Category: Great Stand-Alones
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A Girl Called Samson: I’m not crying, you’re crying.
A Girl Called SamsonBy: Amy HarmonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 18 and up I’m not crying, you’re crying. Wait wait wait wait…you’re telling me there was an actual girl who Mulan(ed) her way into the American Revolutionary War and fought as a man for over two years? Who served on General John…
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Warbreaker: Colors! What a story!
WarbreakerBy: THE Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Colors! What a story! April 2023 Warbreaker was one of the first Sanderson books I read, back when I was a Cosmere nube. It’s actually possible I hadn’t even heard of the Cosmere when I read it back in 2012. After…
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To Kill a Mockingbird: The Greatest?
To Kill a MockingbirdBy: Harper LeeMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up The Great American Novel Wow. So many thoughts. I loved to read when I was teenager, but I hated when teachers told me WHAT to read. I suspect that’s the real reason why I’m One Man Book Club. I…
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Red Team Blues: Cory Doctorow is smarter than us
Red Team BluesBy: Cory DoctorowMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: 18 and up Ya, Cory’s still smarter than me… I’m nerd enough to know that blogger-activist-author Cory Doctorow represents all things free speech, but not nerd enough to really understand his cyber syfy stories. I remember picking up Little Brother from the library…
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Secret Project #2!
The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval EnglandBy: THE Brandon SandersonMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up And the award for best title goes to… Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell! Yay! The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England is a close second. But it IS #1 when…
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#WatershipDown: Bloody Rabbits…
Watership DownBy: Richard AdamsMy Rating: ALL THE STARS!!Best for: 16 and up The most beloved story of all time March 2023Watership Down is aging very, very well. One thing I appreciated more this time than previous reads: These rabbits are RABBITS. Meaning, they aren’t rabbits that act like humans. They don’t do things rabbits wouldn’t…
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Elantris: This book gets me
ElantrisBy: Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up This book gets me March 2023Turns out, if I wait 10 years to re-read my favorite books, it’s just like reading them again for the first time! My original review of Elantris still holds true: Brandon Sanderson’s style just works for me.…
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Roadkill: I Need a Spaceship
RoadkillBy: Dennis E. TaylorMy Rating: Four out of five starsBest for: 18 and up We all need our own spaceship Dennis Tayler keeps winning with his goofy brand of Science Fiction. If you haven’t read the Bobiverse, I insist you stop what you’re doing and read it NOW. If you have and you’re looking for…
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Howl’s Moving Castle: A Bit Odd, A Bit Fun
Howl’s Moving CastleBy: Diana Wynne JonesMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 12 and up A little bit odd, a lot bit fun I’ve been hearing about Howl’s Moving Castle for years, so I figured it was time to give it a try. I’m glad I did! Howls Moving Castle is an enchanting story…
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Troy: The Greeks Were Gross
TroyBy: Stephen FryMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up (who enjoy history/mythology!) The Greeks Were Gross What I expected: A dramatized retelling of the Fall of Troy that would be interesting, exciting, and maybe even funny! I mean, Stephen Fry is a comedian and an actor and an author AND he’s…
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: It’s a time machine
A Tree Grows in BrooklynBy: Betty SmithMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Time travel is real! What defines a Classic Novel? At what point does a story transcend others and become eternal? It’s not age. It’s not genre. It’s not language, length, or style. Check the internet–I’m not the only…
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The Legend of Black Jack
The Legend of Black JackBy: A.R. WithamMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: 12 and up All brawn, no brain There are some really, REALLY gushing reviews out there for The Legend of Black Jack. Apparently there are a whole lot of readers who found The Legend of Black Jack to be a transformational…
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Tress of the Emerald Sea: A joy to read
Tress of the Emerald SeaBy: THE Brandon SandersonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS (If only there were more stars to give! ALL THE STARS!)Best for: 12 and up What’s better than The Princess Bride? BrandoSando is. Ah, Brandon Sanderson. Thank you for sharing your stories. This was one of your best. If you’re not…
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The Monuments Men: Amazing Story. Boring Delivery.
The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in HistoryBy: Robert M. EdselMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest For: 16 and up Such an amazing story. Such a boring delivery. Oh man. I REALLY wanted this story to be awesome. An actual World War II treasure hunt? Tens of thousands…
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The Secret Keeper: Kate Morton is a story weaver
The Secret KeeperBy: Kate MortonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: Advanced 14 and up Kate Morton is a story weaver! My favorite stories surprise me. Sometimes it’s the engaging mystery, other times it’s the characters themselves. Many times it’s a great twist ending. Kate Morton is good at all the above, and her…
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This is How You Lose the Time War: The longest, short book ever
This is How You Lose the Time WarBy: Amal El-Mohtar and Max GladstoneMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up This might be the longest, short book I’ve ever read My kids joke that some art is like writing in cursive. You could just simply write, or you could write in cursive.…
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How to Train Your Dragon: Excessive Fun Warning!!!
How to Train Your DragonBy: Cressida CowellMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 10 and under Warning: You will have excessive fun and be forced to laugh out loud. Read at your own risk. I read (and ADORED) The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell, so I shouldn’t be surprised that How to Train…
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Congo: I’ll be skipping the Jungle Tour…
CongoBy: Michael CrichtonMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Ya…no. I’ll skip the African Jungle Tour. Thanks though. Oh gosh. Please don’t read Michael Crichton if you aren’t interested in science info dumps. It’s what he does. It’s in every book, and if you’re nerdy enough it’s awesome. Don’t read it…
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The Help: The movie doesn’t count.
The HelpBy: Kathryn StockettMy Rating: Five out of five stars.Best for: 16 and up Dedicated to those who think everything magically got better after Martin Luther King Here’s my recommendation. Next time you’re in Atlanta, don’t just go to The World of Coke and the Aquarium. Take time to go to the other building in…
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The Constant Rabbit: Ah, satire…
The Constant RabbitBy: Jasper FfordeMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Ah, satire… Satire is an art form. Done well as a novel, it’s like getting two books in one: there’s the story you read, and then there’s the story you’re meant to understand. One entertains, and the other teaches. Or…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Camel Club
The Camel ClubBy: David BaldacciReviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up Conspiracies and more conspiraciesGuest book review by Julie H Q: What’s the book about? Oliver Stone–not his real name–has three real friends. They are all rather eccentric in their own special fields. They call themselves The Camel Club and meet…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Patriot Games
Patriot GamesBy: Tom ClancyReviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up Don’t make the IRA angry . . .Guest book review by Julie H Q: What’s the book about? Jack Ryan, before he became a famous analyst! On vacation he impulsively jumps into the chain of a bombing and saves the Prince…
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The Kaiju Preservation Society: Godzilla vs COVID
The Kaiju Preservation SocietyBy: John ScalziMy Rating: Four out of five stars.Best for: 18 and up Godzilla vs COVID Seriously, Scalzi? Not sure how, but Scalzi always seems to be just what I need. I just wish he would be a little less comfortable with the f-bombs. This story is just for the fun of…
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Every Heart a Doorway: That was…unexpected
Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1)By: Seanan McGuireMy Rating: Three out of five stars.Best for: 18 and up That was…unexpected. I enjoyed Middlegame my Seanan McGuire so much, I looked to see what her next most popular books were. Turns out it’s the Wayward Children series. Book one is Every Heart a Doorway–which makes…
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The Lost Shtetl: Mel Brooks x Fiddler on the Roof x Schindler’s List
The Lost ShtetlBy: Max GrossMy Rating: Three out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Now THIS how to teach history… I picked up The Lost Shtetl because the blurb sold me on a fascinating idea: What if an entire town had been lost to history? What would happen when it was rediscovered? I checked…
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A Book Club Guest Review of American Assassin: A Thriller
American Assassin: A ThrillerBy: Vince FlynnGuest Reviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Revenge and retaliationGuest review by Julie H Q: What’s this book about? Mitch Rapp is a college student whose girlfriend was on a hijacked plane. When she died, he wanted revenge on the terrorists and anything to do…
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A Tale of Two Cities: Come join the club!
A Tale of Two CitiesBy: Charles DickensMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Come join the club! Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities might have been the hardest book I’ve ever read–and I’ve read a lot of hard books. I don’t mean the content was hard. I mean the words…
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Charlotte’s Web: All We Need is Love
Charlotte’s WebBy: E.B. WhiteMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: All Ages All we need is love. E.B. White was awarded a Newbery Honor for Charlotte’s Web in 1953. It lost the Newbery Medal to a boring little book called Secret of the Andes, which I’m sure is lovely. But it’s no Charlotte’s Web.…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Summer of the Monkeys
Summer of the MonkeysBy: Wilson RawlsGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS10 and up Just as good as when I was 10!Guest Review by Julie Hilton A boy grows up fast one summer with a bunch of monkeys, some hard choices, and great lessons. A classic coming of age story I loved as a…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Beneath a Scarlet Sky
Beneath a Scarlet SkyBy: Mark T. SullivanGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest For: 16 and up This WWII Hero Will Change YouGuest review by Catina Haverlock How did we not know of this TRUE WWII story? How did it remain untold for SO long? Beneath a Scarlet Sky is the inspiring true tale…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Just Mercy
Just MercyBryan StevensonGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 18 and up Just Inspiring. But Just Heartbreaking. Just NOT Surprising.Guest Review by Catina Haverlock When Bryan Stevenson, the author of this true story was asked by Rosa Parks just exactly what it was that he did, he couldn’t contain his passion for his…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Boys in the Boat
The Boys in the BoatBy: Daniel James BrownGuest Reviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up This story’s going to stay with me a long, long timeGuest review buy Catina Haverlock Spoiler: The University of Washington’s 9-man varsity rowing team comprised of poor and blue collar boys, shocks the world by winning…
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#TheAndromedaStrain: Impressive Science, Disappointing Fiction
The Andromeda StrainBy: Michael CrichtonMy Rating: Three out of five starsBest for: 14 and up Classic Crichton, Pointless Crichton I’ve read nearly everything Michael Crichton wrote. I read Jurassic Park in high school (before it was a movie) and many times since. I’ve read Airframe, Eaters of the dead, The Great Train Robbery, The Terminal…
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#TheMidnightLibrary: It’s A Wonderful Life. Again.
The Midnight LibraryBy: Matt HaigMy Rating: Three out of five starsBest for: 18 and up It’s A Wonderful Life. Again. This is the second Matt Haig book I’ve read. The first was The Humans. While that and The Midnight Library are seemingly miles apart, I’m feeling a whole lot of connection between them in tone,…
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#Holes: A story worthy of its accolades
HolesBy: Louis SacharMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 10 and up A story worthy of its accolades I feel like I’ve known Louis Sachar my whole life. Sideways Stories from Wayside School was one of the first stories I remember really enjoying for the fun of reading. Sideways stories and it’s sequels were…
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#ChildrenofTime: How do you feel about spiders?
Children of TimeBy: Adrian TchaikovskyMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best For: Adults Well, that was a mind bender. I hope you’re not scared of spiders… Children of Time won the Arthur C. Clark Award for Best Science Fiction Novel of 2015, which puts it in pretty great company. If you’re a fan of ScyFy,…
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#InsteadofThreeWishes: Marvelously Magical Short Stories
Instead of Three Wishes: Magical Short StoriesBy: Megan Whalen TurnerMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up How does an author show off? They write short stories. There’s just something about a short story that warms my book-loving heart. Novels are an amazing feat, to be sure. But when an author fits…
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#ProjectHailMary: This book is FUN! (So Lighten Up!)
Project Hail MaryBy: Andy WeirMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best for: 16 and up Come on, lighten up people! Project Hail Mary was fun! Actually, most reviews don’t need to lighten up–this book is getting some great, and well deserved praise. But there are a few reviewers who want to focus on a few…
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#ADeadDjinninCairo: Steampunk Fantasy
A Dead Djinn in Cairo (Dead Djinn, #0.5)By: P. Djèlí ClarkMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest For: 18 and up Based on all the articles, ads, and give-aways, Tor really wants me to read P. Djeli Clark, so I figured I’d start with this 45-page short story as in introduction. Good short stories always…
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#TheFirstGirlChild: So, am I one of Amy’s Harmonies now?
The First Girl ChildBy: Amy HarmonMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Oh my goodness, there are some passionate Amy Harmon fan’s out there! I tried to join the Amy’s Harmonies private Facebook Group to see what the fuss was all about, but have yet to be approved. Maybe One Man…
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#TheBoysintheBoat: Amazing History Comes Alive!
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin OlympicsBy: Daniel James BrownMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best for: 14 and up I grew up in Seattle. While I haven’t called the Pacific Northwest home for many years, I still carry with me an affection–or maybe…
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#TheDevilandtheDarkWater: Agatha Christie+Sherlock Holmes+1600’s Hygiene
The Devil and the Dark WaterBy: Stuart TurtonMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 18 and up The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was a happy surprise. It’s Groundhog Day + Quantum Leap + Agatha Christie, and if you haven’t read it, you need to. It was so good, in fact, that when…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Just Mercy (YA Adaptation)
Just Mercy (adapted for young adults)By: Bryan StephensonMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best for: 12 and up Just Mercy or Miraculous Mercy?Guest Review by Julie Hilton A new lawyer wants to help people who were wrongly convicted and on death row. The major story about Walter McMillian, accused of murder and his road to…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Floating Twigs
Floating TwigsBy: Charles TabbReviewers Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARSBest for: 16 and up Justice, delayed, and lots of MercyGuest Review by Julie Hilton A boy rescues a dog and must find a way to feed and get vet care. Trying to find work makes him some enemies and some friends: an older man, and…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Cold Sassy Tree
Cold Sassy TreeBy: Olive Ann BurnsReviewer Rating: Three out of Three StarsBest For: 14 and up Much Ado About N-O-T-H-I-N-G, NothingGuest review by Catina Haverlock It’s 1906 and the town of Cold Sassy, GA is in an uproar when Rucker Blakeslee, the town’s general store owner, and highly respected citizen of the small community, marries…
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#SpinningSilver: Write like a boss.
Spinning SilverBy: Naomi NovikMy Rating: Four out of Five starsBest for: Ambitious Readers 14 and Up To me, Naomi Novik will always be connected to Temeraire, the revisionist history series about the Napoleonic Wars fought on the backs of dragons. (No typos–you read that right!) I was curious to find out how she tackles fairy…
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#WheretheCrawdadsSing: The Perfect Novel?
Where the Crawdads SingBy: Delia OwensMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!Best For: 18 and up Is this it? The perfect novel? Judging by the raving crowds of fans and bottomless 5 star reviews, could it be? Naw. No such thing. The perfect novel doesn’t exist. But… …Where the Crawdads Sing is absolutely worthy of…
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#FloraAndUlysses: We loved it! (Mostly…)
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated AdventuresBy Kate DiCamilloMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 10 and up The littles and I just finished the 2014 Newbery Medal winner: Flora & Ulysses! I love everything from Kate DiCamillo, so expectations were pretty high. We loved it! (Mostly…) Here are five reasons we loved Flora &…
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#AGentlemanInMoscow: 1/2 Boring. 1/2 Brilliant.
A Gentleman in MoscowBy: Amor TowlesMy Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up Look at all those great reviews! Look at all those recommendations! Sorry everyone, this book is boring. [Ducks flying rotten tomato] Okay, okay…it’s only boring for the first 55 or 60%. In the back half of the book I…
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#QB: My Life Behind the Spiral–Steve Young Drinks Milk
QB: My Life Behind the SpiralBy: Steve Young, with Jeff BenedictMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 14 and up This was a surprise! I’ve had NFL great Steve Young’s biography sitting in my Audible Library for a while, but always found a reason to skip it. I generally opt for fiction over reality…
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#SkippingChristmas: A new Christmas Tradition
Skipping Christmas My Rating: Four out of five stars By: John Grisham Best For: 14 and up Oh gosh, I’ve just been reading some other reviews of Skipping Christmas–and laughing out loud at the disdain for the grumpy Kranks and their nosey neighbors. So many one-star reviews! Obviously, some people take their reading much too…
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A Book Club Guest Review of The Story of Awkward
The Story of AwkwardBy: R. K. RyalsReviewer Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars!Best for: 14 and up Wonderful look inside the world of AwkwardReview by Julie Hilton Peregrine Stork is awkward. Because of it she has been bullied her whole life. She has found a great way to deal with it. She carries a sketchbook…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Letters from a Slave Girl: The Story of Harriet Jacobs
Letters from a slave girl: the story of Harriet JacobsBy: Mary E LyonsReviewer Rating: Four out of Five StarsBest for: 12 and up A Good Picture of Slavery Pre Civil WarReview by Julie Hilton I think if this weren’t a re-write of the original book by Harriet Jacobs (Incidents in the life of a Slave)…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry FinnBy: Mark TwainReviewer Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest for: 10 and up The boy who became a hero by doing what he thought was wrong.Review by: Kirsten Johnston Huck is wise in some of the dangers of life, such as alcoholic parents. He is a smart, smooth lier. But in other ways he…
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A Book Club Guest Review of Where the Forest Meets the Stars
Where the Forest Meets the StarsBy: Glendy VanderahReviewer Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARSBest for: 12 and up A Five Star Read!Review by: Julie Hilton A post grad student is recovering from a death, and a serious medical condition, and a breakup. She is working in a remote area, secluded and using work to both…
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#FasterThanFalling: Hope you’re not scared of heights…
Faster Than Falling (The Skylighter Adventures, Book 1)By: Nathan Van CoopsMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS!Best for: 12 and up Nathan Van Coops has created a wonderful new story set in a wonderful new world. Faster Than Falling is a scyfy-pirate-steampunk-adventure, and it was a BLAST to read! On this world, the sky is…
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#TheKingdomofBack: To never be forgotten…
The Kingdom of Back By: Marie Lu My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS!!! Best for: 14 and up I love fantasy. I love historical fiction. I love music. I love to be surprised. I love learning new things. I love books that inspire me. The Kingdom of Back is all of those. I loved…
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#JustMercy: Just Wow.
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption By: Bryan Stevenson My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS! Best for: 16 and up Warning: This review is going to be a gusher. Just Mercy stopped me in my tracks. Knocked me out cold. Froze me where I stood. It taught me things I didn’t know…
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#Bob: Just one more chapter, PLEASE!
Bob By: Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead, Illustrated by Nicholas Gannon My (and the kids) Review: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best For: Everyone, and great to read aloud. The elementary kids and I just finished a big-hearted book with a little name–Bob, by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead. Bob is about an 11-year-old girl…
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#Wishtree: A book with a purpose
Wishtree By: Katherine Applegate My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 10 and up Wishtree… I didn’t like the beginning, but LOVED the ending. So Wishtree was net positive for me. Katherine Applegate has become known for middle-grade books with a purpose. She’s given us a kids-eye-view on immigration, treatment of animals, and…
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#TheCalloftheWild: That’s not a BOOK–that’s a TIME MACHINE!
The Call of the Wild By: Jack London My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE STARS Best for: Advanced 12 and up Have you ever wanted to time travel? Read a classic novel. Jack London’s most famous book is a classic in every way. Buck is the four-legged narrator of this wonderful story. When he’s dog-napped…
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#MadeThings: Nope, different Tchaikovsky.
Made Things By: Adrian Tchaikovsky My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: Adults Having a name like Tchaikovsky–that’s a lot to live up to. If Made Things is any indication, Adrian Tchaikovsky is holding up pretty good. I think the most talented writers are ones who can build a whole world in less…
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#Flipped: I’m FLIPPED for Flipped!
FlippedBy: Wendelin Van DraanenMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars!Best for: 12 and up Well, dang. I’m flipped for Flipped. I LOVED this book! Empathy and and kids are like oil and water. Been to Junior High lately? My favorite books for young people are ones that help them see their life through a different…
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#Crenshaw: Try spending a few pages in someone else’s shoes…
Crenshaw By: Katherine Applegate My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: Middle Grades (9 and up) Crenshaw is a sweet story that will help middle-graders get outside themselves while they walk in someone else’s shoes for a few pages. Its simple prose and short chapters make it accessible, and it’s smart story and…
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#Unbroken: Follows the story of one. Tells the story of thousands.
UnbrokenBy: Laura HillenbrandMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE starsBest for: Mature 16 and up It’s Veteran’s Day in the US. What a day to finish Unbroken. I know I’m late to Unbroken, but I put it off until I was ready. I expected it would be special. I was ready, and I was right. It…
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#Forward: Tomorrow is today.
Forward Written By: Blake Crouch, Veronica Roth, Amor Towles, Paul Tremblay, N.K. Jemisin, and Andy Weir My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Now here’s a cool anthology. In my professional life, it’s my job to stay close to technology. As a matter of fact, I’m at a conference this…
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#Educated: I’ve been educated.
Educated By: Tara Westover My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up Now that’s a coming-of-age story. Tara Westover was raised by survivalist/fundamentalist parents. Untrusting of government or modern medicine and misunderstand what it means to have faith in God, Tara’s parents opted to let her and her siblings learn lessons…
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#TheShadowoftheWind: What an ending!
The Shadow of the Wind By: Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Translation by Lucia Graves My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 18+ Well that meandered its way to awesome. There were times reading The Shadow of the Wind that I felt annoyed by the translation, and other times I felt frustrated with the slow…
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#TheSingularityTrap: Science Fact? A first contact space thriller!
The Singularity Trap By: Dennis E. Taylor My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for 16 and up Who else is here because of The Bobiverse? Dennis E. Taylor’s debut series The Bobiverse earned him a lot of fans. If you like ScyFy, you probably should have checked it out by now. The Singularity…
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#AManCalledOve: Kindness shines brightest.
A Man Called Ove By: Fredrik Backman My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars Best for: 16 and up It’s “OOOO-vah,” not “OH-v.”* Thanks Audible. Ove would have yelled at me if I got his name wrong. *See below for a kind correction on how to pronounce Ove by Fredrik Backman himself! Most of the…
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#GatesofFire: Gulp. Talk about changing the world…
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of The Battle of Thermopylae By: Steven Pressfield My Rating: Three out of Five Stars Best for: Adults Gulp. Gates of Fire is ancient history…literally. This is a dramatized history of the events leading up to, during, and immediately following the famed Battle of Thermopylae. Led by King Leonidas…
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#Sourdough: How bread can change your life.
Sourdough By: Robin Sloan My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 14 and up This book made me happy. Have you read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Book Store? You should. Robin Sloan wrote that book too. I went back to check out my review after I read it back in 2015…guess what I wrote?…
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#MyPlainJane: Jane Eyre + The Sixth Sense = The scratch for the itch you didn’t know you had
My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2) By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 12 and up Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows: Authors. Friends. Committed to fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time… …and killing it. My Plain Jane tells…
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#MyLadyJane: Fixing history…and laughing about it!
My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies, #1) By: Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE Stars! Best for: 14 and up Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows: Authors. Friends. Committed to fixing history by rewriting one sad story at a time… …and killing it. My Lady Jane re-imagines the story…
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#TheDispatcher: Zachary Quinto for the win.
The Dispatcher By: John Scalzi My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: Adults Love everything Scalzi, including this novella. I listened to it while I did my yard work this weekend, and was bummed when my yard work ended just slightly before the story did. The big winner here, though, was Zachary Quinto…
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#Swordheart: My, what a big sword you have…
Swordheart By: T. Kingfisher My Rating: Four out of Five stars Best for: Adults Well nuts, I kind of walked into that one. I don’t like romance novels, but I do like when books have some romance. This fantasy book about a guy stuck in a sword had some very blurry lines in the romance…
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7 1/2 Deaths of #EvelynHardcastle: Clue x Quantum Leap x Groundhog Day = Awesome!
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle By: Stuart Turton My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars! Best for: 14 and up What a great story! The 71/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is Clue x Groundhog Day x “It was a dark and stormy night…” x Quantum Leap x Downton Abby drama. You’re invited to…
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#TheGoblinEmperor: Unputdownable is a word.
The Goblin EmperorBy: Katherine AddisonMy Rating: FIVE out of FIVE StarsBest for: 14 and up The Goblin Emperor is still in my head! I was spellbound by this terrifically intricate drama. There’s not a lot of action, but action wasn’t needed to make The Goblin Emperor perfectly unputdownable. (Did you understand that? Then yes, it’s…
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#Enchantment: What if…
Enchantment By: Orson Scott Card My Rating: Four out of Five stars Best for: 16 and up How about this: Deep in an ancient forest, a 1990’s grad student studying the history of creepy Russian fairy tales finds a girl asleep on a pedestal in the woods, so he kisses her. And she wakes up.…
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#AgenttotheStars: Snot and Dog Farts
Agent to the Stars By: John Scalzi My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: Adults Before John Scalzi was John Scalzi, king of ScyFy, he wrote Agent to the Stars…just to see if writing a novel was something he could do. Turns out, he could. The rest is history. Agent to the Stars…
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#LockIn and HeadOn: The King of SyFy Reigns!
Lock In Head On By: John Scalzi My Review: Four out of Five Stars Best for: Adults Scalzi, current king of SyFy, delivers again! In this future, a global pandemic has killed millions. Some on the infected do survive, but the disease leaves them “locked in:” they have complete consciousness of mind and sensation, but…
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#TheGreatGatsby: IT’S A TIME MACHINE (Also, don’t go in the pool, Jay!)
The Great Gatsby By: F. Scott Fitzgerald My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 16 and up Well, that was refreshing. This was another buddy read with my HS Senior’s AP Lit class. So often the classic books they read are more literature as art vs literature as escape. Occasionally those lines cross,…
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#MrDickensandHisCarol: Charles Dickens is your JAM? This one’s for you.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol By: Samantha Silva My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 14 and up Mr. Dickens and His Carol is a worthy tribute to the Christmas Classic. It’s a very well written and period-accurate bit of fan-fiction about the origin of A Christmas Carol. It’s magical, clever, and full…
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#AChristmasCarol: Uncultured no longer
A Christmas Carol By: Charles Dickens My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 12 and up My first Dickens won’t by my last. A Christmas Carol is charming, easy to read, and a lot of fun to read as the source material for so much of what “Christmas” has become. And under 100…
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#TheHitchhikersGuidetotheGalaxy: Don’t Judge. Oh, and the universe is a joke.
The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy By: Douglas Adams My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 14 and up Don’t judge. I never read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It’s basically the Monty Python and the Holy Grail for fans of science fiction–a little bit funny, a little bit stupid, and a…
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#BridgeofClay: It’s heavy. Can you bear it?
Bridge of Clay By: Markus Zusak My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 16 and up I loved Bridge of Clay, but I encourage you to judge carefully. This book is going to polarizing, and there’s a strong chance you’re going to hate it. Read on. Bridge of Clay is heavy. Can you…
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#ThePlayofDeath (The Hangman’s Daughter #6): I’m so glad I didn’t live in the 1600s…
The Play of Death (The Hangman’s Daughter, #6) By: Oliver Potzsch My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up It’s hard to say exactly why I keep coming back for more of The Hangman’s Daughter. Is it the gruesome mysteries that must be solved? Is it the detailed historical fiction set…
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#TheLakeHouse: Kate Morton has it figured out
The Lake House By: Kate Mortin My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Kate Morton has a winning formula. In the past, something tragic happens, but without a resolution–leaving an unsolved mystery. In the present, someone picks up the pieces of the unsolved mystery and puts together the clues. Both…
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#FuzzyNation: Ewoks are people too…
Fuzzy Nation By: John Scalzi My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 14 and up While I always expect to be impressed by John Scalzi, I wouldn’t ever expect to tear up, laugh out loud, or stand up and cheer at the end of a Scalzi book. But…surprise to me–all those things happened…
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#Origin: Dan Brown strikes again
Origin By: Dan Brown My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up You’ve read one Dan Brown, you’ve read them all. Good thing for him…it works over and over again! I actually enjoyed Origin a lot more than I initially thought I would. There is much less of MC Robert Langdon…
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#SixWakes: Clue. In space. With clones.
Six Wakes By: Mur Lafferty My Rating: Four out of Five Stars Best for: 16 and up Clue. In space. With clones. Scene: 6 clones awake to find themselves alone on a ship traveling through deep space with no memory of the previous 25 years…and find their previous bodies have been murdered. One of them…
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Neil Gaiman 2 for 1: #FortunatelytheMilk and #OddandtheFrostGiants
Fortunately, the Milk Odd and the Frost Giants By: Neil Gaiman My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars Best for: 10 and up Here’s a two for one book review special… Neil Gaiman…Bless him. Is he today’s greatest storyteller? He might be. My proof: Two short stories. 1) Fortunately, the Milk and 2) Odd and…
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#TheWitches: God Bless Roald Dahl (also, the kids smell like dogs’ droppings)
The Witches By: Roald Dahl My Rating: Five out of Five Stars Best for: Everyone The last time I read The Witches I was 10 and in the 4th grade. That I still remember it 30 years later is as much a testament to the book as it is to my 4th grade teacher who…
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#InColdBlood: Whoa…
In Cold Blood By: Truman Capote My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Best for: Mature 16+ If you’re looking for a book about the minute details surrounding the random and gruesome 1959 murder of a family of 4, you can stop your search now. You’ve found it. Me? I’m buddy reading it with my…
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#TheMiraculousJourneyofEdwardTulane: I can’t wait to read this to my kids!
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane By: Kate DiCamillo My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Now, that’s a story. I can’t wait to read it to my kids. Edward is a toy rabbit. He’s made of china and fur and is always dressed in the nicest clothes. His life is charmed. He’s beautiful and…
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#ThePictureofDorianGray: Creepy isn’t the same as scary…
The Picture of Dorian Gray By: Oscar Wilde My Rating: Four out of Five Stars The Picture of Dorian Gray is a perfectly creepy book to read for Halloween. Not scary, just creepy. I’m not about to critique a classic, so I’ll just say that as a story it dragged in quite a few places,…
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#ReadyPlayerOne: Why haven’t you read this yet?
Ready Player OneBy: Ernest Cline, Audio Book narrated by Will WheatonMy Rating: Five out of Five StarsBest for: 16 and up 8/7/2017I had Will Wheaton read Ready Player One this time. Brilliant, obviously. Especially when Will Wheaton reads about himself in the book. Very meta. Two comments. 1) I still love this book. Belongs on…
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#BeneathaScarletSky: And the Truth Shall…
Beneath a Scarlet SkyBy: Mark SullivanMy Rating: Five out of Five StarsBest for: 14 and up Dang it. This is one of those. Beneath a Scarlet Sky is one that needs to be read. The Book Thief was beautiful in its tragedy. Beneath a Scarlet Sky is too. But… …it’s true. It really happened. I…
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#Wonder: How to Change the World
Wonder By: R.J. Palacio My Rating: FIVE out of FIVE stars My word, this is a wonderful book! Auggie wasn’t born perfect. He wasn’t even supposed to survive. His head didn’t come together right. His face makes children cry and adults flinch. He doesn’t have ears, his eyes are in the wrong place, and his…
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#Ender’sGame: My Paradigm Has Shifted
Ender’s GameBy: Orson Scott CardMy Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARSBest For: 14 and up This isn’t the first time I’ve re-read an old favorite and found something new there. But… This is the first time I’ve re-read an old favorite and found something entirely different. Turns out, Ender isn’t cool science fiction about kids…
One Man Book Club 