Title: Imaginary Friend
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Genre: Horror
Kate Reese hasn't been fortunate in the men department since her husband committed suicide. She and her son, Christopher, are on the run from the latest gem, an abuser by the name of Jerry, when they end up in Mill Grove, PA.
Their luck seems to change in Mill Grove: Christopher overcomes his learning disability, they come into a windfall, and things seem to be going their way - until Christopher goes missing.
When he's discovered days later, he hears a voice that insists he build a tree house in the woods behind his house. This is no ordinary tree house, though, and what power it holds could lead to the salvation or destruction of mankind.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the Netflix series Stranger Things or those who enjoy stories by Stephen King. FYI: It does have some religious overtones, so if that is a turn-off, look elsewhere.
- Sarah R.
Check out Imaginary Friend @ the library!
Title: Bunny
Author: Mona Awad
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
MFA student Samantha Mackey is an offbeat outsider at Warren University, who spends all of her time with her wild imagination and her best friend Ava, and avoids the rest of her creative writing cohort at all costs—a quartet of rich, pastel-clad, like, totally spunky girls who all call each other “Bunny” and seem to be more of a creepy amalgamation rather than individual people. After being invited to one of the Bunnies’ get-togethers, curiosity gets the best of her and Samantha finds herself led into the sweet, sugary, ritualistic nightmare world of Bunny friendship.
Mix together Clueless, Mean Girls, The Craft, and Heathers, add in a dash of gruesome horror and a whole lot of “What did I just read?!”, and you get Bunny. I loved this one.
- Ashley
Check out Bunny @ the library!
Title: The Book Charmer
Author: Karen Hawkins
Genre: Fiction, Magical Realism
The Dove family has lived in Dove Pond for ages. The daughters are even said to have magical traits. Sarah is the librarian who can commune with books. The books tell her who they need to go to. Though she can't explain it, she takes it in stride. When a book tells her that newcomer Grace is going to save the town, Sarah listens.
Grace is only in Dove Pond long enough to see if it helps her mom battle her Alzheimer's Disease. The job she took to support her family as the city's clerk doesn't pay well, but if it makes Momma G regain some memory, it will be worth the year away from her corporate job. Grace has also just been made guardian of her niece and never being a mom before, has plenty to learn about raising a child. The last thing she needs is to get sucked into the town's drama. One year and done is her mantra.
Will Grace save the town? Read The Book Charmer to find out.
- Sarah R.
Check out The Book Charmer @ the library!
Title: Relish: My Life in the Kitchen
Author: Lucy Knisley
Genre: Biography, Graphic Novel
This adorably cute biography/cookbook/graphic novel explores the author's life growing up around food and it's importance in her life. The illustrations and diagrams were so fun to read! I will be reading more of her books in the future!
- Gina
Check out Relish: My Life in the Kitchen @ the library!
Title: Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
Author: Steve Martin
Genre: Autobiography, Memoir, Non-Fiction
Did you know that Steve Martin performed stand-up comedy before he was in such films as The Jerk, Parenthood, and Father of the Bride? This autobiography of his stand-up years will share the path that Steve took to stardom that include stops at Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, The Smother's Brothers Comedy Hour, and later, Saturday Night Live. Between these big names, he played a lot of small venues, worked on honing his craft, and endeavored to be an original voice on stage.
Included are some of his jokes, but really this is more about his journey, so if you're hoping for a comedy album, look for "Let's Get Small" or "Wild and Crazy Guy." This recount is more serious including topics such as difficulties connecting with his father, the loneliness of a life on the road, and the pressure to be "on" all the time.
- Sarah R.
Check out Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life @ the library!
Title: City of Bones
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
I have been rereading some of my favorite stories, and allowing myself to escape back into some of my favorite worlds for pockets of time. It's comforting, which is especially nice in winter. This series is filled with angels and demons, vampires and werewolves, warlocks and fairies, but at its heart, it is about the love between family, the strength found in friendship, and the miracles created by putting aside differences and working together. The first story introduces Clary to a world of darkness and monsters that she didn't know existed, and leaves her to face the fact that she might just belong there more than she has ever truly belonged in the typical New York City world that she has grown up within. “What would you do if you saw something nobody else could see?”
- Katrina
Check out City of Bones @ the library!
Title: What Rose Forgot
Author: Nevada Barr
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Imagine waking up and not knowing where you're at or why you're in a hospital gown.
That's what happens to Rose after she's had a bout of the flu. She's been committed to a ward for dementia patients in an upscale nursing home. As her lucidity reinstates itself, she figures she'll have to make a break for it to figure out how she landed there.
What follows is part mystery, part action/adventure, and part comedy of errors involving Rose, her granddaughter, Rose's sister, and a string of hired drivers. Will Rose get to the bottom of her own mystery? What else will she discover along the way?
I have always enjoyed Nevada Barr's writing - in particular her Anna Pigeon mysteries - so it is no surprise that I enjoyed this book as well. Nevada does "spunky" women leads well.
- Sarah R.
Check out What Rose Forgot @ the library!
