Sharing the Stories

  April showers brought an abundance of books. The perfect balance of physical books to audiobooks, non-fiction & graphic novels to love stories, and good mysteries.  Most of my physical books were from my public and school libraries and a few Indie bookstore purchases. My audiobooks were courtesy of Sora and Libro.fm . You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith was actually an author event at Women & Children First . This rare memoir in prose from a poet proved to be insightful, and moving, with raw grief and hope for transformation.  The Lost Art of Running by Shane Benzie was another Indie bookstore purchase after completing a race. Shane's approach brings a technical/informative perspective to the art of running while incorporating a narrative of his own experiences. The Weight of Blood by Tiffany Jackson- Lincoln Award Nominee 2024- from one of my favorite authors. This mystery/horror with deadly consequences, in a town divided by a racial conflic...

I'm extra grateful this reading month for Spring Break and the chance to get lost in great stories. Lots of audiobooks thanks to libro.fm 🎧 and Libby.   Mysteries continued strong with two additional titles from the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French . I'm loving following characters from one book to another and seeing them change, know their backstories, and figure out the mysteries together. Broken Harbor #4 The Secret Place #5 #murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil a Lincoln Nominee for 23-24 was my additional mystery. I wanted to like the story but honestly, I found it hard to follow at first, the characters were predictable, and overall the story wasn't anything new or engaging. Realistic Fiction and Romance made a comeback this month with titles I had on my TBR list and a few surprises. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt was on my TBR and a book club option. While it started to slow it quickly got a hold of my attention. With a strong resemb...

Finding an old tattered copy of Echo and Ariston changed Zara’s life igniting her dreams of becoming an actress but she would never have imagined that one day that little book could truly mean life or death.   As the new “muse” for acclaimed director Leopold Henneman Zara is willing to do whatever it takes to please him and make her debut day a success.  Putting her senior year on hold she moves to New York City to be the female lead in the play of her dreams.  Surrounded by an eccentric crew linked to Leopold's life Sara will struggle to fit in, to follow his unconventional ways, while dangerously falling in love with the wrong person. As rehearsals unfold tragic deaths strike the Aurelia Theatre would superstition holds and deaths would end with opening night.  Would Zara’s life end before opening night? Would her dreams ever become true? Will she have to choose between her dream or love?  The story is told from multiple points of view but never becomes d...