Book Reviews

  • Cover of Shady Hollow. Fox in center, surrounded by trees.
    Shady Hollow Mysteries
    Looking for a new cozy-fantasy / cozy-mystery read but don’t know where to start? Try Juneau Black’s Shady Hollow Mysteries Series, where small town charm meets murder mystery but with a twist. All of our characters are animals, like Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit or Brian Jacques’ Redwall Series. The Herald’s… Book Reviews
  • Cover of You Make it Feel Like Christmas. Black couple kissing in front of large beautiful Christmas tree, light blue cover with white snow on the ground and snowflakes in the air.
    New Christian Romance Fiction Picks
    We love to highlight all different genres of books, so this week, we’re featuring several new Christian Romance Fiction choices on our shelves. A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander This book is set in two different time periods – present day and the 1860s. Two women face marital breaking… Book Reviews
  • Cover of Hiawatha and the Peacemaker. Cover is dominated by Native American with paddle,, feather headdress and beaded bands. Behind him is the Peacemaker - white painted skin, with purple handprints, black eye, and feather headdress.
    Native American Heritage Month Fiction Picks
    This week, we’re featuring Native American fiction for all ages! These books celebrate Native American tribes’ cultures and traditions, as well as sharing stories about past and current challenges Native Americans face(d). Picture Books Hiawatha and the Peacemaker by Robbie Robertson ACPL has this book in electronic format for a… Book Reviews
  • Cover of Big Trouble on Sullivan's Island. Blue sky, blue water, beach, sea oats and a walkway to the beach.
    Big Trouble on Sullivan’s Island
    Big Trouble on Sullivan’s Island. Boyer, Susan M. Holland : Stella Maris Books, LLC, 2023. This is a big, juicy Southern mystery/romance where the setting (Charleston, S.C.) is almost a character of its own! The library has purchased this in electronic formats only; I recommend the audiobook (through Libby), because… Book Reviews
  • Spooky book cover for Through The Woods. Includes woods, red moon, house and skeleton tree branches.
    Little Thieves and Painted Devils
    Little Thieves. Owen, Margaret. New York, NY : Henry Holt and Company, 2021. Painted Devils. Owen, Margaret. New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2023. Content warnings: physical and emotional child abuse and abandonment, rape (off page), manipulation, bloody violence, the death of a horse (off-page). Sometimes a random choice… Book Reviews
  • Spooky book cover for Through The Woods. Includes woods, red moon, house and skeleton tree branches.
    Spooky Season Calls for Great YA Graphic Novels
    With spooky season upon us, we’re going to highlight five young adult graphic novels for Halloween to get you in the mood. These are good for teenagers and adults alike! Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell: Everything in this book is in-your-face fall! It follows two characters who work at a fall… Book Reviews
  • Cover of Feel Good Food. Picture of dish with green peas and other vegetables and pasta.
    New Cookbooks to Make Fall Cooking Easier
    I love a good cookbook. Even if I only get one recipe out of a cookbook, it is worth it to me to look through it! That’s why using the library’s collection is so wonderful – you don’t have to purchase the cookbooks to find those great recipes. Here are… Book Reviews
  • Cover of The Spirit Glass. Young woman looking at mirror, sees a ghost in the mirror.
    Rick Riordan Presents
    Fury of the Dragon Goddess. Chadda, Sarwat. Los Angeles : Disney Hyperion, 2023. The Spirit Glass. Chokshi, Roshani. Los Angeles : Disney/Hyperion, 2023. Most likely, your kids know all about Rick Riordan’s books (Percy Jackson series, The 39 Clues, Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and many more). He champions writers who… Book Reviews
  • Cover of The Twyford Code. Cream cover, blue writing, book in center. Red footprints trail over the book and the upper right corner of the book.
    The Twyford Code
    The Twyford Code. Hallett, Janice. New York : Atria Books, 2023. Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Gun Violence, Murder, Death of Parent, Abandonment, Domestic Abuse, Kidnapping Steven “Smithy” Smith has recently been released from prison and can’t remember the last time anything truly good happened in his life – except Miss… Book Reviews
  • Cover of Family Lore. Picture of wicker chair, orange pillow, flowers on side, Family Lore Elizabeth Acevedo in yellow.
    Great New Books to Enjoy During National Hispanic Heritage Month
    National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated Sept. 15-Oct. 15 each year.  One way to celebrate is to read Hispanic fiction, and we have a great list for you! Adult Fiction Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo Flor has a unique gift – she knows the day when someone is going to… Book Reviews
  • Cover of Fiona Goes to School - drawing of Fiona the hippo with a backpack
    Five Back to School Books for Young Elementary School Readers
    Since Alamance-Burlington schools are finally back in session, we’re going to celebrate this week with five great picture and easy reader books about school! Fiona Goes to School by Richard Cowdrey, illustrated by Donald Wu. Fiona the hippo, from the Cincinnati Zoo, is probably the best-known hippo in the country!… Book Reviews
  • Cover of book - yellow with a lot of different eyes and title of book
    I Never Thought of It That Way
    “I never thought of it that way : how to have fearlessly curious conversations in dangerously divided times.” Guzmán, Mónica. Dallas, TX : BenBella Books, Inc., [2022] This is the book selection for the Alamance-Elon 2023 Community Book Club. We will be offering two sessions for people to engage with… Book Reviews
  • Delicate Condition
    Delicate condition. Valentine, Danielle. Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Landmark, [2023] Trigger warnings: miscarriage, infertility, harm to animals Every person who has been pregnant or wants/wanted to be pregnant will see themselves in this book. Anna Alcott is an actress who has just found real commercial success in a movie called… Book Reviews
  • Cover of Tilly in Technicolor. Room full of natural light, large window. Boy lying on bed. Girl standing on bed leaning over him with a camera. He's reaching up in mock protest as she takes a photo of him.
    Tilly in Technicolor
    Eddings, Mazey. Tilly in Technicolor. New York : Wednesday Books, 2023. I absolutely loved this neurodivergent romance! I would categorize it as YA/New Adult. The spice level is low, with most of the action happening off the page. Tilly has ADHD, making her a larger-than-life cosmic mess. Her perfect older… Book Reviews
  • Cover of Grounded. Four Muslim tweens running through airport, can see lightning bolts in windows behind them.
    Grounded
    Saeed, Aisha, Al-Marashi, Huda, Thompkins-Bigelow, Jamilah and Ali, S.K. “Grounded.” New York : Amulet Books, 2023. This is a really great story for tweens, told by a bevy of Muslim authors! The setting is an airport, where a storm has grounded all flights. The MONA (Muslims of North America) conference… Book Reviews
  • A Deadly Education
    A Deadly Education, Novik, Naomi. New York : Del Rey, [2020] Content Warnings:  Death, Violence, Gore, Murder, Child death, Death of a parent Being a good person can be really freaking annoying.  Galadriel “El” Higgins knows this all too well.  When she was a child, her great-great-great grandmother prophesied that… Book Reviews
  • cover of Ink Blood Sister Scribe - purple cover, text in scroll font
    Ink Blood Sister Scribe
    “Ink Blood Sister Scribe,” Törzs, Emma. New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, [2023]. Content Warnings:  Blood, Death of a Parent, Gun Violence, Body Horror Books can be magic.  Magic can be dangerous.  Esther and Joanna Kalotay have known this all their lives, growing up… Book Reviews
  • Cover of The Golden Spoon - a golden spoon with a mansion on the top of the handle of the spoon.
    The Golden Spoon
    “The Golden Spoon,” Maxwell, Jessa. New York : Atria Books, 2023. Content Warning: Sexual assault, child abandonment, anxiety/panic attacks. If you love baking competitions and cozy mysteries with an edge, this is the book for you! Every year for the last ten years, Betsy Martin has invited bakers to her… Book Reviews
  • Happy Place cover - pink with people jumping into the water
    Happy Place
    “Happy Place,” by Emily Henry. Copyright 2023, Berkley, New York (388 pages, $28.00). Content Warning: Death of parent, grief, sexual content, mental illness, alcohol, drug use. Harriet can’t wait for the annual week-long stay Sabrina’s little summer cabin off a coast of Maine. The relaxation and peace of this cabin… Book Reviews
  • Cover of Once There Was by Kiyash Monsef. Golden hand, petting a large winged animal.
    Once There Was
    Once there was. Monsef, Kiyash. New York : Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, [2023]. Once There Was is more than a wonderful YA (and upper Middle Grade) fantasy. It is also a gentle reminder that we can do better in preserving our world, in protecting wildlife, in putting… Book Reviews

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