River Readers

If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?

It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.

Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.

Sarai has lived and breathed nightmares since she was six years old.

She believed she knew every horror and was beyond surprise.

She was wrong.

In the wake of tragedy, neither Lazlo nor Sarai are who they were before. One a god, the other a ghost, they struggle to grasp the new boundaries of their selves as dark-minded Minya holds them hostage, intent on vengeance against Weep.

According to ratings, sixteen-year-old Esther Ann Hicks-Essie is the most likeable member of her famous reality show, “Six for Hicks” family. Obsessed with the family’s public image, Essie’s mother, Celia, strives to keep their show’s ratings up and their audience engaged season after season. Between the family’s fundamentalist beliefs and strict on-camera schedule, Essie has little say in what happens in her own life. But when her mother discovers that Essie is pregnant, the power dynamic shifts and suddenly the carefully crafted “Six for Hicks” empire threatens to collapse.

High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness. Angry and alone, he takes refuge in his imagination and soon finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a world that is a strange reflection of his own -- populated by heroes and monsters and ruled by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book, The Book of Lost Things.

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams. - From Goodreads.com

Book review by Terreece Clarke, Common Sense Media

WHAT'S THE STORY?
GHOST is Castle Cranshaw's new nickname -- he gave it to himself and it sticks when he challenges a track team's best sprinter to a race. Running is as easy for him as breathing, probably because he's been doing it all his life. An emerging track star with a past, Ghost has to figure out why he runs -- is it toward what his life could be or away from his past? Luckily, he has new friends on the team, his coach, and even his mom to help him figure it all out.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

"True belonging doesn't require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are." Social scientist Brene Brown, PhD, LMSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives--experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.

A cemetery might be an odd place for two people to strike up a friendship especially an elderly man and a teenage girl but Arthur Moses and Maddy Harris are fairly odd people. Arthur visits the cemetery to talk to his late wife, Nora, though he has a gift for divining the backstories of the graveyard's other permanent residents. Maddy doesn't have a personal connection to this particular cemetery, but she finds the quiet grounds peaceful after the chaos of school and the tension at home.

Exhilarating short stories of women breaking free from convention. 

Every now and then, right in the middle of an ordinary day, a woman rebels, kicks up her heels, and commits a small act of liberation.

Noelle's Take: I thought for the most part, this parenting book was spot on. The first part of the book explains the psychology behind children's' misbehavior and offers proactive strategies that help prevent undesired behaviors before they become a problem.

However, I thought the "tools" part of the book was a tad overwhelming for a rookie parent. It's hard in the moment to remember which tool might be best used in a particular parenting scenario - especially if you're covered in yogurt.

Book Description:

A sparkling debut set in Mark Twain's boyhood town, FLOOD is a story of what it means to be lost…and found.

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time, Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world's great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most. -From Goodreads.com

It’s 1990 and small town life is harsh in Quinn, Montana. It’s especially harsh for Rachel, a recovering alcoholic, who’s back in town to seek absolution for the countless transgressions she racked up during her turbulent teen years. Her own mother won’t speak to her, and the locals avert their gaze when she walks by. Of course, they’d hate to get on Laverna’s bad side. As owner of The Dirty Shame, Quinn’s only bar, Rachel’s brazen mother Laverna, wields her power over the town’s tap fiercely- and she’s not exactly known for her compassion. And then there’s Jake.

Although this book was written in 2007, it is EVERY BIT as relevant today. *Highly recommend*