After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
Title: After the Flood
Author: Kassandra Montag
Review:
The world is flooding. As the waters rise, people must migrate to higher ground. During the last great surge of waters, Myra’s husband, Jacob, kidnaps their 5 year old daughter, Row, and leaves. Myra, 7 months pregnant, is left behind with her father. This story follows the quest of a mother in search of her daughter in a new, increasingly hostile world. Fans of The Road and The Handmaid’s Tale will love this debut novel.
Review by: Jannelle
I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
Title: I Can Make This Promise
Author: Christine Day
Review:
Based in the Pacific North West, this story is loosely based on the author’s own life. All Edith knows about her Native culture and family history was that her mother was adopted. But one day she finds an old box on her attic containing old letters and photographs of a women also named Edith. Could these letters and photographs give Edith the answers she’s looking for?
This book is targeted for young readers and touches on the impact that the government has had on Native American family and communities.
Review by: Rubi
Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
Title: Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America
Author: Kenn Kaufman
Review:
What I like most about this bird guide is that the map is opposite the bird on each page. The colored backgrounds help orient you as well as make it easy on the eyes, especially in bright sun.
A perfect size to take to the field, this is the one I always grab when I go out birding.
Review by: Ben
The Warehouse by Rob Hart
Title: The Warehouse
Author: Rob Hart
Review: Paxton and Zinnia meet on their first day of training at Cloud, a giant tech company that has taken over the American economy. What they don’t realize is that they are both there for very different reasons. Paxton has run out of options outside and has finally traded in his entrepreneur visions for the bland security of working for Cloud. Zinnia has been hired to infiltrate Cloud to find any weaknesses that may bring down the giant corporation. What will happen when they both discover the truth behind Cloud is bigger than they could have imagined. This is a near future thriller that is too easy to envision in our own future.
Review by: Jannelle
Twenty One Days by Anne Perry
Title: Twenty One Days
Author: Anne Perry
Review:
For fans of the Thomas Pitt series, this will be good news. The author has carried us into the next generation with the same excellent writing.
Introducing Daniel Pitt, Attorney, and son of Charlotte and Thomas Pitt. With some surprising and disturbing information regarding well known characters, Daniel Pitt attempts to clear the names of trusted and loved family friends. At the same time, he is striving to prove himself as a new attorney amongst the established barristers.
Review by: Dianne
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
Title: City of Ghosts
Author: Victoria Schwab
Review:
Cassidy Blake experiences the world differently than everyone else in her life. Since being revived after drowning, she can see ghosts. In fact, her best friend is a ghost. Though she's learned to cope with seeing the dead, she is all but thrilled when her parents take her to Edinburgh to film a documentary on haunted places. Cass learns very quickly that her ability comes with great risks. The first book in an exciting new series, City of Bones was a fun and adventurous book that I couldn't put down.
Review by: Bethany
Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
Title: Cilka's Journey
Author: Heather Morris
Review:
"Cilka's Journey" by Heather Morris is about a young, Jewish woman who has just been released from Auschwitz, where she was set apart from the other women in the camp for her beauty. The reader enters the story when she is being sentenced 15 years of hard labor by the Russians for sleeping with the enemy. While this story is filled with the trials and sorrow that surrounded Cilka, Morris also does a great job at capturing the deeply touching moments that Cilka gets to be a part of despite the unfairness of her situation. "Cilka's Journey" was an inspiration to me and it goes to show that even in death and destruction, we can always find a little friendship, love, and hope wherever we go.
Review by: Jodie
Milk and Money by Rudi Boor
Title: Milk and Money
Author: Rudi Boor
Review:
Milk and Money is a humorous parody of the popular Milk and Honey. I really enjoyed reading
these poems with my friends. Maybe you will too. Give it a try.
Review by: Aly
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
Title: The Unhoneymooners
Author: Christina Lauren
Review:
Since she was young, Olive Torres has watched her twin flourish with unbelievable luck while her own life appears to be cursed. When her sister’s luck turns, Olive has the opportunity to take her twin’s place in an all-exclusive honeymoon trip to Hawaii. The catch? She has to share the trip with Ethan, a handsome but intolerable new in-law. This is the perfect summer romance novel, and I loved every second of it.
Review by: Bethany
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
Title: The Dreamers
Author: Karen Thompson Walker
Review:
Students sharing the same floor of a dorm in a small college town mysteriously begin falling asleep. Their friends are unable to wake them. When specialists are called to the small hospital to assess the unfamiliar sickness it is discovered that the victims have unusually high brain activity and the sickness is contagious and quickly spreading. The town is quarantined and those inside do their best to help the sleeping while hoping to avoid becoming victims themselves. I loved how the author switched between various viewpoints to piece together this story! Well worth the read.
Review by: Jannelle
Bad girls with perfect faces by Lynn Weingarten
Title: Bad girls with perfect faces
Author: Lynn Weingarten
Review:
Sasha and Xavier are best friends. Little does Xavier know Sasha is desperately in love with him. For all Xavier knows, Sasha doesn’t believe in relationships. Xavier on the other hand has spent the past few months trying to get over his entrancing ex girlfriend, Ivy. When Ivy comes back into Xavier’s life, Sasha is determined to prove that she hasn’t changed. But how far will she go to prove to Xavier that Ivy is not the right person for him?
This book is exciting, with twists and turns. It kept me guessing the whole time I was reading. I loved it!
Review by: Melia
Nemesis by Brendan Reichs
Title: Nemesis
Author: Brendan Reichs
Review:
It’s Min’s 16th birthday, and she’s about to die – again. Min has kept this secret her entire life. But this time, things are different. Slowly, the lives of her entire sophomore class in Fire Lake, Idaho begin to unravel as they begin to realize that what they believed to be true about their quiet little town is all a lie. This book for young adults had me guessing until the end. Books 2 and 3 (Genesis and Chrysalis) are now available so you don’t have to wait to see what happens!
Review by: Jannelle
Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by Brandon Sanderson
Title: Legion: The Many Lives of Stephen Leeds
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Review:
Stephen Leeds is not insane. Sure, he’s delusional, and he speaks to people who aren’t there; but he’s perfectly sane. Whenever Stephen learns a new subject, an ‘aspect’ appears to personify the information. Within hours he can master any subject just by creating a new aspect. This makes him an unmatched genius and to amuse himself he will solve difficult cases that few could even hope to solve. Legion is three of those cases, all culminating into a complete and satisfying character arc for the character of Stephen Leeds.
Review by: Chandler
The Bad Seed by Jory John
Title: The Bad Seed
Author: Jory John
Review:
This book is about a young sunflower seed who had a rough start in life resulting in his bad decisions. He gets labeled as a bad seed by his peers and ends up living up to that label. I love that this story introduces the concept that people aren’t just simply good or bad and that everyone has the capacity to change.
Review by: Rubi
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Title: The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Author: Heather Morris
Review:
The story is one that should never be forgotten. It is based on the accounts of Lale and his time in Auschwitz. How he became a tattooist in Auschwitz since he knew several languages, and did what he could to help others survive the brutality of all that was there. Through it all he still found his one love Gita. Stories like this have been told over and over again but we should never forget. I cried through many of the pages of this book. I am amazed and inspired at the strength of the human spirit and the will to survive.
Review by: Julie
The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman
Title: The Mortal Word
Author: Genevieve Cogman
Review:
This book is the fourth in the invisible library series. It does not disappoint! Irene and Val and Kai are charged with having to figure out who killed a top dragon official in a top-secret peace conference between the Fae and the dragons. The backdrop is Paris and Victorian era. But what’s wonderful about the series is that it has a little bit of steam punk little of this and that to get you on a roller coaster and can’t wait to see how it ends!!!
Review by: Julie
Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
Title: Travelling Cat Chronicles
Author: Hiro Arikawa
Review:
As a cat owner who always wonders what my cat is up to while I’m away, I found this short read moving and endearing. Initially light and whimsical, the simple prose twists into a tale of love and kindness. The story centers around a journey taken by cat and cat-owner, filled with simple moments of contentment and loyalty. Arikawa’s imaginative and playful voice throughout the novel provides a refreshingly sincere take on the joys of life. This book is a truly heartwarming weekend read.
Review by: Allison
The Snuggle Is Real by Frida Clements
Title: The Snuggle Is Real
Author: Frida Clements
Review:
The Snuggle Is Real is a great gift for the pun lover in your family. The pages are filled with puny animals of all sizes. Laugh and cringe with this fun coffee table book.
Review by: Aly
The Lost Art of Reading by David Ulin
Title: The Lost Art of Reading
Author: David Ulin
Review:
Now, more than ever we need to be reading. And not the kind of reading you do on your phone, or while surfing Facebook. But real reading. David Ulin writes, "... we need a certain kind of silence, an ability to filter out the noise. That seems increasingly elusive in our over networked society,..." There is value in the long form, value in getting-lost-in-a-book. So why not give yourself that opportunity? Pick up a good book. You could start with this one.
Review by: Ben
Made Out of Stars by Meera Lee Patel
Title: Made Out of Stars
Author: Meera Lee Patel
Review:
This is a lovely guided journal. It’s perfect for the young woman who desires to know herself more fully, but isn’t sure how to begin. There are whimsical illustrations and inspiring thoughts on each page and thought provoking questions to ponder.
It would be a wonderful gift for the young women on your list.
Review by: Dianne