Blood Sisters by Jane Corry

Title: Blood Sisters

Author: Jane Corry

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Kitty and Allison are half sisters who have a relationship frought with jealousies. One morning on the way to school with a friend, there is a horrible car accident. Is it the fault of the driver? Was someone pushed? If so, by whom? The driver goes to jail on Allison's testimony. Kitty has memory loss and is stuck in an institution unable to speak. Allison can barely hold herself together her survivor's guilt is so strong. Everyone is hiding something. As secret after secret is slowly divulged, the reader is lead through a twisty tale of love, revenge, and redemption.

- Sarah R.

Check out Blood Sisters @ the library.

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson

Title: 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos

Author: Jordan B. Peterson

Genre: Non-Fiction, Psychology, Philosophy

Back in 2012, psychologist Jordan B. Peterson was browsing through Quora, answering questions that interested him. When he came upon the question "What are the most valuable things everyone should know?", he answered with a list of short adages that he thought to be true and worth sharing. His answer quickly gained popularity on the website, and many others shared that his answers resonated with them. "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" includes a dozen of the adages originally shared on Quora, along with an extensive and thought-provoking discussion as to how he finds each truth to be evident. A major theme in all the rules is the idea that our world is full of chaos and part of living and thriving in this world is learning how to bring order to this chaos. He also discusses the importance of taking responsibility and charge of your life, raising children to be people that other people like to be around, and taking time to stop and appreciate the good things of your life (even if they're small).

Each page had something that made me stop and think, and it does takes a while to digest all the information packed into each sentence. Don't let this deter you from reading the book, though! While it was definitely a heavy read, it was a worthwhile one nevertheless! You'll no doubt leave having learned something about yourself, or at least having thought more deeply about your life and the reality of the world we live in.

- Sarah P.

Check out 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos @ the library.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

Title: Sleeping Beauties

Author: Stephen King and Owen King

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

A mysterious woman shows up in small Appalachian town at the same time as women around the world are being cocooned as soon as they fall asleep. Is this "Evie Black" the source of the webbing? What is happening to the women as they sleep? More importantly, what happens to the men when they attempt to wake them? While the women try everything imaginable to stay awake, the men must determine if Evie is someone, or something, to be protected or destroyed. 

The book is long, but it allows for character development and the crisis to progress, so don't let it daunt you.  The book also makes you think: is either sex better off in a world by themselves? Supernatural elements not withstanding, it paints a town and a populace that the reader can relate to which makes the goings-on that much more terrible.

- Sarah R.

Check out Sleeping Beauties @ the library.

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.