Book of the Week: ‘Scandal Above Stairs’
Scandal Above StairsJennifer Ashley2018, 309 pagesHistorical mystery It is 1881, and Kat Holloway is in command as the cook at Lord Rankin’s elegant home in London. Lord Rankin is away, and his sister-in-law, Lady Cynthia, stays there with her relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Bywater. Cynthia is young and gets into scrapes with her friends, shockingly wearing men’s clothing at night when they go out. Kat is an excellent cook, and she is also...
Book of the Week: ‘Art Matters’
Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change the WorldBy Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell2018, 100 pagesNonfiction – Motivational Art Matters is a small book full of big ideas. Neil Gaiman has combined four personal essays with vibrant illustrations by Chris Riddell to create an inspirational manifesto for living, reading, assembling furniture and, especially, making art.“Credo” expresses Gaiman’s belief in and love of...
Book of the Week: ‘The Well’
The WellCatherine Chanter2016, 400 pagesLiterary Fiction/Suspense Thriller Set in Great Britain on a small farm that is the only place to have regular rainfall in a country experiencing a multi-year drought, Ruth and her husband Mark find themselves the unintentional and unwilling focus of a nation in search of answers. But Ruth has questions of her own, and she is driving herself mad trying to get to the truth.The couple struggle to...
Book of the Week: ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’
Where the Crawdads SingDelia Owens2018, 370 pagesFiction The title of this book is intriguing – Where the Crawdads Sing. And it’s mentioned in the book: “What d’ya mean, where the crawdads sing? Ma used to say that.” Kya remembered Ma always encouraging her to explore the marsh: “Go as far as you can way out yonder where the crawdads sing.” Tate said, “Just means far in the bush where critters are wild, still behaving like...
Book of the Week: ‘A Mango-Shaped Space’
A Mango-Shaped Space Wendy Mass 2003, 218 pages Middle School Fiction Mia Winchell found out the hard way that she was different from other people. In third grade she was embarrassed in front of her class at school. Since then she has scrupulously hidden her unusual sense perceptions. To her, letters, numbers and sounds are accompanied by colors. Before the fateful day, she figured that everyone saw the world as she did. After the...