Picture Book Summer

“Black Leopard, Red Wolf is fantastically queer, black, and confounding! It is an enticing read, filled with love, sex, betrayal, and truths that are not so true.”

“Written as a letter from son to mother, Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is desolately beautiful. Each carefully crafted sentence builds upon the last, a momentum that carries you through a hundred pages before you remember to take a breath. Bleak, brilliant, it is the book other books will be compared to for years. Honestly, I would have been fine if it had been the last book I ever read.”

“This sweeping tale of the gods and heroes of Greek mythology as seen through the eyes of a minor goddess had me from the first chapter. I listened to this as an audiobook from our audio vendor, Libro.fm. The brilliant narrator was the 29-year-old Welsh film actress, Perdita Weeks.”

“WOW. My first experience with Ted Chiang absolutely blew me out of the water. Each story left me with wide eyes and a racing mind, running to my husband to read a passage so we could both be knocked over with wonder. Exhalation filled me with so many questions about our collective past, present, and future, I’ll be coming back to this book again and again trying to find the answers.”

“Mary Laura Philpott writes about today’s American woman in her marvelously frank and witty book of essays, I Miss You When I Blink. Women of all ages will nod their heads when reading about the decision to have babies (or not), the pitfalls of volunteering, the difficulty of getting a cat out from under the bed, the reward of crossing things off ‘the list,’ the challenge of finding time for relaxation, and, above all, the acceleration of time as we age. Philpott shares pivotal moments from her life in such a relatable way that, through both laughter and tears, readers will exclaim, ‘Yes, yes, this is ME!’ Don’t miss this gem!”

“Disclosure: I am not a foodie even though I am married to a former chef. What sparked my interest in Save Me The Plums was the subject - Gourmet Magazine. Although neither of my parents could cook to save their lives, we always proudly displayed and saved every copy of Gourmet Magazine that came with our yearly subscription. I listened to the audio which is read by the author, Ruth Reichl, who went from food critic to editor in chief of Gourmet Magazine. Most times, I don't like the author reading their own books because of the poor delivery. Not in this case - Reichl does a fabulous job with her reading. The details of the inner workings of Conde Nast were fascinating. Although she was not a self-proclaimed feminist, she knew instinctively how to handle tense situations as well as difficult people. I enjoyed hearing about everything from the strong personalities of the staff to the beautiful offices and test kitchen. There are also mouthwatering recipes included in this memoir. I may not have been a foodie when I began Save The Plums but thanks to Ruth Reichl, I have a whole new appreciation for food and a successful food magazine. I highly recommend this delicious memoir.”

“Gladwell's synthesis of famous news clips, infamous moments in history, and a collection of behavioral studies is uncannily fascinating. I found myself at turns nodding along with his points and shaking my head incredulously. While I was reading, I would over-analyze conversations and encounters I had with strangers, and then laugh at myself for being so paranoid. I rose to the enraged defense of the victims of violent crimes he recounted in the book and was horrified to find myself possibly trying to understand with some of the behaviors of the perpetrators. In the end, I'm not sure I agree with everything Gladwell discussed. But then again, I don't think he set out to convince anyone of any particular thing. His goal was to answer what could have happened in the case of Sandra Bland and to peel back the layers to expose human behaviors and assumptions that could have possibly played a role in the incident. This was the first book by Gladwell that I've read and I look forward to exploring more of his work. This audiobook was particularly interesting. Gladwell narrated but integrated interview clips, news sound bites, and actor reenactments throughout the audio. At first jarring and a little worrisome, because I thought I wasn't going to understand the clips due to audio quality, it was an addition that I found myself enjoying and really added depth to the book's thematic goals. I definitely recommend this book! Especially the audiobook version.”

“I can’t recall the last time I’ve been reading a work of nonfiction and woken up excited purely by the fact that, today, I would get to read more. Compulsive and psychologically riveting, Three Women reads like a novel. I couldn’t keep from dog-earing its pages each time Taddeo perfectly expressed something I’d felt but never had the words for. In Sloane, Maggie, and Lina, I recognized aspects of myself — namely the desire for connection and for love. When three women tell their uncensored truth, they can liberate a nation. I feel deeply grateful to Lisa Taddeo for giving us this gift of raw authenticity.”

“Well written and informative book based on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for over one hundred years. The novel is rich in detail and plot twists and has a surprise gut wrenching ending. ”