MADreads Reviews

We're winding down on National Poetry Month so this will be my last entry for this year of new poetry titles.

Celebrate National Poetry Month by reading some poetry. Throughout the month of April I thought that I would feature some new poetry titles over the whole month of April, doing four posts. So check out part 3 of some of the new and upcoming poetry books listed below.

Celebrate National Poetry Month by reading some poetry. Throughout the month of April I thought that I would feature some new poetry titles over the whole month, doing four posts. Poetry isn't everyone's cup of tea, but you never know, there may be a poetry book out there for you. So check out part 2 of some of the new and upcoming poetry books listed below.

A young girl revels in the many khimars (also sometimes called hijabs) in her mother’s closet. She loves the colors, the fancy decorations, and all of the possibilities for play.  She dresses up in a yellow khimar and imagines herself a queen, a bird and a superhero! She loves the cozy comfort of the smells of her mother lingering in the khimar. In clear, simple language, this "own voices" book shares one aspect of the everyday life of a Muslim family. Whether your family is Muslim or has never heard the word “khimar” this book is a perfect bedtime read.

Celebrate National Poetry Month by reading some poetry. Throughout the month of April I'm going to feature new poetry titles.  Poetry isn't everyone's cup of tea, but as with a lot of genres, sometimes it's just a matter of finding the one that works for you. So check out some of the new and upcoming poetry books listed below and let us know if you find the one.

It's March and the Lakeview Mystery Book Group has read and discussed three titles so far this year. Thus I'm prompted to come to you with a first quarter book report.

OK, I like - no I love musicals. Even though a lot of the time this demands a certain suspension from reality—I mean, how often do you see someone bursting into song and dance and no one notices?  But I grew up watching Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly with any of their partners, have watched The Sound of Music too many times to count, and look forward to any announced new musicals (very few these days at least in film) but can always hope.

This is the book I'm going to be recommending to everyone in 2019- it's the delightful, funny, and very relevant story of Alex, the First Son of the US, and Henry, Prince of England and their journey from having a PR driven "friendship" to a real relationship and love. The story takes place a kind of alternate reality where a progressive female with biracial children has won the presidency. Her son, Alex, believes that he's meant to go into politics, and behind his seemingly party lifestyle, he works tirelessly to campaign and research in preparation for his mother's hopeful reelection.

Nonfiction readers will see much to like this April, as the publishing world swings into spring. After a 2018 mostly dominated by politics-related titles, April 2019 sees the return of some favorite authors to nonfiction shelves in general and the memoir genre in particular. On to the highlights:

A wonderfully illustrated book about going to bed! Owen Davey has given us a great little story about a boy who imagines he is a knight as he is doing his nightly, or should we say knightly routine. This fun mix of dragons, castles, baths, and beds makes for a great nighttime tale.

Helen Oyeyemi's Gingerbread is the story of three women, Margot, Harriet and Perdita Lee, how their lives intertwine with the Kerchevals, a wealthy family of landowners in the fictional country of Druhástrana, and a legacy recipe for gingerbread. It's hard to put into words all of the magic that's present in this novel. I'll tell you one thing: it was impossible for me to read this book without craving gingerbread something fierce.

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Big reader of mysteries? You're covered. Someone who'd rather listen than read a print book? We've got your back. 

I read Stradal's debut, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, almost in one sitting (literally, as I was in my seat on an airplane) and loved every moment of it. So I was thrilled to give Stradal a second try and find out if the magic persisted.

As war overtook their home in Iraq in 2010, the al Rabeeah family sought a safe refuge. Their choice was the ancient and vibrant city of Homs in Syria. But within a year, their hope had turned into a nightmare as Homs became the epicenter of struggle against Syrian president Bashir al-Assad. Abu Bakr al Rabeeah was ten and one of eight children in the al Rabeeah family when the violence broke out, and witnessed the devastating siege of his new home before his family was able to finally escape to Canada.

The Cardboard Kingdom is a middle grade graphic novel about a group of kids that transform their backyards one summer to create an entire kingdom complete with dwellings, costumes, personas and the best adventures of their lives.

A biography of Thomas Beckett is not exactly something I'd pick up every day. This was actually a jumping off point from an article I was reading that pushed me into a deeper dive. I'm glad for the push as John Guy's detailed account of the martyr is both history and page-turning suspense.

Bowlaway is a community saga set in Salford, Massachusetts centered on a candlepin* bowling alley. For those of you not familiar with candlepin, it is a variation of bowling played in New England with pins that have a cylindrical shape that taper toward each end similar to a candle. Scoring is different from tenpin and the balls are smaller, with no finger holes.

All you spuds looking for duds, “Lance Vance’s Fancy Pants Store” is having a big sale on potato pants.  Hurry, hurry, hurry because “Once they’re gone, they’re gone!”

Alafair Burke just keeps 'em coming. The Better Sister is another solid hit from an author who has become an auto-read for me.

Stella Lane sees the world in math and economics. There is no room for error and there's a formula for everything. So when she's ready for a serious relationship she creates a to-do list and gets ready to start checking off boxes! The only problem is, romantic chemistry is not a formula she can predict.