I’ve been reading this with my 7 year old grandson, letting him choose the topics. It is written clearly, with children in mind, and it answers his questions. He loves going from entry to entry. The illustrations are good and they capture his attention. I would recommend this book for those with inquisitive children (Aren’t they all!).

I read this with my 5 year old grandson to get his opinion. I worried that the book would not hold his interest but that was no problem. While the story is very simple, it encourages counting and the illustrations are great. I asked him his favorite part and he said when Mattison was being followed by all these animals and was scared. He also loved the gathering of all his friends at the end. I'm sure I will be reading this to him many times.

This novel explores the actions of a new mother, dealing with postpartum hormones, who suspects her husband is having an affair. Those she confides in think highly of her husband and tells her she is crazy. It is from this that a very engrossing story unfolds. The book is very well written and I loved the ending. I highly recommend this one.

This was an ERC and a happy surprise. Sam is a young widow who, over the two years since her husband's death, has lost touch with her former father-in-law. She had never like him during her marriage so when he reappeared she was not pleased. He tells her that he is about to remarry and wants her to be part of his life. Against her will, she is drawn into his life with many humorous plot turns. The book is essentially about grief but is handled with so much understanding and character development that is very moving and entertaining.

This is an historical novel of Lapland and the Sami reindeer herders who lived there. Set in 1852, the Sami people lived in small villages made up of families with whom they worked, each family with its own small herd. The author writes with great detail and eloquence of the natural world and how they survived.
A new pastor arrives at the only Lutheran church in the area. The pastor is not only a spiritual leader but also the government’s ruler of political and criminal punishment. The resulting clash of cultures and customs cause a tragedy among the Sami.
I was unfamiliar with the history and people of this part of the world and found it fascinating to read.

Set in 1892, the novel is based on the true story of American naturalist Richard Garner’s research in West Africa. His idea, that chimpanzees can communicate with each other verbally, was too far ahead of his time to get any real support. But his attitude of impatience and arrogance lead to serious conflict with the people around him.The irony is that as his communication with the chimps grows, his ability to deal with the humans deteriorates. An interesting book.

This book is part memoir, part fiction, and part history of South Carolina. The story alternates between the year 2000 and a young white woman who seems to reflect the experiences of the author. The protests to remove Confederate flags is a catalyst for her self-reflection. The second story is set in 1859 and explores a farmer’s relationship with his slave. Discussions on racism are presented with reason and clarity.
I received this as an ERC through Librarything.

Set in Providence RI, this is a novel about three young college students in the 1960’s trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be. The Vietnam war plays a part in their decision making.
The novel is well-written and the characters well drawn. But there were parts that didn’t seem relevant, such as philosophical discussions about UFO’s. I found the pace of the book really slowed down then.Having lived as a young adult in the sixties, I think the author does a good job of describing the era. I think anyone interested in the time period as experienced by young adults would enjoy this book.

This novel was first published in 1956 and has been rereleased. Moore grew up in Maine near Chin Island and it’s geology plays a big role in the book.
In 1855, two men accidentally encounter the uninhabited island and it’s massive granite walls. They start a business mining the granite and move their two families there. Thus begins the small community which is the focus of the book. She does a great job of describing the anatomy of a small town where people have to get along, until they don’t. Loved the book.

One of my favorite types of books to read are English mysteries. I was happy to discover All Men Glad and Wise. Set in rural England after WWI, the characters are well developed and the plot interesting. As with most villages, this one is full of secrets that lead to murder. I felt like this could be the first book in a series and I would look forward to reading others. I really enjoyed this one.

I received this through Librarything Early Reviewers. For me, this is a complicated review to write because it's a complicated book. The main character is called to a medieval French Ecclesiastical courtroom. He has been summoned by the bishop to be the defense attorney for the defendants in three trials, rats in the area, who are accused of crimes against humanity, mainly eating all the barley in the fields and in the city storehouses, a pig who eats a baby, and a man accused of being a werewolf. What follows are trials that, if the charges were against a human, would seem cruel and archaic today but against animals it is comically absurd. It is also very clever and witty. I really enjoyed the arguments.The main target seemed to be religion and how it forms public beliefs. But it was very slow going for me and I got bogged down in tedious arguments. I applaud the author, a marine biologist, for learning so much about the law. interesting book.

Grenville takes the scanty historical information about Elizabeth Macarthur, the first soldier's wife to be sent to New South Wales, and weaves an interesting story of her life. Married to a brutal, egotistical, paranoid man, she was forced to create a life of her own. She fell in love with her new home and the people there. After her husband's forced return to England, she became the independent woman she dreamed of being. A well written and enjoyable read.

This was an ERC. Set in 1925, three orphans are put on the Orphan Train in New York and sent to Montana looking for foster parents. Historically, what the children found were farmers who wanted to work them to death. In this story, the oldest boy sees what is happening and, he decides to jump off the train and find his own way. The younger boy and little girl follow him. As they work to survive, the story describes how their relationships grow. They are found by a farming family whose members have mixed reactions to them. It is a wonderful story of how families and communities grow.

I enjoyed reading this. Olive is a very creative thinker. I often read with my 8 year old granddaughter, Grace. I thought it would be interesting to read this Early Reviewer copy together. Both Olive and Grace are in third grade and think of themselves as artists. We read this together then discussed the book. Grace really liked the character of Amy, especially the way she talks to her mother and older siblings. She said it was very realistic. She was curious about Olive's family's Korean ways. She like the way Olive saved a camping trip from rain and overall, gave the book 3 stars but I would give it 4.

The story is told from the perspective of an English soldier; a Major has just returned from WWI France and his story unfolds against the backdrop of the Irish uprising that led to the creation of the Republic. The Major goes to visit a girl he met prewar, whose English family owns a decrepit old hotel in an Irish coastal village. The title refers to the political unrest and fighting in Ireland and also to the unfolding of the Major's life. We meet some fascinating characters, her family, Irish hired help and the English aging guests who are fading as fast as the hotel. The Major is enough of an outsider to be able to step back from the contempt the English characters have for the Irish and the hate the Irish return. The decaying of the hotel mirrors the collapse of the society around it and the owner is just as oblivious to that as he is to his role in the village unrest In spite of this setting, parts of the novel are actually very humorous. The author's description of the slow collapse of the ancient hotel and how the occupants adjust is wickedly funny. I really enjoyed this one.

I hardly know where to start with this one. Nick is a graduate student in Comparative Literature at Ipswich University near Harvard. He is asked to pick up a visiting professor from the airport. This turns out to be Jorge Luis Borges. Thus begins a year long relationship between the two as they attempt to solve several extraordinary murders. I can do no better than this quote, "they attempt the equally baffling conundrums of literature and philosophy, including Zeno's paradoxes, the mind/body problem, and the mysteries of destiny, personal identity and artistic creation." Borges refers to Zeno, Spinoza, De Quincy, Aristotle and others as though the reader is aware of their work. I think it does help if the reader has some familiarity with philosophy but it's still a puzzling book. I was puzzled by much of the book but actually really enjoyed it. It definitely gives material for thought.

The inland sea is a part of Lake Champlain. The body of a man who has disappeared 18 years before and is presumed dead is found, having recently died from a gunshot wound. The chief detective must not only find the killer but figure out where this man has been during the missing years. I enjoyed the book although the author included way too much detail, including maps, of the inland sea. I felt most readers really didn't need that much information. Much of the book is procedural, describing how the rural police team approached solving the crime. I found this interesting. It is well plotted. The ending moves quickly and is nicely resolved.

A Dance in Donegal by Jennifer Deibel This was an ERC. When I requested this, I was attracted by the setting in Ireland and I expected a story of village life with interesting characters and a mystery to solve. The book delivered on the mystery but not on the rest. This is a poorly written book which I think must have been aimed at middle schoolers. Cliched descriptions and not much character development are the main problems. It is also imparts a strong Christian message as the main character looks to God for direction at every decision to be made. I don't mind a bit of that but this was overdone. This is a first novel and authors often improve with subsequent books.

Set in modern-day Ghana, the main character, Afi, is a young woman with a large extended family who live very traditional lives in a large city. Her family arranges for her to marry a wealthy man she has never met. He has fallen in love with a very unacceptable woman and Afi's job is to get him away from her. What follows is a story of love, disappointment, and finding of new strength. There are a number of humorous situations but but the author draws a serious look at Afi's life. I just wish she had delved more deeply into motivations and the other characters.

The main character in this novel, Charlie Fish, is very loosely based on the life of Charles Fiske who built the detonator for the atomic bomb. The main story is about his work at Los Alamos which he initially saw as an abstract science problem. Very slowly, he began to realize the use to which his work would be put, and to experience a crisis of conscience. The other plot line involves his romance with a young woman he meets because of his love of organ music. This part seems to be complete fiction and is added, I think, to flesh out the character. But this story line seemed to plod along. This was an interesting book because it gave a glimpse of the army of men that worked on this project.

This is one of the better books I’ve read lately. It’s the story of a family living in the Bay Area, the mother from India and the father a white American. They have two children. A terrible tragedy occurs and the author tracks each of the family members as they react with grief and guilt and differing cultural customs. Each take a different spiritual path, in the broadest sense of the word, to try to move on.The format is an omniscient narrator who devotes chapters to each of them as he follows them over the years. This format can be very choppy but it works well here. Gowda does a wonderful job of getting the reader into the head of each character.

Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption by Jules Witcover is a reissue of the 2010 edition with updates to include his serving with Obama and his decision to run for President. The book begins with his birth and early childhood. I felt it would have benefited by including less of this. But the description of his early days as senator and the adjustments he made in learning to deal with the political process gives a glimpse of how he became the political man we know. The author includes details of his family tragedies, the deaths of his wife, daughter, and son which gives a glimpse into the personal life of the man. I have followed Biden's career for many years and was familiar with many of the anecdotes but I was surprised to read of his involvement in nominating Chief Justices. I also appreciated the details of his ideas on busing and why he voted as he did. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about him. It is very readable.

The Lee family are Chinese immigrants who relocate to New York City. They have two daughters, Sylvie and Amy. Due to poverty and family pressures, Sylvie was sent to the Netherlands where her grandmother lives and is there for several years before coming home. Some years later, the family receives word that the Grandmother is dying. Sylvie flies there immediately and after the grandmother's death, she disappears. The story is told by several characters, Sylvie, Amy, and their mother. This format was easy to follow and an effective way to tell the story. The confusing part is that it also jumped back and forth in time and I found myself returning to the beginning of each chapter to remind myself when it happened. The author does a very good job of creating real characters and I found myself with teary eyes at the end.

The main character, Julie, survives a terrible car accident and suffers from PTSD. Her therapist suggests animal therapy for her and Julie chooses a horse. The story describes her relationship with the horse and how it affects her. It is a very short book so there are no other relationships or background for Julie. But the story of how the experience changes her is interesting.

[The Summer Country] by [[Lauren Willig]] This was an ERC. I had some trouble getting into the book but was soon swept along by the story. The novel begins in 1854 Barbados when a young woman arrives from England with her cousin and his wife. She has been left a crumbling plantation by her grandfather and no information about it. Her story alternates with another story set in Barbados in 1812, when an early relative of hers arrives there. As the stories alternate, the reader discovers family secrets and attitudes about slavery and slave revolts. The lives of the slaves are touched on but the story is really that of the white landowners. It was a good book for summer reading.

Prof. Chandra is an Indian living and teaching at Cambridge. He is also a world renowned economist who keeps hoping for the Nobel Prize, is divorced and estranged from his three children. Hurt in a minor accident, his doctor tells him he needs to relax and take a break from his stressful life. Through a series of poignant, often humorous, exchanges with his ex-wife and children, he is talked into going to Esalen, a California retreat that features yoga, meditation, and all the mind expanding techniques that the Western world has to offer. His experiences there are very funny and very human. In spite of all his weaknesses, he is a very sympathetic character. All of the family go through transformations to some dregree. I enjoyed this book.

I love the Peculiar Crimes detectives Bryant and May. I think I have read all of the series. This was a little different in that the story goes back to the 1960's as Bryant describes the then young partners and their first assignment. After Bryant blows up a boat and lets a wanted criminal escape, he and May are assigned to be bodyguards for a witness in a forthcoming trial. The witness heads to a house party, Bryant and May follow, and it becomes a manor house mystery with many crazy twists. It was very amusing and I really enjoyed it.

The Givenses, an Irish family immigrating to Cincinnatti in the early 19th century, suffer tragedies on the way. Both parents die or disappear, leaving two sons and a daughter on their own. The oldest boy takes on the responsibility of taking care of the others. A chandler, he starts his own business and is very successful. The story is filled with the ups and downs of their lives together. The novel takes a big turn when the daughter marries a man from a slave owning family in Kentucky, and their lives are touched by the slave trade. They all become involved in the underground railway in varying roles and degrees. I enjoyed this and would recommend it.

Bateman insists that this book is not a memoir. The word I would use to describe it is a rant. Her pain is very understandable. She clearly harbors a great deal of anger and resentment of how fame and it's decline caused her life and personality to change in a negative way. I am sure many other famous people feel the same. But this is not a thoughtful account of the process. She doesn't seem to have any real understanding of what fame is, only the results. She doesn't explain how the good and bad parts of fame unfold. She writes as though this transformation happened overnight. Part of the problem is with her writing style. It is conversational and reads like a young girl spilling all to her girlfriends with endless repetitions, swearing, and rambling. She needed a good editor.

I was very excited to get a copy of this book because Burroughs and especially Ginsberg were thought by many to define politics and poetry in the Beatnik age. I was disappointed . The editor needs to do a lot more editing. Because every word spoken over those three days is included, the reader gets long, rambling talks about inconsequential things such as Burrough's cats, what they like to eat, disagreements over who lived where in the past. But there are nuggets in there, like a long discussion of Burroughs shamanistic experiences and exchanges of spiritual ideas. There was also much discussion about turning Naked Lunch into a movie. There are very rewarding parts but the reader has to work too hard to find them.