It's fitting that Annie Hartnett was living in a cemetery groundskeeper's cottage when she began writing her sophomore novel, Unlikely Animals -- this quirky, big-hearted novel is narrated by the ghosts of the Maple Street Cemetery. Unable to act but chock-full of opinions, the ghosts take a particular interest in Everton, New Hampshire's prodigal daughter,…
When I read Bonnie Garmus' debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, it triggered a memory from the 1970s that I had forgotten about. I was a teenager talking with an aunt, and I asked what her major was in college. She told me she got her M-R-S degree and married my uncle. She then went on…
The Deaf community may be getting some long-overdue recognition in our culture right now. First “CODA” won the best-picture Oscar, then spring brought the release of three compelling books featuring Deaf characters: True Biz by Sara Novic (a Reese’s Book Club pick), The Sign for Home by Blair Fell (a Bookies pick from my colleague…
We have all experienced the Internet vortex. You go online to do “just one thing” with the best intentions - to book that reservation, to stay abreast of world events, to make that important purchase - and THREE HOURS LATER, you have spent the whole afternoon watching cat and dog videos. And by you, I…
Like a favorite recipe with all the right ingredients in proper quantities, Hidden Pictures has mystery, romance, realism, and horror all combined in perfect proportion and mixed with strategic purpose. Edgar Award winning author Jason Rekulak, has created with his sophomore novel another intriguing page turner that is hard to put down. Jason Rekulak Narrator Mallory…
I know some readers avoid sad books. Life is sad enough, they argue. I get it. Sometimes you need a fun book to help you escape the heaviness of the modern world. However, I admit I have a penchant for novels that don't sugar-coat the sorrow life can bring. The novels that long live in my book memory all had…
Dr. Benjamin Gilmer When Dr. Benjamin Gilmer started at the Cane Creek Family Health Center in rural South Carolina, he knew he shared a surname with his predecessor: Dr. Vince Gilmer. But that was just a coincidence, it’s not like they were related. However, when Dr. Gilmer learns that the other Dr. Gilmer is serving…
There is nothing I love more than finding a new detective series to read. I’ll devour a good mystery of any sort, but when it’s a series, that’s like stumbling on buried treasure. My latest discovery is the Pentecost and Parker novels by Stephen Spotswood. Set in the 1940’s, they feature Lillian Pentecost, “New York…
I think most everyone would agree that being an adult is hard. Being a parent - no longer responsible just for yourself but also for the care and well-being of a whole other human being - well, that just adds a new level of stress to adulting. But to be the parent of a sick…
Avery Chambers, ex-therapist gone rogue, uses her own ten step program for her clients. “Golden” wife Marissa wants Avery to help keep her marriage alive as she tells her “Golden” husband Robert about an affair. When these three characters come together the mystery and suspense begin in The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, a riveting novel of deception…
