River Readers

Jerome is twelve years old when he is shot by the police and killed for playing with a toy gun in the park. Jerome was a good kid who never got in trouble. Loved by his parents and little sister, his spirit rises from his dead body and tries to find some meaning behind his death. Along the way, he encounters the ghost of Emmett Till and together they try to navigate the troubled waters of finding out if there can be any good to come out of their murders.

In Haley's school there are two boys named Martin Nathaniel Munroe II (it's a long story). So when one of them texts her about a history assignment, she asks which one she is talking to. The response, "The good one" leads to a case of mistaken identity.

This book has a unique format in that it is told entirely as text messages with lots of cute twists and turns. It is a lighthearted teen novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend!

*Starred Review* Was Lizzie Borden really an ax murderer? Robertson brings her expertise as a lawyer and legal adviser to her 20 years of research on the Borden case in her first book. Using transcripts from the trial, newspaper articles, unpublished local reports, and Borden's recently discovered letters, Robertson analyzes not only the trial, but also nineteenth-century attitudes about women and crime. She points out how the police bungled the investigation, how the prosecution miscalculated its case, and how the defense attorney's brilliant strategy helped Lizzie.

Downing's debut thriller offers a chilling look into the marriage of two psychopaths. Our unnamed narrator (known mostly by an alias, Quentin) likes to pick up women in bars while pretending to be deaf. His wife, Millicent, is perfectly fine with this because he brings them home for her to torture and murder. When the freshly killed body of a young woman is found, nearly a full year after Millicent was supposed to have dumped her, Quentin realizes that Millicent is apparently playing a different game than he thought.

Alicia Berenson is a famous painter, living a life that many envy with her handsome fashion-photographer husband, Gabriel. With a gorgeous house, complete with a painting studio, and that perfect marriage, Alicia couldn't be happier. Until one day Gabriel comes home late from work, and Alicia shoots him in the face. In the brutal aftermath that leads to an indefinite stay in a psychiatric hospital, Alicia mutely accepts her punishment. Forensic psychotherapist Theo Faber is put in charge of her therapy; however, since the night of the shooting, she hasn't spoken a word.

Owens (The Eye of the Elephant: An Epic Adventure in the African Wilderness), an experienced nature writer, puts her background to good use in her debut novel. Her descriptions of the Carolina coastal marsh add vibrancy to this story of Kya Clark, known as the Marsh Girl, who has survived alone there for years. Kya's story is intertwined with a 1969 murder mystery in which Kya is the chief suspect. The nature writing is lyrical, and narrator Cassandra Campbell does it justice.

Twins born on the Summerbourne estate never survive, at least according to local lore, until the births of Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother, Danny. However, just a few hours after giving birth to the twins, their mother, Ruth, commits suicide by throwing herself from the estate's high cliffs and perishing amidst the rocks and ocean spray below. Twenty-five years later, Seraphine begins searching for the truth of that mysterious day, beginning with the family's au pair, Laura, who fled Summerbourne on the same day of Seraphine and Danny's birth and their mother's death.

Sebastian is getting ready for his last year at soccer camp when he finds out his ex-best friend, Emir, is also attending. He doesn't know exactly what went wrong with Emir. When they were small, they were inseparable. That changed after Emir had to go back to England so his family could care for his ailing grandmother. When he returned, things were differently and they never really talked again. Emir seemed angry and unapproachable. Now with him attending soccer camp, Sebastian worried what it would be like. Would Emir fit in with his other friends or would he remain aloof and angry?

Olive has lots of friends and fits in almost anywhere with any group of kids. She felt confident about her friends and her place in school. That all changed when the school put on a talent show, and Olive was left without anyone to perform with.

This cute graphic novel tells the story of finding your place in your world and the importance of being yourself.

FINALIST FOR THE 2018 NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD

"Both timelessly beautiful and unbelievably timely."--Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant

A captivating novel of family, fame, and religion that tells the story of the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family's hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow their entire world apart.

Aptly named patriarch King repairs to an island with his wife and daughters to escape an unnamed cataclysm. Even though for a time they welcomed castaway women, the daughters are taught to fear strangers, especially men, who are considered toxic. This insular, hothouse environment, though meant to protect the girls, also sequesters them from being able to adjudge their parents' stringent "exercises" as little more than torture. When King disappears, the daughters' carefully crafted world begins to crumble, and emotions (which the exercises were meant to curb) bubble up.

Recently divorced after a long struggle with infertility, the unnamed narrator of poet Sims' first novel clings to Cat, her ex-husband's pet that she never even liked. Sadly, work doesn't distract her from her misery. As a non-tenure-track lecturer at an overpriced, second-rate city school, she has only one class this semester, a poetry survey for a handful of students (one of whom seems to be hitting on her).

This was a nice story about a young girl's journey to find her place among her friends. Olive has lots of friends which is great for a fifth grader, but when a talent show is scheduled, relationship change quickly. At such an awkward age, finding the right spot is never easy, but when Olive does, she goes for it with a gusto.

A debut graphic novel about friendship and finding where you "click" in school.

While did enjoy this audiobook, I felt like a needed a "Clue" type score card to keep track of who was who, what day it was, and what happened when. When it all wrapped up it made perfect sense. I did like the way it ended with hope for the future. I was still a bit confused on what happened to some of the characters since there were multiple endings each day, but sometimes it better not to know for sure.

The Rules of Blackheath: Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.

Essie Hicks is the youngest child from the reality television show Six for Hicks. The Hick's father is an evangelical preacher of a mega church so when Essie found out she was pregnant her mother went into "damage control" mode. Decisions were being made without any discussion with Essie as if she were just a commodity for the show. That's when Essie decided to take matters into her own hands.

This book was fascinating and I really enjoyed the character arcs of Essie and Roark. I thought the unwinding of Essie's story was riveting and made you want to keep turning the pages.