useless bay review

Useless Bay: A Review

Useless BayClaire Hutchet Bishop’s The Five Chinese Brothers moves to the Pacific Northwest in this YA mystery from M.J. Beaufrand. Useless Bay introduces readers to the Gray quints — four brothers and sister Pixie — and the Shepherds: an ultra-wealthy family who vacation near the Grays’ home on Whidbey Island. When two members of the Shepherd clan go missing, the Grays are the first people suspected, and the supersized, superpowered teens must rush to solve the mystery and save themselves and their friends. Continue reading

the-princess-diarist-review

The Princess Diarist: A Review

The Princess DiaristAs the world continues to mourn the untimely death of Star Wars actress and writer Carrie Fisher, fans — myself included — have clamored to read the books she left behind. Fisher’s final memoir, The Princess Diarist recounts her affair with co-star Harrison Ford on the set of the first Star Wars film in 1976. But, more than a romantic tell-all, The Princess Diarist feels like Fisher’s goodbye. Continue reading

the mothers review

The Mothers: A Review

The MothersNo doubt by now you’ve seen its floral, multicolored cover peeping at you from store and library shelves. Brit Bennett‘s debut novel, The Mothers, won her a coveted 5 under 35 medallion from the National Book Foundation and stirred up plenty of attention from publications large and small. Not bad for a book that Bennett began writing at the age of 17, but that shows the kind of maturity and deftness with its subject matter one would expect from a seasoned author. Continue reading