Mysterious and moody this gothic ghost story has a kiss of steamy romance. The scandalous Mrs. Webster has just arrived in town to renovate an old estate but she is having trouble finding someone to work on it due to the fact that it is haunted. It is this ghost that captures the attention of a famous scientist, Samuel Moore. They form an unsteady alliance as each is drawn to and repelled from each other as much as a magnet to true north. Mrs. Webster has all kinds of skeletons in her closet some of which Sam is all too eager to banish. Witty and filled with just the right amount of scare and sauciness - this debut marks what I hope will be more fun to come.
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I have found my life's ambition - I want to be a passeur! In this slim masterpiece, we follow Juliette who has a dull job and a long commute so she studies the other commuters and what they read on the metro. One day she follows her heart and instead of going to work ends up at the doorway of a most unusual bookshop, as unorganized as the man who runs it. As soon as she smells the old page smell and sneezes from the dust we know she is there to stay and so she becomes a passeur who passes on books that match the person who receives them. As she takes on more responsibility for the man, shop and his young daughter lives, Juliette will undoubtedly find her own. Charming, unassuming and magical - this clever little tale takes us on a book adventure. For anyone who strives to find their passion, no matter how late and strives to share it with others who believe in the power of the written word - this is your lifeline.
A love letter to the artwork, staff, and benefactors of the incredible Metropolitan Museum of Art. Christine Coulson shares a bit of the secret life of the museum that she was privy to while she worked there but the stories are told in a fanciful way. We learn of the chair that longs for the touch of a young child even a wayward toddler, the guard and the statue who loves him and the incredible Mezz Girls who work the events as well as the people who keep the show on the road. A bit of whimsy with a taste of real-life makes this collection of character sketches so inviting you want to sneak in after-hours and lurk in the galleries. My own love affair with the Met began as a child reading "The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiller" and that love has been rekindled in this slight but heartfelt novel.
Imagine that you are five years old and told to pick out your sign so you can picket with the rest of your family and congregation spreading a message like - God hates Fags or Death to Fags. Megan along with her many siblings was taught hate, bigotry and unflinching loyalty to the church her grandfather began and was the pastor of. The Westboro Baptist Church made up almost in its entirety of family members was well known for their absolute hatred and broad spread of that message of hate. This was the only world Megan knew and she was taught to obey her parents, never stray from the gospel and absolute obedience to the church. It is no wonder that it wasn't until she was in her twenties that Megan and one of her sisters began to have doubts and knew they had to flee. From the ashes of hate, she has risen like a phoenix to spread a much different message - one of love and acceptance.
We have all heard of the wonders of search and rescue dogs but this is a first. Molly is a Cocker spaniel who specializes in finding lost cats. It takes an amazing amount of patience and persistence to find a pet that might not want to be found by a dog but Molly soon charms the frantic cat and cat owner. Molly and her ex-police detective human partner, Colin Butcher, deliver not only excellent detective skills but also are very kind and ease the minds of the pet owners. This story takes place in England but I would not be surprised to find similar pet detective agencies popping up in the states. This is a wonderful tale for any animal lover but also anyone who understands the anguish and helplessness of losing a pet.
Two kids begin a love affair that will guide them through life even if they aren't always together. Octavian is black and Mina is white but it doesn't matter at all to them. It does matter to the world around them which is St. Louis in the 1980s. Mina moves away but still keeps in contact with her old neighborhood especially a record store where magically, she and Octavian reunite. Through a family crisis, racial tension and a host of other issues they are just to young to know how good they have it to have each other. A fantastic soundtrack adds a historical guidepost to their relationship. A deeply touching story of love that crosses racial lines, it is a love song to the power of love and great music that speaks to our soul.
This is a story of how a bad decision early in life can literally haunt you forever. As a child, Amber is chosen to play the part of a witch's daughter who is burned at the stake along with her mother. The ghost of the witch child and mother ends up playing a traumatic part in the filming. Years later she is still haunted by the role that made her a cult favorite and is again asked to play the part of the mother in the remaking of the film. The filmmaker is also haunted by the story and ghost. Will the wrongly accused witch and her daughter have their revenge or will the urban myth continue? True to the horror genre it fits into nicely, you will have to read to find out.
One of the best books I have read this year- take a pinch of Dan Brown, a dollop of Lev Grossman and a smattering of Deborah Harkness and you begin to get a feel for the genius of Leigh Bardugo. She has created a kick-ass character with a checkered past who is asked to attend Yale on scholarship and all she has to do is use her gifts to help govern the secret societies and of course, everything goes wrong. She is tough, she does not always get along with people and she sees dead people (grays). Expertly written, perfectly paced and chockful of creepy ghosts and secret rituals - this book will appeal to a wide audience and I'm sure Yale will see a surge in applications. I sincerely hope someone has purchased the movie rights and there better be more where this came from Leigh Bardugo. This is her first book for adults but older teens will want to read this.
Joe Hill is a great and diverse writer. It may be due to the fact that he is the product of American author royalty (Stephen and Tabitha King)and however he came by this gift, the results are always a delight. His stories branch from the tree of common fears - making a truck driver angry enough to commit road rage or nuclear war. Then there is the other side of him which jumps into fantasy fear like a strange hunting lodge where the hunt is about mythical creatures. And finally, there is the side of him that just probes into human nature like the bittersweet tale of an old library bookmobile that caters to their most delinquent borrowers. He writes about mainly everyday people which tells us that what happened to them could happen to us and tells us a story that leaves us shaking our head, smiling or up all night and that is magic. Keep telling me stories, Joe!
Solid 3 1/2 stars. Every parent's nightmare - you send your freshman off to college and think everything is good until you get the call.
Maggie is a single mom and she knows her daughter but when she shows up at Emma's college and everything points to her daughter not living the life Maggie thought she was - she digs in to find out what happened and where Emma is. Intense thriller and not for moms of college-aged kids. It plays on your emotions like a violin. |
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