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...

February was a month full of international mysteries. All my audiobooks, courtesy of Libro.fm and Libby were excellent mysteries. And almost by accident, all my  paper books were mysteries as well, with the exception of Kindred by Octavia E. Butler a time travel sci-fi tale that was capturing and thought-provoking.  I continued Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series with #2 The Likeness  and #3 Faithful Place . Each book gives the reader an in-depth perspective on a detective introduced in the previous books. While you could read them out of order it helps to better understand the characters to go in sequence. Each book revolves around one main mystery/murder but there are so many underlying stories to shape the main character's experiences, personalities, motives, and behaviors.   Nick Brooks's first novel Promise Boys is a mystery set in a private school run more like a military academy. Our main characters find themselves in detention with no alibi when the...

 When girls from a prestigious boarding school start to fall ill with a mysterious illness everyone is reaching for answers. From environmental reasons, obscure diagnoses, and even the school's religious origins.  However, sometimes the simplest explanation is right in front of us. And sometimes the past can merge with the present to give us answers. This book was the perfect mix of mystery and historical fiction. The suspense builds up leaving you wondering if the simple explanation is actually the right one. 

  One of my favorite Lincoln Nominees!  Del is just trying to make sure Kiera notices him and realizes what a good guy he is.  Maybe then she will decide to give him a chance. And he's willing to go all the way, he will do almost anything, including signing up for the Purity Pledge at church. What started as a deceitful way to get her attention will turn into a life-changing event for Del.  So much to unpack in this book from how we are raised to socialize differently depending on our gender, what is acceptable behavior for each gender, how old traditions are hard to change, and how to make your voices be heard it takes courage.  Highly recommend the audiobook version of this book. 

Powerful. Moving. Tragic. Hopeful. Imagine navigating middle school when you already stand out because you are the poor kid in a school of wealthy kids. Imagine showing up to school with a black eye and no money for lunch. Instead, you have to tell the cashier that you are in the free lunch program, and because of that, you are made fun of endlessly.  Imagine going from a run-down apartment to living in your car to ending in housing projects. Instead, you stay behind and walk home to avoid other kids knowing where you live.  That was Rex Ogle's experience growing up in Texas, living in poverty, struggling to make friends, navigating his mom and stepdad's violent mood swings, overcoming teachers who just look at him and decide he’s trouble, to not being able to participate in sports, or having to wear handmade Halloween costumes.  Through all his experiences Rex finds moments of hope, friendship, laughter, and authenticity. Listening to the audiobook I fell in love with Re...

This collection of short stories brings together six teens under Mr. Nak's angry management group.  With a short introduction to each teen's background story, Mr. Nak sets the stage for moments in which each character shares their insecurities, their anger, and the prejudice they have lived with. But also they have the opportunity to find love, freedom, and the power of their stories.    This quick read is about surviving, hope, and the power of the human spirit. Ms. Galan

  A mystery wrapped in the past slowly unfolds the story of a "royal" heir.   What starts with the boring task of cleaning her aunt Anna's old attic will turn into an unusual discovery.  Tucked away in the attic is an old chest filled with leather-bound journals.  Could these Russian journals be the story of princess Anastasia Romanov?  In the pursuit of finding her aunt's story, Jess will travel back into a past that is hard to understand and that will challenge her desire to believe the story she wants to believe.  Beautifully written with alternating perspectives and voices. 

  When Natasha’s sister goes missing she turns her loss into anger but when no one offers any help she turns to the last resort option- magic.  Della’s family has lived in the Bend for generations creating spells for the locals desperate enough to use their magic.  When Natasha shows up for help, Della knows it won’t be as simple as creating a potion.  She starts to wonder if the beast responsible for Natasha’s sister’s disappearance is someone really close to her, someone, she has bowed to protect, but how do you protect a monster?  Falling for Natasha means deciding how far she’s willing to go. They become each other’s hope, with little to lose and more anger than the Bend can hold on to.  If you like Holly Black or series like Truly Devious this fast-paced book is for you with strong characters, an intriguing plot, symbolism, magic, and a killer cover. Ms. Galan