The Comfort of Crows: a Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl

 aired the week of September 16, 2024

The Comfort of Crows: a Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl is a beautifully illustrated volume of nature essays each one encompassing a week of the year following the seasons in Renkl's hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Renkl an essayist for the New York Times makes the reader think about personal interactions with the natural world and how our actions affect the plants an animals around us.  Powerful and though provoking this book is recommended for fans of Gathering: a Memoir of a Seed Saver by Diane Ott Whealy.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

 aired the week of September 9, 2024

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer introduces us to Lucy Hart an aide in a Kindergarten class in California.  Her favorite children's author is holding a contest and she will be participating.  She is going to his home on Clock Island off the coast of Maine to participate in a series of contests against 3 other people.  If she wins, the prize will make it possible for her to provide a home for Christopher the young boy in foster care that she hopes to adopt.  Recommended for fans of Sarah Addison Allen and Sarah Jio.

You Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

 aired the week of September 2, 2024

You Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne is a new addition to our Cozy Fantasy collection. Reyna and Kianthe run away from their responsibilities to open a tea and book shop on the border of two countries. However, dragon attacks and a vindictive queen threaten their newfound happiness. Can they keep the simple, comfortable life they created for themselves? This book is the perfect fall read if you enjoy a bit of magic, a tinge of mystery, and a lot of comfort.

Delphine Jones Takes a Chance by Beth Morrey

 aired the week of August 26, 2024

Delphine Jones Takes a Chance by Beth Morrey asks the question, are we brave enough to make the change needed even if it may be difficult or scary? Delphine has been hiding in plain sight, barely scraping by working as a barista and taking care of her father and 11-year-old daughter.  But she yearns for more in life.  Will she be brave enough to take life by the horns when that chance is offered to her.  A beautiful gentle story recommended for fans of Jojo Moyes, Nancy Thayer and Elizabeth Berg.

Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters

 aired the week of August 19, 2024

Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters was first published in 1914 and has since become part of the American Literary canon. It is a collection of stories spoken by the dead in a fictionalized Illinois graveyard.  These 244 accounts given by 212 separate characters are written as short free verse poems and serve as epitaphs for the residents of Spoon River, Illinois.  Who would you trust to sum up your life?  This classic work came to my attention when it was mentioned in Monica Wood's How to Read a Book.

Black Widows by Cate Quinn

 aired the week of August 12, 2024

Black Widows by Cate Quinn opens with the police visiting Blake Nelson's remote Utah ranch.  Blake's body has been found by a hiker and he didn't take his own life.  Because of the remote location it looks like the murderer must be his wife, but the question is which one?  The story follows Rachel, Tina and Emily three women who are married to Blake but don't like each other.  Who killed him and how will they get to the bottom of this twisty story full of dark secrets?  This thriller is recommended for fans of B.A. Paris, Jessica Strawser, sally Hepworth and Kimberly Belle.