The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis (Sunrise Cove #5) (2024)

 

The Bright Spot takes place in a town called Sunrise Cove near Lake Tahoe but the story itself is a ray of sunshine.  The heroine, Luna Wright, knows nothing about her biological family and never really fit in with her adopted family but she feels totally at home at the Apple Ridge Farm which she runs with her motley crew.  The future of her family and her home is threatened when the owner Silas dies suddenly and Luna discovers a large balloon payment is due to investors in two months.  Although Silas leaves 50% of the farm to Luna, the other half is left to investment manager, Jameson Hayes.

Of course, the two couldn’t be more different.  Luna leads with her heart and Jameson is guided by his spreadsheets but the two must work together to save the farm and the livelihood of the people they have grown to love.

The romance between Luna and Jameson follows the standard formula but the story is also about learning to trust and accepting who you really are.  Comic relief is provided by the abandoned farm animals housed at the farm, particularly Dammit Ziggy, or DZ, a baby goat with a pajama wardrobe and mother issues.

4.2 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

 

The Inheritance Games / The Hawthorne Legacy / The Final Gambit / The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Inheritance Games #1-4) (2020 - 2023)

 

Although classified as Young Adult, this four-book series will appeal to all ages. Avery Grambs is a 17-year-old high school student dreaming of a better life for herself and her older sister. Everything changes when she discovers the eccentric billionaire Tobias Hawthorne, a man she has never met, has left his entire fortune to her rather than his daughters and grandsons. There is a catch however. She must live in Hawthorne House with the entire Hawthorne clan for one full year.

Avery soon learns Tobias was a master of games and manipulation. Riddle upon riddle, secret upon secret, nothing is as it appears to be at Hawthorne House. To understand her role in the billionaire’s final game and why she’s the recipient of his bequest, Avery must piece together clues left throughout the massive estate full of hidden passages, secret compartments, and underground tunnels. In order to do so, Avery must turn to the four Hawthorne grandsons who have been solving their grandfather’s puzzles all their lives. Even though one of them may be trying to kill her.

The romance in the books is definitely geared to the young adult reader but is easy to overlook because the rest of the story is so good. The first three volumes cover Avery’s adventures while she waits for her inheritance.  The fourth book is considered part of the series but Avery's year is up by the end of the third. If you are not ready to leave Avery and the Hawthorne grandsons just yet, The Brothers Hawthorne continues the story with the focus on Grayson and Jameson. The storyline didn’t hold me like the first three books.

4.54 stars on Goodreads, 5 on Amazon

Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 by T. J. Newman (2023)

 

If you’re looking for an adventure to keeps you on the edge of your seat, this is the book for you. T. J. Newman, a former flight attendant, proves she knows her stuff by writing a fast-paced novel about doomed commercial flight 1421 and the desperate efforts of the various rescue teams up top to save the passengers.

Soon after takeoff from Hawaii, flight 1421 loses an engine and all power, crashing into the ocean, and sinking to the bottom with 12 passengers aboard. They find themselves 200 feet below the surface, waist-deep in water, and with 6.5 hours of air remaining. Two of the trapped passengers, Shannon and Will Kent, are the daughter and soon to be ex-husband of the head of one of the aforementioned dive teams.

Up on the surface, Chris Kent is desperate to save her family. There is no procedure for a rescue like this; there has never been a need for one. There is however a proven method for rescuing sailors from a sunken submarine, but the one-of-a-kind vessel used for the rescue is waiting for a replacement part. Chris, the leader of an elite dive team and a civilian has a plan to adapt the vessel to use with the plane, but the Navy and the Coast Guard will only agree to her plan as a last-ditch effort.

Will, an engineer by trade and first officer, now caption, Kit Callahan work together to keep the passengers safe while waiting for their rescue. Will knows that Chris’ plan will work and all three must work together to bring Chris’ plan to reality.

The book is emotional and tense from the beginning but Newman ups the ante in the last couple of chapters. For those of you of a certain age, the story is reminiscent of 1970’s disaster movies. I felt like I was right there with all the characters both on the plane and above. I highly recommend the read.

Warner Brothers has purchased the movie rights to Drowning and release is planned for 2024. The movie adaptation of Newman’s first novel, Falling, was released in 2021.

4.2 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

These Still Black Waters by Christina McDonald (Jess Lambert #1) (2023)

 

Neve Maguire and her 16-year-old daughter Ash have moved to Black Lake where Neve had spent her summers as a child but never returned after a traumatic incident occurred there 20-years before. Neve appears to have everything, but a violent home invasion has left her wanting a fresh start. On their first night at the house, Neve spots her childhood friend, Bailey Nelson standing in the rain starring in the window. The next day Bailey’s body is discovered in the lake, killed much earlier the previous day.

Jess Lambert is the detective assigned to the case and she's desperate to prove to her male collegiates she can still do the job. A tragic car accident in which Jess’s daughter Isla lost her life, has left Jess in constant pain, walking with a limp, and requiring the assistance of a cane to get around. What no one knows is that Jess sees and talks to Isla’s ghost. Neve sees her too.

When Jess interviews Neve, every instinct tells her Neve is hiding something. The discovery of the body links the two women together as secrets from the past and present are revealed through the alternating narratives of Neve, Jess and “the killer”.

3.91 stars on Goodreads, 4.0 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

The Wings of Poppy Pendleton by Melanie Dobson (2023)

 

In this dual timeline story, a little girl goes missing from Koster Isle in 1907 and in 1992 a journalist teams up with a woman living on the inland to find out what happened to her and save the life of another young girl.

On the eve of her fifth birthday in 1907, Poppy Pendleton is nowhere to be found in her family’s castle on Koster Isle in the St. Lawrence River. The grounds are searched but neither she or her body are ever found. Poppy has simply disappeared without a trace.

Eighty-five years later Chloe Ridell is living on Koster Isle in the shadow of what is left of Pendleton Castle, having inherited the island from her grandparents. She also inherited their candy store across the river in Clayton, New York and it struggling to keep her grandparent’s legacy a float. When returning from work one evening Chloe finds a young girl seeking shelter with her. Emma is full of secrets, as is every character in the book, even Chloe’s grandparents.

At the same time Chloe is searching for Emma’s family, a journalist arrives intent on solving the mystery of Poppy’s disappearance in time for what would be Poppy’s 90^th birthday and needs Chloe’s help.

The chapters of the book move from one character to the other but I never found the story hard to follow. The mystery builds as new characters are added to the story and it is up to the reader to put the pieces together. The book begins a little slowly and it takes a while to get to the actual disappearance but I soon found that I had to have the answers.

Dobson is a Christian writer and it is reflected in her story.

4.3 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Starter Villain by John Scalzi (2023)

 

Villain (n)  A professional disrupter, not necessarily evil. Services are available by subscription.

I am frequently drawn to a book by its cover and more often than not, the inside cover confirms I want to read it. Villian Starter was one such book. Who wouldn’t want to read about super intelligent cat spies who can talk and dolphins threatening to go on strike? 

Charlie Fitzer's life is going nowhere fast. The former business reporter turned substitute teacher is divorced and living in his deceased father’s house which his siblings want to sell out from under him. All Charlie wants to do is buy the downtown pub and live a quiet life with his cat. Everything changes when his billionaire uncle Jake, last seen when Charlie was five years old, dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie. Unfortunately, Charlie also inherits uncle Jake's enemies who now want to kill him.

After his house is blown up, Charlie moves to the volcano lair and is guided in his new life by Mathilda Morrison, his uncle’s right-hand woman, now his. It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against the other supervillains. But first he must attend the mysterious Lombardy Convocation, a consortium of all supervillains. And there are also labor negotiations with the Cetacean Association of the Americas, Chapter One.

The book is very well written and hard to put down. The whole thing is absurd but it’s a vastly entertaining read. I highly recommend it.

4.3 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

How to Say Goodbye by Wendy MacNaughton, (2023)

 

In her book, Wendy McNaughton, a former Artist-in-Residence at a San Francisco hospice, has written and illustrated a beautiful book offering insight based on personal experience and the “the five things” she learned from a professional caregiver. The result is a very easy to read book on the many ways to say goodbye when a loved one is dying.

4.41 stars on Goodreads, 4.4 on Amazon

Buried In Books (Bibliophile Mystery #12) by Kate Carlisle (2018)

 

Who doesn't love a cozy mystery? Brooklyn Wainwright is a bookbinder and restorer and has a habit of stumbling across dead bodies in libraries or library adjacent buildings. In this installment Brooklyn is presenting at the National Library Association’s annual conference in her hometown. San Francisco. And she’s getting married that Saturday to the handsome British security officer introduced in the first book of the series.

At the conference Brooklyn reconnects with her two best friends from college whom she hasn’t seen or spoken to in 20 years, since Brooklyn was caught in the middle of Heather and Sara’s competition for the same man. At a surprise wedding shower during the conference, both Heather and Sara present Brooklyn with rare first editions of The Three Musketeers and The Blue Fairy Book.

The mystery in this story doesn’t come into play until more than a third of the way through the book. One of the two friends is found dead under a pile of books in the basement of the conference hotel and Brooklyn discovers that one of the books she received is a forgery. Was her murdered friend involved in the forgery scheme? How about the boyfriend, now husband, whom Heather never trusted? And just who is trying to take the book from Brooklyn?

If I had one criticism for this book, it would be the overuse of terms of endearment.  It got a little repetitive.

Recipes for the food served at the wedding appear at the back of the book.

The 17^th book in the series, The Twelve Books of Christmas, is scheduled to be released later this year.  All the books are available within the library cooperative.  Ask a Reference Librarian for help in getting the titles not in the EPL collection.

4.11 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (2023)

 

Debut author Meg Shaffer has written a truly entertaining book about the power of reading and hope. Lucy Hart, a teacher’s aide, knows what it is like to grow up with parents who don’t love her. She sought and found solace in the Clock Island books authored by Jack Masterson, excerpts of which appear throughout her story. Adult Lucy wishes more than anything to have the finances necessary to foster and adopt seven-year-old orphan Christopher Lamb, a student she has taken under her wing and shared the gift of reading. Together they’ve read all of the Clock Tower books and one of their favorite things to do is play the wishing game introduced in the Clock Island books.

Jack Masterson lives on the actual Clock Island in Maine, along with his grumpy but handsome illustrator Hugo Reese. When Jack writes his first book in five years, he decides to hold a contest on Clock Island with the prize being the one and only copy of the manuscript. Lucy is thrilled to be one of the four chosen contestants; if she could win the manuscript, life for her and Christopher would change dramatically.

The book, reminiscent of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Harry Porter, will make you laugh, cry, and jump for joy. The characters are complex, yet loveable. The description of the island, the riddles and games in the story show off the powerful imagination of the author. This is one of the best books I have read in a good while.

 4.28 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Curiosity Thrilled the Cat (Magical Cats Mystery #1) by Sofie Kelly (2011)

I have read many cozy mysteries over the years but none I enjoyed as much as Curiosity Thrilled the Cat. Sofie Kelly adds whimsy and magic to the elements one would expect to find in this kind of mystery which made for a very charming story.

Kathleen Paulson has recently moved to Mayville Heights, Minnesota to oversee the renovation of the town’s Carnegie Library. Unfortunately, the project is moving slowly due to a series of accidents. Kathleen shares her home with her two adopted cats, Hercules and Owen, each with a distinct personality and talent. As the town prepares for the annual Wild Rose Summer Music Festival, Kathleen discovers a dead body and becomes the primary suspect of a murder investigation as the evidence against her mounts.

Unlike most cozy mysteries, it is the cats who are the amateur detectives, bringing Katherine “gifts” that somehow provide clues to solving the mystery. It is up to Kathleen to interpret what the items mean and how they fit into the case.

Like the first book in any series, Curiosity Thrilled the Cat sets the stage for future installments, providing the necessary background information about the town and its residents.

Eastpointe does not own any of the titles in this series.  If you are interested in reading this or any of Sofia Kelly’s other books ask a reference librarian to get it for you from an area library.

3.9 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

 This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

The House in on Fire by Rachel Beanland (2023)

The House in on Fire is the story of the Richmond [Virginia] Theater fire that took place on December 26, 1811. The theater burnt to the ground, the worst disaster in history at the time. The book follows Jack, Sally, Cecily, and Gilbert through the fire and the subsequent three days. Although this is a work of fiction, the fire did actually take place and the story for three of the four characters is historically accurate. Even their names haven’t been changed. (The Author’s Notes at the end of the book are well worth reading.) Fictional characters are added to provide the reader with a better window into Southern society in the early 1800s.

All four characters are forced to make split-second decisions that will affect not only their lives but those of many in their community. The fire begins when a young stagehand, Jack Gibson, raises the stage chandelier to the theater rafters even though the candles remain lit and the backdrops catch file. Mass panic follows as the audience of 600+ attempt to exit before the fire consumes the entire three-story wooden building. Sally is a young widow trapped on the third floor, Cecily is a slave seated in the “colored people’s gallery” on the first floor, and Gilbert, is an enslaved blacksmith who offers assistance to the victims.

The theater company, knowing that actors are not held in the highest regard, blame the blaze on an imaginary slave revolt that many in Richmond are quick to believe and even quicker to action. Jack wants to tell the truth and finds his life threatened as a result.

This book has it all - heroism, bravery, cowardice, villainy, love, sacrifice, and suspense. The characters and the story are so fully developed, I felt like I was watching the events unfold in front of me. The class and gender distinctions and hatred of the time are also well represented. Many similarities to 9/11 can be found.

In the end though, The House in on Fire is the story of honorable people who rise above the tragedy to do what needs to be done.

Reading the Stars: Astrology for Book Lovers (2022)

 

An original and entertaining mashup of literature and astrology for book lovers and star watchers alike. Whether you are a true believer or not, Reading the Stars: Astrology for Book Lovers just might offer you some insight as to why you enjoy the book genres you do.

The book begins with an easy-to-follow introduction to astrology and how the planets, stars, and natural elements combine to influence each Zodiac sign. It is followed by a “chapter” on each sign of the zodiac, beginning with Aries, the beginning of the astrological calendar. The basic personality traits of the sign are discussed, as well as the type of books generally preferred. You’ll also find a list of recommended titles.

I found the book very insightful.

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library by Hester Fox (2023)

 

Ivy Radcliffe is a young woman living hand to mouth in post Would War I London when she is summoned to Yorkshire where she learns she is the new Lady Hayworth, the last living heir to the Blackwood Library and a large estate, which began life as an abbey. Ivy knows nothing about this line of Radcliffe’s or the house. At Blackwood Abbey, Ivy is met by an uninviting staff who obviously know something they are not sharing, but is determined to make the best of things in her new home.

A book lover at heart, Ivy is delighted to find the house contains a library that has been neglected for years.  She sets out to catalog the vast library’s collection but the more times Ivy spends in the room, the worse her headaches become and she fears she is losing her memory when staff members tell her she is asking the same questions over and over.

In the local village, Ivy meets Sir Arthur Mabry, to whom Ivy is immediately drawn to Arthur because of his interest in books and the library. She learns he is the member of a mysterious club whose members are very interested in restoring the library to its former glory and opening it up to the public. Misunderstanding Arthur’s meaning and his true intentions, Ivy begins lending some of the library’s books to the local villagers, only to learn that the title of the books lent out seem to be a prophesy of events to follow.

What is the relationship of the library to the nun mentioned in the first chapter who was walled up inside the abbey centuries ago?  Why is the chauffer continuously begging Ivy to leave the estate?  Why is Arthur so interested in the library? You’ll have to read The Last Heir to Blackwood Library to learn the answers. This book hits all the elements of the gothic novel.

This is only Hester Fox Book owned by Eastpointe.  If you are interesting in reading other titles by her, a reference librarian can get them for you from an area library.

3.45 stars on Goodreads, 3.9 on Amazon