All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers

 aired the week of August 25, 2025

All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers introduces crime reporter Margot Davis who has returned to her hometown of Wakarusa, Indiana where she is taking care of her uncle who is in the early stages of dementia.  While there Margot hears of the abduction of a young girl from the playground of a town just down the road.  It brings back memories of when six-year-old Margot's best friend January Jones was taken and later murdered.  Could this be the work of the same killer? Margot's journalistic instincts kick in as she tires to unravel the mysteries of the past.  Recommended for fans of Megan Miranda, Liz Moore, Shari Lapena and Mary Higgins Clark.

All-of-a-Kind-Family by Sydney Taylor

 aired the week of August 18, 2025

 All-of-a-Kind-Family by Sydney Taylor was published in 1951 and was selected as one of the ten best children's books of the year according to Child Life magazine. This first in a series is set in 1912.  The family, modeled after Taylor's own family has 5 little girls.  The family lives in a 2 bedroom apartment on Manhattan's lower east side.  Join them as they live their life and celebrate the holidays and traditions of their Jewish faith.

1.  All-of-a-Kind-Family - 1951

2. More All-of-a-Kind-Family - 1954

3, All-of-a-Kind-Family Uptown - 1958

4.  All-of-a-Kind-Family Downtown - 1972

5. Ella of All-of-a-Kind-Family - 1978 

The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen

 aired the week of August 11, 2025

The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen starts with a shocking text message, "There's trouble.  I need to see you.  Meet me in one hour under the candelabra tree.  Don't tell anyone where you are going." Ariel can't believe she has heard from Drew after five years of silence.  She knows he died in a motorcycle accident, so is this some sort of cruel joke?  As she digs into their past things just don't add up.  Who was Drew, what was he up to and what happened? This romantic suspense novel is recommended for fans of Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me.

They Came for the Schools by Mike Hixenbaugh

 *aired the week of August 4, 2025

They Came for the Schools by Mike Hixenbaugh follows the Carroll School district from Southlake, Texas as they went through a variety of media storms, from viral videos of students saying racial slurs, to book bans and school board debates after COVID-19. Southlake has been at the forefront of school politics at a national level, showing the impact that even one school district can make on the whole country. Mike Hixenbaugh, a NBC investigative journalist was reporting on the school district from the first viral video in 2018 to the end, so while this book does contain his opinions, it is still an interesting first-hand account on some of the current controversies facing schools and school boards right now. 

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate

aired the week of July 28, 2025

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate is set in the Winding Stair Mountain of southeastern Oklahoma.  Following two timelines the reader gets the story from eleven year old Olive Augusta Peele who along with her younger Choctaw sister are trying to hide from their lecherous stepfather in 1909.  Fast forward to 1990 where National Park Service Ranger Valerie Boren-Odell is working to get a new park ready for the grand opening when human remains are discovered in a cave within the park.  As Valerie learns more about the area's past and the plight of the elf children who were abandoned to the woods she becomes convinced someone is trying to hide the past and sabotage the park's grand opening.  Recommended for fans of Jess Montgomery and Amanda Skenandore.  For more information on the fate of Native Americans in Oklahoma pick up David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon.

The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman

 aired the week of July 21, 2025

The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman written in 1970 introduces tribal police officer Joe Leaphorn.  Set on the Navajo Reservation in the Four Corners area of Arizona, Joe is following up on a missing person case that turns deadly.  He has to find out how this murder fits in with rumors of a witch in the shape of a gray wolf that has been spotted in the area. The Blessing Way is the first in an 18 title series by Hillerman who passed away in 2006.  Recommended for fans of Margaret Coel, Craig Johnson, C.J. Box and Aimee Thurlo.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

 aired the week of July 14, 2025

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack is a very tongue in cheek cozy mystery.  Eleanor Dash is the author of the very popular vacation mystery series.  She is on a tour in Italy to celebrate her 10th title in 10 years.  She is plotting ways to kill off her main character who happens to be her former love interest Connor.  But before she can plan it out, the real Connor tells her that someone is really trying to kill him.  Eleanor must team up with Connor and other friends to find out who is out to get him or is it just all in his head?  Recommended for fans of Jennifer Crusie and Elle Cosimono.

1. Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies (2024)

2. No One Was Supposed to Die at this Wedding (2025)

3. This Weekend Doesn't End Well for Anyone (2026) 

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne

 aired the week of July 7, 2025

The Gatekeeper by James Byrne is the first in the Dez Limerick thriller series. Dez is a gatekeeper which means he has military training and controls egress.  When he spots a sniper he gets involved saving a beautiful woman and getting himself embroiled in a plot to overthrow the government.  Recommended for fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series and books by Marc Cameron, Nick Petrie and Joseph Finder.

1. The Gatekeeper (2022)

2. Deadlock (2023)

3. Chain Reaction (2025)

4. Storm Warning (2026) 

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

 *aired the week of June 30, 2025

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune is a delightful book about found family, prejudice, and finding humanity in the slog of endless systems and rules. Linus Baker is a 43 year old case worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth who gets assigned to make sure a classified orphanage is following all of the Rules and Regulations. However, the children he finds at the orphanage are anomalies, even as far as magical youth go. Linus quickly realizes that no Rules or Regulations can sufficiently care for these children with the compassion they deserve. But how can he ensure they get the support they need without the structure he has relied on all his life. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune is a novel with captivating characters and a great deal of heart. 

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

 aired the week of June 23, 2025

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay is a short epistolary novel that follows the burgeoning friendship between Imogen an older women who lives on Camino Island off the Washington state coast and writes a magazine column and a young reader Joan Bergstrom of California.  As they correspond, their friendship grows covering current topics of the time which is the 1960s, food and family.  Recommended for fans of 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows and Delicious by Ruth Reichl.

Foster and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

 aired the week of June 16, 2025

Foster and Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan are two novellas both jam packed with beautiful imagery.   Foster follows a young girl who is sent to live with distant relatives for the summer and Small Things Like These tells the story of Bill Furlong an Irish coal merchant who meets a young woman who is being kept at the local convent and how that encounter affects both of their lives.  Claire Keegan's books are recommended for fans of Kent Haruf, Fredrik Backman, Wallace Stegner and Sarah Moss.

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

aired the week of June 9, 2025

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson tells the story of the 2009 Tring Museum feather heist by up and coming salmon fly tier Edwin Rist.  Rist made off with 299 rare bird skins many of which were never recovered.  Johnson recounts his efforts to recover the missing skins and determine if Rist had an accomplice.  Recommended for fans of The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, The Falcon Thief by Joshua Hammer or The Art Thief by Michael Finkel.

Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen

 aired the week of June 2, 2025

 Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen is the story of Valdez Jones VIII, otherwise known as 'Wrecker', who is a long-standing member of Key West. He loves the water, and one day while out on his skiff, he comes across a ship stranded on a mud flat. His first sign of trouble is when the driver of the boat pays him to pretend he never saw the stranded boat. Soon, Wrecker finds himself entangled with smugglers and has to figure out how to take them down from the inside so his family can stay safe. This is a great summer adventure, with good humor and a daring protagonist.

Collision of Lies by Tom Threadgill

 aired the week of May 26, 2025

Collision of Lies by Tom Threadgill is a thriller with a twisty ending.  Amara Alvarez is a detective in the property crimes division of the San Antonio Police Department.  She meets a very distraught couple who just received a text saying, "Help me Mom" from an unknown number.  They are convinced it is from their son, only he has been dead three years.  He died in the horrific train/school bus collision in Cotulla.  What is going on and who is sending messages to these poor people?  Amara vows to get to the bottom of this text and help bring closure to the grieving family.  Recommended for fans of Lynette Eason, Robert Dugoni and Lis Wiehl.

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

 aired the week of May 19, 2025

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson gives the reader a peek into life in a bookstore.  Maggie is going to be babysitting her college friend's bookstore while she is on maternity leave.  Only it is like no bookstore Maggie has ever been in.  When she gets crosswise with the co-owner and profits plummet, Maggie must come up with a plan to save the store without getting in more trouble!  Recommended for fans of Emily Henry, Susan Mallery and Freya Sampson.

Shutter by Ramona Emerson

 aired the week of May 12, 2025

Shutter by Ramona Emerson introduces Rita Todacheene who is a forensic photographer for the Albuquerque Police Department.  Rita can see the dead and they speak to her.  Until now she has been able to keep that separate, but this latest case involving a young woman is about to tear her up.  Will Rita be able to help solve Erma Singleton's murder or will it be ruled a suicide?  First in a series recommended for fans of MichaelKoryta, Joanna Schaffhausen and Tony Hillerman.

1. Shutter (2022)

2. Exposure (2024)

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

 aired the week of May 5, 2025

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is a classic Young Adult novel following Percy Jackson, a twelve-year-old who finds out that he is a Greek demigod. And here he thought his biggest problems were math tests and bullies! Percy is thrust into the beginnings of a war between the Greek gods called the Olympians, and has to adjust quickly to the rules of this new life he finds himself in. If he doesn't, war may reach more than just the Greek summer camp he stumbled into. Rick Riordan is the master of humor, action, and mystery. His series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians has become a must-read Young Adult series, much like Harry Potter or the Hunger Games.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kasiwai

aired the week of April 28, 2025

The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kasiwai is translated from Japanese and set in the city of Kyoto.  Nagare a retired police detective and his daughter Koishi run the Kamogawa Diner, which while it serves wonderful food, isn't why people seek it out.  People who are looking to recreate a food memory come to Nagare and Koishi who are able to track down recipes and fill in memories to recreate that elusive taste people seek.   This small mystery is a beautiful character study and is recommended for fans of Ruth Reichl, J. Ryan Stradal and Jennifer Chow.

The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man's Humble Quet to Follow the Constitution's Original Meaning by A.J. Jacobs

 aired the week of April 21, 2025

The Year of Living Constitutionally by A.J. Jacobs follows the journalist and lecturer as he embarks on his adventure to live an entire year like it is 1790 while following the Constitution of the United States as closely as possible.  He delves into the two different ways of interpreting the Constitution which are originalism or living constitutionalism and helps the reader learn more about our country's supreme law.

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

 aired the week of April 14, 2025

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris is the story behind a picture of two young boys sitting on a porch with a hand painted sign that reads, "2 children for sale."  The year is 1931 when Philadelphia newspaper reporter Ellis Reed snaps that picture.  The story and picture is picked up nationally.  Ellis had no idea how the fame will affect the children in the picture.  Now he must figure out how to undo the damage done to the family.  Recommended for fans of Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours.

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

 aired the week of April 7, 2025

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl introduces Stella who in 1983 has been sent to Paris by her mother's estate after her death. Stella isn't sure why she is there but she makes some really good friends and delves into the mystery behind a painting entitled Olympia by a female artist.  Reichl is the author of Delicious another excellent food centric, historical novel. Recommended for fans of Sarah Jio and Nina George. 

Life After Doom by Brian D. McLaren

aired the week of March 31

 Life After Doom by Brian D. McLaren describes what McLaren calls "the catastrophic failures of religious and political leaders to address the dominant realities of our time: ecological overshoot, economic injustice, and the increasing likelihood of civilizational collapse." McLaren addresses the current climate crisis and his opinions on how individuals can address the global issue without getting overwhelmed. Told in four parts, Life After Doom is a guide to help readers find home and community in a world where it is easy to feel isolated and helpless.