There are times when books leave you feeling heartbroken that they are over. This was the case with “Heft” by Liz Moore. In “Heft” we meet the severely obese Arthur Opp, a former professor who hasn’t left his home for over a decade. Arthur’s struggle with his weight and the shame of it keep him inside and it takes the chance phone call from an old friend to shake things up.
“If Jack’s In Love” by Stephen Wetta is a very pleasant surprise. This first novel by Wetta is set in the late 1960’s, the summer when Jack turns 13. Something terrible has happened in Jack’s small town–a popular boy has gone missing–as Jack’s older brother is the only suspect. To make matters worse, Jack is… View more
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a recently released young adult book by first time author Ransom Riggs. The story of teenage Jacob and his grandfather’s mysterious stories and death is combined with odd, old photographs which appear throughout the book. Miss Peregrine’s is delightfully creepy, like listening to ghost stories by campfire. My… View more
I recently started running long distance again after taking a few years off. A running friend of mine recommended this as a way to inspire myself to keep it up. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a memoir by Haruki Murakami which is composed of brief essays of how running has impacted his life. … View more
The Alex Awards are given each year to books originally written for adults that appeal to a young adult audience. As a Young Adult librarian, I really wanted to read at least one of the winners, and I was really pleased with this year’s awards. The list was full of exciting titles, from vampire families… View more