Detective Steven Paul is barely keeping it together. His marriage has crumbled, his superiors are questioning his fitness for duty, and his childhood nightmare – a grim prison, a horrific stench, and a cryptic symbol – continues to haunt him, both asleep and awake. So when scandal-chasing blogger Emily Lindsey is found catatonic and covered…
Assuming you did not spend the summer under a rock, you probably heard that the Wonder Woman movie did quite well at the box office. (And by “quite well,” I mean, “was biggest-grossing movie ever helmed by a solo female director,” according to Forbes.) You’d be forgiven, then, for thinking Leigh Bardugo’s WONDER WOMAN: WARBRINGER…
Whether the new year starts in September or January is a matter of some debate. As far as I'm concerned, a fresh start is always a good thing, regardless of what the calendar says. So in the spirit of the spirit of clean slates and lofty goals, I asked several of the librarians at CMPLD…
Fall is coming: the stores are full of harried parents clutching school supply lists, magazines promising easy weeknight dinners, and scented candles with names like "Snuggly Sweater." But even though school's back in session, the forecast is calling for sun -- and Cook Library has plenty of choices to help you squeeze every last bit of fun from the summer, no…
"From thirteen original colonies, as every schoolkid knows, the USA has become a nation of fifty proud states." But as Doug Mack goes on to explain in his latest book, there's more to the story. We don't, strictly speaking, have colonies anymore. Instead, we have territories. And commonwealths. And insular areas. (And the District of…
Sometimes, you just want to read a big book. Maybe you're going into a weekend-long sports tournament; maybe it's too hot and humid to step outside. Maybe you're facing a mountain of laundry with nothing to keep you occupied during the spin cycle, or you're flying cross-country. Maybe you just want to be transported. (This,…
I know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes it can’t be helped. Sometimes you see a book, and its cover says, “I am the perfect summer romance! Read me when you need something long on breezy charm, short on doom and gloom, with a healthy dose of swoony-ness.” Too…
Though you’d never know it from the weather forecast, summer is fast approaching. And while I love a moody, atmospheric historical mystery all year round, these days I find myself reaching for stories that are a little sunnier than my usual Victorian or WWII fare. I crave something fresh -- a new-to-me setting, an unfamiliar cast,…
Sherlock Holmes is my literary catnip. Tell me that a story has even the most tenuous connection to the residents of 221B Baker Street, and I will dive for my library card faster than you can say, “Elementary, my dear Erica.” While I’ve read Doyle’s original stories more than once, these days I'm enjoying retellings –…
First, a confession: Neil Gaiman could write an air conditioner repair manual and I would cheerfully read it. So the odds I would enjoy his latest release, NORSE MYTHOLOGY, were pretty good. Even so, I was surprised by how delightful this collection is. With a television adaptation of Gaiman’s AMERICAN GODS coming to Starz at the…
