The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir

Title: The Book of Essie

Author: Meghan MacLean Weir

Genre: Domestic Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Esther Anne Hicks is 17, the star of the reality show “Six for Hicks,” the youngest daughter of a pastor and his wife who lead a large congregation, and pregnant. Essie, as she is known, is listening to the conversation where her mother and producers will decide her fate: have her disappear for a few months, give the baby away. Other suggestions are too risky to the family, of course. The one idea that sticks is to have her quickly get married, and hope the baby comes in a time line that makes it seem like a “honeymoon baby.” Knowing she has no real power in this situation, Essie chooses to lead her mother on the last path, having the ideal groom in mind.

Roarke is aware of Essie, as it’s impossible to miss the girl and the cameras, but unlike his friends he has no interest in the famous family. He is surprised when his family quickly rises in favor with the Hicks, realizing this relationship will save his family’s business. Forced time with Essie may not be the worst price to ensure his future.

Liberty Bell is more than just her past, but being famous for opinions online and a tragic past means she has to work twice as hard to prove herself in journalism. When Esther Hicks reaches out to her for an exclusive story, she can’t say no. However, she knows there is more to this calculated story than Essie is giving her.

Three stories strangely intertwine, as the past meets up with the present. Buried family secrets threaten the livelihood of the Hicks family, but is Essie the one who can break through?  

Readers who realize everything we see on TV isn’t real, or who watched the Duggar’s TV shows and followed the family scandal will want to pick up this fascinating look at family, and breaking free from expectations. 

- Katie

Check out The Book of Essie @ the library.

The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Title: The President is Missing

Author: Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Genre: Suspense/Political Thriller

Have you ever given a thought to just how much of our lives are controlled by computers?

This taut political thriller poses this question as the U.S. is threatened with a cyber attack by terrorists that could threaten our financial institutions, our infrastructure, and even our very lives.  It involves political intrigue, an assassin, computer coders/hackers, and of course, the President.  Will President Jonathan Duncan discover who is about to send the U.S. into the dark ages? Who can the President trust?

Bill Clinton, James Patterson, and ghost writer David Ellis team up to take you on a fast-paced ride through the harrowing experience of preparing for an attack that the U.S. is not equipped to fight.

- Sarah R.

Check out The President Is Missing @ the library.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Title: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (Audiobook)

Author: David Grann

Genre: History; True Crime

Killers of the Flower Moon is a horrifying and heartbreaking true story of racism, conspiracy, and murder. In the early 1900s, oil was discovered on the Osage reservation in Oklahoma, and the two thousand tribal members quickly became the wealthiest people per capita in the world. Shortly after, however, they became some of the most murdered people in the world. Some were shot, others were poisoned, and one family died in a bombing. The period from 1921 to 1926 became known as the "Osage Reign of Terror." 

After the tribe pressured the federal government for assistance, the new director of the Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, sent a former Texas Ranger named Tom White and a team of undercover agents to investigate. A powerful local cattle rancher, his nephew, and a henchman were tried and convicted for two of the murders, but theirs were the only convictions. Several years ago, journalist David Grann began investigating the murders and uncovered a terrifying conspiracy that went far deeper than the Bureau of Investigation ever discovered.

The audiobook is read by three narrators: Ann Marie Lee tells the story of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman whose three sisters and mother were murdered. Then, Will Patton brings Tom White and the bureau's investigation to life, and finally, Danny Campbell recounts Grann's modern investigation. Whereas Lee and Campbell's narration is acceptable, Patton's is truly exceptional. He sounds just like a cowboy from a bygone era and does a fabulous job of recreating the voices of the dozens of chracters involved in the original investigation. 

The nine hours of this audiobook flew by! It's a must-listen to or must-read for anyone interested in American history and true crime. I think we owe it to the victims to keep their story alive. As one Osage tribal member remarked to Grann, "Their blood cries out from the ground."

- Rachel K.

Check out Killers of the Flower Moon @ the library.

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Title: The Female Persuasion

Author: Meg Wolitzer

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

College Freshman Greer Kadetsky lets her friend, Zee, drag her to a feminist talk by Faith Frank, a famous women's rights proponent. Little does Greer know that it will open up a new, previously unimagined path for her. Greer's boyfriend, Cory, suffers a horrible loss that hijacks his future plans. Zee, stuck with a job she doesn't like, overcomes regular betrayals to find her own way. Faith, forever on a quest to improve the world for women, must decide what she will give up and hand over to achieve her ends.

This book touches on so many topics: women's rights, love, loss, disappointment, goals, loyalty, and really seeing the people surrounding you. Though it is not particularly surprising, it reminds the reader that everyone can make a difference in the lives of others.

- Sarah R.

Check out The Female Persuasion @ the library.

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

Title: Not If I Save You First

Author: Ally Carter

Genre: Young Adult, Action, Thriller

Best friends Maddie and Logan are pretty ordinary ten-year-olds, but their lives are anything but: Logan's dad is the President and Maddie's dad is the head of the Secret Service. The kids are inseparable until Maddie's dad is injured while saving the First Lady from a Russian kidnapping attempt. Once healed, he takes Maddie to start a new life in the Alaskan wilderness - no electricity, no plumbing, no schools, no nothing. 

Six years later, Maddie's grown as hard as the terrain she's learned to survive in, profoundly lonely since Logan never answered any of her letters. Meanwhile, Logan's gotten into trouble one too many times, so his parents send him to Alaska. As a storm moves in and Maddie's dad leaves to deliver supplies, the two teens are left alone. Within hours, Logan's kidnapped by the same Russians, and Maddie knows she's the only one who can save her former best friend - even though she feels like killing him herself.

Maddie's character makes this book great. She's a true heroine: smart, fearless, and funny, just as effective wielding a hatchet as she is wielding excessive girliness to throw her enemies off guard. Her letters to Logan that begin each chapter will resonate with anyone who's lost a good friend. Certain aspects of the plot require some suspension of disbelief, but it's not hard to do when the story is so delightful. And of course, there's romance - the icing on the cake of this fun, action-packed book.

- Rachel K.

Check out Not If I Save You First @ the library.

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

Title: Ordinary Grace

Author: William Kent Krueger

Genre: Fiction, Coming of Age, Mystery

"It was a summer in which death, in visitation, assumed many forms. Accident. Nature. Suicide. Murder." The words of narrator 13-year-old Frank Drum, growing up in small town MN in 1961, captured me from its outset. This is a quiet yet powerful book full of mystery, secrets and adversity.  Frank's father is the town Minister, whose unshakable faith and hope holds his family and town together even in the midst of unspeakable tragedy and sorrow. For all its "heaviness," the story is ultimately uplifting and hopeful and leaves you touched by "not-so-ordinary" grace.

- Karen

Check out Ordinary Grace @ the library.

Hey Ladies! by Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss

Title: Hey Ladies!

Author: Michelle Markowitz and Caroline Moss

Genre: Humor

Hey Ladies! Such a simple salutation, but what follows is a years’ worth of communication, mostly through e-mail, between a group of 8 friends living in the New York area. It starts with January’s resolutions shared with each other, to February’s surprise proposal, and then the rest of the year is all about Jen’s wedding preparation and events.

Even if you don’t have a group of friends quite like this, it’s hard not to get involved with the friendship drama of these very different women. You’ll root for Nicole’s business startup, be flustered with Ali’s making decisions for everyone with a pretty steep price tag. You’ll follow Jen’s wedding drama, and hope that Gracie and Morgan stay as level headed as they are throughout it all. Caitlin, a wellness guru wanna be; Katie, an aspiring journalist; and Ashley, a teacher in Connecticut round out our group of 8.

Originally on the now-defunct site The Toast, this year-in-the-life book will have you laughing and being thankful you aren’t on the receiving end of these ladies’ e-mails!

- Katie

Check out Hey Ladies! @ the library.