River Readers

When love drives you crazy…

When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help—Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him—or seduce him.

the best thing to do…

Dr. David Lawrence has spent the last two years atoning for his sins and recovering from the devastating breakup with Gansett Island golden girl Janey McCarthy. As the island’s only doctor, he’s had ample opportunity to show his fellow island residents that there’s more to him than the guy who disappointed Janey so profoundly.

In the next sizzling romance in Kristen Proby's New York Times bestselling Fusion series, two celebrity chefs compete in a culinary competition, but resisting each other will prove to be the greater challenge.

After a horrific killing, the police arrest Little League coach Terry Maitland during a ballgame in front of most of the town of Flint City, Oklahoma. A in-depth investigation isn't required, with numerous eyewitness testimonies, blood and DNA samples. Only ... Maitland was with the English faculty of his school at the time with footage and fingerprints to back up his ironclad alibi. The story moves from police procedural to horror as Holly Gibney is brought in to help investigate. A familiar face from King's "Mr.

Pete Banning started his day like most others, until he enters the Methodist church and shoots the pastor to death, refusing to defend or defend his actions to anyone. Set in 1940s, Grisham returns not only to the town of Clanton, Miss., but also to World War II, and how Banning survived to become the town's war hero. The story explores the immediate and long-term ramifications of a decision on the Banning children, an institutionalized wife, a sister, and Clanton.

Jack Reacher was intrigued by her voice when he needed some help while in South Dakota, and he has hitchhiked back to Washington, D.C. to meet Susan Turner, who now has his command at the 110th MP unit. What he finds instead is that Turner has been accused of embezzling and he is accused of both beating a man to death and a second case that shocks him even more. In order to clear their names they have to go on the run, but their unknown suspects have vast resources and are tracking their every move.

Andrew Dahl's assignment to the Intrepid, the flagship of the Universal Union's space fleet, made him feel very fortunate ... at first. But something's not quite right in the 25th Century. There's an unusually high number of casualties on away missions, problems are solved by a mysterious Box, and the laws of physics and common sense often seem to be ignored. The only conclusion he and his friends arrive at is preposterous. And to make things right, they will have to go on a rogue mission of their own to the most unlikeliest of places.

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school - but no one knows it. Most people - her teachers and doctors included - don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk.

What feels shaky in your world? Are you overwhelmed by the problems you're facing or the pain you're feeling?

Maybe you feel hurt by the past. Disappointed by the present. Worried about the future. If so, you are not alone, but there is hope. You can live with security and purpose.

*Starred Review* Grief is disabling Poppy Lang nearly a year after her husband, Jack, was murdered on a predawn run in Central Park. She's taking a toxic mix of pills and alcohol to help her sleep, then having dreams that morph into nightmares and hallucinations, and she believes that she's being stalked by a man in a hoodie. When an orchid with a mystifying message is found in her apartment, she contacts the detective still working on Jack's case as well as Layla Van Santen, her closest friend, who, with her husband, Mac, and teenagers Izzy and Slade, are those closest to her.

This was another good addition to the Under Suspicion series. There were actually two mysteries going on at the same time and this lead to a bit of confusion. I enjoyed how they once again solved a murder by making certain people uncomfortable. I look forward to Laurie and Alex's relationship growing and watching how family and business continue to mix.

This is one of my top books of the year. I really enjoyed how Jackson connected the past and the present. The fact that so many people, dealing with so many different things, end up connected basically through one wannabe star was so intriguing. I had no problem following the different plots and was not blind-sided by the ending. Character development was enough to keep you interested and involved without bogging you down. I listened to this and it was hard to stop,so I had to make sure I quit early sometimes or I would keep listening to the next chapter!

Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago's journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life's path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams. - From Goodreads.com

Book review by Terreece Clarke, Common Sense Media

WHAT'S THE STORY?
GHOST is Castle Cranshaw's new nickname -- he gave it to himself and it sticks when he challenges a track team's best sprinter to a race. Running is as easy for him as breathing, probably because he's been doing it all his life. An emerging track star with a past, Ghost has to figure out why he runs -- is it toward what his life could be or away from his past? Luckily, he has new friends on the team, his coach, and even his mom to help him figure it all out.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

I wasn't sure I would like any Fredrik Backman book more than I liked Britt-Marie, but I was wrong. I adored this one. The audiobook is probably one of my favorites I have listened to. It is the story of Elsa and her grandmother and the legacy the grandmother left behind. Grandmother was cranky and a bit crazy, but she told the best fairy tales and helped people her entire life. When she dies she leaves it up to almost eight year old Elsa to deliver her letters saying sorry. Along the way, Elsa gets to know her grandmother and all the other people who live in her house.