Start your new year off right with this fabulous series by Louise Penny. Set in a tiny village in Canada named Three Pines, you will come to love the recurring characters and the fabulous writing. Glass Houses happens to be the thirteenth in the series. I don’t start Louise Penny books unless I have the time to finish them the same night and if I don’t have the time….well, I finish the book anyways. This mystery required a suspension of belief at the start of the novel when a mysterious grim reaper figure shows up at Three Pines and stands in the village square for a couple days during the winter. Hmmm….. How easy is it to stand still in the bitter cold? And not need to use the facilities (although, granted, this would perhaps kill some of the mystery). However, once the murder happens and ties into the larger picture of Canadian criminal intrigue, the story rolls along gracefully.
My New Year’s Resolution is to put Words We Don’t Say by K.J. Reilly into the hands of every Teenager I know. Utilizing humor and an occasional use of “texting”, this novel portrays the real grief a teenage boy deals with as well as the way he has isolated himself from others. He still attends school and does community service; however, he only shares his real feelings through texts that he never actually sends.
| The main protagonist in Soar has courage, wit, and is a heart transplant recipient. The plot is fantastic. A town obsessed with winning finds out the high school baseball boys have been pumped full of steroids after one of the boys dies. Jeremiah can’t play his beloved baseball due to his heart condition but he decides to “coach” the currently nonexistent middle school team. Dealing with bullies and negative comments becomes a way of life. This is a winner all the way around! Characters, plot, and writing are all wonderful. |
Charlotte wants a pet. Any kind of pet will do. Charlotte’s parents get her a pet rock. Humorous illustrations show Charlotte trying to walk her rock (more of a boulder really) and trying to feed her rock the broccoli she doesn’t intend to eat herself. Fun and charming.
Check The Soul of an Octopus out of Overdrive on audio book. I am a confirmed land lover but this engaging story of a journalist who becomes obsessed with an octopus at an aquarium in Boston was fascinating. This obsession leads her into an investigation of the life of the octopus and the differing personalities they express as well as deep relationships with those who work and volunteer with the octopuses at the aquarium. All of the things I never knew I needed to know about octopuses….did you get that? 🙂