Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is a work of non-fiction which takes the reader on a thrill ride through history. Larson combines the true stories of two men whose paths seemingly should have had no connection to one another. Each man’s tale highlights important events not only in their own lives but in society as well. Crown | October…
A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab is the third and final book in the Shades of Magic series, a trilogy of magical fantasy set in London – and Red London, and White London, and so on. The first set the stage for our two main characters from different Londons while the second focused on…
MacKenzie Goes Adventuring by J.L. Baumann and illustrated by Gabriel Roman is an adorable children’s book set in singsong verse with delightful illustrations. An adventure begins when little MacKenzie and her friend fail to heed the warnings of their teacher and instead take a different path home. Post Mortem Publications, Inc. | March 7, 2017 |…
The Last Werewolf is a work of fiction by Glen Duncan. The author takes the well-known werewolf origin story and breathes new life into it. Duncan creates a narrator who the reader should by all counts feel nothing but disdain for. He is after all a werewolf who eats people. But Duncan injects an element…
A Gathering of Shadows is V.E. Schwab’s second book in the Shades of Magic series which features several alternate versions of London with varying degrees of magic and special magicians with one black eye who are the only ones able to walk between worlds. Tor Books | January 17, 2017 (first published February 23, 2016)…
On a whim, I recently explored Escape Room Salem in Massachusetts with my kids. They are open all year long and located right in the heart of the ‘witch hysteria’ tourist section in Salem, otherwise known as the Witch City Mall. Yes, they have an entire mall dedicated to the occult, the bizarre, and the…
Forget about Waldo. Finding an elusive Yeti is much more exciting. Bigfoot Visits the Big Cities of the World is a soon-to-be-released picture book for children with full-page, busy drawings in which to find numerous items including Bigfoot and his footprint. Little Fox | February 13, 2018 | Hardcover | 48 pp There is only…
A Darker Shade of Magic is the first in V.E. Schwab’s Shades of Magic series and was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy in 2015. The full trilogy is out and available and remains extremely popular with the adult and young adult fantasy readers. In short, this is another “hype” series I had to…
Garden of her Heart is an exceptional historical romance that goes far beyond the typical affairs and courtship central to most romance plots, delving into a difficult subject matter in American history: the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Garden of her Heart is the first in Shanna Hatfield’s Hearts of the War…
The Financial Lives of Poets is a work of fiction that follows our main character Matt through the current downward spiral that is his life. He is days away from losing his house (unbeknownst to his unassuming family), suddenly aware of his wife’s sudden disinterest in their marriage, jobless and living with his father who…