River Readers

Leigh Chen Sander's mother committed suicide. Leigh is certain her mother has become a beautiful red bird and is trying to give her a message. Her mother had always been allusive about her childhood, her family and her life in Taiwan. Her father, so devastated by her mother's death is unwilling or unable to tell Leigh much about her mother's past. Certain that the key to the message her mother was trying to get her to uncover was somehow tied to her family in Taiwan, Leigh and her father travel there.

Junger asks why have PTSD steadily risen among soldiers returning from war over the last century, when casualties have declined. He makes a compelling argument that it due to the lack of tribal cohesiveness

Alina thinks she's a recently laid off news reporter trying to get an interview with musical Superstar Reign who is fae. Fae and humans are Not allowed to touch - to protect the humans from becoming bespelled - willing to do anything for the fae they are in love with. Turns out Alina is neither human nor fae, but just an ethereal construct.

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African-American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments.

Butch Karp has two cases where a particular cop appears to be the perpetrator. Marlene Ciampi's security company does a public offering of stock, and soon she's a millionaire. Their daughter Lucy is doing mission work with the homeless and soon she is at risk when Karp's 2 cases collide. I love the banter between Marlene & Butch - clever dialogue. I wish the female protagonists had more agency, though even Butch gets his life saved by a less than savory character.

For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

With piercing clarity and craftsmanship, Mary Oliver has fashioned an unforgettable poem of questioning and discovery, about what is observable and what is not, about what passes and what persists. As the U.S. Poet Laureate, Stanley Kunitz, has said: "Mary Oliver's poetry is fine and deep; it reads like a blessing. Her special gift is to connect us with our sources in the natural world, its beauties and terrors and mysteries and consolations." The Boston Globe has called Mary Oliver "a great poet . . .

Explorers from an all-women planet have found men to breed with, but have they found studs or duds?

Commander Jessica Campbell of the planet L8DZ N1T3 and her crew are searching for men to breed with when they discover the last human on Earth, the cryogenically frozen Jessica Campbell. With a new, but familiar crewmember, the search for men continues, but will it be worth it?

Don Brown does a good job showing the horrors of the Syrian war. The art in this graphic novel is sparse but effective in that it accurately displays the trauma the Syrian people face on a daily basis in both their own country and the countries they have fled too. Brown includes snippets from actual refugees about their experiences. Definitely a worthwhile story to tell about a current political situation that doesn't seem to be ending any time soon.

Real Friends ranks right up there with Roller Girl and Drama as fantastic graphic novels about girls growing up and navigating school and friends. In this wonderful book, Shannon Hale spares nothing in telling about her childhood. She is desperate to have friends and super excited when she makes one in Adrienne. But Adrienne is a lot more popular and soon becomes part of "The Group" led by Jen.

Tessa has just moved to Chicago from Florida and isn't happy about it. She had to leave sunny beaches and her best friend. And she has moved into a haunted house. She keeps hearing crying noises and something is drawing on her sketchpad. With the help of her new friends Andrew and Nina, she has to figure out who is haunting her and why. 

So one of of my biggest pet peeves is poorly edited books and this one had som eglaring mistakes that would have been such an easy fix and should have been spotted by an editor. 

The New Minimalism borrows a lot from other books/theories. I personally saw a lot of Marie Kondo in the way they divide by category, touch everything and thank items for their service. However, the language is a little more appealing to an American audience than Kondo who I found a tad bit kooky. I did appreciate the emphasis on donating items and living a sustainable lifestyle. All in all I found this a good practical guide to decluttering and minimizing your home.

The Divided Earth is the conclusion of The Nameless City trilogy. War has come to the city and Rat and Kai are determined to stop it. Ezri the new General of All Blades and his sidekick Mura are determined to use whatever weapon they can especially the powerful napatha. 

This book was not what I was expecting. I knew there was a murder and a mystery about why, but this family's issues went far farther than I expected. I was very uncomfortable with the detail of Pete's time in the Philippines as a P.O.W. and as a guerrilla fighter. I was not familiar with this part of WWII, but I am well versed in military trials. While I know this information was important to the main plot, I think there was too much time spent on this part. I never saw the true reason as it turned out, but it did make sense. Grisham did a good job of describing Mississip in the 1940's.

This was an interesting story. I liked the complex relationships. It was hard to keep track of what was true, believed-to-be true, and an outright lie. I can't imagine that kind of relationship with your father, but all families are different. This had enough twists and turns to keep your interest even though some issues were obvious and too simply resolved.