Summary: Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera belongs to the glittering upper society of nineteenth century Buenos Aires, and like the rest of the world, the town is steeped in old world magic that’s been largely left behind or forgotten. Inez has everything a girl might want, except for the one thing she yearns the most: her globetrotting parents—who frequently leave her behind. When she receives word of their tragic deaths, Inez inherits their massive fortune and a mysterious guardian, an archeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Yearning for answers, Inez sails to Cairo ..read more

Summary: Discover the gift of poetry! From humorous and uplifting to meditative and moving, these poems provide something for every mood and moment. One hundred of our best-loved and emerging writers offer these relatable reminders to slow down, rediscover the beauty and gifts of ordinary life, and reconnect with the things that matter most. Includes poems from: Amanda Gorman, 2021 Inaugural Poet Tracy K. Smith  Ross Gay Naomi Shihab Nye Ellen Bass Joy Harjo mark Nepo Jane Hirshfield Ted Kooser January Gill O'Neil Danusha Laméris Alberto Ríos Accompanied by prompts for reflection, the ..read more

Summary: Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting qi, or life force, but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you, only usually better looking . . . Manchuria, 1908. A young woman is found frozen in the snow. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes involved, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and men. Bao, a detective with a reputation for sniffing out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet ..read more

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Aaron Greenburg is trapped in a vegetative state. He's awake and aware of everything around him -- but the doctors don't realize it. After years of being left in a care facility and facing dwindling interest from his own family, Aaron begins to despair -- until, that is, a new roommate arrives: Solomon, a crusty, eccentric jazz musician with dementia. When Aaron talks in his mind to stay sane, Solomon unexpectedly hears his thoughts -- and replies.   In the surprise friendship that ensues, Solomon relives his past during episodes of dementia, and his myst ..read more

In honor of NATIONAL POETRY MONTH, we thought this review of Visible Magic, a volume of haiku by Charles Dowling Williams, was only fitting.  Our review of his previous volume, Echo Ridge can be found here. Summary: A remarkable selection of verse rendered in the form of haiku -- Japanese poems of seventeen syllables, written in three lines of five syllables, seven syllables, and five syllables and usually involving  observance and reverence of nature and season --Visible Magic is comprised of brilliant entries, with crips imagery, evocative structure, and dazzling s ..read more

We're going to be taking a week off posting so we can enjoy Spring Break, but before we go.... April is the National Month of Hope. As such, it felt fitting to start the month with our review of Soul to Soul: Tiny Stories of Hope and Resilience by Faye Rapoport DesPres. Summary: Award-winning writer and journalist Faye Rapoport DesPres brings heart to home and light to life in this unique collection of short stories. Soul to Soul is both a literary and optimistic response to the rough start of the 2020s, offering moments of hope that will undoubtedly help the book endure as a beloved ..read more

Summary: A sumptuous, gothic-infused story about a marriage that is unraveled by dark secrets, a friendship cursed to end in tragedy, and the danger of believing in fairy tales—the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.  Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after—and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her brid ..read more

Two Twisted Crowns is the sequel to One Dark Window (reviewed here). Summary: Gripped by a tyrant king and in the thrall of dark magic, the kingdom is in peril. Elspeth and Ravyn have gathered most of the twelve Providence Cards, but the last -- and most important -- one remains to be found: the Twin Alders. If they're going to find the card before Solstice and set free the kingdom, they will need to journey through the dangerous mist-cloaked forest. The only one who can lead them through is the monster that shares Elspeth's head: the Nightmare. And he's not eager to share any longer. (Su ..read more

Summary: A sensitive orphan, Jane Steele suffers first at the hands of her spiteful aunt and predatory cousin, then at a grim school where she fights for her very life -- until she escapes to London, leaving the corpses of her tormentors behind her. After years of hiding from the law while penning macabre "last confessions" of the recently hanged, Jane thrills when she discovers that her aunt has died and her childhood home has a new master: Mr. Charles Thornfield, an army doctor returned from the Sikh Wars, who seeks a governess for the nine-year-old ward in his care. Burning to know whethe ..read more

Summary: Prince Armand knows he can be a good ruler. Unfortunately, his father, the king, can't see past Armand's stutter and would rather marry him off to strengthen their alliances than listen to him. Unbeknownst to him, however, the future of his kingdom and any hope for his happiness rest in the hands of the kingdom's most notorious thief. Cyn's only hope for redemption from her role in her father's death lies in saving her family from the streets. Working under her stepmother's direction, Cyn prepares for her biggest -- and hopefully last -- heist: to rob the gentry blind at the upcoming ..read more