Uprooted

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Uprooted
Naomi Novik
Del Rey: 2015, 435 pages
Reviewed by Salina Bush

Agnieszka and her village live on the edge of the corrupted Wood.  They rely in the powers of the wizard called the Dragon to keep it at bay.  In return he demands one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years.  Everyone expects Agnieszka's best friend, Kasia, the best and brightest among them to be chosen, but no one is more surprised than Agnieszka when she is chosen.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  I went into it thinking that it would be another beauty and the beast retelling but I was pleasantly surprised with where the story went.  It was fast paced without feeling rushed, the characters felt like real people and not tropes from a fairy tale, and I really enjoyed the dark atmosphere that was much more Grimm than Disney.  This was a great story about growing up, finding your place in the world, and learning that maybe the conventional way of doing things doesn't always work for you.

Sour Puss

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Sour Puss (Mrs. Murphy #14)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Bantam Books: 2006, 272 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

As Harry Haristeen dives into the world of viticulture and vineyards, the murder of a well known grape and fungal expert sends the people of Crozet, Virginia, into shock.  The local vineyards are all on alert as more grape-growing related murders pop up.  Add a bit of bioterrorism into the mix and a man from Harry's past and you've got a mystery that's as good as a refreshing glass of Riesling in the summertime.

The Girl on the Train

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The Girl on the Train

Paula Hawkins

Riverhead Books: 2015, 336 pages

Reviewed by Ellen Dickman

Many people compared this book to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  I found the character development of the three female characters to be very engaging.  My sister said that when she was reading this book she felt "sick."  Indeed, the characters are flawed.  However, this is why the book was enjoyable because one could relate to the characters.  The fragile mind of Rachel was particularly compelling and so was the author's examination of how one can easily confuse reality and fantasy.  

Looking for Alaska

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Looking for Alaska

John Green

Speak: 2006, 221 pages

Reviewed by Ellen Dickman

This is on many lists for young adults and a few banned book lists.  I enjoyed this book; it's about a teenage boy, Miles, who attends a co-ed boarding school.  He must deal with some unexpected and difficult life events.  I would love to read this with a book club as I would enjoy other readers' perspectives of his character.  

P.S. I Still Love You

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P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before #2)

Jenny Han

Simon & Schuster Books: 2015, 337 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

I highly recommend to those interested in this book to start with the first in the series by Jenny Han: To All the Boys I've Loved Before.  This book immediately follows where the first book left off (in a cliff-hanger, by the way) with high school student Laura Jean trying to figure out her feelings with Peter and with another boy from her past who comes back to into her life due to the events from the first book.  These books are a charming coming-of-age series that follows an innocent, family-driven protagonist who deals with love, heartache, the drama of friends and enemies, and figuring out what it means to grow up.

Cat's Eyewitness

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Cat's Eyewitness (Mrs. Murphy #13)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Bantam Books: 2006, 319 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

At the base of the Virginian Blue Ridge Mountains there seems to be a religious miracle: the statue of the Virgin Mary at the monastic order of Mount Carmel is crying blood.  While Harry Haristeen and her pets Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucker are all skeptical, no one could have foreseen that the miracle would be followed by murder.  One of the monks is murdered but no one believed it at first, as Brother Thomas was eighty-two at the time of his death.  But with Harry's insistence, the corpse is exhumed to revel a casket weighted down with bags, not a body.  Another murder occurs and Harry keeps wondering: could the two killings be connected?  Does it have to do with the miracle at Mount Carmel?  What is happening with those seemingly benevolent monks?   

Whisker of Evil

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Whisker of Evil (Mrs. Murphy #12)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Bantam Books: 2004, 297 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

The people of Crozet, Virginia, are in a tizzy this summer as big happenings are popping up left and right: a famous actress decides to move back to her small hometown, a murder and two human cases of rabies pop up, and new information from an old cold case emerge.  Tensions are running high, people are fearful of the past being dug up, and it seems like all the animals in Crozet need to lie low as the rabies cases are overblown by the media.  Naturally Harry and her pet animals are on the case, even if the sheriff doesn't want her to meddle, again.  But the biggest happening that Harry is worried about is the change to the small post office in Crozet.  Will she still be postmistress after all the construction dust settles?

The Tail of the Tip-Off

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The Tail of the Tip-Off (Mrs. Murphy #11)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Bantam Books: 2004, 367 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Fans of the University of Virginia's women's basketball team rejoice!  This particular Mrs. Murphy mystery spends a lot of time at the basketball stadium known as "The Clam."  Local contractor H.H. Donaldson suddenly dies in the parking lot and what seems like a heart attack is actually murder, which was ingeniously carried out during a basketball game with the locals of Crozet, Virginia in attendance.  This rankles postmistress Harry Haristeen and she sets off to solve the mystery.  As more murders pile up, Harry's pets - tiger cat Mrs. Murphy, roly poly gray cat Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker - realize that Harry is again sticking her neck in dangerous waters and they must pay special attention in order to save Harry.  They know she can't not get involved and there will be hell to pay for her interference!

Catch as Cat Can

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Catch as Cat Can (Mrs. Murphy #10)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Bantam Books: 2003, 334 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Spring is in the air in Crozet, Virginia and the citizens are busy preparing for the local Dogwood Festival.  While people are normally quite festive, a small car theft snowballs into an unusual death, with another mysterious death right on its heels!  Add in a shooting along the appearance of $500,000 in crisp, clean bills and you have the makings of a very confused small town.  Postmistress Harry Haristeen can't resist a mystery so she's on the hunt for the killer, along with her pets Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucker.  The only problem is that she tends to get in the way of the killer, or killers, and it seems like her number may be up!

Claws and Effect

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Claws and Effect (Mrs. Murphy #9)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Bantam Books: 2002, 336 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

It's winter in Crozet, Virginia, and seemingly all is well until the director of the local hospital winds up dead.  Postmistress Harry Haristeen is just as bad as her tiger cat, Mrs. Murphy, as they both sniff around the murder site and keep running into more trouble and more danger.  Harry and Mrs. Murphy both know that there is something wrong in the hospital but the question is what?  The killer has to be someone connected to the hospital but he or she is a great actor as the sheriff, his deputy, Harry, and her animals are stumped.  Can they figure it out before the killer hits closer to home?

Pawing Through the Past

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Pawing Through the Past (Mrs. Murphy #8)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Bantam Books: 2001, 368 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

The people of Crozet, Virginia are busy as postmistress Harry Haristeen's 20th high school reunion is coming up, along with her good friend's Miranda Hogendobber's 50th high school reunion.  Things take a scary turn as more and more members of Harry's class are murdered and no one seems to know why...at first.  As Harry and her lovable animals (cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker) dig deeper into the lives of the murdered classmates, secrets are uncovered and more lives are at risk.  Someone is doing anything and everything they can to either exact revenge or ensure that the past stays buried.  Readers should be aware that the reason behind the murders are of a darker nature than past books and this particular Mrs. Murphy Mystery takes a darker tone than the previously books.

Cat on the Scent

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Cat on the Scent (Mrs. Murphy #7)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
Bantam Books: 2000, 318 pages
Reviewed by Jessie Park

Too busy preparing for the local Civil War reenactment, the citizens of small town Crozet, Virginia don't seem to notice that Tommy Van Allen has disappeared.  Mrs. Murphy, the smart tiger cat belonging to postmistress Harry Haristeen, does knows something is up.  When the reenactment ends with a real murder, Mrs. Murphy and friends are up to the task of finding out who did it and what it has to do (if it has anything to do) with Tommy's disappearance.  As usual, Harry herself can't seem to stay away from the lure of a good mystery, much to the chagrin of the local sheriff and deputy.  It's another cozy mystery that will delight readers as they catch up on favorite characters, both human and animal!

Murder on the Prowl

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Murder on the Prowl (Mrs. Murphy #6)

Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown

Bantam Books: 1999, 400 pages
Reviewed by Jessie Park

The Mrs. Murphy Mystery series follows Harry Haristeen and her fellow citizens of the small town of Crozet, Virginia.  Harry has two cats, Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, as well as a corgi named Tee Tucker.  Rita Mae Brown, along with her cat, Sneaky Pie Brown, delightfully narrate the animals' conversations (although none of the humans can understand) and they help to solve the mysteries that seem to plague the small, rural town.  In Murder on the Prowl, phony obituaries are being published in the local paper and while it seems like a sick joke, no one laughs when the supposedly dead men are later killed.  The killings are in connection to the local private high school, and Mrs. Murphy and friends are on the prowl to solve the crimes, unbeknownst to Harry, who also can't seem to stop her insatiable curiosity from getting her into trouble, too!  Readers don't have to have read the previous books in the series as Brown does a great job catching readers up to speed on the lives of the people in Crozet and she includes a cast of characters list at the beginning of every novel.