River Readers

Daisy Jones and the Six is written as an oral history of a famous band in the late 60’s and early 70’s. The Six was a group making its way in the channels of rock and roll when an impertinent young ingenue darkens their door and the rest was rock and roll history.

I loved this novel. It is written in a unique and engaging format that makes you wonder if this is fact or fiction. I highly recommend it.
 

Feyre lives in a small village and hunts to support the rest of her family, her disabled father, and two lazy elder sisters. This novels plays on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Eventually Feyre has to go live with a fairy lord for slaying one of his court (who was in wolf form). Intrigue follows

While Felicity has escaped going to a finishing school she winds up working in a bakery with a sweet man who proposed to her - not what she wants to do with her life. She attempts to inveigle herself into her ex-best friends wedding, her old friend is marrying a scientist doctor and Felicity hopes to train under him. Sexism and piracy get in her way.

I liked the depiction of Felicity being asexual not into romance, neither girls nor guys. While the dialogue wasn't quite as good as in the prequel, the novel was a good adventurous romp.

How do you research the world of mazes and labyrinths? Eliot provides history, philosophies, stories, and personalities of this fascinating topic in a book that is not only informative but also a unique reading experience. As you hold the book upside down, right-side up and sideways in order to read it, the reader experiences the sensation of wandering through a maze. The illustrator Quibe primarily uses a unbroken single red thread that weaves its way throughout the entire book.

It all starts with a ring in a pawn shop -- a ladies West Point ring engraved with SRS. Jack Reacher knows, based on his experience and the year, it is not a thing given up lightly and decides to track the owner. The ex-MP's follows the ring across several states and a variety of unsavory characters as he discovers more about its owner's life. This title in author Lee Child's best-selling series relies less on non-stop action and more on procedure to answer questions, right some wrongs, and eventually leads to a showdown at the midnight line.

My favorite comedy book. Simply put, it's about a demon and angel who are friends and the end of the world is coming and they prefer this didn't happen, so they team up to keep this from happening.

There is a lot going on in this graphic novel. There is a group of thieves trying to steal an artifact. There are forces of good and evil at war with each other. There are giant killer locusts. There are gods and demons and holy sacrifices. They all fit together in a complicated story that needs a second volume!

A retelling of Little Women starring four Muslim sisters. Dad has to take a job in another country and little sister gets cancer. The family has to find a way to work through all the difficulties they are having. Jameela is a budding journalist and wants to make her dad proud while he is away. The family is supported by a wonderful group of family and friends. We also meet Ali whose father has died so he was sent to live with aunt and uncle in America. He becomes part of the family as well even though there are tensions after an article mixup in the school newspaper. 

Charlie is on a Christian hike up a mountain with a group of girls. The only issue is that she is the only person of color on the trip and the only queer kid. Until she realizes Sydney is trans and one of the guides is half Dine. She is uncomfortable with the fact that she sticks out and that the main guide uses discriminatory language. The hike is a spiritual retreat that was started a hundred years ago by a group of women. It is interesting that this retreat up the mountain continues today. 

I can't believe I am saying this but this was not my favorite Lumberjanes. I really disliked the art/illustrations and it detracted from the story. I like my Lumberjanes stories to have an equal balance of weird/crazy stuff and personal tidbits from the characters. This story was heavy on the weird and really light on the personal. We get a bit more about Molly's terrible life at home, but that is it. No one else really gets a chance to shine here.

This series is going to be just like the Illuminae Files where I am going to wish I hadn't discovered it until the entire series was published. I devoured this book in a very short amount of time and I am already ready for the next one. 

Hannah Hart shares her story of growing up with a mom with a mental illness. Her story is not one I am personally familiar with, but it is something I think anyone can relate to. She details her childhood where she was more the parent than her parent, where she helped raise her younger sister, where her home and personal hygiene were not the best because of neglect. She also talks about her absent father who chose being a Jehovah's Witness and his religion over protecting his daughters.

Drest is the only one left after a raid takes her father and brothers. They are bound for Faintree Castle where they are to be hanged in 5 days. Also left behind is a wounded knight named Emerick. Drest is determined to use Emerick to free her family so they set off to Faintree Castle. They are joined on their journey by Tigg and have many adventures along the way, including freeing a witch about to be burned at the stake and discouraging a bandit from following them. This is not just a journey to free her family though.

This is probably the best decluttering book I have listened/read. Not only does Dana White give you ideas on how to declutter, she helps you set your mind on the path of decluttering. Her advice is practical and useful. First off you have to think of everything as having a container, whether that container is a box or a drawer or a closet or a house. Once the container is full, it is full and you must remove something in order to add something. I found this particularly useful.

The Black Bull of Norroway is based on a Scottish fairytale of the same name. A knight has been cursed to be a bull and in order to break the curse he needs a wife, a sword and a shield. Sibylla is told she will be the bull's wife after she gets her fortune told by a witch. So when the bull comes to claim her she is not surprised. They head out on the quest and along the way meet the bull's brother and sister who are also cursed.