Fresh Book Selections

Fresh book selections 

By Julie Carlson

THE GOOD NEIGHBOR 

By A.J. Banner

The Good Neighbor is a page turner. The main character, Sarah Phoenix, is likable but extremely naive. She lives in Washington’s quaint and lush Shadow Cove with her husband, Johnny McDonald, a successful dermatologist. They have a happy and loving marriage, or so Sarah thinks. But when a tragic incident occurs one evening, Sarah begins to question her marriage, her friends, and her world. Whom can she trust? The Good Neighbor moves at a fast clip, and readers will be able to get through it quickly. Banner gives enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing. Unfortunately, we don’t know enough about Sarah, Johnny, and the other cast of Shadow Cove characters to truly care about them or their safety. There just isn’t enough depth to their stories. Readers will also yearn for the suspense to be ratcheted up several notches, but sadly this doesn’t happen.

3 Stars

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE

By Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See is beautifully told from two viewpoints before and during World War II. Doerr’s novel is about two fictional teenagers whose worlds collide. Marie is a blind girl whose father is a locksmith for the Museum of Natural History and Werner is an orphan living at an orphanage with his sister. Marie’s sees everything in a new light when her father makes her a miniature wooden model of her hometown. Meanwhile, Werner enjoys tinkering, especially on a radio he discovers on the grounds of the orphanage. The radio opens up a new world to Werner, and offers him a glimpse into the Nazi Propaganda machine. After the Nazis invade France in 1940, Marie-Laure and her father escape to the coast, while Werner is thrown into the nightmarish Hitler Youth. The characters and their struggles are engaging and hauntingly told via flash backs.

5 Stars

A COURT OF THORN AND ROSES

By Sarah J. Maas

A YA novel, A Court of Thorn and Roses blends legendary tales into a fantastical yarn. The main character in this book is Feyre, a huntress who, after killing a magical beast, is captured and taken to a far-off land for her crime. Themes of slavery, imprisonment, romance, bravery, friendship, and skills such as hunting, swordsmanship, and archery are common in Maas’s works, and it’s no different here. Maas is extremely talented when it comes to creating fascinating characters within believable and magical worlds. Action packed with thrilling scenes and plenty of swoon-worthy romance, teen and adult readers will enjoy A Court of Thorn and Roses’ high adventure fairytale with danger lurking at every turn, and will eagerly look forward to the second installment in this series.

4 Stars

3 MORE BOOKS TO TRY

Dream the Impossible Dream: Zen Pencils: Volume Two

By Gavin Aung Than

Author Gavin Aung Than takes inspirational and famous quotes and adapts them into cartoon stories that are heartwarming and memorable.

Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

This intimate, irreverent look at the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg offers readers a glimpse into the mindset of the groundbreaking Supreme Court Justice.

What We Left Behind

By Robin Talley

This emotional, empowering story examines what happens when love isn’t enough to conquer all.