For some, today is a very special day. For others, it’s just like every other day. Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day or not, there’s no doubt a lot of things to love, and you should celebrate that love all day, every day.
For me, that love includes (but isn’t limited to) my family who loves me unconditionally, my friends who are always making me laugh, books that let me escape for just a couple hours, and, of course, movies that transport me to alternate realities. Add to that peanut butter + chocolate, Negronis, the “Stars --- They're Just Like Us!” section of Us Weekly (and all rag mags, for that matter), a self-indulgent day of some R+R and British humor, just to name a few more. Point is: today is the ultimate day to love yourself and to love all the things you love, whatever they may be. You do you.
Speaking of things to love, the 2018 Winter Olympics officially started last Friday, and despite viewership being down (until last night), I can’t get enough of them (hope they are counting me in the ratings). From mixed curling and the luge to the biathlon (a personal fave!) and all the various skiing and snowboarding activities, there’s really an abundance of sports to watch. The USA team has been making a real name for itself thus far, with 17-year-old Chloe Kim taking home the gold for Women’s Snowboarding halfpipe and 17-year-old Red Gerard swooping gold for Men’s Snowboarding slopestyle. It’s pretty incredible to think about all these teens have already achieved in their youth. The Olympics and then back to high school.
In other news, Shaun White thrillingly snagged gold last night for the halfpipe in his triumphant rebound from the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and Adam Rippon, the first openly gay U.S. figure skater, is quickly becoming an internet darling with a stunning performance (first singing, then skating) of Rihanna’s “Diamonds” and his general no bullshit demeanor. #Goals. That said, it’s not even a full week into the games and it’s already excellent entertainment. With 11 days left, there’s still bobsledding and ice hockey to look forward to, and maybe at some point the slalom and downhill skiing events will happen. Crazy weather!
In other very exciting news, Marvel’s hotly anticipated Black Panther finally hits theaters this coming Friday. Early reviews are out, and it seems like this is a superhero that should not be missed. In fact, Black Panther is tied with The Incredibles for the highest scored superhero movie on Rotten Tomatoes. The superhero first made its debut in 1966 in the Fantastic Four #52 comic series and new stories continue to be released today. If you've already gotten through the whole series or you're looker for additional reading, click here for a supplementary list. Chadwick Boseman will take on the role of Black Panther alongside Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong'o. With a cast like that, the movie is already lining up to be a super success.
In a different kind of movie caliber, Fifty Shades Freed, the third and final movie in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, hit the top of the box office last weekend despite terribly bleak reviews. While the movie might not be the greatest film you’ve ever seen, it has an undeniable appeal. For one, if you read the books, the time has come to fully seal the deal. Sometimes there’s no better feeling than seeing something through to the end...even if it does feel like a chore. Two, it’s totally normal (and healthy) to engage in a little mindless delight every once in a while. Throw in a large popcorn, and you’ve got yourself a damn good night. Look --- no shame here! To each his/her own.
If you’re in a loved-up kind of mood and enjoy YA, then be sure to check out Teenreads.com’s “Love at First Page --- 2018 Valentine's Day Bookshelf.” The list includes adorable young adult contemporary romances that are bound to make you laugh, blush and swoon at all the right moments. Even if you aren't a huge fan of sappy stories, the collection has something for everyone
If you love a good audiobook or you’ve been wanting try out audiobooks, then you’ve come to the right place. ReadingGroupGuides.com is running a very special contest to win Kristin Hannah’s THE GREAT ALONE audiobook for yourself or for your book group. Scroll down to learn more and enter the contest.
If you’re just looking for some new, adult, straightforward kind of reading, here are a few titles to check out right now:
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones is Oprah’s newest pick! Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
ENCHANTRESS OF NUMBERS: A Novel of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini tells the story of the only legitimate child of Lord Byron, the most brilliant, revered and scandalous of the Romantic poets, Ada Byron King, who was destined for fame long before her birth. Banishing fairy tales and make-believe from the nursery, Ada’s mother provides her daughter with a rigorous education grounded in mathematics and science. Any troubling spark of imagination --- or worse yet, passion or poetry --- is promptly extinguished. Or so her mother believes. When Ada is introduced into London society as a highly eligible young heiress, she at last discovers the intellectual and social circles she has craved all her life. Little does she realize that her delightful new friendship with inventor Charles Babbage will shape her destiny.
Kristin Hannah’s first book since THE NIGHTINGALE is finally here: THE GREAT ALONE. Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Thirteen-year-old Leni dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. But as winter approaches, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within.
Happy love day and happy reading!
5 Things To Obsess About This Very Moment, in no particular order:
1. Celeste Ng’s EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD YOU is getting the movie treatment
2. Comedian Carrie Brownstein's memoir HUNGER MAKES ME A MODERN GIRL will be a TV series on Hulu
3. Stormi Webster
4. HBO's teaser trailer for "Fahrenheit 451"
5. Alicia Vikander will star in THE MARSH KING'S DAUGHTER movie adaptation
--- Nicole Sherman
ReadingGroupGuides.com Special Contest:
Enter to Win the Audiobook Edition of Kristin Hannah's THE GREAT ALONE and Share Your Comments on It
ReadingGroupGuides.com is proud to host a very special audiobook contest for Kristin Hannah's latest novel, THE GREAT ALONE. Ten book groups will win up to six digital or physical copies of the audiobook, which is read by Julia Whelan. Additionally, we'll be giving 40 listeners a physical copy of the audiobook. Enter by Thursday, March 8th at noon ET for your chance to win.
In order to qualify as a winning group, your group must be able to commit to listening to and discussing THE GREAT ALONE, and sharing your group's feedback with us, by Friday, May 18th. We strongly encourage all winners to share their experiences on social media, including reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and Bookreporter.com’s “Sounding Off on Audio” feature.
THE GREAT ALONE Audiobook written by Kristin Hannah, read by Julia Whelan (Historical Fiction)
The newest audiobook sensation from Kristin Hannah, bestselling author of THE NIGHTINGALE. This program is read by acclaimed narrator Julia Whelan, whose enchanting voice brought GONE GIRL and FATES AND FURIES to life. Kristin Hannah reads the acknowledgments.
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America's last true frontier.
Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents' passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown.
At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights' lack of preparation and dwindling resources.
But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt's fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in 18 hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: They are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.
- Click here to listen to a clip from the audiobook.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read a review on Bookreporter.com.
ALL-AMERICAN MURDER: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderers' Row by James Patterson and Alex Abramovich, with Mike Harvkey (True Crime)
Audiobook available, read by Peter Coleman
He was a college All-American who became the youngest player in the NFL and later a Super Bowl veteran. He was a star tight end on the league-dominant New England Patriots, who extended his contract for a record $40 million. Aaron Hernandez's every move as a professional athlete played out in the headlines, yet he led a secret life --- one that ended in a maximum security prison. What drove him to go so wrong, so fast? ALL-AMERICAN MURDER is the first book to investigate --- from the unique vantage point of thriller writer James Patterson --- Hernandez's first-degree murder conviction and the mystery of his own untimely and shocking death. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Sean Crisden and Eisa Davis
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to 12 years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL by Sarah Vaughan (Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Julie Teal, Luke Thompson, Esther Wane and Sarah Feathers
Sophie’s husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart. Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes. Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
BLOOD SISTERS by Jane Corry (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jayne Entwistle and Fiona Hardingham
Three little girls set off to school one sunny morning. Within an hour, one of them is dead. Fifteen years later, Kitty can't speak and has no memory of the accident that's to blame. She lives in an institution and is unlikely ever to leave. But that doesn't keep her from being frightened when she encounters an eerily familiar face. Art teacher Alison is struggling to make ends meet and to forget the past. When a teaching job at a prison opens up, she takes it, despite her fears. Then she starts to receive alarming notes; next, her classroom erupts in violence. Meanwhile, someone is watching both Kitty and Alison. Someone who never forgot what happened that day. Someone who wants revenge. And only another life will do. Reviewed by Dunja Bonacci Skenderović.
THE CHALK MAN by C. J. Tudor (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Euan Morton
In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same. In 2016, Eddie is fully grown and thinks he has put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank…until one of them turns up dead. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
DARK IN DEATH by J. D. Robb (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Susan Ericksen
On a chilly February night, during a screening of Psycho in midtown, someone sunk an ice pick into the back of Chanel Rylan’s neck. As Eve Dallas puzzles over a homicide that seems carefully planned and yet oddly personal, she receives a tip from an unexpected source: an author of police thrillers who recognizes the crime --- from the pages of her own book. The good news is that Eve and her billionaire husband, Roarke, have an excuse to curl up in front of the fireplace with their cat, Galahad, reading mystery stories for research. The bad news is that time is running out before the next victim plays an unwitting role in a murderer’s deranged private drama. Reviewed by Jennifer McCord.
ENCHANTRESS OF NUMBERS: A Novel of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini (Fiction, Historical Fiction)
The only legitimate child of Lord Byron, the most brilliant, revered and scandalous of the Romantic poets, Ada Byron King was destined for fame long before her birth. Banishing fairy tales and make-believe from the nursery, Ada’s mother provides her daughter with a rigorous education grounded in mathematics and science. Any troubling spark of imagination --- or worse yet, passion or poetry --- is promptly extinguished. Or so her mother believes. When Ada is introduced into London society as a highly eligible young heiress, she at last discovers the intellectual and social circles she has craved all her life. Little does she realize that her delightful new friendship with inventor Charles Babbage will shape her destiny. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
A FALSE REPORT: A True Story of Rape in America by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong (True Crime)
Audiobook available, read by Hillary Huber
In 2008, 18-year-old Marie reported that a masked man broke into her apartment and raped her. Within days, police and even those closest to Marie became suspicious of her story. Confronted with inconsistencies in her story and the doubts of others, Marie broke down and said her story was a lie. Police charged Marie with false reporting. More than two years later, Colorado detective Stacy Galbraith was assigned to investigate a case of sexual assault, a case that bore an eerie resemblance to a rape that had taken place months earlier in a nearby town. She joined forces with the detective on that case, Edna Hendershot, and the two soon realized they were dealing with a serial rapist. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
FIRE SERMON by Jamie Quatro (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Christine Marshall
Maggie is entirely devoted to her husband Thomas, their two beautiful children, and to God --- until what begins as a platonic intellectual and spiritual exchange between writer Maggie and poet James transforms into an erotically charged bond that challenges Maggie’s sense of loyalty and morality, drawing her deeper into the darkness of desire. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
FORCE OF NATURE by Jane Harper (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Stephen Shanahan
When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path. But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened. Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder? Reviewed by Ray Palen.
THE FRIEND by Sigrid Nunez (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Hillary Huber
When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with the unwanted dog he has left behind. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, a huge Great Dane traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master. While others worry that grief has made her a victim of magical thinking, the woman refuses to be separated from the dog except for brief periods of time. Isolated from the rest of the world and increasingly obsessed with the dog's care, she comes dangerously close to unraveling. But while troubles abound, rich and surprising rewards lie in store for both of them. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
THE GRAVE’S A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE: A Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley (Historical Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Jayne Entwistle
In the wake of an unthinkable family tragedy, 12-year-old Flavia de Luce is struggling to fill her empty days. For a needed escape, Dogger, the loyal family servant, suggests a boating trip for Flavia and her two older sisters. As their punt drifts past the church where a notorious vicar had recently dispatched three of his female parishioners by spiking their communion wine with cyanide, Flavia, an expert chemist with a passion for poisons, is ecstatic. Suddenly something grazes her fingers as she dangles them in the water. She clamps down on the object, which turns out to be a human head, attached to a human body. If anything could take Flavia’s mind off sorrow, it is solving a murder --- although one that may lead the young sleuth to an early grave. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
THE GREAT ALONE by Kristin Hannah (Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Julia Whelan
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Thirteen-year-old Leni dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. But as winter approaches, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
HELLBENT: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Scott Brick
Taken from a group home at age 12, Evan Smoak was raised and trained as an off-the-books government assassin: Orphan X. After he broke with the Orphan Program, Evan disappeared and reinvented himself as the Nowhere Man, a man spoken about only in whispers and dedicated to helping the truly desperate. But this time, the voice on the other end is Jack Johns, the man who raised and trained him, the only father Evan has ever known. Secret government forces are busy trying to scrub the remaining assets and traces of the Orphan Program, and they have finally tracked down Jack. With little time remaining, Jack gives Evan his last assignment: find and protect his last protégé and recruit for the program. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
INTO THE BLACK NOWHERE: An UNSUB Novel by Meg Gardiner (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Hillary Huber
In southern Texas, on Saturday nights, women are disappearing. Rookie FBI agent Caitlin Hendrix, newly assigned to the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, fears that a serial killer is roaming the dark roads outside Austin. Caitlin and the FBI's serial crime unit discover the first victim's body in the woods. She is laid out in a bloodstained, white baby-doll nightgown. A second victim in a white nightie lies deeper in the forest's darkness. Both bodies are surrounded by Polaroid photos, stuck in the earth like headstones. As Saturday night approaches, Caitlin and the FBI enter a desperate game of cat and mouse, racing to capture the cunning predator before he claims more victims. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
KILLER CHOICE by Tom Hunt (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Ray Porter
Gary Foster’s life is finally heading in the right direction. After years of trying, his wife, Beth, is pregnant, and he recently opened a business with his brother. But one phone call changes everything. After collapsing suddenly, Beth has been rushed to the hospital. Tests reveal a devastating diagnosis: an inoperable brain tumor. Their only hope is an expensive experimental treatment available abroad, with a cost that’s out of their reach. And Beth’s time is running out. Then a strange man approaches Gary and offers the money he needs, on one condition: that he kill someone, no questions asked. End one life to save another. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
THE LAST THING SHE EVER DID by Gregg Olsen (Psychological Thriller)
For years, Liz and Owen have admired their good friends and neighbors, Carole and David. They appear to have it all --- security, happiness and a beautiful young son named Charlie. Then Charlie vanishes without a trace, and all that seemed safe is shattered by a tragedy that is incomprehensible. It took one fleeting moment for Liz to change the lives of everyone she loves --- a heartrending accident that can’t be undone. Neither can the second-worst mistake of her life: concealing it. There’s another good neighbor who has his own secrets, his own pain, and his own reasons for watching Liz’s every move. And only he knows that the mystery of the missing boy is far from over. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
LULLABY ROAD by James Anderson (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, narrated by Graham Winton
Local truck driver Ben Jones, still in mourning over a heartbreaking loss, is just trying to get through another season of treacherous roads and sudden snowfall without an accident. But then he finds a mute Hispanic child who has been abandoned at a seedy truck stop along his route, far from civilization and bearing a note that simply reads “Please Ben. Watch my son. His name is Juan.” And then at the bottom, a few more hastily scribbled words: “Bad Trouble. Tell no one.” Despite deep misgivings, and without any hint of who this child is or the grave danger he’s facing, Ben takes the child with him in his truck and sets out into an environment that is as dangerous as it is beautiful and silent. From that moment forward, nothing will ever be the same. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
PEACH by Emma Glass (Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Yasmin Paige
Staggering around the town streets in the aftermath of an assault, Peach feels a trickle of blood down her legs, a lingering smell of her anonymous attacker on her skin. It hurts to walk, but she manages to make her way to her home, where she stumbles into another oddly nightmarish reality: Her parents can't seem to comprehend that anything has happened to their daughter. The next morning, Peach tries to return to the routines of her ordinary life. And yet, as she struggles through the next few days, she is stalked by the memories of her unacknowledged trauma. Though she tries to close her eyes to what has happened, Peach at last begins to understand the drastic, gruesome action she must take. Reviewed by Bianca Ambrosio.
THE POPE OF PALM BEACH by Tim Dorsey (Mystery/Humor)
Audiobook available, performed by Oliver Wyman
Perpetually hunting Floridian arcana and lore, Serge A. Storms and his sidekick, Coleman, are on a frenzied literary pilgrimage that leads them back to Riviera Beach, the cozy seaside town where the boys spent their formative years. Growing up, Serge was enthralled by the Legend of Riviera Beach, aka Darby, a welder at the port who surfed the local waves long before the hot spots were hot. Meanwhile, there was a much murkier legend that made the rounds of the schoolyards from Serge’s youth --- that of the crazy hermit living in a makeshift jungle compound farther up the mysterious Loxahatchee River than anyone dared to venture. Serge moved away but never forgot, and is back now, with those legends looming larger than ever in the rearview mirror of his memory. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
RED CLOCKS by Leni Zumas (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Erin Bennett and Karissa Vacker
Abortion is once again illegal in America, in-vitro fertilization is banned, and the Personhood Amendment grants rights of life, liberty and property to every embryo. In a small Oregon fishing town, five very different women navigate these new barriers. Ro, a single high-school teacher, is trying to have a baby on her own, while also writing a biography of Eivør, a little-known 19th-century female polar explorer. Susan is a frustrated mother of two, trapped in a crumbling marriage. Mattie is the adopted daughter of doting parents and one of Ro's best students, who finds herself pregnant with nowhere to turn. And Gin is the gifted, forest-dwelling herbalist, or "mender," who brings all their fates together when she's arrested and put on trial in a frenzied modern-day witch hunt. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
STILL ME by Jojo Moyes (Romance)
Audiobook available, read by Anna Acton
Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She is thrown into the world of the superrich Gopniks: Leonard and his much younger second wife, Agnes, and a never-ending array of household staff and hangers-on. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her job and New York life within this privileged world. Before she knows what's happening, Lou is mixing in New York high society, where she meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Reviewed by Katherine B. Weissman.
THIS COULD HURT by Jillian Medoff (Fiction)
Audiobook available; performed by Madeleine Maby, George Newbern, Nick Podehl, Sean Crisden, Andrea Gallo and Saskia Maarleveld
Rosa Guerrero beat the odds as she rose to the top of the corporate world. A leader who wields power with grace and discretion, she has earned the devotion and loyalty of her staff. No one admires Rosa more than her doting lieutenant Leo Smalls, a benefits vice president whose whole world is Ellery. While Rosa is consumed with trying to address the needs of her staff within the ever-constricting limits of the company’s bottom line, her associate director, Rob Hirsch, a happily married father of two, finds himself drawing closer to his "work wife," Lucy Bender, an enterprising single woman searching for something to fill the vacuum in her personal life. For Kenny Verville, a senior manager with an MBA, Ellery is a temporary stepping-stone to bigger and better places --- that is, if his high-powered wife has her way. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THIS LOVE STORY WILL SELF-DESTRUCT by Leslie Cohen (Romance)
Audiobook available, read by Karissa Vacker and Aaron Landon
Eve is a dreamer, a feeler, a careening well of sensitivities who can’t quite keep her feet on the ground or steer clear of trouble. She’s a laugher, a crier, a quirky and quick-witted bleeding-heart-worrier. Ben is an engineer, an expert at leveling floors who likes order, structure and straight lines. He doesn’t opine, he doesn’t ruminate, he doesn’t simmer until he boils over. So naturally, when the two first cross paths, sparks don’t exactly fly. But then they meet again. And again. And then, finally, they find themselves with a deep yet fragile connection that will change the course of their relationship --- possibly forever. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE WIFE by Alafair Burke (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, performed by Xe Sands
When Angela met Jason Powell, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling. To her surprise, they married the following summer. Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their perfect life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look at the man she married. Reviewed by Roz Shea.
WE ARE TAKING ONLY WHAT WE NEED: Stories by Stephanie Powell Watts (Fiction/Short Stories)
The 10 stories in Stephanie Powell Watts’ collection deal with both the ties that bind and the gulf that separates generations --- from children confronting the fallibility of their own parents for the first time to adults finding themselves forced to start over again and again. In “Highway 18,” a young Jehovah’s Witness going door to door with an expert field-service partner from up north is at a crossroads. Will she go to college or continue to serve the church? “If You Hit Randall County, You’ve Gone Too Far” tells of a family trying to make it through a tense celebratory dinner for a son just out on bail. And in the title story, a young girl experiences loss for the first time in the fallout from her father’s relationship with her babysitter. Reviewed by Maya Gittelman.
THE BELLES by Dhonielle Clayton (Fantasy)
Audiobook available, narrated by Rosie Jones
In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie, that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. Reviewed by Savana W., Teen Board Member.
BLACK STAR RENEGADES by Michael Moreci (Science Fiction)
Audiobook available, narrated by Dan Bittner
Cade Sura holds the future of the galaxy in his hands: the ultimate weapon that will bring total peace. He didn’t ask for it, he doesn’t want it and there’s no worse choice to wield it in all of space, but if he doesn’t, everyone’s totally screwed. The evil Praxis kingdom is on the cusp of having every star system under its control, and if that happens, there’ll be no contesting their reign. Especially if its overlord, Ga Halle, manages to capture Cade and snag the weapon for herself. With some help from his friends, Cade’s going to use this weapon to chart a new destiny for the galaxy, and for himself. He just has to do so before everyone around him discovers that he’s a complete and total fraud. Reviewed by Matthew Burbridge.
A LAND OF PERMANENT GOODBYES by Atia Abawi (Contemporary Fiction)
In a country ripped apart by war, Tareq lives with his big and loving family...until the bombs strike. His city is in ruins. His life is destroyed. And those who have survived are left to figure out their uncertain future. In the wake of destruction, he is threatened by Daesh fighters and witnesses a public beheading. Tareq's family knows that to continue to stay alive, they must leave. As they travel as refugees from Syria to Turkey to Greece, facing danger at every turn, Tareq must find the resilience and courage to complete his harrowing journey. Destiny narrates this heartbreaking story of the consequences of war, showing the Syrian conflict as part of a long chain of struggles spanning through time. Reviewed by Lauren C., Teen Board Member.
LOVE, HATE AND OTHER FILTERS by Samira Ahmed (Contemporary Fiction)
American-born 17-year-old Maya Aziz is torn between worlds. There’s the proper one her parents expect for their good Indian daughter: attending a college close to home and marrying a "suitable" Muslim boy. And then there is the world of her dreams: going to school in New York City --- and maybe pursuing a boy she’s known from afar since grade school. There’s also the real world. In the aftermath of a horrific crime perpetrated hundreds of miles away, the community she’s known since birth becomes unrecognizable; neighbors and classmates alike are consumed with fear, bigotry and hatred. Ultimately, Maya must find the strength within to determine where she truly belongs. Reviewed by Jessi H., Teen Board Member.
NAONDEL: The Red Abbey Chronicles Book 2 by Maria Turtschaninoff (Fantasy)
Imprisoned in a harem by a dangerous man with a dark magic that grants him power over life and death, the First Sisters must overcome their mistrust of one another in order to escape. But they can only do so at a great cost, both for those who leave and for those left behind. Told in alternating points of view, this novel is a vivid, riveting look at a world of oppression and exploitation, the mirror opposite of the idyllic Red Abbey. Reviewed by Rachel D., Teen Board Member.
THE PRINCE AND THE DRESSMAKER by Jen Wang (Graphic Novel)
Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride --- or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night he puts on daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia --- the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion. Sebastian’s secret weapon (and best friend) is the brilliant dressmaker Frances --- one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances dreams of greatness, and being someone’s secret weapon means being a secret. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect a friend? Reviewed by Brianna Robinson.
TOGETHER AT MIDNIGHT by Jennifer Castle (Contemporary Romance)
Audiobook available, narrated by Arielle DeLisle and James Fouhey
High school senior Kendall, who just returned from a life-changing semester in Europe, and Max, who is taking a gap year before college, struggle with tough questions when they witness a tragic accident in New York City during the holidays. Racked with guilt, the two accept a dare to perform random acts of kindness to strangers. The challenge pulls these two teens closer and closer as they explore a vibrant city filled with other people’s stories and secrets. Kendall and Max can’t deny their growing bond, even though they both have other romantic entanglements and uncertain futures. As the clock counts down on New Year’s Eve, will they find themselves together at midnight? Reviewed by Anna Kate L., Teen Board Member.
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