“Nevertheless, they persist. I guess that means I f^&*ng have to, too.” Sixteen-year-old Brynn’s life is a mess. Her beloved older brother Nick died of an overdose and her mother and step-father are so clueless that they punish Brynn for her academic decline and ignore her ongong grief. When Brynn is given an…
Award-winning journalist Catherine Price joins us on the podcast for a conversation on smartphone addiction. A growing number of smartphone users are starting to notice their phone usage has evolved into something problematic. Price's new book is a practical guide to help acknowledge addictive smartphone behavior and develop healthier relationships with our devices. We discuss…
Jonathan Evison’s raw, gritty novel about the working poor stars Mike Munoz, an endearing character who wants to find his own American Dream, but feels “stuck on a hamster wheel.’’ The 23-year-old works paycheck to paycheck while living with his mother and autistic brother in a doublewide trailer on a Native American reservation. His mom…
Big Angel is the patriarch of a sprawling Mexican-American family. He’s the one everyone looks up to, the one who sets the rules – kind of like the Godfather. However, he is dying of cancer and starting to look at the world a little differently. The House of Broken Angels takes place over two days…
Typically, when I think of a spinster detective, it's Miss Marple who comes to mind. I'm quite enamored of that fluffy little old lady, the tidy-yet-murderous village of St. Mary Mead, and her ever-present knitting needles. But sometimes I yearn for something a little darker. Not gory, but ominous and unexpected and unputdownable. If you,…
“There's something about first love, isn't there? she said. It's untouchable to those who played no part in it. But it's the measure of all that follows.” ― Sarah Winman, Tin Man Michael and Ellis were the best of friends and embraced life with exuberance as they grew up together exploring Oxford, England on their…
Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor are larger-than-life figures in American history. Franklin, the only American president elected three times, lead the country through the Great Depression and World War II, despite being crippled by polio. Eleanor redefined the role of First Lady, and sometimes caused controversy with her…
I had high hopes for this book, as I do for any book that features a library or librarian. Summer Hours at the Robbers Library didn't disappoint, but it wasn't what I expected at all. The characters are complex and the story is well-paced. There were several plot twists that I didn't see coming, but…
This second week in April is National Library Week - a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. For a special National Library Week podcast episode we interviewed some of our own librarians about what a day on the job looks like and also…
I'm a sucker for a cozy mystery, especially one that involves food, books, and a little bit of magic. The Secret, Book and Scone Society fits that bill perfectly. In the small mountain town of Miracle Springs, North Carolina, people come from near and far to visit the local healing springs, stay at the luxury…
