Confess

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Confess

Colleen Hoover

Atria Books: 2015, 306 pages

Reviewed by Tori Lyons

Auburn Reed still hasn’t gotten over the death of her high school sweetheart when she was 15.  She’s recently moved to Dallas and is struggling to make ends meet when she accepts a one-night gig helping out at an art gallery.  While the job may be temporary, her intense attraction to the artist Owen is so powerful that neither of them can ignore it.  While their chemistry is undeniable, Auburn wasn’t looking for love and isn’t sure that she has room in her life for Owen.  Owen’s life is also more complicated that it initially appears.  Will Owen and Auburn be able to overcome their pasts and confess their secrets?

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer

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Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer

Katie Alender

Scholastic Press: 2013, 296 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Colette Iselin is going back to her French roots!  A junior at a private school in Ohio, Colette leaps at the chance to spend nine days in France for a school trip.  But Paris is on alert right now: there's a serial killer targeting the young and beautiful and the killing method of choice is decapitation.  Colette isn't worried until she starts seeing visions of a pale woman in a pink ball gown and large white wig, like Marie Antoinette herself. Colette starts to investigate and teams up with a local French boy since her self-obsessed "friends" don't seem that interested.  Colette learns that her father's family may have been a part of something and now it seems that Colette is also involved and in danger! Can she solve the mystery and keep her head connected to her body before the trip is over?

Prom and Prejudice

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Prom and Prejudice

Elizabeth Eulberg

Point: 2011, 231 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bennet is a musical scholarship student at Longbourn Academy, the sister school of Pemberley Academy.  Things are hard for scholarship students, since the majority of the school's student population are wealthier than some foreign countries.  Prom is a big deal at Longbourn but Lizzie wants nothing to do with it.  Sure, she'll help her roommate and best friend, Jane - especially now that Charles Bingley is back from studying abroad - but that's the extent of her prom involvement.  But Charles isn't the only one back; Will Darcy is back at Pemberley after studying abroad in London too. Lizzie and Darcy's first meeting does not go well (surprise) and she's pretty sure it's because she's a scholarship student.  Chance keeps throwing them together even though Lizzie wants nothing to do with him...or does she?

The Winter People

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The Winter People

Jennifer McMahon

Doubleday: 2014, 317 pages

Reviewed by Sheryl Walters

This story flips back and forth between various characters all in a different point of time, beginning in the early 1900s to present time.  They all are affected by goings on at West Hall, a small town in Vermont, and an area of creepy land named Devil’s Hand.  It is a captivating ghost story that keeps the reader wondering up to the end.  I found myself wishing there were photographs to go along with the book.  It was a quick and easy read that I enjoyed and look forward to more by the same author.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Chris Grabenstein

Random House Books for Young Readers: 2013, 304 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Kyle Keeley is the youngest of three boys and considers himself the most average, especially since his oldest brother is a great athlete and his middle brother is considered a genius.  Kyle loves games, especially anything by the great Luigi Lemoncello, who also happens to be building the new library in town.  To commemorate the grand opening, twelve kids will get to spend the night in the library and figure out how to get escape, using the clues hidden in the library.  Kyle is lucky enough to win a spot along with his best friend, Akimi.  Kyle and the others learn that there's more to Lemoncello's library than meets the eye and readers will enjoy following the characters as they literally try to escape Mr. Lemoncello's library.

My Brilliant Friend

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My Brilliant Friend

Elena Ferrante

Europa Editions: 2011, 331 pages

Reviewed by Sheryl Walters

My Brilliant Friend is a novel translated from Italian.  I found it hard to follow in some parts, but the story line did keep me interested.  It basically interweaves the lives to two girls as they grow up into young women.  It details the paths they take and how each led to a traditional life or something a bit different.  The author did an excellent job showing how girls are friends and yet dislike one another at times.  There are more books in the series and I want to read to find out more about their paths in life.

The House at Riverton

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The House at Riverton

Kate Morton

Macmillan Pan Books: 2006, 599 pages

Reviewed by Sheryl Walters

This novel goes back and forth from present time to the past of one character, Grace.  In present day, she is at the end of her life and begins to reminisce about an old mystery that she was involved with during her time as a servant on a large estate.  The story of that time is being made into a movie and the makers consult her on some details.  This makes her return to that time and the reader slowly unravels the mysterious events.  I enjoyed this debut novel by Kate Morton, and I read it because I loved her book The Forgotten Garden, however the latter was noticeably much better.

The Collector

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The Collector

Nora Roberts

Berkley: 2014, 483 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Lila Emerson is a young adult writer and a professional house-sitter.  While on the job at a beautiful high-rise apartment in New York City, Lila witnesses a murder in the apartment across the street.  What seems like a typical murder-suicide turns out to be a convoluted and deadly mess.  Lila partners with Ash Archer, the brother of the alleged murderer, and together they try to sort through the mess that got Ash's brother and his girlfriend killed.  It's a whirlwind of priceless antiques, sudden trips to Italy, and dodging a psychotic assassin.  Throw in a bit of romance and you've got the perfect, if not typical, Nora Roberts novel.

A Little Night Murder

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A Little Night Murder (Blackbird Sisters Mystery #10)

Nancy Martin

NAL Hardcover: 2014, 384 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Nora Blackbird is at a good place in her life: her best friend Lexie is back home from prison and Nora is finally, finally pregnant.  She's still busting the society beat for her column but this time the news comes closer to her.  Next door to Lexie's hideout from the press is the estate of the famous Toodles Tuttle, a Broadway composer.  His widow is putting on a brand new show and everything seems peachy keen except for the dead daughter.  Nora's on the case while also trying to wrangle in her older sister Libby's libido (she's caught between a bug exterminator and a Broadway veteran) in addition to convincing her younger sister Emma to avoid her new and very dangerous beau.  Readers should be aware that this is the last Blackbird Sisters book until further notice from the author.

No Way to Kill a Lady

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No Way to Kill a Lady (Blackbird Sisters Mystery #8)

Nancy Martin

NAL Hardcover: 2012, 320 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Life is a little stressful for Philadelphia socialite turned social columnist Nora Blackbird. Her oldest sister Libby seems to be gunning for tabloid worthy scandals and her younger, wilder sister Emma is pregnant with a baby whose father is a soon-to-be-married man.  Her best friend Lexie is in prison for manslaughter charges and her son-of-an-infamous-mobster boyfriend is under house arrest.  Luckily, or unluckily, there's a murder to solve! The sisters' great aunt Madeleine Blackbird leaves her estate and valuables to the sisters except that there's nothing left in the house except an old, dead body.  Nora won't rest until she figures out what happened at the estate so many years ago.  

Murder Melts in Your Mouth

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Murder Melts in Your Mouth (Blackbird Sisters Mystery #7)

Nancy Martin

NAL Hardcover: 2008, 282 pages

Reviewed by Jessie Park

Philadelphia socialite turned social columnist Nora Blackbird finds herself in a tizzy. Her best friend, noted financial wizard Lexie Paine, is accused of murdering her business partner.  To make matters worse, her parents, the ones who spent the entire Blackbird fortune and stole from friends to escape south of the border, are back.  The Blackbird sisters are all in a panic at their sudden reappearance.  It takes Nora all her patience and amateur P.I. skills to solve this one!

Trigger Warning

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Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances

Neil Gaiman

William Morrow: 2015, 310 pages

Reviewed by Tori Lyons

This collection of short stories includes a number of pieces that have appeared in other publications, as well as one new piece written exclusively for this book.  The stories varied in length – some just a couple pages long and some included multiple chapters.  They ran the gamut from science fiction to fantasy to horror.  From reading the introduction, I understand that some of the pieces are related to other works that Gaiman has written, including American Gods and The Ocean at the End of the Lane.  I haven’t read much Gaiman and was unfamiliar with these previous works, but the short stories worked well even without any background knowledge.  One of my favorite stories in the collection was a Doctor Who story, which was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the series in 2013.  This book made me remember how much I enjoy short story collections, and I would highly recommend it for fans of speculative fiction. 

Blind Descent

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Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth

James M. Tabor

Random House: 2010, 286 pages

Reviewed by Tori Lyons

This book is ostensibly about the race between American Bill Stone and Ukranian Alexander Klimchouk to discover the deepest cave on Earth.  However, very little of the book (maybe 20%) is spent on Klimchouk and his explorations.  This is presumably because there is a lot more published information available on Bill Stone, plus the author was able to conduct personal interviews with him.  I actually found Klimchouk to be more interesting, as well as a much more likeable person, but it was almost as if the chapters on him were added because Tabor needed to create the tension of a race between him and Stone.  This book seemed to be a biography of Stone, with some other stuff tacked on.  This is particularly strange since, spoiler, Klimchouk was actually the one who discovered the deepest cave, not Stone.  I could never really get into this book and would only recommend it to readers who are particularly interested in super caves.  If you’re looking for a nonfiction book on exploration or adventure, there are many better options.