Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

 *aired the week of August 5, 2024

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan is a heartwarming tale about family and coping with loss.  Willow Chance is a 12-year-old genius who is mostly concerned with gardens, medical conditions, and middle school until tragedy strikes.  As her world is falling apart, she has to learn to rely on an unlikely group of people to relearn what community and family means when everything seems to go wrong.  This book is perfect for readers of all ages and would be fun for parents and children to read together.

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter

aired the week of July 29, 2024

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter is a fun romantic spy romp.  A young woman comes to in the snow on the streets of Paris.  She has no idea who she is or why she is there but when a hot guy runs up to her she quickly learns she is a spy and all the bad guys are after her for stealing sensitive information from the Russians.   Trying to stay one step ahead of her would be killers is a lot of work as she tries to piece together who she is and what happened.  For fans of Ava Glass's Alias Emma.

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood

aired the week of July 22, 2024

How to Read a Book by Monica Wood is a beautiful story about second chances, unlikely friendships and the power of sharing stories.  Violet is serving a prison sentence for killing a kindergarten teacher while drunk driving.  In prison she meets Harriet a retired English teacher leading the book group.  On the outside Violet runs into Harriet in the local bookshop where Frank, whose wife was killed by Violet, works.  The reader is drawn into the beautifully rendered story of how these three very different individuals are able to help each other and form lasting bonds. Recommended for fans of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

 aired the week of July 15, 2024

Lone Women by Victor Lavalle is a genre bending novel that is part historical fiction, part western and part horror.  The year is 1915 and 31-year-old Adelaide Henry has just left her home in the Lucerne Valley of California to homestead on the Montana prairie.  She leaves behind her parents corpses in their burning farmhouse but takes with her a heavy padlocked steamer trunk that has her secrets and past.  Adelaide may be making a new start but when someone opens that steamer trunk her whole world is turned upside down.  Recommended for fans of Stephen King and Joe Hill.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

 aired the week of July 8, 2024

Happy Place by Emily Henry is a good summer beach read.  Harriet has recently broken up with her fiance Win but neither of them have been brave enough to tell their college friend group.  When everyone gets together for their annual summer vacation in Maine it becomes increasingly difficult to keep their breakup a secret but neither Harriet or Win want to ruin their best friend's summer and surprise wedding plans. Recommended for fans of Tessa Bailey, Abby Jimenez, Susan Mallery and Jill Shalvis.

Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson

 aired the week of July 1, 2024

Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson is a historical perspective on America's relationship with authoritarianism and what Richardson calls the "liberal consensus."  Richardson explores the changes to the Republican party from the New Deal until present day and gives a historical perspective to the current political climate.  This book is suggested to those who are interested by history and politics.

Playing the Fool by Lina Chern

 aired the week of June 24, 2024

Playing the Fool by Lina Chern is the first in a new mystery series.  Katie True loves to read Tarot cards and sometimes talks people into reading their cards when they come into the import store where she works.  When a disheveled man walks in she offers to read his cards.  He leaves his phone unlocked on the counter while using the restroom.  Katie quickly takes a peak.  In the message thread open she sees the photo of her best friend Marley propped up against a dumpster with a bullet hole in her temple.  What should Katie do?  Why is this picture on his phone and how can she track down her friend's killer when they can't find a body?  For fans of Elle Cosimano and Darynda Jones.

1. Playing the Fool (2023)

2. Tricks of Fortune (2025)

The Wager: a tale of Shipwreck Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

 aired the week of June 17, 2024

The Wager: a tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann gives an accounting of what happened to the 28 gun warship that went aground off the coat of Chile after rounding Cape Horn in a storm.  There were varying accounts and the capability of Captain David Cheap was called into question.  A true story of historical intrigue by master storyteller David Grann.

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan

 aired the week of June 10, 2024

The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan introduces Hannah Rokeby a law school student desperate to join The Innocence Project.  The group is working with convicted murderer Michael Dandridge and Hannah knows he isn't innocent.  What lengths will she go to to prove his guilt.?  For fans of Jane Harper, William Landy, Tana French and Karin Slaughter.

Where'd You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple

 

aired the week of June 3, 2024

Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple is a hilarious story about a daughter searching for her mother who disappeared.  Bernadette is a former architect star turned recluse who has a bad habit of causing disasters since she stopped creating.  When she disappears before Christmas, her daughter searches through text, emails, letters, and faxes trying to piece together where she might have gone.  A great, light read, Where'd You Go Bernadette is perfect if you need a laugh.

Murder Visits a French Village by Susan C. Shea

aired the week of May 27, 2024

Murder Visits a French Village by Susan C. Shea is the first in a new series.  When Ariel's beloved husband dies she finds out he had recently purchased a crumbling chateau that they visited on their honeymoon in the Burgundy region of France.  She has no idea what to do so she moves to France to work on fixing it up to turn it into a bed and breakfast.  When the woman who is researching the history of the property is found dead in the moat suspicion starts to fall on Ariel.  She begins sleuthing in the hopes of clearing her name and getting back to the remodeling work to finish her new home.  For fans of cozy mysteries and authors like Serena Kent and Connie Berry.

Chateau in Burgundy series

1. Murder Visits a French Village

2. Murder and the Missing Dog

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

 aired the week of May 20, 2024

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano follows three different people through their lives. William Waters is a basketball player at Northwestern University when he meets Julia Padavano.  Julia is sure William is the man she is looking for and the Padavano family enfolds him.  But life is not always what it seems on the surface.  Follow William, Julia and Julia's younger sister Sylvie as they navigate relationships and the difficult world of adulthood.  For fans of Ann Packer, Elizabeth Strout and Ann Patchett.

The Wicked Sister by Karen Dionne

 aired the week of May 13, 2024

The Wicked Sister by Karen Dionne is a thriller set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  Rachel has spent the past 15 years in a psychiatric hospital after the murder-suicide of her parents.  She knows she is responsible because of her vivid dreams.  But, when she finds proof that she was not the person that pulled the trigger she wonders why her family let her stay locked away for so long.  Who is the person responsible for their deaths and why have they never been brought to justice?  For fans of Megan Miranda, Mary Kubica and Paula Hawkins.

A Collection of Poems by Alfred Tennyson

 aired the week of May 6, 2024

A Collection of Poems by Alfred Tennyson is a large collection of poems by England's Poet Laureate during the reign of Queen Victoria.  Tennyson has several easily recognizable poems including The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Lady of Shalott, and Crossing the Bar.  Tennyson's poem In Memoriam A.H.H. is mentioned several times in Alex Michaelides thriller The Maidens, which makes for a fun mini literature study.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

 aired the week of April 29th, 2024

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann is a gripping investigation of the Reign of Terror against the members of the Osage Nation.  Grann examines a string of murders that took place against Osage people who had gained wealth due to oil in their land, and the subsequent FBI investigation.  Fascinating and sobering, this is a must read for true crime or history buffs. 

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

 aired the week of April 22, 2024

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel is a work of narrative non-fiction.  Over a 10 year period Stephane Breitwieser a young Frenchman carries out over 200 heists taking more than 300 works of art worth an estimated $2 Billion from museums and churches all over Europe.  Michael Finkel has recreated the timeline from interviews with Breitwieser, the police and friends to piece together this fascinating story of an art thief.  For those who enjoy books by Sebastian Junger and Jon Krakauer  or The Feather Thief by Kirk W. Johnson

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

aired the week of April 15, 2024

The Maidens by Alex Michalides introduces group therapist Mariana Andros who is struggling to come to terms with her husband's death.  Her niece Zoe is in college at Cambridge when Zoe's best friend is found dead in a field near the college.  Zoe is convinced the killer is a professor that was having an illicit relationship with her friend and Zoe asks Mariana to come help investigate.  The more Mariana looks the less things are what they seem.  For fans of A.J. Finn, Gillian Flynn and Wendy Walker.

How to Keep House While Drowining by KC Davis

 aired the week of April 8, 2024

How to Keep House While Drowning is by KC Davis a licensed professional counselor and creator of the mental health platform Struggle Care. Her videos are very popular on TikTok and this book came out of that series.  She gives non-judgmental tips on housekeeping and self care.  Even if you don't struggle with keeping house this is just a good read.

The Art of Racing in the Rain

 

 aired the week of April 4, 2024

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is the story of a dog, a man, and life.  Enzo is a dog who is learning how to be human so he can come back in his next life as a man.  He is studying what it means to be human by watching his owner, a race car driver named Denny, move through the ups and downs of life.  Garth Stein was a former race car driver who uses his knowledge of driving to create a beautiful analogies for life, humanity, and adaptability.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

 aired the week of March 25, 2024

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is the last major work of fiction to be published during Hemingway's lifetime.  This 1952 novella follows an elderly fisherman named Santiago who has not caught a fish for 84 days.  On day 85 he encounters a huge blue marlin and an epic battle ensues.

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen

 aired the week of March 18, 2024

The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen is the first title in a projected new series.  Maggie Bird is a retired spy who has moved to the small town of Purity, Maine.  She is happy to leave that life behind.  Now there is a dead body in her driveway and it looks like the world of espionage isn't done with Maggie yet.  For fans of Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club series or Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age.