River Readers

Celebrated novelist David Treuer has gained a reputation for writing fiction that expands the horizons of Native American literature. In Rez Life, his first full-length work of nonfiction, Treuer brings a novelist’s storytelling skill and an eye for detail to a complex and subtle examination of Native American reservation life, past and present.

Katie Daniels is a perfection-seeking 28-year-old lawyer living the New York dream. She’s engaged to charming art curator Paul Michael, has successfully made her way up the ladder at a multinational law firm and has a hold on apartments in Soho and the West Village. Suffice it to say, she has come a long way from her Kentucky upbringing.

Set in a lawless Texas about five years after the end of the Civil War, News of the World by Paulette Jiles is the compelling and beautifully written account of a 400-mile journey reluctantly undertaken by Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd. The purpose of the journey is to return a recently rescued child to her aunt and uncle. Ten-year old Johanna Leonberger had been captured three years ago by the same Kiowa Indian tribe which brutally murdered her parents and younger sister.

Fate brings three unlikely characters together in Kristin Harmel's poignant story of Nazi-occupied Paris in the 1940s. Ruby Henderson is an American who recently loses her husband, French resistance fighter, Marcel Benoit. Broken-hearted after the loss of her baby and husband, Ruby decides to join the French resistance against all the odds and help downed air pilots make their way back home to fight again another day. Eleven-year-old Charlotte Dacher lives across the hall from Ruby in the same apartment building.

Delilah Dirk has been accused of treason in this second adventure. Delilah is many things but a traitor is not one of them. The real traitor is none other than an English Major and he will stop at nothing to bring Delilah Dirk down and help France win the war. So Delilah and Mr. Selim are off to England to clear her name. Turns out that name isn't actually Delilah Dirk. We get to meet her real family and see her move around in English society. This is another fantastic adventure. I can't wait to read more. 

Delilah Dirk is an adventurous rogue who just so happens to be a woman. There is really nothing she can't do, no scrape she can't get out of, no enemy she can't vanquish. And she will definitely tell you so. After a bit of a tussle in Turkey, Delilah adopts Mr. Selim, a Turkish Jannisary, as her traveling companion. Mr. Selim may not have the same skill set but he brews a most excellent cup of tea. He is dragged into adventure after adventure with Delilah Dirk and he isn't sure this is the life for him. 

Helene is an outcast in school, but she wasn't always. Her friends have just decided they no longer like her and have started making fun of and bullying her every day. Helene finds solace in the pages of Jane Eyre and identifies with the character of Jane. Helene dreads a school trip where they will be attending camp for a week, but it does not turn out as expected. Helene joins the "outcast" group which inexplicably is also joined by popular girl Geraldine. Camp turns out to be not so bad, but will things change at school?

Salamandra is back in another story from Hopeless, Maine. She and her friend Owen become suspicious when people start dying. Sure people disappear all the time, but now they are becoming ill and dying. Could the doctor have something to do with it? We learn more about Hopeless's founding families and the islands history. We also meet Salamandra's grandfather and learn that at least one person has actually escaped the island. I would love to see more books set in this series. Not sure we will get them, but there would definitely be more stories to tell.

Hopeless, Maine lives up to its name. There is not a lot of hope, but there are a lot of orphans and missing persons. Where do they all go? Why are there never any bodies? What lurks in the fog? Salamandra is one such orphan. Her parents might have disappeared or they might have just gone away. Either way they are gone and her brother is missing so she ends up in the orphanage. She is not a witch like Miss Nightshade, but she does have some powers of her own. She can control fire and fight demons. Because of this, Salamandra doesn't fit in with the other orphans.

Marinka lives with her Baba in a house with chicken legs. Baba is a Yaga who helps guide the dead through the gate into the afterlife. Marinka is expected to become the next Yaga but she wants a normal life. She wants to stay in one place and make friends, maybe go to school. Right now her only friend is her pet jackdaw and she never knows when the house will decide to walk to the next destination. 

A year has passed, and the crew has separated. Catrin follows a signal that will lead her to a reunion and a chance to take the battle to Earth.

A fitting end to the story arc, but wrapped up oh so quickly. It still packs plenty of emotional punch, though, and the art is wonderful.

It's time for Uma and crew to blow off some steam. Unfortunately, the universe has other plans. The characters and plot grow in this second volume, slamming through odd alien encounters and personal revelations, ending on a great cliffhanger.

Uma wants off this oppressive Earth, so joining forces with her friend, Dewydd, the teens steal a ship and head for space. Catrin, a guard who was chasing them, is aboard when they leave, and soon the three are on the run from the World Government Alliance.

This opening volume is more setup than anything else. The art and writing is compared to Saga with good reason, but it's the adventure to come that makes me want to read the next volume.

Delilah Dirk's adventures with her companion, Selim, continue with a search for a lost city that has them bouncing back and forth across the Mediterranean and beyond. This time, they are joined by Dutch journalist intent on giving Delilah's exploits a mythical edge. Excellent artwork as always, with an even better adventure. Delilah is a fantastic character, especially when dealing with her enemies, both by sword and word.

*Starred Review* Simon's pretty sure no one will be upset when he comes out as gay. Though he lives in Georgia and kids at his high school can be cruel, his friends and family are all very accepting. But announcing that he likes guys is still a huge transformation. That's why he is so spooked when classmate Martin stumbles on secret, flirty e-mails Simon has been sending to Blue, a mysterious boy at his school, and gently threatens to reveal his secret.