That weekend was supposed to be a fun, secret getaway. Ditching prom for a weekend of hiking, camping, drinking, just Claire and her best friends, Kat and Jesse sounds like a dream. But something goes horribly wrong and Claire can’t tell anyone what happened. She has no idea why she was the only one to come down from the mountain where all three hiked. Claire struggles to regain her memories and as the months pass with no news of her friends’ whereabouts she grows more frustrated. Taking matters in to her own hands, she resolves to get answers. This was a fun thriller. Complex relationships, plenty of red herrings, and big twist will keep readers wondering about what really happened that weekend. If you like a slow-burning mystery and unreliable narrators and a whole lot of karma, check out That Weekend.
New Books Tuesday @ RRPL
Here some of the new exciting releases for you to take a look at this week!
The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth – When their father decides to divorce their mother, who, in a care facility for dementia, cannot speak for herself, so he can marry his young girlfriend Heather, sisters Tully and Rachel must find the truth about their family’s secrets, Heather and who their father really is.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel – Hired to investigate the black-skied Night City, Detective Gaspery-Jacques Roberts discovers an anomaly in the North American Wilderness, where he encounters a strange group of individuals who have all glimpsed a chance to do something extraordinary that could disrupt the timeline of the universe.
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan – Told through lives of multiple characters, this electrifying, deeply moving novel, spanning 10 years, follows “Own Your Unconscious,” a new technology that allows access to every memory you’ve ever had, and to share every memory in exchange for success to the memories of others.
Sister Stardust by Jane Green – From afar Talitha’s life seemed perfect. In her twenties, and already a famous model and actress, she moved from London to a palace in Marrakesh, with her husband Paul Getty, the famous oil heir. There she presided over a swirling ex-pat scene filled with music, art, free love and a counterculture taking root across the world.
A Family Affair by Robyn Carr – Seeing a young, pregnant woman at her husband’s funeral a mourning wife realizes her husband’s mid-life crisis went a bit farther than she realized in the new novel from the New York Times best-selling author of the Virgin River series.
Crimson Summer by Heather Graham – Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent Amy Larson and FBI agent Hunter Forrest investigate a bloody massacre in Seminole territory that appears to be tied to South American drug cartels and a Doomsday cult.
Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow – Unfolding over seventy years through a chorus of unforgettable voices that move back and forth in time, Memphis paints an indelible portrait of inheritance, celebrating the full complexity of what we pass down, in a family and as a country: brutality and justice, faith and forgiveness, sacrifice and love.
Once A Thief by Christopher Reich – While seeking to prove his Ferrari’s authenticity and expose the real identity of the buyer, freelance private spy Simon Riske crosses paths with Anna Bildt, who, looking into her father’s murder, discovers that they have a common enemy as they are forced to play a deadly game.
Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain – At a time of profound discord and personal anxiety, Bittersweet brings us together in deep and unexpected ways. The author of the best-selling Quiet discusses how a bittersweet state of mind can actually be a kind of silent energy that aids us in overcoming our personal and societal suffering.
Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li – A Chinese American art history major at Harvard, Will Chen is offered a (very illegal) chance to reclaim five priceless treasures China lost centuries ago and assembles a team of fellow students, chosen for their skills and loyalty, to help him on his mission and make history.
~Semanur
Cozy up with a new book
The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer
On August 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by museum worker Vincent Peruggia. The theft was not discovered immediately. In truth, many thought the painting was taken to the roof where others were being photographed due to better lighting. After two days, an international hunt was on to recover the stolen work. Peruggia’s scheme was to have forgeries made of the painting and have them sold as the original. Along with the forger and go-between, Perrugia would become rich. (There were nine forgeries.) In 1913, Perrugia returned the Mona Lisa to the Louvre. Was it the real thing or a forgery?
Vincent Peruggia is the great-grandfather of art professor Luke Perrone. Luke is obsessed with the story behind the theft. He travels to Florence, Italy. His great-grandfather’s journal is available at the Laurentian library in Florence. Others seem interested in the truth behind the theft including an INTERPOL agent and a young American woman.
A terrifying and thrilling multi-layered novel.
~Emma
I Read YA: The Initial Insult by Mindy McGinnis
Tress Montor had status in Amontillado, Ohio until her prominent parents vanished without a trace while driving her then best friend, Felicity Turnado, home one night seven years ago. After being orphaned Tress went to live with her grandfather at his wildlife attraction, known by the locals as the “White Trash Zoo”. Tress’s fall from grace was swift and her friendship with Felicity was over. Tress could not accept Felicity’s claim that she had no memory of that fateful night. So Tress does what she needs to in order to get by and she stews and plots until she has the perfect plan to get Felicity to talk. At a Halloween party in an abandoned house Tress lures Felicity to the basement, where she begins to bury Felicity alive behind a brick wall that she lays a row at time. Meanwhile, upstairs, the town’s teens suspect nothing. They are falling victim to the flu-like illness that is spreading through Amontillado. Also, a panther from the zoo is on the loose.
Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado, this is another dark and mesmerizing offering from Mindy McGinnis. The second book in the duology, The Last Laugh, is also available.
Spring into a Crime Fiction Series
by Louisa Luna
Zeb Williams, a one-time college football player went into hiding after he sabotaged his own team’s chance at a huge win. Thirty years later, California-based private investigator Alice Vega, a missing persons specialist, is hired to find him. On the outs with her partner, ex-cop Max “Cap” Caplan, Vega heads alone to the small town of Ilona, Oregon – the last place Zeb had been seen. There, she ends up uncovering a white supremacist gang who are terrorizing their neighbors. Vega won’t let that stand and interjects herself, getting badly beaten in the process. She heals, but then learns that Cap’s daughter is being harassed on the other side of the country. Readers will almost feel sorry for the revenge Vega has planned for this group, whose members include the son of a town bigwig. Is Vega over her head? And how does this connect to the disappearance of the infamous Zeb Williams?
Hideout is an adrenaline filled entry in the Alice Vega series by Louisa Luna, and fans of the first two books will appreciate the character and relationship development and surprises in this installment. Alice Vega is a tough as nails, fearless yet complex P.I., a champion for the helpless and downtrodden who is not afraid of hurting those who hurt others. Readers of Lee Child, action-packed gritty crime fiction, and strong female leads should pick up Hideout or, better yet, the series’ starter Two Girls Down.
-Carol
Cozy up with a new book
Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck
This book is based on the lives of Virginia d’Albert-Lake and Violette Szabo. Both Virginia and Violette had important roles during WWII. Both were captured by the Germans and eventually sent to Ravensbruck where they endured horrific conditions.
Violette’s husband was killed in North Africa. She refused to leave France despite having a young daughter at home. She was a sharpshooter fluent in multiple languages. Her talents were quickly realized, and she became part of the SOE (Special Operations Executive). Formed in 1940, the Special Operations Executive was an underground army that waged a secret war in enemy-occupied Europe and Asia.
Virginia and her husband Philippe became part of the Comet Line, a Resistance organization in occupied Belgium and France during the Second World War. Their job was to help Allied soldiers and pilots shot down over occupied Belgium evade capture by Germans and eventually return to Great Britain.
Their stories connected at Ravensbruck. When it was finally discovered that Virginia was an American, she was released. Violette did not survive. At just twenty-three, she was executed with other women who were part of the SOE.
From what I can gather, the book closely follows the lives and experiences of these two women. The author’s thorough research is evident throughout.
~Emma
(There is a 1958 movie based on the life of Violette Szabo called “Carve Her Name with Pride”.)
Classic Film Fest at Home
I’m singin’ in the rain, just singin’ in the rain
What a glorious feeling I’m happy again
I’m laughing at clouds so dark up above
The sun’s in my heart and I’m ready for love
This year marks the 70th anniversary of Singin’ in the Rain starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor. Only 18 and having no dance experience, Reynolds sought the help of Fred Astaire in order to impress taskmaster and perfectionist Kelly for her role in the musical; Reynolds’ feet bleed after shooting the film’s “Good Morning” routine over the course of 15 hours, and Kelly endured 3 days of filming the “Singin’ in the Rain” number while having a high fever. Other films are also celebrating big milestones this year. Woman of the Year, Casablanca, and The Man Who Came to Dinner are all turning 80. Judy Garland would have turned 100 this summer, and the TCM Classic Film Festival is back in person this spring to celebrate dozens of movies, The Wizard of Oz included, that have made us laugh and cry. Find your comfiest sweats, pop some popcorn, and host your own classic movie fest with some of my favorite films below.
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946): Three World War II veterans, two of them traumatized or disabled, return home to the American Midwest to discover that they and their families have been irreparably changed. Directed by William Wyler, the film stars Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, and Harold Russell. It is the winner of 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. You can even watch the film on Kanopy here.
Rebecca (1940): A self-conscious woman juggles adjusting to her new role as an aristocrat’s wife and avoiding being intimidated by his first wife’s spectral presence. Based off of the novel by Daphne Du Maurier and directed by the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, Rebecca stars Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. Judith Anderson’s portrayal as Mrs. Danvers will give you chills. It won Best Picture and Best Cinematography at the 13th Academy Awards.
How Green Was My Valley (1941): At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life. How Green Was My Valley stars Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Anna Lee, Donald Crisp, and Roddy McDowall, and it was based off the best-selling novel by Richard Llewellyn. The film famously beat Citizen Kane for Best Picture.
Adam’s Rib (1949): Starring Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, domestic and professional tensions mount when a husband and wife work as opposing lawyers in a case involving a woman who shot her husband. Katharine Hepburn is my favorite actress and I highly recommend taking a day to binge watch her films, including The Philadelphia Story, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Desk Set (a librarian favorite!), and Little Women.
Sunset Boulevard (1950): A screenwriter develops a dangerous relationship with a faded film star determined to make a triumphant return. Directed by Billy Wilder, the film stars William Holden and Gloria Swanson. It was among the first group of films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962): An aging former child star torments her paraplegic sister in their decaying Hollywood mansion. The intensely bitter rivalry between the film’s stars, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, is legendary, but it made the film a success and even revitalized their careers.
The Thin Man (1934): Starring William Powell as former detective Nick Charles and Myrna Loy as wealthy heiress Nora, The Thin Man follows the flirty and charismatic couple as they investigate a murder for fun. The chemistry between Powell and Loy was so palpable and the film was so entertaining that five sequels were created between 1936 and 1947.
The Nun’s Story (1959): After leaving a prominent and wealthy Belgian family to become a nun, Sister Luke struggles with her devotion to her vows during crisis, disappointment, and World War II. The film is based off of the novel of the same name by Kathryn Hulme about Belgian nun Marie Louise Habets. Habets and the film’s star Audrey Hepburn became incredibly close during production, both having Belgian roots and having lost family members during World War II.
It Happened One Night (1934): I would be remiss if I didn’t include a Clark Gable film. A runaway heiress, Ellie Andrews, tries to get out from under her father’s thumb and falls in love with a renegade reporter, Peter Warne. Several actresses turned down the role of Ellie before Claudette Colbert reluctantly accepted – with the condition that the film be completed in just four weeks. Clark Gable was lent to Columbia Pictures for the film from MGM. Both actors were so dissatisfied with the script that director Frank Capra had it rewritten during production; the final film bears little resemblance to the original script.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962): Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his children against prejudice. Jimmy Stewart and Rock Hudson were considered for the role of Atticus before it went to Gregory Peck.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947): In 1900, a young widow finds her seaside cottage is haunted and forms a unique relationship with the ghost. The film stars Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison, and inspired a variety of adaptations, including a 1960s TV series and 2005 musical.
For Me and My Gal (1942): Two vaudeville performers fall in love, but find their relationship tested by the arrival of World War I. Having only performed on Broadway, For Me and My Gal was the first film role for Gene Kelly and it marked the first “adult” role for Judy Garland, who up until the movie had played juvenile parts and was typically paired with Mickey Rooney. Garland pushed for Kelly to get the part and the pair got along so well that they starred in two other films together, The Pirate and Summer Stock.
My Life Is Murder
I love a good mystery program. I like it even better when I can borrow and download one *for free* from one of Rocky River Public Library’s digital streaming services.
On Hoopla, I’ve been enjoying the first two seasons of My Life is Murder, starring Lucy Lawless, best known for her role in Xena: Warrior Princess. In My Life is Murder, Lawless doesn’t fight mythical beasts, but she does kick butt as Alexa Crowe, a former homicide detective turned police consultant.
In the first season, set in Australia, viewers meet Alexa, a widow who has left the world of police work behind her and has turned to baking bread for a living. She reluctantly agrees to look over one baffling murder file at the request of one-time colleague Detective Kieran Hussey and she finds that she just can’t resist helping him out. Alexa’s good instincts and her skill at crime solving quickly make her Kieran’s go-to investigator, in cases ranging from a dead culinary student who slipped in oil, to the death of a teacher that puts Alexa back on the grounds of her former high school.
In season two, Alexa has moved back in her home country of New Zealand—and hopefully, she thinks, to a quieter life away from murder and mayhem. Unfortunately, tales of her legendary investigative skills (and her tech-savvy sidekick Madison) follow her to Auckland, where Alexa finds herself back in the business of busting murderers. Her investigations are just as exciting in round two, with the added bonus of some famous guest stars, including William Shatner.
My Life is Murder is a lighthearted show that is filled with plenty of humor to balance its high, but mostly bloodless, body count and there is a fresh crime for Alexa and her friends to solve each episode. Fans of Columbo and Agatha Raisin or those looking for a fun, breezy, and well-acted mystery series, won’t want to miss this one, which has just been renewed for a third season.
-Carol
Cozy up with a good book
The Next Ship Home: A Novel of Ellis Island
by Heather Webb
At the turn of the 20th century, Francesca and Maria are anxious to begin a new life in America after running away from an abusive father in Sicily. Maria is sickly and when the sisters arrive at Ellis Island, they are detained. Sadly, Maria does not recover and dies in the hospital on Ellis Island. Francesca is determined to do whatever it takes to be allowed entry.
Alma Brauer is forced to take a job at Ellis Island. Her stepfather demands that she turn over her paycheck to him. Alma has a gift for learning languages which comes in handy at Ellis Island. She encounters Francesca and Maria that first day and is drawn into their circumstances. Alma wants to help the sisters even is it is against policy.
Alma’s stepfather is anxious for her to marry and leave his home. He makes those arrangements without consulting her. The man Alma is to marry is John Lambert, an inspector at Ellis Island with an awful reputation. Unfortunately, Francesca encountered inspector John Lambert and was willing to do anything to enter New York.
This is a powerful story of friendship and strength. I hope the stories of Alma and Francesca continue in a sequel.
~Emma
New and Upcoming Graphic Novels
Spring is in the air, the sun is making it’s slow but triumphant return to Northeast Ohio, and there are great new graphic novels being published! We’ve got some stellar new fiction and non-fiction titles making their way to our graphic novels shelves. Below you’ll find five new graphic novels or soon to be published books that you should add to your to-be-read pile ASAP.
The Me You Love in the Dark by Scottie Young
Writer Skottie Young, author of the fantastic I Hate Fairyland series, and artist Jorge Corona, follow up their critically acclaimed series Middlewest with a haunting new tale. An artist named Ro retreats from the grind of the city to an old house in a small town, hoping to find solace and inspiration—only to realize that the muse she finds within may not be what she expected. Fans of Stephen King and Neil Gaiman will enjoy this beautiful, dark, and disturbing story of discovery, love, and terror.
Request the print book here or read it on hoopla here.
Fine by Rhea Ewing
For fans of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home and Meg-John Barker’s Queer, Fine is an essential graphic memoir about the intricacies of gender identity and expression. As Rhea Ewing neared college graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: What is gender? This obsession sparked a quest in their quiet Midwest town, where they anxiously approached both friends and strangers for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, their project has exploded into a fantastical and informative portrait of a surprisingly vast community spread across the country.
Fine won’t be out until April, but you can get on hold for the book now!
Karmen by Guillem March
Spanish writer and artist Guillem March, best known for his work on Batman, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn, takes up his pen for a cutting-edge story about a highly unconventional angel named Karmen and the young woman she takes under her wing when heartbreak strikes too hard. Packed with intriguing twists and metaphysical musings, this gorgeously drawn series brings tenderness, heart, and humor to the delicate and difficult matters of life and death that we all face.
Karmen is set to be published early in May, so keep your eyes peeled for this title.
Crushing by Sophie Burrows
This quiet, wordless book is artist and author Burrows’ graphic-novel debut. A young woman, pale and rosy-cheeked with a straight black bob, lives alone in London—except for her cat. One night she runs down to the local kebab and pizza shop in her pajamas and encounters a young man, pale and freckled with floppy red hair, also wearing pajamas. Unfortunately, they don’t notice each other surreptitiously noticing each other and head their separate ways. The story conveys life as a series of small indignities, slight misses, and minor connections but ends on a hopeful note. The backmatter includes mental health organizations and crisis lines and a note from Burrows referencing inspiration from missed connections columns and pandemic isolation.
Request a copy of Crushing here.
Policing the City: An Ethno-graphic by Didier Fassin and Frederic Debomy; Translated by Rachel Gomme
Adapted from the landmark essay Enforcing Order, this striking graphic novel offers an accessible inside look at policing and how it leads to discrimination and violence. What we know about the forces of law and order often comes from tragic episodes that make the headlines, or from sensationalized versions for film and television. Around the time of the 2005 French riots, anthropologist and sociologist Didier Fassin spent fifteen months observing up close the daily life of an anticrime squad in one of the largest precincts in the Paris region. This ethno-graphic is chilling in the parallels that can be seen in the struggles of Black people in the United States, exemplified by the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Request a copy of Policing the City here.
Happy reading!
Read it or Weep 