River Readers

If have a normal everyday family, this book probably isn't for you! However, if you like me and realize family is messy, then dive in and enjoy. My favorite quote from this book is very near the end when Miranda's mom is talking about her feelings for her brother Billy. She says, "They were family. You don't have to like your family, you only have to love them." To me this sums up the adventure Miranda has been on and most situations in any family. We can't choose our blood family and they aren't always easy to like, but deep down love of family is always there.

Florian and Margaret are back and this time they are going undercover. It seems there have been a series of pranks at a school, which just happens to be the one the president's daughter Lucy attends. They have to figure out who is pulling the pranks and why and if they involve Lucy. Florian and Margaret have their suspects and they uncover that the school has a secret society. Florian meets the president through his new friendship with Lucy and is able to find a missing presidential artifact. 

Florian Bates is new to the Washington, DC area, but that doesn't stop him from getting involved. Both his parents work in the art world so he is well connected when the National Gallery is robbed. Florian uses his TOAST method (Theory of All Small Things) to notice clues others might not be aware of. With the help of new friend Margaret, Florian becomes a special consultant for the FBI and helps them solve the case of the missing paintings. Things get a bit dicey when a Romanian mob boss gets involved however. 

Little Charlie was a sharecropper's son. All he knew was bad luck and hard work. His bad luck continued when his father was killed and the mean foreman, Cap'n Buck, showed up demanding money his father owed him. He demanded Little Charlie go with him on a slave hunting expedition to the North. That is where Little Charlie's education of the world really began.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green is the perfect balance of science fiction and a treatise on how fame and social media can change a person and leave them questioning who they are. Are they the persona created for the public view or are they something more?

During the war, most villages and cities were devoid of men. Chilbury was no exception. While the women were more than capable of taking over most of the duties, the vicar of the village church decided he would disband the choir. When the new music tutor declared they should have an all-ladies' choir, not all were so sure it would work. What developed was so much more than a choir.

"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.

First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a "haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena.

There were so many things I learned listening to this final book that I want to have a movie marathon and reread the books! Jim Dale's voice shows so many nuances that I missed I almost felt like it was a whole new book. I recommend listening to this series just to hear him. I miss this series as much now as I did when I read it the first time.

I enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see the movie. Having this in the back of my mind, I could see character differences from the actors cast, but it didn't make me like the movie any less. Now after I see the movie, I want to look for the other books in this series.

Orphaned Lewis Barnavelt comes to live with his Uncle Jonathan and quickly learns that both his uncle and his next-door neighbor are witches on a quest to discover the terrifying clock ticking within the walls of Jonathan's house. Can the three of them save the world from certain destruction?'
Goodreads.

Lucy is ready to be a superhero!

Lucy loves her best friends - her pack of dorks. But this year, everyone in the pack has become a hero . . . except for her! Sam rescues twin toddlers about to get hit by a car. April helps bring about the downfall of a ring of bicycle thieves. Sheldon and Amanda launch a campaign to protect turtle eggs laid on the school playground. Even Lucy's new teacher asks the class about their bravest moments. But Lucy's not brave - she doesn't even like to go to the basement by herself!