"Set in the early 1900s, this story tells the untold story of how the Oxford dictionary came to be, particularly of the words that were decidedly left out. A young girl, Esmé, becomes fascinated with words and their meaning, her curiosity blossoming from her discovery of the word “bondmaid.” As Esmé contemplates the meaning of the word and it’s significance, she is also puzzled as to why it was discarded and not included in the dictionary.
"In the original The Beach House book, part of Lovie's and biologist Russell Bennett's story is told. This book explores the depth of their relationship. It is a great story told with so much detail you feel like you're on the Island of Palms for the summer with the turtle team." - F. Schwarz
4/4 stars.
"One of my favorite summer reads is The Beach House, so this summer I decided to read other books Monroe wrote about these characters. This story tells how of Toy, Cara, Emma and Flo find a way to continue on with Lovie's work and their lives after her death." - F. Schwarz
4/4 stars.
"This is a novel about the immigration experience at Ellis Island in 1902. It tells the story of Francesca and Alma and their attempt at female empowerment despite the time frame. The author always shows the characters’ resilience and there is hope for their future." - N. McGill
4/4 stars.
"In a mostly White small town in Wisconsin, an Asian immigrant man and wife settled down and started their own business with their three children: the Fine Chao Restaurant. The book is told through the eyes of the three Chao family brothers as they navigate through life as minorities who struggle to find the perfect combination of integrating their Chinese roots with their American life. Intertwined in this struggle is also the mystery of who killed Leo Chao, the patriarch of this family, who is a bully and seemingly disliked by the town and his own family.
"This is a historical romantic novel about two high society families who have homes in London and Kent, England around 1780’s. The Bridgertons and the Manstons have been friends for years. They have large families with many cousins. It was one of the Bridgerton’s cousin, Poppy Bridgerton, who has an adventure in Kent by the sea. While exploring the seaside by herself, she gets kidnapped by pirates, the captain of the ship turns out to be an envoy for the king. Poppy has many adventures while at sea to Lisbon." - T. Gustafson
3/4 stars.
"Written by a woman whose 19- year marriage ended, the book holds hopeful and motivational ideas about how to cope with life’s twists and turns. This self-help book is divided into 3 sections: Revision, Resilience, and Transformation. Each section is filled with pages that offer brief advice (in 3 sentences or less) always punctuated by the words “Keep Moving.” Much of the advice is repetitive and not particularly profound. However, the author makes some good points. You’ll find the most noteworthy advice in the last section." - D. Zelamsky
1/4 stars.
"You don’t need to have seen Trevor Noah perform in order to appreciate his memoir. The “crime” is that he was born to a mixed-race couple under Apartheid in South Africa. I recommend this book because it’s entertaining, and you’ll get a better understanding of African history and be privy to Noah’s life lessons (i.e. Regret, not failure or rejection, is what we should fear most)." - D. Zelamsky
4/4 stars.
"This novel takes place in Deleno Georgia. This story covers three separate periods of time, and three careers of police chiefs. It depicts the attitudes of what our country was going through in different decades. Following a mystery through these times and coming to a conclusion. One of the better books written by Woods in my opinion." - C. Daley
4/4 stars.
"This novel tells the story of general manager Lizbeth Keaton determination to restore this hotel to its former glory. The twist is that it's under the watchful eye of a ghost. Grace who is the ghost was a chambermaid one hundred years ago. She was trapped and killed in the upper part of the hotel. A nice and enjoyable read." - C. Daley
3/4 stars.
"Terrific book about a doctor who talks about her experience of dying in a kayak accident and going to heaven. She is brought back to life and was asked by those she met in heaven to write about her experience." - N. Bellissimo
4/4 stars.
"An excellent book about a disgraced playwright who flees to the west coast after her career comes crumbling down. There she tries to start anew, while still holding on tight to her past." - N. Freiberger
4/4 stars.
"Salvage expert, historian, and single mom, Paisley Sutton, finds a dead body in the house attached to a store she is salvaging. Police investigation finds a pie safe with thousands of dollars and a grove of marijuana plants. Paisley works with the Sheriff to find the murderer and the beneficiaries of the money. At times, her mothering is questionable, bordering on unsafe (i.e. Sawyer, her toddler son, under grandpa’s supervision, uses a power drill.)" - E. Pasquali
3/4 stars.
"Anna was conceived to provide cord blood for her older sister Kate who has leukaemia.
As she has grown up and Kate's disease has progressed, more has been demanded on Anna’s body for her sister. I don’t recommend this book. It was very disturbing." - O. Scheine
1/4 stars.
"This is the first book in the Magdalene trilogy. Father Michael Dominic comes across an old manuscript, a letter written by Mary Magdalene. Magdalene reveals that she is the wife of Jesus. She further writes that after Jesus’ death, she removed his remains from the crypt. After authenticating the manuscript, Father Dominic wrestles with the pros and cons of revealing its contents. The revelation would undermine the premise of Christianity, that Jesus ascended into heaven, body and spirit. A Vatican thriller of politics and corruption, complicate the matter. A page turner.