Magic For Liars by Sarah Gailey
An introspective murder mystery set at a school for magic, where non-magical private investigator Ivy must find the killer while trying to ignore years of built-up resentment for her magical prodigy of a sister. Shannon
Strange Frequencies: The Extraordinary Story of the Technological Quest for the Supernatural by Peter Bebergal
I chose this book from a recommendation of a podcast I listen to and it did not disappoint. An exploration of how technology has historically been used to explore and interact with the supernatural, this book covers a wide range of time periods and topics. The author’s addition of a personal narrative of his own efforts to make and use the discussed technology helps to structure the text. The author is thorough in his research and presents the information in a clear and concise tone. Recommended for readers who enjoyed Real Magic by Dean Radin, Occult American by Mitch Horowitz, or Netflix’s new show Midnight Gospel. Greg
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
Curtis Sittenfeld’s Rodham is the Hillary Clinton fan fiction you didn’t know you wanted. Hillary and Bill meet at Yale law school and share a strong intellectual, emotional, and physical connection. Well, we know that story of what happened, but Sittenfeld chooses her own adventure in Rodham. Hillary decides against marrying Bill, instead going on to blaze a different trail. Beth
Good Kids, Bad City: A Story of Race and Wrongful Conviction in America by Kyle Swenson
In Good Kids, Bad City: A Story of Race and Wrongful Conviction in America journalist Kyle Swenson weaves the personal stories of three young men who were sentenced to grow up in prison with detailed accounts of corruption and injustice that plagued the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland police department. Swenson’s narrative is a scathing indictment of systematic discrimination that continues to this day.
On May 19, 1975, Harry Franks, a white salesman, was robbed, assaulted, and murdered in broad daylight in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood. Three black youth were sentenced and spent a combined 106 years in prison for the crime. The murderer was never caught. The entirety of the prosecution’s case against Wiley Bridgeman, Kwame Ajamu, and Ricky Jackson was based on the eye-witness testimony of 12-year old Ed Vernon. Nearly 40 years later Vernon recanted his story, revealing that the police used fear and coercion to convince him to tell the story they wanted him to tell. Megan
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
Marie, a Black woman, languishes in the New York FBI counterintelligence offices during the height of the Cold War. Grieving her sister’s mysterious death and frustrated that she continuously overlooked for high profile assignments, Marie lets herself be recruited when a CIA agent approaches her to infiltrate the entourage of Thomas Sankara, the visiting Burkina Faso president. John le Carré styled spy fiction that combines intrigue and examines issues of family, loyalty, what it is to be a good American. Trent
Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner
This is a story of two sisters’ lives, beginning in their childhood in the 1950’s to present day. The story begins in Detroit, with Jo and Bethie Kaufman, two sisters who could not be more different from each other. Jo is a tomboy. intelligent and a rebel bent on making the world a more fair place to live in. Bethie is the feminine good girl, with dreams of a traditional life of marriage and “happily-ever-after”. From a young age, the girl’s world is shaken with surprise and tragedy, and they learn to lean on each other for support in order to navigate an ever-changing and evolving world around them. This is historical fiction, and you will experience a trip down memory lane with Weiner’s descriptive writing. I grew close to these sisters as the novel progressed, and by the end, did not want to let them go. Their life journeys were compelling & bittersweet. I strongly recommend this book to shelve on your summer reading list, trust me, you will not be disappointed. Mary
Finding Jake by Bryan Reardon
I have to admit that when I started this book, I thought it was the book with a popular miniseries based on it, but that’s Defending Jacob —oops! This book has a similar theme. Stay-at-home father, Simon, has tried to do a good job raising his two children while his wife works as a successful lawyer. He has doubts as to whether he’s done everything right even now as his kids are teenagers, and his son Jake is not as friendly and outgoing as his sister. One warm November day, Simon receives a text that there has been a shooting at the high school. As he rushes to his children, he discovers that Jake is nowhere to be found. As the story unfolds and suspicion is cast upon Jake, Simon must face his demons about what kind of father he really was, and whether or not he knew his son at all. It was a riveting read, and I enjoyed it all the way through. Sara
Read it or Weep 