River Readers

In the highly-anticipated sequel to the national best seller The Life We Bury, Joe Talbert returns to investigate the murder of the father he never knew, and to reckon with his own family's past.

Joe Talbert, Jr. has never once met his namesake. Now out of college, a cub reporter for the Associated Press in Minneapolis, he stumbles across a story describing the murder of a man named Joseph Talbert in a small town in southern Minnesota.

In this fifth New York Times bestseller in the Walk series, Richard Paul Evans's hero Alan Christoffersen must say some painful goodbyes and learn some important lessons as he comes to the end of his cross-country walk to Key West.

Layla Amin knew things weren't going to go well, when they had to put on the census that they were Muslim, essentially creating a registry. Soon, Muslims around the country were put on restrictions for jobs, curfews and more. It all came to a head when Layla and her family were arrested and taken to Mobius, the first internment camp for Muslims.

Before I Let You Go, the stunning new novel from Kelly Rimmer, the best-selling author of Me Without You, When I Lost You and The Secret Daughter, has a heartpounding dilemma at its centre: your sister or her baby. Who do you choose?

Fans of Jodi Picoult, Amanda Prowse and Diane Chamberlain will love Kelly Rimmer.

Bri wants to be a rapper. Growing up in Garden Heights, the daughter of the legendary underground rapper, Lawless, Bri has a lot to prove. Her daddy was murdered, a victim of gang violence, and her mama lost it after she lost him. Driven by her grief into drug addiction, Bri and her brother, Trey, lived with their grandparents for a time. Jay, Bri's mom, fought hard to win her kids back but the struggle is still real, they are all fighting just to exist. Then the other shoe drops and Jay gets fired from her job. Bri want her rapping to save them.

Rain's family is reeling after the death of her older brother. Her mom tries to keep busy to forget the pain and initiates the family moving to a big city away from their past. Her dad is so depressed that he can hardly get out of bed. And Rain blames herself for her brother's death.

The new neighborhood and school are a challenge because Rain is the only one with her skin color and she is afraid to open up to anyone about her family. Thru running and required community service, Rain realizes that she is not alone.

A captivating novel of family, fame, and religion that tells the story of the seventeen-year-old daughter of an evangelical preacher, star of the family's hit reality show, and the secret pregnancy that threatens to blow their entire world apart.

This was an interesting twist on the original story. A mixed race, blended family is at the heart of this rendition appropriate for a 150th anniversary. The graphics are good and the modernization doesn't take away from the original.

This was an intriguing listen and nothing like the story I grew up hearing. However, with the "evils" of gold, this telling makes perfect sense. The fact that Red is tied in to this story too, makes it a nice addition to the series.

It was fun to re-listen to this additional book in the Heroes of Olympus series. I had forgotten how funny Hermes snakes were and I am still intrigued by the story that was written by Haley, Rick's son. I think it would make an interesting series of stories.

After Viji and Rukku escape their abusive father, they find themselves struggling to survive under an abandoned bridge in Chennai, India. They bond with two boys also on the bridge and together they eek out an existence pilfering the trash pits in and around the city.

Jasmine and Chelsea go to a progressive high school in New York City where they study social justice. They are growing tired of the hypocrisy and double standards they see within their school that is supposed to be a model of inclusivity and intersectionality. When the after school clubs they are required to be a part of tries to pigeon hole them into the stereotypes the school supposedly doesn't adhere to, the girls respond by forming their own club to promote feminism, equality and justice.

I wanted to like this book. It just didn't work for me.

This Promise of Change is the story of Jo Ann Allen Boyce who was one of the Clinton 12 who fought for the right to be allowed to go to the same high school as the white students in Clinton, Tennessee. It takes place right after the Brown vs. The Board of Education decision by the Supreme Court. The school district made the decision to desegregate and follow the letter of the law. Things start with just a few minor protests but as word gets out and outsiders come in the protests grow and become violent. Jo Ann becomes the unwitting spokesperson of the students involved.

This was a nice story. The illustrations were amazing and I really liked the dresses. Some would be quite fashionable even now. The dreams of a person can change with circumstances, but their basis is always the same. One must decide how much to give up to achieve them. Yourself or the dream. It's nice when you can get both.

Being a child of the vinyl record age, I had to laugh at the idea of a fight club of girls. But now in today's arena, it would be much more of an idea. Who knows maybe I would have been intrigued to join this type of group back in the day.