At the start of this book, Matt Rose is in a Humvee in eastern Baghdad, not sure who he is or what he's doing there. Five months later, Rose is back in Missoula, Montana, his hometown, discharged from the military with a traumatic brain injury and still trying to piece together memories of his past…
Was one of your New Year's resolutions this year about stuff? Buying less, decluttering, reorganizing? Do you wonder what happens to everything we donate or recycle? If you do, pick up this book. Secondhand takes us on a trip throughout the world to show where all that stuff goes. Believe it or not, that old…
I would never have picked up this book had a friend not recommended it to me. I thought it might be self-congratulatory or preachy. But Melissa Gates is neither of those things. Quite the opposite: she is humble and refreshingly honest about how hard it can be to make change in the world. This book…
This book is the first in Ann Cleeves's new Three Rivers series. Mystery fans know Cleeves from the Vera Stanhope and Shetland books and TV series, and it was exciting to discover her brand-new character, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. He's an unassuming, introverted sort who's pulled into a murder case on the day of his…
Since it's Halloween this week but I'm too chicken to read horror books, I figured I would cheat and review a not-so-scary book that has "ghosts" in the title! Tuesday Mooney is a "prospect researcher" for a large hospital in Boston -- that's fundraising-speak for someone who pulls together information on wealthy potential donors. At…
In Miracle Creek, a small town in Virginia, the immigrant Yoo family has started a new business: Miracle Submarine, a center for hyperbaric oxygen therapy, or HBOT. Touted as a treatment for a variety of medical conditions, their HBOT chamber (basically a big pressurized oxygen tank) has drawn clients with cerebral palsy, autism, and infertility.…
In our world, faith is not something we talk about much. Family Sunday mornings are more often built around soccer games or brunches than heading to church. Yet questions of faith and belief still resonate. At some point most of us struggle with the big questions: Does God exist? And if so, why do bad…
I was captivated right off the bat by this book's title and cover. Both are such perfect representations of what is inside: enigmatic, a little dirt-stained, filled with many shades of gray -- but mostly, two people holding each other. The book radiates with love flowering in the most difficult circumstances. It's the story of…
The Kamchatka Peninsula is as far east as you can go in Russia. Set in the North Pacific Ocean, it is about the size of New Zealand but only has about 400,000 residents. Its isolation and beauty make it unique, as does its ethos – a juxtaposition of Russian culture, indigenous tribes, and the legacy…
Lisa See's latest novel is set on a beautiful volcanic island off the coast of South Korea called Jeju. Nowadays it's called "Honeymoon Island," but until the end of the 20th century, it was the home of the haenyo, or sea women. These women formed diving collectives and caught seafood to feed and support their…
