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Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors

They just don’t make ‘em like they used to

Cover of Killers of a Certain Age
A review of Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

It’s the day that many dream about, the culmination of a job well done:  retirement. It’s no different for the quartet of Billie, Natalie, Mary Alice and Helen, whose employer has generously gifted a Caribbean cruise to bid them adieu after decades of service for The Museum. It’s a lavish gift, and one that might be a trip of a lifetime—or the end of life. But it’s hardly surprising, as this group of sexagenarians are highly trained hit women, and they know it can only be their former employer gunning for them. The Museum, nominally devoted to erasing deserving baddies from the earth, has s

Dec 27, 2022

Get ready for Taste-O-Rama fun

Cover of Kitty Sweet Tooth
A review of Kitty Sweet Tooth by Abby Denson and Utomaru

The only thing Kitty Sweet Tooth loves more than going to the movies is eating delicious desserts. When her Pop-Pop's movie theater falls on hard times, Kitty introduces the concept of a gourmet movie house. Special film screenings paired with custom-made treats created by an enthusiastic scientist and an inspired witch are poised to excite a new generation of movie goers. The ambitious team sets to work cleaning up the theater and dreaming of new ideas for the "Taste-O-Rama." Pop-Pop gives Kitty thirty days to prove that Taste-O-Rama will succeed.

Dec 19, 2022

Un-luckiest?

Cover of The Unhoneymooners
A review of The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Christina Lauren's book is a hilarious story of two enemies who are forced to share a honeymoon package together in Hawaii. Olive Torres is her twin's exact opposite: Ami wins lots of paid contests, including several funding her entire wedding and honeymoon, while Olive is more likely to have disastrously bad luck. When some bad seafood sends practically the entire wedding to the hospital, Olive reluctantly agrees to use Ami's honeymoon package so as not to waste a nice vacation.

Dec 15, 2022

Stunning lyrics, stunning illustrations

Cover of Still This Love Goes On
A review of Still This Love Goes On by Buffy Sainte-Marie

Gorgeous lyrics by Academy Award-winning Cree singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie are accompanied by absolutely stunning illustrations by Cree-Métis author, illustrator, and artist Julie Flett. The book is based on a song of the same name and celebrates nature, changing seasons, and Indigenous traditions. The author and illustrator notes, addressed to "readers and listeners," are also beautiful and full of love, and the sheet music is included at the end of the book so you can sing along. 

Dec 9, 2022

Mind-blowing (but not in the CIA MKUltra kind of way)...

Cover of Chaos: Charles Manson, the
A review of Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA and the Secret History of the Sixties by Tom O'Neill and Dan Piepenbring

I placed a hold on O'Neill's tome because of a mention in a podcast. So really I ordered it on a whim and wasn't even sure I'd read it when it came in and seemed so hefty. Over a long weekend I decided to dip into it, or at least look at the included pictures. I was not seen again by anyone for the next two days as I was immediately sucked into the what if's and maybes and possibles.

Dec 7, 2022

I'd listen any time

Cover of Thank You for Listening:
A review of Thank You for Listening: A Novel by Julia Whelan

Do you wonder about art imitating life when it comes to writers and fiction? Popular audiobook narrator and actress Julia Whelan's new novel is about a famous audiobook narrator and actress named Sewanee Chester whose next project pairs her with another famous audiobook narrator named Brock McNight and all of it feels very real. Things start out with an industry convention in Las Vegas that is almost identical to a library or book industry conference. The author panels, the publisher booths and exhibit hall are exactly the same. I can attest to that.

Dec 6, 2022

To Mars and back?

Cover of A Rover's Story
A review of A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga

As with many of the books that land on my hold shelf or in the digital queue on my phone, I'm not sure where I heard about this charming, heartwarming, a little heartbreaking, gem of a book. Wherever it was or whoever it was who suggested it? Thank you.

Dec 2, 2022

Haunted and haunting

Cover of Shutter
A review of Shutter by Ramona Emerson

It’s a grisly scene that police photographer Rita Todacheene is called to late one night outside of Albuquerque. Bits of the woman’s body are strewn over the interstate, the victim of an apparent suicide from an overpass. But the voice of a furious Erma—whose remains Rita is so diligently documenting—insists it was murder, and Erma won’t stop haunting Rita until she gets vengeance. But Rita’s secret—her ability to see and speak to the dead—is a terrible secret she can neither escape nor even acknowledge to anyone living, a curse that makes her taboo in her Diné (Navajo) community.

Dec 1, 2022

Making the list

Cover of The Duke Who Didn't
A review of The Duke Who Didn't by Courtney Milan

The hero and heroine of Courtney Milan's The Duke Who Didn't have known each other since they were children. And not only have they known each other for years, they have loved as well. But their very different personalities and coping mechanisms have meant that they haven't yet figured that last fact out and have been operating at cross purposes for a few years. Until now.

Nov 30, 2022

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