Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger

 aired the week of December 16, 2024

Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger is a slim mystery thriller by perennial popular Unger.  Madeline hates Christmas.  Ten years ago right before Christmas she was attacked, her friend Sam was killed and their other friends the Wallace sisters disappeared.  Now a popular podcaster is snooping around bringing up old memories and pointing out that more young women from the area have disappeared so do they really have the right person in custody?  This may be a not so merry Christmas unless they can find the real killer before it is too late.  Recommended for fans of Erica Spindler, Shari LaPena and Joy Fielding.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter

 aired the week of December 9, 2024

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year is a fluffy locked room Christmas mystery by Ally Carter.  Maggie Chase is an introverted mystery author who finds herself at a large British estate for Christmas.  With her is her nemesis, thriller author Ethan Wyatt.  When Maggie's hostess her beloved favorite author Eleanor Ashley disappears, Maggie and Ethan have to work together to find out what happened to her.  For fans of Christmas stories by Nancy Naigle, Mary Kay Andrews and Sarah Morgan.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

aired the week of December 2, 2024

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien is a timeless story that follows a hobbit who inherits  a magic ring, and with it a quest to save all of Middle Earth. Frodo Baggins is given a magic ring by his uncle Bilbo. Unbeknownst to them, this ring belongs to a great evil power named Sauron, who is reemerging in Middle Earth and wants the ring back. Frodo is tasked with smuggling the ring across Middle Earth in hopes of keeping it out of Sauron's clutches. A huge inspiration for modern fantasy as we know it, the Fellowship of the Ring is the first book in the Lord of the Rings series. It is the beginning of an epic adventure that has captured the hearts and imaginations of generations. 

To Catch a Storm by Mindy Mejia

 aired the week of November 25, 2024

To Catch a Storm by Mindy Mejia is set in Iowa City.  Dr. Eve Roth is a physics professor at the University of Iowa.  She has been up in her plane taking atmospheric data readings.  When she arrives home she finds out her husband has disappeared and the police found his car torched in a downpour.  What is going on and what has happened to Matthew?  For fans of Heather Chavez, Alice Blanchard and Erin Young.

The Bookbinder by Pip Williams

 aired the week of November 18, 2024

The Bookbinder by Pip Williams introduces Peggy Jones who along with her twin sister Maude work at the Oxford Bindery in Oxford, England.  The Great War is taking men from work right and left.  Peggy has a chance to move to a different position within the bindery but what she really wants is to study at Somerville College the women's college at Oxford.  Instead she helps tend to the wounded soldiers that are billeted at the college. It is there that she meets Gwen a student at Somerville and Bastion a soldier recovering from wounds.  They help Peggy dream of a different future.  Recommended for fans of Kate Quinn, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig.

Leave No Trace by A.J. Landau

 aired the week of November 11, 2024

Leave No Trace by A.J. Landau is the first collaboration by authors Jeff Ayers and Jon Land.  This fast paced thriller is set in the National Parks starting with an explosion at the Statue of Liberty.  There is chatter another National Park is targeted and Parks Service Special Agent Michael Walker and FBI Special Agent Gina Delgado will have to put aside departmental differences to work together if they are going to stop who is behind this threat.  Little do they know it may reach all the way to the White House.  For fans of Brad Thor, Marc Cameron and A.J. Tata.

Thorn Hedge by T. Kingfisher

  Aired the week of November 4

 Thorn Hedge by T. Kingfisher is a Sleeping Beauty retelling that asks the question "What if the princess is the villain?" Toadling was taken by fairies as an infant, making her not quite fae and not quite human. Currently, she is guarding a castle surrounded by briar that she enchanted. When one anxious knight shows up to rescue the maiden in the tower, Toadling tries and fails to scare him away. Unfortunately, the knight thinks she is cursed as well and is determined to save her. Toadling needs to deter him from going to the castle. Otherwise, he could unleash the evil that is trapped there in slumber.

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

 aired the week of October 28, 2024

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes is a tongue in cheek murder mystery that follows Cliff Iverson as he becomes a scholarship student at the McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts.  McMasters is a school dedicated solely to helping those attend achieve the goal of getting away with murder.  Cliff would like to end the life of his former boss who has ruined so many other lives and McMasters is just the place to help him accomplish that goal.  But will he be successful in the application of his thesis to end the life of Merrill Fiedler?  Recommended for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Elle Cosimano and Deanna Raybourn.

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

 aired the week of October 21, 2024

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell is a fascinating and humorous look into the stories behind three presidential assassinations by historian, author and journalist Sarah Vowell.  Sarah takes the reader along on her trips to museums, libraries and historical sites to learn more about the assassinations of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield and William McKinley.  Recommended for fans of David Sedaris, Mary Roach and Sloan Crosley.

My Murder by Katie Williams

 aired the week of October 14, 2024

My Murder by Katie Williams is set in the near future where cloning is possible.  Lou was murdered by a serial killer and now she and the rest of his victims are back to continue on with their interrupted lives.  Lou feels disconnected from the old Lou and as she digs into her past she is confronted with a whole new mystery.  Who really wanted her dead?  Recommended for fans of David Bell and Kimberly McCreight.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

 aired the week of October 7, 2024

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney is a locked room mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Daisy Darker's family is gathering at her Nana's cottage by the sea to celebrate Nana's 80th birthday.  Over dinner Nana drops the bomb that she is leaving everything to Daisy's 15-year-old niece.  Overnight family members start to be killed, one by one, but who could be doing it when no one from the outside can get to the house and everyone is in the same room together.  Everyone is hiding many secrets.  For fans of Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, Lucy Foley and B.A. Paris.

Tangled Vines by John Glatt

 *aired the week of September 30

Tangled Vines by John Glatt is a thrilling account of the history and downfall of the Murdaugh family. In 2022, Alex Murdaugh was convicted of first degree murder, after killing his wife and son. In this book, investigative journalist John Glatt researches the history of the family from 1793 when they first arrived in Hampton County, South Carolina to the trial in 2022. Through his investigation, Glatt uncovers a string of drug trafficking, substance abuse, and financial crimes that were covered up by the family for years, explaining how the family came to be known as a legal dynasty that everyone believed to be above the law itself.

Brave the Wild River: the Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon by Melissa Sevigny

 aired the week of September 23, 2024

Brave the Wild River by Melissa Sevigny is the story of Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter both botanists at the University of Michigan who undertake to catalogue the plants of the Grand Canyon during a 43 day boat journey down the Colorado River in 1938.  This work of narrative non fiction utilizes primary source materials including letters and diaries to bring the two women's story to life.  Recommended for fans of Empress of the Nile by Lynne Olson or Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery

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.

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.