aired the week of December 27, 2021

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid is told from the viewpoints of 25-year-old babysitter Emira Tucker and influencer mom Alix Chamberlain.  When Emira is stopped at the grocery store with 2-year-old Briar and accused of kidnapping this white child things will change for both women.  This event will uncover some very disturbing things buried deep in Alix Chamberlain's past with far reaching consequences for both women. 

 aired the week of December 20, 2021

Christmas by the Book by Anne Marie Ryan tells the story of Nora and Simon's bookshop. The shop isn't doing well and they will have to close after the new year.  Before that happens they run a contest to give away six books to six individuals who need a bit of hope during this holiday season.  Nora and Simon have no idea the impact their random acts of kindness will have on the six individuals who receive their books and how these gifts will affect and change lives.

 aired the week of December 13, 2021

The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews is a sweet Christmas novella.  Ivy Perkins buys an old farmhouse sight unseen only to find out the former owners loved Christmas.  In the closet she finds a Santa suit and in the pocket she finds a letter from a little girl who wants Santa to bring her dad home safe from the war. This letter prompts Ivy to search for the girl and her family to find out what happened and along the way Ivy makes new friends and may find love herself.

 aired the week of December 6, 2021

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris is a novel based on the life of Lale Sokolov a Slovakian Jew imprisoned at Auschwitz.  After arriving at Auschwitz-Birkenau in April of 1942 Lale becomes the assistant to the tattooist a Frenchman named Pepan.  When Pepan disappears Lale becomes the tattooist which gives him freedom and privileges other Jews at the camp do not have.  Does this make him a collaborator or it is an opportunity to help his fellow prisoners?  An extraordinary story.  

Some further reading on the Holocaust available at the library:

Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (Children's non-fiction)

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy (Teen Fiction)

The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne (Teen Fiction) 

The Far Side of the Sky by Daniel Kalla (Adult Fiction)

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly (Adult Fiction)

Karolina's Twins by Ronald H. Balson (Adult Fiction)

Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (Adult non-fiction)

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman (Adult non-fiction)

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank  (Adult non-fiction)

 aired the week of November 29, 2021

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is a classic novella published in 1943.   A pilot downs his plane in the Sahara Desert and while there meets the Little Prince on an extraordinary journey.  The Little Prince tells the pilot about his trips to other planets and the individuals that inhabit them.  These individuals are each meant to critique an element of society; so there is much to ponder in this slim volume.  While considered a children's classic due to being short, illustrated and with a young protagonist this book is written more for adults than children.

aired the week of November 22, 2021

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson is about the library in the small village of Chalcot, England.  It seems the council has decided to close the library.  However, the library assistant June and the patrons who love the library will do everything in their power to make sure they get to keep their library.

 aired the week of November 16, 2021

Wintering by Katherine May is contemplative memoir where the author explores a winter season in her life and how she and her family dealt with this fallow period in life when one feels cut off from the world. This is the perfect book to read as we emerge from a season of isolation due to the pandemic and other factors and prepare for the winter season.

 aired the week of November 9, 2021

The Removed by Brandon Hobson follows a Native American family the Echotas as they prepare for their annual celebration of the life of their teenage son and brother Ray-Ray.  Ray-Ray was shot at a Tulsa mall by a police officer 15 years prior. This year the celebration is in jeopardy as the Echota family seems to be fracturing.

 aired the week of November 2, 2021

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan is set on England's home front during World War II.  Four women are competing in a cooking competition for the privilege of becoming the co-hostess on the BBC's popular radio broadcast the Kitchen Front. Through the competition they find that friendship is more important than winning.

 aired the week of October 25, 2021

Steel Fear by Brandon Webb & John David Mann is a relentlessly paced thriller.  When Navy SEAL Finn is brought aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln for a trip home he feels that something is not right aboard the aircraft carrier.  After a couple of crew members die of apparent suicide fingers begin to point toward Finn and he must figure out what is happening on the ship before someone else is killed.  This is the first in a projected thriller series by this writing team.

 aired the week of October 18, 2021

Tangerine by Christine Mangan is an atmospheric work of historical fiction set in Tangier, Morocco in the 1950s.  Alice Shipley has moved there with her husband although she finds Tangier oppressive.  When her former college roommate Lucy shows up on her doorstep Alice's carefully constructed life begins to unravel and an unpleasant truth comes to light.

 aired the week of October 11, 2021

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles was set to release for the 100th anniversary of the American Library in Paris in 2020 but was released a year later due to the Pandemic.  This work of historical fiction highlights the library's contribution to the Parisian community during World War II and follows the fictional story of library worker Odile as the library becomes her safe place during the occupation.

 aired the week of October 4, 2021

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce is set in the 1950s.  Miss Benson leaves her unfulfilling teaching position to finally fulfill her life's dream of finding the golden beetle of New Caledonia.  She knows she cannot make the trip alone so hires an assistant, but when she sees Mrs. Pretty she wonders what she has gotten herself into.  There is no way Enid Pretty can do what she needs, but looks can be deceiving.  This is a powerful story of friendship.

 aired the week of September 27, 2021

Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard is a classic dog story published in 1945.  Young Danny Pickett lives in the hills of upstate New York with his father and their dogs.  He falls in love with Red the champion Irish Setter that belongs to the local estate owner.  Mr. Haggin lets Danny take over Red's training and the two have to confront Old Majesty a wily bear that has become dangerous.  This is a classic tale of survival by a boy and his dog.  For fans of Gary Paulsen.

aired the week of September 20, 2021

When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton tells the story of Beatriz Perez who's family has had to flee their home in Havana after Castro takes power.  She is living in Palm Beach, Florida with plans to use the CIA to bring Castro down, after all the man ruined her family's home and had her twin brother killed.  

1. Next Year in Havana

2. When We Left Cuba

3. Last Train to Key West

4. The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba

 aired the week of September 13, 2021

Open Carry by Marc Cameron is the first in the Arliss Cutter series.  Arliss who is a U.S. Marshal has moved from his home in Florida to take a post in Alaska.  This way he will be closer to family.  As he gets used to his new territory he is sent to Prince of Wales Island where there is a fugitive sex offender and three missing people.  Things are out of control on the set of the reality TV show FISHWIVES! and Arliss and his partner need to step in. For fans of Lee Child, C.J. Box and Brad Thor.

1. Open Carry (2019)

2. Stone Cross (2020)

3. Bone Rattle (2021)

 aired the week of September 6, 2021

I am Malala: the Girl who Stood up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai is a very timely read.  Published in 2013 this moving autobiography captures life in Pakistan under Taliban control for a young woman who wants to learn and be educated.  Read about Malala's brave exploits and all she did to shed light of the plight of women and girls in Pakistan and about her amazing recovery from a gunshot wound to her head in 2012.

 aired the week of August 30, 2021

The Teacher's Funeral: a Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck is a fun read for the start of school.  Peck's books for young readers are a walk down memory lane that delight all ages.  In this story set in 1904 Russell and Lloyd's teacher suddenly dies.  The boys hope that with no teacher their one room school house will be closed down.  Then they find out their older sister Tansy is to be the new teacher. 

 aired the week of August 23, 2021

The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair is the first in a mystery series set in post World War II London. Ivy and Gwen have started a marriage bureau to help couples find each other.  When one of their clients is murdered the man they were setting her up with is blamed.  If Ivy and Gwen want to save the reputation of their business they need to start sleuthing to find out who really killed her.

The Sparks and Bainbridge Mystery Series

1. The Right Sort of Man (2019)

2. A Royal Affair (2020)

3. A Rogue's Company (2021)

 aired the week of August 16, 2021

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel is a twisty tale of deceit and revenge.  Rose Gold Watts who has been sickly all her life believes that her mom has been poisoning her for years.  Patty Watts spends 5 years in prison for something she swears she didn't do.  Now Patty is out of prison and who is there to pick her up, Rose Gold.  Does Rose Gold have revenge planned or does she just miss her mother?

 aired the week of August 9, 2021

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons looks at the end of life experience.  Eudora is 85 and she is tired of life. She is ready to let it go until precocious 10-year-old Rose moves in next door.  Suddenly things are more exciting and Eudora hopes she is around long enough for the start of Rose's school year.