Book Notes: ‘Witch Elm’ is a classic whodunit
“The Witch Elm” By Tana French. Viking, 2018. 509 pages. $28.Good friends, young and hale and full of possibilities, frequently gather at Toby’s family homestead, the Ivy House. They talk and horse...
View ArticleBook Notes: Murder and mayhem in New England
“Past Tense” By Lee Child. Delacorte Press, 2018, $28.99“Below the Tree Line: A Pioneer Valley Mystery” By Susan Oleksiw. Midnight Ink, Woodbury, Minnesota, 2018. 312 pages. $15.99.Two new suspense...
View ArticleBook Notes: Longform nonfiction with a palpable edge
“Dirty John and Other Stories of Outlaws and Outsiders” By Christopher Goffard, staff writer for the Los Angeles Times. Simon and Schuster Paperbacks. New York, November 2018. Paperback. $17“A Private...
View Article10 of the coolest libraries in America
February is National Library Lover's Month, and there are so many reasons to love your local libraries.They provide much-needed services to the communities they serve, you've got a world of knowledge...
View ArticleThis Texas principal reads children's books live on Facebook for her students
Studies show reading at home directly correlates to children's success at school. Children who are read to frequently are more likely to recognize letters of the alphabet, count to 20 or higher, write...
View ArticleBook Notes: Surprise! Women are often happiest in old age
“Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age” By Mary Pipher. Bloomsbury Publishing, New York, 2019. 262 pages. $27The core lesson in Mary Pipher’s new book about women and...
View ArticleBook Notes: ‘Watching You’ is a satisfying whodunit
“Watching You” by Lisa Jewell. Atria Books, 2019. 336 pages.Lisa Jewell’s newest thriller, “Watching You,” opens in a kitchen, one of 27 such kitchens in an elite Victorian enclave in Bristol, England....
View ArticleBook review: A year before the mast - for a dream
“Seven at Sea”by Erick Orton and Emily Orton(Shadow Mountain, 307 pages, $27.99)Ever chase a dream? I did once, a small one in my early 20’s, and caught it. Pretty much my life since then has been...
View ArticleBook review: An impressive song-by-song tour through Springsteen’s catalog
“Bruce Springsteen: The Stories Behind The Songs,” Brian Hiatt, Abrams Books.The concept alone sounds daunting: breaking down Bruce Springsteen’s entire recorded catalog song by song, and telling the...
View ArticleBook Notes: A pig unites a community
“How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals” by Sy Montgomery. Illustrated by Rebecca Green. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston/New York, 2019. $20. 200 pages.Having just lost a beloved...
View ArticleBook review: Wearing red to a wedding
“The Wedding Guest” by Jonathan Kellerman, (Ballentine Books, 368 pages, $28.99)Never crash a wedding and never do it in a Frendi red dress. And never do it anonymously in case you’re the intended...
View ArticleBook Notes: Passionate storytelling brings mystery to life
“The Last Woman in the Forest” By Diane Les Becquets. Berkley, 2019. 352 pages. $26Women. Wilderness. Danger. Three words often viewed in close proximity. If you’re playing this game of associations,...
View ArticleBook review: Nature vs. nurture vs. life
“The Distance Home” by Paula Saunders (Random House, 288 pages, $17.00)World War II was over and Yvonne, “Eve,” had big plans at 17. Some grow up on the wrong side of the tracks, but Eve thought she...
View ArticleThe Library of Congress digitized 70 classic children's books you can read...
Your online library just got a little bigger and a little more nostalgic. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the first Children's Book Week, the Library of Congress has made digital versions of 70...
View ArticleAuthor George R.R. Martin responds to 'Game of Thrones' series finale
Warning: Spoilers Ahead "Game of Thrones" aired its series finale on Sunday and fans definitely had some thoughts, to put it lightly. Decisions like making Bran Stark the new King of the (now) Six...
View ArticleBook Notes: A grim, scientific look at addiction
“Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction,” By Judith Grisel. Doubleday, 2019. 256 pagesThe book cover of “Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction,” by Judith...
View ArticleBook review: ‘Phinally’ is a fun stroll through the 1980 baseball season
Tug McGraw was one pitch away from what would be the Philadelphia Phillies’ first World Series victory when he glanced to the side and saw a horse carrying one of the city’s police officers lift his...
View ArticleKids can earn a free book from Barnes & Noble this summer
Free time in the summer creates a great opportunity to work through a growing stack of books. And for kids in grades 1 through 6, there's a reward waiting at the end of the stack. As part of Barnes...
View ArticleNew 'Harry Potter' e-books are coming this summer
For everyone aching for another adventure at Hogwarts with Harry Potter, get excited. It's time to return to the Wizarding World. Pottermore Publishing announced that a series of non-fiction e-book...
View ArticleBook Notes: Friendship and peril in a canoe on the river
“The River” by Peter Heller. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2019. 253 pages. $25.95Two young men - Jack and Wynn - take a canoe trip in northern Canada at summer’s end. Their plan is to spend a few weeks...
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