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Book Review: The River We Remember

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When the body of Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, it sets off an irreversible chain of events that forever changes lives in Black Earth County in southwestern Minnesota in 1958. Quinn, one of the rural county’s wealthiest landowners, was a cruel man whose death comes as a relief to most of his neighbors. But before Sherriff Brody Dern even examines the crime scene, prejudices influence townspeople to pin the murder on Noah Bluestone, a war vet, and a Dakota Sioux whose ancestor first owned Quinn’s land. As Brody continues to investigate, tensions rise and a myriad of secrets come to light about his neighbors – even as Brody desperately tries to conceal his own dark past. Can Brody get to the truth of Quinn’s death before innocent people begin to turn against one another?

With a cast of exquisitely drawn characters, most of whom are still haunted by World War II, The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger is part police procedural, part exploration of small town life in 1950’s Minnesota. With vivid descriptive and a gripping narrative that you’ll want to savor, this novel is Krueger at his most skilled. Pick up a copy today!

-Carol

Book Recommendations for The Year of the Dragon

MelindaLeave a comment

Lunar New Year takes place on February 10! Tomorrow begins a fifteen day tradition marked with food, family, and celebration. According to Chinese culture, the dragon is one of the luckiest animals in the zodiac. As the year of the dragon commences, may you luck out with a good book or two. Dragons are a popular element in the fantasy genre, so enjoy these recommendations and check out our science fiction and fantasy collection for more fire-breathing friends.

Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton

The tale of a family dealing with the death of their father, of a son who goes to law for his inheritance, a son who agonizes over his father’s deathbed confession, a daughter who falls in love, a daughter who becomes involved in the abolition movement, and a daughter sacrificing herself for her husband.

Except that everyone in the story is a dragon, red in tooth and claw.

Request it here.

Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

On a beautiful world called Pern, an ancient way of life is about to come under attack from a myth that is all too real. Lessa is an outcast survivor–her parents murdered, her birthright stolen–a strong young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. But when an ancient threat to Pern reemerges, Lessa will rise–upon the back of a great dragon 

Request it here.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door. 

Request it here.

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang


The war is over.

The war has just begun.

Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run.

Request it here.

Dragonfall by L.R. Lam

Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the “gods” remember, and they do not forgive. 

Request it here.

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general–also known as her tough-as-talons mother–has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

Request it here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

From Page to Screen: Award Season

MelindaLeave a comment

Photo by Engin Akyurt: https://www.pexels.com/photo/standing-man-figurine-2098604/

And the Oscar goes too…the books behind the movies. Award season kicked off with the Golden Globes on January 7, with book to film adaptations well represented among the nominees and winners! The Oscars take place on March 10, so there’s plenty of time to pick up a book before the awards ceremony. Here’s what books are buzzing this awards season.

Oppenheimer, nominated for thirteen Academy Awards and based on

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin

J. Robert Oppenheimer is one of the iconic figures of the twentieth century, a physicist who led the effort to build the atomic bomb for his country in a time of war, and who later found himself confronting the moral consequences of scientific progress.

Request the book here.

Killers of the Flower Moon, nominated for ten Academy Awards and based on

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Presents a true account of the early twentieth-century murders of dozens of wealthy Osage and law-enforcement officials, citing the contributions and missteps of a fledgling FBI that eventually uncovered one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history. 

Request the book here.

Poor Things, nominated for eleven Academy Awards and based on

Poor Things by Alasdair Gray

Supposedly the product of the fiendish scientist Godwin Baxter, Bella was resurrected for the sole purpose of fulfilling the whims of her benefactor.

Request the book here.

American Fiction, nominated for five Academy Awards and based on 

Erasure by Percival Everett

Thelonius “Monk” Ellison is an erudite, accomplished but seldom-read author who insists on writing obscure literary papers rather than the so-called “ghetto prose” that would make him a commercial success.

Request the book here.

Nyad, nominated for two Academy Awards and based on

Find a Way: The Inspiring Story of One Woman’s Pursuit of a Lifelong Dream by Diana Nyad

On September 2, 2013, at the age of 64, Diana Nyad emerged onto the shores of Key West after completing a 110 mile, 53 hour, record-breaking swim through shark-infested waters from Cuba to Florida

Request the book here.

The Color Purple, nominated for an Academy Award and based on

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance, and silence.

Request the book here.

The Zone of Interest, nominated for five Academy Awards and based on

The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis

A fictionalized look at the Holocaust told from the human perspective of four different characters: Paul Doll, commandant of a concentration camp; his wife, Hannah Doll, who is far more aware of what is going on around her than her husband realizes; Angelus ‘Golo’ Thomsen, the privileged nephew of Hitler’s personal secretary who falls for Hannah; and Szmul, a Jewish prisoner who works at the camp and witnesses all of the atrocities that happen around him.  

Request the book here.

Enjoy these blockbuster reads!

-Melinda

Book Review: Mister Lullaby

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Harrod’s Reach is home to a train tunnel filled with spooky stories. After a fatal train accident in the tunnel, all the kids and adults know- stay away from the tunnel. Bad things happen to those who enter the tunnel, as Gideon Dupree knows all too well. His brother, Sully, ran into the tunnel…and never woke up. Years later, Sully is still in a coma and Gideon is coming home from a tour abroad. His childhood friend, Beth Gardner is now the deputy sheriff of their small town, with a son of her own and a wariness surrounding the tunnel and its lore.

When the tunnel once again begins to beckon to the townspeople, strange figures and phenomena begin to occur. One of the town’s oddballs, “Simple” Simon, is discovered by Beth outside the tunnel. His limited language skills are far outweighed by the vivid drawings in his sketchbook, clutched tightly in his hands and carefully labeled LaLaLand.

This book had an intricately built world which made for a page-turning read. There are multiple first person narrators, but each main character has their own well-developed voice. The uneasiness and horror elements are not too gruesome but are definitely enough to keep you up at night. Likened to Stephen King, J.H. Markert tells a haunting tale that will stick with you long after you finish reading. A return to Harrod’s Reach would be welcome!

Put the print copy on hold here or put the audiobook on hold here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

From Page to Screen: Winter 2024

MelindaLeave a comment

2024 is sure to bring another round of book to film adaptations, and we’re kicking off the year with a few flicks guaranteed to be blockbusters. Some of the films were set to open in Fall 2023 but were delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

Whether you’re a member of “The Book Was Better” club or enjoy the film version, there is something for everyone. If you want to compare and contrast or just love a good spoiler, pick up the book to read before you start watching!

January

Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben

Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe, To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband, and herself.  

Coming to Netflix on January 1.

The Expatriates by Janice Y.K. Lee

Three very different American women livie in the same small expat community in Hong Kong. Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, something she believes could save her foundering marriage. Meanwhile, Margaret, once a happily married mother of three, questions her maternal identity in the wake of a shattering loss. Their lives collide in ways that have irreversible consequences for them all.  

Coming to Amazon Prime on January 26.

February

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most. Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true. Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head.

Coming to theaters on February 9.

March

Dune by Frank Herbert

Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of Paul Atreides–who would become known as Muad’Dib–and of a great family’s ambition to bring to fruition mankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

Dune Part Two is coming to theaters on March 1.

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living. Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous-even suicidal-the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact.

Coming to theaters on March 29.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review: The Sunshine Girls

MelindaLeave a comment

Clara and Abbie are mourning the loss of their mother, Betty Kay, when a mysterious and famous figure shows up at the funeral claiming to be one of their mother’s best friends. But they’ve never heard of her.

In 1960s rural Iowa, Betty Kay decides to leave the family farm and enrolls in nursing school. When she meets the other students, she sees girls like her- Iowa-born and used to farm life. Until she meets her roommate, Kitty. Kitty is a tough Southern belle who’s got secrets, sass, and sewing skills to last for days. The two steer clear of each other until tragedy comes for Betty Kay, leaving her in a predicament that could derail her future.

Clara and Abbie thought they knew most their mother’s story, but it’s clear that there are chapters missing. The two sisters grieve in their own ways, with Clara wishing she could make amends and Abbie missing her daily check-ins with her mom.

With the Vietnam war as the backdrop, Betty Kay’s sections lend a historical fiction feel to the book, complete with a smidgeon of romance. Told in dual timelines, Betty Kay’s story is told throughout the book as the sisters and the reader discover secrets from Betty Kay’s past. Ultimately the book demonstrates the power of deep female friendship and sisterhood. If you’re a historical fiction fan, consider picking this one up and sharing it with a friend.

Request a print copy here or an eAudiobook copy here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Sara’s Top 10 of 2023

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2023 was a good year for reading! For some reason it was an entry into the Horror genre for me. I didn’t realize that horror books are very different than horror movies- they are usually less gory, but can be a lot scarier! If you want to give one a try, look at My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (which comes before Don’t Fear the Reaper which was excellent), or if you really want to be creeped out, read A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay.

I also enjoyed a little magic and fantasy with the adventurous tale of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings, a possible future story, My Murder by Katie Williams, and the charming Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young.

Finally, I enjoyed some fantastic stories that seemed like real life in Honor by Thrity Umrigar, Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty and the crazy, stream of consciousness No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. Happy Reading everyone!

Trent’s Top 10 of 2023

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While I have read fewer books in 2023 than in the last several years, it was still difficult winnowing the list down to a top ten. My list continues to be a mix of new and backlist titles, as I can never catch up on my TBR list.

10. All The Sinners Bleed – S.A. Cosby

Some readers will want to check the trigger warnings before starting S.A. Cosby’s latest. This novel is dark and grisly. However, Titus, the first Black sheriff in rural Virginia county working to uncover a brutal serial killer, has real depth. In All The Sinners Bleed, everyone pays for their sins one way or another, including Titus.

9. Sea of Tranquility – Emily St. John Mandel

Wonderfully written literary lite-science fiction. I am so often disappointed when novels attempt to weave together different points of view and jump between various points in time. However, it is a pleasure to follow along as the Sea of Tranquility unfolds.

8. Gods of Jade and Shadow – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Gods of Jade and Shadow is a coming-of-age novel that revitalizes time-honored questing fantasy tropes by incorporating Mayan mythology in a Jazz Aged Mexico. 

7. Death on Gokumon Island – Seishi Yokomizo

Seishi Yokomizo’s Detective Kosuke Kindaichi mysteries are great fun. Each is a locked room mystery akin to Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels. Written in 1948, Pushkin Vertigo published their English translation of Death on Gokumon Island last year and has now translated five novels in the series. In Death on Gokumon Island, Kindaichi arrives at a remote island to deliver the news that the heir of a prominent family has died en route from returning from the war. However, the heir prophesied with their dying breath that the news of his death would put his sisters in harm’s way. As the prophecy starts to come true, Detective Kindaichi must work to solve the case to protect the sisters. 

6. The Grace of Kings – Ken Liu

The Grace of Kings is epic fantasy at its finest. Liu has created a rich world with a fully realized history. As a continent united under the banner of a single empire is thrust into a tumultuous uprising, two men form a bond as brothers during their efforts to overthrow the empire. However, can their friendship last as they gain political power and envision different worlds after the empire?

5. The Weaver and the Witcher – Genevieve Gronichec

Though I generally enjoy Nordic mythology and historical fiction set in Scandinavia, this surpassed my expectations. Gronichec balances historical detail with approachability, so the story never becomes a slog or confusing but flows quickly and is extremely hard to put down.

4. Seveneves – Neal Stephenson

The payoff is worth it if you stomach (or are interested in) the frequent, detailed explanations of orbital mechanics and advanced physics. Stephenson can be a bit much, but he also creates compelling, complex stories. What if the moon exploded into pieces that would begin to rain down on the world, creating an inhospitable environment for all humanity for thousands of years? Could enough humans escape to space and live long enough to re-inhabit Earth in the future? 

3. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau – Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I was very skeptical of this book. I was never particularly interested in the story of The Island of Doctor Moreau and find the human-animal hybrid concept unsettling. However, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is phenomenal, and I am grateful for having taken the leap. Though a little slow to start, it picks up before ending in a fury. 

2. The Lies of Locke Lamora – Scott Lynch

Easily the most fun book I read this year. Fantasy heist caper à la Robin Hood meets Ocean’s Eleven. The Lies of Locke Lamora is the first in an enjoyable trilogy.

1. Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier

It’s a classic for a reason. After reading Wuthering Heights a few years back and being rather underwhelmed, I mistakenly assumed all other Gothic Romances were overwrought ghost stories. Instead, Rebecca is an atmospheric domestic thriller masterpiece.

Honorable Mentions

Melinda’s Top 10 of 2023

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Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.

I was introduced to Sarah Gailey this year and have loved everything I’ve read so far. Spooky house stories are a win anytime of year.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

After a young Japanese woman’s life falls apart, she moves into a flat above her eccentric uncle’s bookshop, staying rent-free in exchange for working at the store and developing a passion for Japanese literature.

This is a quietly paced gem of a book. A short read perfect for all book lovers.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

The beloved Friends star shares candid behind the scenes stories from the legendary sitcom, as well as detailing his own struggles with addiction.

As a Friends fan, this book was a heavy read, but an important read for anyone wanting to understand addiction and its impact.

A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis

To earn the last credit she needs to graduate, Lydia Chass teams up with foul-mouthed Bristal Jamison to transform her listener-friendly local history podcast into a hard-hitting, truth-telling expose as they investigate an unsolved murder from their small town’s past.

Full review here.

A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher

Warned by her brother that their mother seems “off,” Sam visits and discovers a once-cozy home with sterile white walls, a her mom a jumpy, nervous wreck and a jar of teeth hidden in the rosebushes.

Full review here.

Alchemy of a Blackbird by Claire McMillan

Felling the Nazis, painter Remedios Varo and her poet lover await exit papers from a safe house on the Riviera and take refuge in a mysterious bookshop that opens up a world of occult learning that sparks creative genius.

Full review here.

A Guide to Midwestern Conversation by Taylor Kay Phillips

Learn how to speak like a Midwesterner in this humorous and self-deprecating look at their common phrases and sentiments and featuring an ode to the Garage Fridge.

Ope, lemme just tell you- this light-hearted look at the Midwestern states and our odd speech patterns was a fun read.

The Golden Spoon by Jessa Maxwell

During her annual televised baking competition on her Vermont estate, celebrated baker Betsy Martin, hailed as “America’s Grandmother,” finds murder in the mix when a body is discovered, and everyone is a suspect.

Full review here.

My Murder by Katie Williams

Having been murdered by a serial killer and subsequently resurrected, Lou must solve her own slaying.

An original and intriguing tale of cloning, crime, and community- one of my few five star reads this year!

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

Investigating an estranged sibling’s suspicious drowning at their grandmother’s estate, Jax connects the tragedy to the unsolved case of a housewife who in 1929 allegedly succumbed to a wish-granting spring.

Jennifer McMahon is always a must-read for me, and the alternating timeline of this book made this one hard to put down.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Annelise’s Top 10 of 2023

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Before the New Year,
We share what we liked the best;
Mine are in haiku:
Maeve Fly by CJ Leede --
Haven't finished yet,
But the writing is so good.
Hope I don't get scared. 
All-Night Pharmacy by Ruth Madievsky --
Family addictions,
Trauma from the old country,
Trip to Moldova. 
Covenant with the Vampire by Jeanne Kalogridis -- 
Dracula's nephew
Learns uncle is a monster,
Very cool castle.
Netsuke by Rikki Ducornet -- 
Therapist sleeps with
Quite a few of his patients.
Has his own problems.
Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd --
Anachronistic
Layers of reality
Murder in time-loop.
Memoirs of a Gnostic Dwarf by David Madsen -- 
Ribald renaissance
Adventure of epic scale
Plus potty humor.
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer -- 
"When Christ calls a man,
He bids him come and die" was 
quoted from this book.
The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney -- 
He tries really hard 
To be so cool and so free,
But he just isn't.
The Seventh Mansion by Maryse Meijer --
Ecosensitive
Loner teen has an affair
With a skeleton. 
The Nuns of Sant'Ambrogio by Hubert Wolf -- 
Once there were some nuns
Who committed loads of crimes,
Truly a scandal.