⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Set in the charming village of Thirsk, Yorkshire , when three retired primary school teachers, (Thelma, Pat and Liz), are faced with the suspicious death of a friend, Topsy, they reluctantly take up the task of uncovering the “ordinary evil” lurking beneath the unassuming facade of their quiet…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Totally engrossing, I had a very hard time putting this book down. A masterful blend of WWII historical fiction, mixed with well-crafted fictional characters, conversations and imagined events - that feels so real it brings this harrowing slice of the past to full technicolor life for the reader. Seamless…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ In parts tender, and almost entirely tragic, I found this short novella incredibly moving. A gentle, compassionate and insightful look at origins, or sources - of identity, shame, grief, anger, despair - (and interestingly, of words themselves) and the roots that provide definition, and a past, that cannot be…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What child (or adult for that matter) hasn’t wished they could fly? This wonderful middle-grade book takes that delightful universal wish, and runs with it - turning out a somewhat dark and dangerous fable about a twelve year old girl, a sailor and a shipwreck, an eagle, an Icelandic…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+ I finished this book and the-lump-in-the-throat test cannot be denied. This book is a first class heart breaker, albeit one with a strangely hopeful tone balancing out what at first glance seems affectingly tragic. A science or speculative fiction instant classic, “Kara and the Sun” is about AI and…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fascinating portrayal of a 1980’s real-life attempt to bring down the Naples-based Camorra - one of the largest and deadliest mob organizations in Italy - spearheaded, planned and led by a twelve year old boy. Written in the style of a memoir, the author shares the experiences as told…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “He was everybody’s son, but he belonged to no one”. A complex and poignant portrait of what it means to be a mother, a father, or a son, and what it feels like to have this most central of identities suddenly ripped away. When we first meet Anton Vesper…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “We are not alone, and they are dangerous.” What do you get when you take the best of “Top Gun”, and blend it with an updated and cooler-techno “Star Wars” ? This action packed sci-fi epic - which has elements of just such a magical mixture - is sure…
⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2 In this charming picture book (ages six to nine), enter the magical world of Evelyn, a sweet little girl who is fascinated with the night sky and the planets, stars and constellations. Every evening after dinner, in her backyard, often accompanied by her lovely father, Evelyn learns about the…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stunning. Insightful. Unexpected. I couldn’t put this small book of poetry down - so moved was I by the kaleidoscope of words, each piece of work so uniquely brilliant (though a small few, I must confess, I found maddeningly impenetrable). Experimental in nature, the “poems” captured here cross the…