Getting Caught Up With My Reading

by Susan Roberts

With more time spent at home due to the Covid crisis, I have had a chance to read some of the books on my shelf.  I spent the first two months of the stay at home order unable to read much but since then I am reading constantly - probably because there is nothing on TV this summer and I have quit watching the news so my TV rarely even gets turned on.  I have been reading several different genres and here are reviews of the last four books that I've read.

Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia ~ a Review

by MK French

Living in Eden, Georgia, Garfield Logan was always overlooked, even with green streaks in his hair. His best friends don't know why he cares so much about being popular, and miss who he used to be. Gar is accepting every dare from the popular crowd in order to remain liked, but the ante keeps rising and his life feels like it's spiraling out of control.

Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19 by Jennifer Haupt

by Susan Roberts

"We can stay physically safe from coronavirus with social distancing and protective gear.  We can also manage the overwhelming fear of it by limiting stimuli and practicing mindfulness until the discomfort subsides.  And because this threat isn't going away anytime soon, we can resolve to keep doing these things for as long as it takes." (loc 1457)

A Deep Dive into Lewis Carroll and His World of Alice

by Donna Huber

I recently listened to the audiobooks of Alice's Adventure in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. It is the first time I've "read" these books and it made me curious about Lewis Carroll and the lasting popularity of these stories. So I decided to take a deep dive into the life of Lewis Carroll and his world of Alice.

Don't Skip These 11 Beach Reads

by Susan Roberts

For many of us, summer isn't complete without a trip to the beach.  Either the ocean or a lake, the beach is the ultimate summer place to go.  This year with many beaches closed or so over-crowded that you don't want to take a chance,  beach reads are even more important.  If you can't physically go to the beach, at least they can help you take a mental trip.   Here are a few of my favorite beach reads published in 2020.

The Royal Governess by Wendy Holden ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

The classroom was gloomy. Everything was brown, from the desks with their lids and inkwells to the wooden forms and floorboards. Brown was the heavy Bakelite clock and brown the picture frame surrounding a bulge-eyed King George V and a flint-faced Queen Mary. A brown leather strap, or tawse, jiggled in the schoolmaster's bony hand. It looked well-worn, as if often used. (chapter 1, ARC)

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles ~ a Review

by MK French

A group of magicians faces off to determine who will be the next headliner for the Conquering Circus. There is danger waiting, and more and more magicians are going missing. Three in particular have to face the secrets they kept and lies they told before the darkness claims them.

Twin Daggers by MarcyKate Connolly ~ a Review

by MK French

Aissa and her sister Zandra work as Technocrat apprentices, but at night plot to retake the city from them. Aissa is given the mission to kidnap the Technocrat heir, who is rumored to be Heartless - a person born without a heart that survives with a mechanical one. Her mission is complicated by researchers hoping to find a cure for the Heartless, and someone capturing her sister. Aissa will do whatever it takes to get Zandra back, even if it means working with the enemy.