jerome Pumpherey (Alfred A. Knopf, 2024). Papa sells pumpkins, peppers, plums, and eggs at the local Farmer’s Market. But, each year the market has fewer and fewer stands – until - Papa’s stand is the very last one. Papa takes his job of farming very seriously and steadfastly harvests crops and eggs every Saturday. “Papa’s hands are black and wrinkled. And each wrinkle tells me a story.

Rachel Gillig hit big on BookTok with her

When Belle's class draws owls, Ms.

This quiet series of bestselling books translated from the Japanese provide comfort and closure through food.

Every month Madison Public Library hosts a variety of book discussions and each of them warmly welcomes newcomers.

English mystery author Ann Cleeves has, over her forty-odd year career, developed a devoted following through her v

Sounds of the desert come together to form a song that takes the reader through a night full of memories and familial connectedness. The illustrations beautifully accompany the text and make the story feel like a hug.

The book begins at the end of a day with the sun brushing the tops of the mountains and follows the course of a night until the sun rises again. The author and illustrator move in tandem to tell the beautiful story of family, tradition, and the landscape of the desert. This is a beautiful story that I would recommend to any family!

Someone whose taste in books runs parallel to mine kept raving about this book, so I've been wanting to read it for a while. I'm so glad I finally did.

World-renowned humanitarian and chef José Andrés's love of cooking started as a boy in Spain cooking paella for family over an open fire.  As he grew older, attended cooking school, and traveled the world, he dreamed of the stories he could tell with food.  While feeding sailors on a famous Spanish Navy ship, José wished that everyone everywhere had enough food to eat.