The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr

Title: The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
Author: Samuel Burr
Genre: Fiction

A young man raised by a group of eccentric puzzlemakers is sent off on a puzzle of his own, determined to find his birth parents. This sweet mystery has all the highlights of a cozy book: eccentric older characters, gentle mysteries, and a super sweet happy ending.

- Meagan

Check out The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr @ the library!

Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar

Title: Counting the Cost
Author: Jill Duggar
Genre: Memoir

This was an interesting recounting of a specific, rather unique, story of a child growing up - but what I found fascinating is the universality that was captured in this story.

Jill Duggar spent many of her teenage years on her family's reality television show. Her parents garnered the public interest with their very large family (currently 19 kids) and saw their fame as a chance to spread their own views on raising children and families under rather more strict conservative Christian ideals than are commonly followed in America. It was a chance for the public to see something a little unusual, but it also exposed their family to a world full of ideas and ideals that the children - especially the girls - had been very sheltered from.

This tells the story of which of those ideals Jill eventually began questioning as she grew up and moved out, forming a family of her own. While few of us can relate to having our lives splashed across tabloids and told through headlines, there is a commonality to the idea of having to begin looking at - and re-evaluating - those rules that we just accepted, for years, because that was what our parents said was true.

- Katrina

Check out Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar @ the library!

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

Title: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Author: Ocean Vuong
Genre: Fiction

If you love books that are beautifully written, this is for you. It is evident that “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is written by a poet. The novel is a coming of age story of a queer boy in a Vietnamese family that immigrated to America. It is a love letter, of sorts, to his single mother. He breaks the rules of what he has learned of “masculinity.” He leaps into the rocky territory of vulnerability and honesty with family. He reclaims the reins of his story despite the traumas it holds. It will make you love harder and think about forgiving yourself.

- Tiffany

Check out On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong @ the library!

The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith

Title: The Running Grave
Author: Robert Galbraith
Genre: Mystery; Fiction

The seventh novel in the Cormoran Strike series shows Robin going undercover to investigate a cult. While she tries to get close to a client's son without arousing suspicion, she learns of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the cult leader's daughter. Was her death just an accident like his wife's death? Meanwhile, Cormoran interviews former cult members and sidesteps former girlfriend Charlotte's calls for help. Another enjoyable story following two of the most engaging detective partners in contemporary fiction.

- Sarah

Check out The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith @ the library!