Blog

Animals, Poetry

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot

Michelle

Ages 10+EliotCatscover

Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot is the book on which the Broadway musical “Cats” is based. Having not seen “Cats” since I was a little girl, I hadn’t realized this until I read the jacket cover. Even so, the poems are a lot of fun to read and to read while listening to the “Cats” soundtrack, although the words aren’t exactly the same. It was quite entertaining to read the stories of the cats that Eliot supposedly based on lives of those he knew. I would recommend this book of poems for readers of all ages!

 

Award/Honor Books, Mystery, YA Fiction

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James

Michelle

Grades 9-12

maddy clare

A winner of the RITA Award, The Haunting of Maddy Clare is a novel about a young woman, Sarah Piper, who is placed by her temp agency to work along side a ghost hunter, Alistair Gellis. The ghost? A nineteen-year-old young maid who was thought to have committed suicide. Read this intriguing novel to find out what became of Maddy Clare.

Adult Fiction, Mystery, Series

In A Small Town by Marc A. Di Giacomo

Michelle

Ages 18+small town

The main character of this intense novel is a detective named Matt Longo who works in a small town, responding to various calls in his jurisdiction. Matt has recently been shot on the job, and is home recuperating. He has many vivid dreams of what his life was like when he first became a police officer, his days in the academy, and his new partner, Donny Mello, who quickly becomes his best friend. This book is packed with action and drama from beginning to end. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series, Back In Town!

Short Stories

The Best American Short Stories (2002) edited by Sue Miller

Michelle

Ages 16+

short stories

After reading through all the short stories in The Best American Short Stories (2002) by Sue Miller, the one that stuck out to me the most was “Nobody’s Business” by Jhumpa Lahiri, taken from The New Yorker. It is the story of twenty-something year-old friends, Sang, Paul and Heather, who live together to cut rent costs. Sang constantly has men calling her who want to meet up, and ultimately marry her. Sang starts dating Farouk, and all is well until things get sticky between Farouk and Sang’s housemates. Read this enthralling story to find out what happens in “Nobody’s Business,” and check out the whole The Best American Short Stories series!

Graphic, Memoirs

Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi

Michelle

Ages 18+

persepolis 2

From Marjane Satrapi comes the sequel to Persepolis, which, in my opinion, is better than the first. This graphic memoir is about the author’s adolescence. She spends some time in Austria and she is exploring new things like interesting haircuts, drugs and sex for the first time. She goes back to Iran after having experienced life as a “Westerner” and has to deal with life back home. This book is very entertaining and educational as well.

Adult Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Series

Top Secret Twenty One by Janet Evanovich

Michelle

Ages 18+

top secret 21

Stephanie Plum is a cool chick. She has a hamster named Rex. A cop boyfriend named Moretti. And a cousin named Vinnie. She normally works for said cousin as a bail bondsman, but this time she’s moonlighting for her friend Carlos Manoso, AKA Ranger. The FTA (failure to appear) is Jimmy Poletti, a used car salesman who sells cars full of contraband. Will Stephanie catch him before it’s too late? This book is Janet Evanovich’s twenty-first installment of the Stephanie Plum series. It’s not your average mystery because it’s funny and not always about gruesome murders…it’s about the chase. Evanovich never disappoints!

Adult Fiction

The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty

Michelle

Ages 18+husband

Cecilia was a normal, happy wife…until she read the letter. The one she wasn’t supposed to read until after her husband had died. But she had gotten her hands on it, and now she had to read it. She wished she hadn’t, because now she knew his secret; and it was a big one. One she now had to carry with her, possibly until her own death. Follow Cecilia as she struggles to keep her husband’s secret from her friends, her family and her community. Will the secret ultimately destroy her? Or will she be able to put her husband’s past behind her?

Middle Grade Fiction, Series

Ten Rules for Living with My Sister by Ann M. Martin

Michelle

Grades 3-5ten rules

Ten Rules for Living with My Sister by Ann M. Martin is a book about a 9-year-old girl named Pearl and her 13-year-old sister Lexie. Lexie and Pearl fight like all sisters do, of course. Most recently, Lexie hung a sign on her door that lets Pearl know she’s not welcome. The story is told from Pearl’s perspective. She loves to make lists that compare herself with her sister. Room? Lexie: neat and Pearl: sloppy. Lipstick? Lexie: yes and Pearl: no. Read Ten Rules for Living with My Sister to find out if Pearl and Lexie can ever get along.