MADreads

Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

The REAL queen of crime

Cover of The Windsor Knot
A review of The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett

For a thousand year old castle, it’s certainly not the first time a violent death has happened within its walls. But it’s still shocking when Windsor Castle staff discover the body of a young Russian pianist in the wardrobe of a guest room deep within what is one of the most secure citadels in the world—and more so when that death is revealed as a murder. Her Majesty the Queen is of course horrified to hear the news—she had danced with the man only the previous night—but when police and MI-6 suspects that Russia is behind the crime with a possible mole, she knows what she has to do.

Posted by Katie H on Jan 28, 2021

Holocaust Memorial Day 2021

Cover of Books on Auschwitz
Books on Auschwitz

I was looking up the 2021 date for the Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 8) and discovered another day of remembrance. " Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD), established in 2000, is marked each year on 27th January – the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau." The theme this year is ‘Be the Light in the Darkness’, a pretty good reminder in this time of pandemic.

Posted by Kathy K on Jan 27, 2021

Hard on the head and the heart

Cover of Before the Ever After
A review of Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson's latest novel-in-verse for middle grades just won the Coretta Scott King Author Award for outstanding writing by an African American author. Twelve-year-old ZJ's life turns upside down when his dad, a professional football player, starts suffering headaches, memory loss and personality changes. According to lore, Zachariah 44 (for his jersey number), suffered more NFL concussions than any other player, even with a helmet on.

Posted by Molly W on Jan 26, 2021

The one for the job

Cover of Basil's War
A review of Basil's War by Stephen Hunter

Basil's War introduces British special agent Basil St. Florian who spends his off time drinking and sleeping with film stars and his work time being sent into Nazi-occupied France on secret missions during WWII. If all that sounds a bit flashy? It is. Basil's newest assignment is to enter occupied France and gain access to a manuscript kept in the archives in a Paris that swarms with the German military.

Posted by Jane J on Jan 20, 2021

Love is in the strut

Cover of Black Bottom Saints
A review of Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall

Alice Randall isn’t an author that typically is at the top of many readers’ lists, having written several solid quietly received novels in the past and a few nonfiction works. But her latest, Black Bottom Saints, proves that Randall deserves more attention and a place on to-read lists.

Posted by Katie H on Jan 14, 2021

Ski off piste and die

Cover of One by One
A review of One by One by Ruth Ware

Too dramatic? I've never skied off piste in my life, so if you're like me, you can cross that off your worry list. If you don't even know what it means, don't do it! Just kidding! But not really. Skiing off piste means straying from designated slopes and routes. It can be extremely dangerous. Especially in this novel.

Posted by Molly W on Jan 13, 2021

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