Joey likes fiction, thrillers, mysteries. memoirs, historical fiction and even horror.
JANUARY 4, 2022: Joey’s pick this week is The Children’s Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin NOW in paperback . What a perfect time to hunker down and read this gripping novel which is written from actual oral histories of survivors. The unexpected Blizzard happened on January 12, 1888 and it was unusually mild so most of the kids did not have their winter coats and on so we’re not prepared for what was going to happen. Young schoolteachers we’re faced with life and death decisions. You will be glued to this book I guarantee it. Well written and completely engrossing . Definitely a must read!
JANUARY 4, 2022: Joey’s pick this week is ANY Pete the Cat book but one of our favorites is “Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons“ by Eric Litwin and art by James Dean! What a fun fun book to read aloud to the kiddos . You will read over and over and they’ll enjoy it each time ! ( I sing it ) you can’t go wrong with a Pete the Cat book! We also love Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes! Another GREAT one to read out loud to the kiddos.
DECEMBER 22, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is The series of books by Ryan T. Higgins, Mother Bruce, Bruce’s Big Move, Hotel Bruce, The Bruce Swap & Bruce’s Big Storm. I absolutely love this author! All his books are so fun and entertaining any child or adult would enjoy them so much . Honestly you will laugh out loud! A super choice for your grandchildren or anyone who loves books that make you laugh.
DECEMBER 8, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is "The Reading List" by Sara Nisha Adams. Thoroughly enjoying this book. A widower named Mukesh, who misses his wife terribly goes to the library to try to find a book that he will enjoy. His wife loved to read and he wants to be close to her so he also wants to read. At the library he meets a young lady named Aleisha who works at the front desk … read this book and find out how the lives of these two very different people become bonded because of the power of a book. Unforgettable & heartwarming.
DECEMBER 1, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is a favorite author of hers , Jodi Picoult , and her new book which came out today is called “ Wish You Were Here”. Diana O’Toole who is associate specialist at Sotheby’s , has her life all planned out. She’ll be turning thirty soon and knows her boyfriend Finn who is a surgical resident will be proposing to her soon on their vacation they have planned in the Galápagos Islands.
Then all heck breaks lose when a virus hits their city and Finn has to stay so he tells her to get away now and go on their vacation alone to get away from the city .
NOVEMBER 16, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is “Oh William! “By Elizabeth Strout a favorite author of Joey’s. The third in the Lucy Barton series , Lucy is going through many changes as her husband David had just passed away. Lucy Is thinking about her life . Her ex husband William is also going through a rough patch and these two decide to go on an adventure together . Elizabeth always makes you start re-examining your own relationships in life . Her books never seem long enough but always enjoyable .
NOVEMBER 9, 2021: Joey's pick this week “IT FELL FROM THE SKY” by Terry & Eric Fan. What an absolutely beautiful picture book this is. Adults will enjoy the storyline and beauty as much as the kiddos. It fell from the sky, Where did it come from? It’s so beautiful but none of the insects know what it is. Then Mr Spider wants everyone near and far to see this beautiful object, he decides he’ll charge a fee to see it. Will the insects still line up to see this unusual object? What will he do. Lessons about community and giving back, just a great picture book.
This Saturday, we are having a story time and related games & activities with marbles for ages 4+ based on the book It Fell From the Sky by the Fan Brothers at 9:30 a.m. Reservations required because space is limited. Call 781-826-6060 for more information and Reservations THANK YOU!
NOVEMBER 2, 2021: Local Woman Missing: A Novel by Mary Kubica. Did not disappoint. This is Joey’s pick today . It sucked her right in right from the get go. This takes place in a small town where everyone knows each other. A woman goes missing leaving her husband and a newborn baby . A few weeks later another woman and her daughter go missing. It does go back-and-forth from present and past but you still hang on to every word and you do not want to stop reading! Don’t miss out on this fabulous thriller now in paperback . You will not be disappointed!
OCTOBER 26, 2021: Joey’s Pick this week is No One Will Miss Her by Kay Rosenfield. A new author discovered and so thrilled I did. Taking place in Maine in a small town called Cooper Falls. A murder takes place , a local woman who grew up in Cooper Falls , Lizzie Oullette and her husband Dwayne is no where to be found . Who did this ? Lizzie did not have many friends so…. I love the way this story is told, just about every other chapter is narrated by Lizzie and once you start reading you can’t let go. Love the characters and especially the homicide investigator, Detective Ian Bird. Come along for the ride, I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological suspense story. Like the back of the book says, it has a murderous twist that will shock even the most savvy reader! And that’s the truth!
OCTOBER 19, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is The Grandmother Plot by Caroline Cooney, author of The Face on a Milk Carton. Death isn’t unexpected in a nursing home but Murder is. Freddy, who’s life isn’t full of too many responsibilities does have the responsibility of visiting his grandmother, ( whom he adores ) in the nursing home . He visits her often and on one of the visits he finds out one of the patients, an old woman already close to passing, is murdered. Of course Freddy panics as other family members of the other patients do too. He’s got to keep his grandmother safe and as he’s doing this he’s got all kinds of crazy things going on and can’t have the police in his life. I really enjoyed this book and really got to like Freddy and some of the other characters. This was my first Caroline Cooney and I’m looking forward to another one called Before She was Helen. I’ll keep you posted.
OCTBER 13, 2021: Joey’s pick this week are two little books from the Highlights Bear and Friends series, A Scarf for Squirrel by Jody Jensen Shaffer and Fox Wants a Pet by Jody Jensen Shaffer . Joey got these for the little girl she nannies and had to read them over and over. Short stories with adorable pictures and just a few words on each page. In each book there is a hidden letter on each page for the child to find. I love these and I think all the kiddos will too.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is "Six Weeks To Live" by Catherine McKenzie! Can’t put downable read. Jennifer Barnes never expected the devastating news she received at a routine doctor’s appointment: she has a terminal brain tumor, and only six weeks left to live. Now she has to tell her adult triplet daughters, (who are all so very different ) and her ( almost) ex husband . But when she realizes she was possibly poisoned a year earlier, she’s determined to discover who might have tried to get rid of her before she’s gone for good. Do her girls thinks she’s crazy for thinking this ? Will they help her figure this out ? This new title will definitely keep you reading , so thrilled I discovered a new author .
SEPTEMBER 14, 2021: Joey’s pick for today is BEAR IS A BEAR by Jonathan Stutzman. Absolutely loved this book! Illustrations by Dan Santat are adorable and just love the whole meaning of the book. Many of us remember growing up with that special stuffed animal and how much they meant to us . They were always there for times when we were sad, mad , happy and times when we just used them as a playmate . This actually brought tears to my eyes . Just a lovely book and I know you and the kiddos will enjoy it 100%.
AUGUST 31, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is Louise Penny’s newest addition to her collection of Three Pines Mysteries The Madness of Crowds. I love her books and once you start one you want to just read it all the way through without stopping. This is no different. The pandemic is over and the people of Three Pines are slowly returning to a "normal" that includes toboganning, drinking hot chocolate in the bistro, sharing meals together and holiday gatherings including a New Year's Eve party. Take the intersection and interaction of new characters including controversial and strong emotion evoking Professor of Statistics Abigail Robinson, her assistant Deborah Schneider, international social activist and terror survivor Haniya Daoud, and the residents of Three Pines and nearby including Vincent Gilbert, Colette Roberge, Ruth et al, add an attempted murder and an actual murder, and the start of the new year for Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste is anything but peaceful. Once again Penny's plot twists, subtle clues and the interweaving of true facts with fiction that could easily be our disturbing truth will hook you from page one to the very last page.
AUGUST 23, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. It has been a Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon pick, ( decided by his audience ) and has been on the bestseller list. Jacob Finch Bonner was once a promising young novelist with a respectably published first book. Today, he’s teaching in a third-rate MFA program and struggling to maintain what’s left of his self-respect; he hasn’t written―let alone published―anything decent in years. When Evan Parker, his most arrogant student, announces he doesn’t need Jake’s help because the plot of his book in progress is a sure thing, Jake is prepared to dismiss the boast as typical amateur narcissism. But then . . . he hears the plot. Jake returns to the downward trajectory of his own career and braces himself for the supernova publication of Evan Parker’s first novel: but it never comes. When he discovers that his former student has died, presumably without ever completing his book, Jake does what any self-respecting writer would do with a story like that―a story that absolutely needs to be told. In a few short years, all of Evan Parker’s predictions have come true, but Jake is the author enjoying the wave. He is wealthy, famous, praised and read all over the world. But at the height of his glorious new life, an e-mail arrives, the first salvo in a terrifying, anonymous campaign: You are a thief, it says. As Jake struggles to understand his antagonist and hide the truth from his readers and his publishers, he begins to learn more about his late student, and what he discovers both amazes and terrifies him. Who was Evan Parker, and how did he get the idea for his “sure thing” of a novel? What is the real story behind the plot, and who stole it from whom? I think you’ll really enjoy this ! Read “ The Plot “
AUGUST 17, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is another book from the wonderful Yuval Zommer , “The Big Book of the Blue” Following the wild success of The Big Book of Bugs and The Big Book of Beasts, The Big Book of the Blue is the third installment in Yuval Zommer’s beloved series. Alongside everything the young oceanographer needs to know, Zommer’s charming illustrations bring to life some of the slipperiest, scaliest, strangest, and most monstrous underwater animals. Kids will be mesmerized by these wonderful drawings and learn all kinds of wonderful things about creatures in the big blue sea .
AUGUST 10, 2021: Joeys pick this week is Stephen kings newest book “Billy Summers“of which she highly highly recommends. Honest to goodness the minute you start this assassination thriller you will not want to put it down. Unbelievable story about a sniper, Billy Summers who takes on one last job. From there the action doesn’t end. Great characters, ones that you really end up caring about ! This caught me right from page one and I wish I re-read books because I would do that with this. Grab this book, you’ll be so glad you did!
AUGUST 3, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is The BIG Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer! I absolutely fell in love with this wonderful big book. The drawings are just great and the text is perfect so the kiddos can understand all about the bugs. I loved this so much that I bought a copy for my niece's little boys and they absolutely loved it and had to look at it over and over again! A sure hit for the avid bug lover.
JULY 27, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is "Such a Quiet Place” by Megan Miranda. Pulsating with suspense and with the shocking twists that are Megan Miranda’s trademark, Such a Quiet Place is Megan Miranda’s best novel yet—a twisty locked-box thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night. Hollow’s Edge used to be a quiet place. A private and idyllic neighborhood where neighbors dropped in on neighbors, celebrated graduation and holiday parties together, and looked out for one another. But then came the murder of Brandon and Fiona Truett. A year and a half later, Hollow’s Edge is simmering. The residents are trapped, unable to sell their homes, confronted daily by the empty Truett house, and suffocated by their trial testimonies that implicated one of their own. Ruby Fletcher. And now, Ruby’s back. You won’t want to stop reading!
JULY 20, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is Nicci French’s House of Correction . I’ve never read this author before and I really enjoyed this husband & wife author team. Tabitha had moved back to her hometown of Okeham England. Not too long after she is accused of killing her formal Jr. high teacher. As Tabitha is shepherded through the system, her entire life is picked apart and scrutinized —her history of depression and medications, her decision to move back to a town she supposedly hated . . . and of course, her past relationship with the victim, her former teacher. But most unsettling, Tabitha’s own memories of that day are a complete blur. Tabitha attempts to solve her own case without the help of a lawyer from inside the prison. I really enjoyed this heart pounding stand-alone thriller and would love to read more with this character. I think it would make a great Netflix series. Available in paperback
JULY 13, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave now on the bestseller list . Joey enjoyed this very much! A “gripping” (Entertainment Weekly) mystery about a woman who thinks she’s found the love of her life—until he disappears. Before Owen Michaels disappears, he smuggles a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers—Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother. As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a US marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared. With its breakneck pacing, dizzying plot twists, and evocative family drama, The Last Thing He Told Me is a riveting mystery, certain to shock you with its final, heartbreaking turn.
This is why it’s on the bestseller list ! A great beach read!
JULY 6, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is the brand new title FALLING by T.J.Newman. This book was completely unputdownable! Written by a former flight Attendant she gets everything right in this most suspenseful debut! From the minute you board you will not want to get off .. so excited to tell people about this awesome book! You just boarded a flight to New York. There are one hundred and forty-three other passengers onboard. What you don’t know is that thirty minutes before the flight your pilot’s family was kidnapped. For his family to live, everyone on your plane must die. The only way the family will survive is if the pilot follows his orders and crashes the plane. Enjoy the flight. AND you definitely will enjoy it !!!
JUNE 29, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalilila Harris, the new Good Morning America pick .Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust. Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW. It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career. A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.
JUNE 23, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is The One Hundred Years of Lennie and Margot by Marianne Cronin. Now in paperback. From the publisher: "Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives on the Terminal Ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Though the teenager has been told she's dying, she still has plenty of living to do. Joining the hospital's arts and crafts class, she meets the magnificent Margot, an 83-year-old, purple-pajama-wearing, fruitcake-eating rebel, who transforms Lenni in ways she never imagined. As their friendship blooms, a world of stories opens for these unlikely companions who, between them, have been alive for one hundred years. Though their days are dwindling, both are determined to leave their mark on the world. With the help of Lenni's doting palliative care nurse and Father Arthur, the hospital's patient chaplain, Lenni and Margot devise a plan to create one hundred paintings showcasing the stories of the century they have lived--stories of love and loss, of courage and kindness, of unexpected tenderness and pure joy."
JUNE 16, 2021: For Dads who are into nature, bird watchers, Sy Montgomery fans or want to learn about something new: Joey’s pick this week is Hummingbirds’s Gift, Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings by Sy Montgomery. We have loved all of Sy Montgomery’s books so far and this is right along with the others. If you’re a bird lover, as we are you’ll definitely enjoy this story about Sy who travels to help Brenda Sherburn take care of some newly born hummingbirds that were abandoned by their mother. Miraculous creatures, they are also incredibly vulnerable, especially if they don’t have their mom to feed and protect them. With tenderness and patience, she rescues abandoned hummingbirds and nurses them back to health until they can fly away and live in the wild. In The Hummingbird’s Gift, the extraordinary care that Brenda provides her peanut-sized patients is revealed and, in the process, shows us just how truly amazing hummingbirds are. With Sy Montgomery’s signature “joyful passion” ( Library Journal), this beautifully written and inspiring little book celebrates the profound gift that hummingbirds are to our planet and is the ultimate gift for nature lovers and bird watchers everywhere. You will love this; there are 16 pages of color photos that will just fascinate you.
JUNE 10, 2021: One of Joey's new favorites this week for the kiddos . “The Octopus Escapes” by Maile Meloy and Illustrated by Felicita Sala. Absolutely love the pictures in this, and i read it to a 6 & 3 year old and they both loved it. The octopus is happy in his undersea cave until one day, a diver captures him and takes him to live in an aquarium. The humans give him food and tests that look like toys. But every day is the same, and the octopus soon tires of captive life. And so, under the cover of darkness, he makes his daring escape... your kiddos will ask you to re-read it over & over. Just love this.
JUNE 3, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is “Long Lost" by Jacquline West. As soon as I saw this cover I had to pick it up . It’s a story for an 8-12 year old but I think even older would enjoy it. It had to do with spirits so I knew I’d love it. It’s about a family that moves to Massachusetts as the older daughter Arden is an excellent skater and wants to compete in the Olympics some day so they move closer to her rink . Fiona , her sister is eleven and sick of hearing about Ardens skating , and was not happy they had to move. One day while Fiona is at the towns library , which is an old rambling mansion donated by a long-dead heiress. And there she finds a gripping mystery novel about a small town, family secrets, and a tragic disappearance. From here on you get pulled right in and don’t want to stop. This is heart-pounding, intense, and imaginative mystery that builds anticipation on every page, while centering on the strong and often tumultuous bond between sisters. I highly highly recommend this quite awesome book!
MAY 18, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is Bestseller The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V.E. Schwab. This has been remarked as one of the best books of 2020. A Life No One Will Remember. A Story You Will Never Forget. France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.
MAY 18, 2021: Joey is a huge fan of Mary Kubica and Local Woman Missing which hits the shelves today, did not disappoint. This is Joey’s pick today. It sucked her right in right from the get go. This takes place in a small town where everyone knows each other. A woman goes missing leaving her husband and a newborn baby. A few weeks later another woman and her daughter go missing. It does go back-and-forth from present and past but you still hang on to every word and you do not want to stop reading! Don’t miss out on this fabulous new thriller. You will not be disappointed !
MAY 4, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is Good Girl, Bad Blood the sequel to A Good Girls Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson . We loved A Good Girls Guide to Murder so we were thrilled to have this sequel . Back into the lives of Pip and Ravi Singh. Pip is not a detective anymore but when someone she knows goes missing and the police won’t do anything , Pip has no choice but to investigate . More dark secrets are exposed in this addictive, true-crime fueled mystery.
APRIL 27, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is a NEW YA novel by author Krystal Sutherland, House of Hollow. Could not put this book down! Of course this cover is what attracted me right to this book. After I read the jacket I said I’m buying this. You may recognize this author as the one who wrote Our Chemical Hearts which was excellent and was recently made into a film. This is a story about three sisters. Three sisters that are very different . One day they disappear on a Scottish City street & return a month later with no recollection of where they were or what happened. It gets crazier; their hair starts turning white and their eyes turn black. What is happening? And as they grow older odd & eerie occurrences seem to follow them. People find them intoxicating, and will do anything for them. They are beautiful but people find them inexplicably dangerous. Find out about these three sisters, Grey, Vivi and 17 year old Iris, why their bond is so special. What happened to Grey who suddenly disappears and no one knows where she is ... couldn’t put this down and hoping it gets made into a film. Excellent book!
APRIL 20, 2021: Joey’s Pick this week is Playing Nice by JP Delaney. Love this author and enjoyed all his books so far . Another favorite of his is The Girl Before . Synopsis of Playing Nice: Pete Riley answers the door one morning to a stranger -and a parents worst nightmare . on his doorstep is Miles Lambert who breaks the devastating news that Pete’s two year old son Theo isn’t Pete and his partner Maddie’s child after all, he is the Lambert’s switched at birth by understaffed hospital while their real son has been growing up with Miles and his wife Lucy. The two families, reeling from the shock take comfort in shared good intentions , entwining their very different lives in the hope of becoming one unconventional modern unit. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an investigation that unearths disturbing questions about the night their children were switched. This definitely does keep you on your toes and I really enjoy this author very much.
APRIL 13, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth a new title that just came out today and it’s one of her favorite authors. About the book: Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous. When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple. Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden. Sally Hepworth never disappoints , have loved all her books
APRIL 6, 2021: Joey’s Pick this week is the new teen novel called The Project by Courtney Summers, the author of Sadie. You definitely get pulled right in and won’t want to let go. Lo Denham is used to being on her own. After her parents died in a tragic car accident, her sister Bea joined the elusive community called The Unity Project, leaving Lo to fend for herself. Desperate not to lose the only family she has left, Lo has spent the last six years trying to reconnect with Bea, only to be met with radio silence. As she uncovers more questions than answers at each turn, everything Lo thought she knew about herself, her sister, and the world is upended. One thing doesn’t change, though, and that’s what keeps her going: Bea needs her, and Lo will do anything to save her. Absolutely love this cover!
MARCH 30, 2021: Joey’s current read this week , a new title which arrived today “Libertie” by Kaitlyn Greenidge. Coming of age as a freeborn Black girl in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson is all too aware that her purposeful mother, a practicing physician, has a vision for their future together: Libertie is to go to medical school and practice alongside her. But Libertie, drawn more to music than science, feels stifled by her mother’s choices and is hungry for something else—is there really only one way to have an autonomous life? And she is constantly reminded that, unlike her mother, who can pass, Libertie has skin that is too dark. When a young man from Haiti proposes to Libertie and promises she will be his equal on the island, she accepts, only to discover that she is still subordinate to him and all men. As she tries to parse what freedom actually means for a Black woman, Libertie struggles with where she might find it—for herself and for generations to come.
MARCH 23, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is the new title Good Neighbors by Sarah Langan. A dark satire, and totally unputdownable . A sink hole opens up in a Long Island suburb. A teenager from one of the many families that live on Maple Street falls in and her best friend's family is blamed for it. This tragedy turns the neighborhood upside down & completely against this one particular so called lower class family. Great characters some you root for and others you want dead lol... Joey thought it was excellent. You’ll never look at your neighbors the same. Scary.
MARCH 16, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is LATER by Stephen King, which is currently on the best seller list . The last Stephen King book she read was The Institute, which she thought was excellent . She thought this was enjoyable as well. Jamie Conklin is the young son of a single mom named Tia who is a literary agent. Jamie is not your ordinary child, he can see dead people. Starting with his elderly neighbor next door. This reads very quickly and Joey would be very interested in hearing your thoughts if you’ve read it. Especially the ending. Definitely one to talk about.
MARCH 9, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is “Lost Apothecary” by Sarah Penner. Joey loved this book, could not put it down. Absolute brilliant work of fiction and just wanted it to continue. A female apothecary secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them setting three lives across centuries on a dangerous collision course. Once you start this don’t plan on getting anything done. Excellent excellent excellent is all she can say!
MARCH 2, 2021: Joey’s pick this week: “Girl A" by Abigail Dean. Another book she could not put down. If you are a Gillian Flynn fan this would be right up your alley as it is a bit dark here and there but that’s what Joey likes. From the first chapter right to the end you will be glued to the book. A dark novel about a young teenager ( with many siblings) who gets a chance to escape from a House of Horrors . Sooooo.... give it a try! We’d like to hear your thoughts.
FEBRUARY 23, 2021: Joey's pick this week is The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles. Based on the true story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris during World War ll. Unforgettable story of romance, friendship and most of all family and how literature brought people together & to this day still does. Follow this amazing story one beginning in 1939 and another in 1983. Each story intertwining and you will not be able to put it down. Joey loved this and can’t wait for the next title from this wonderful author.
FEBRUARY 16, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is Kristin Hannah’s new book “The Four Winds.”
An epic novel of love and heroism and hope during the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era . I could not put this novel down which usually is the case with Kristin Hannah’s books. Once you start this book you will feel like you’re in this story with main character Elsa Martinelli , (in my eyes a warrior). What will Elsa do? Fight for the land she’s grown to love or go West, to California for a better life. This is a must read ... I loved it.
FEBRUARY 9, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Once she started this it was hard to put down. Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library. She has a chance to make things right as of up to now she has been full of regrets and such unhappiness , but she gets to see what life might have been like if only she .... (wait & see) the midnight library is between life and death so this is her chance to make it right. This will make you look at your life in a different way when you’re done with this book . Joey loved this book!
FEBRUARY 2, 2021: Joey’s pick today is “The Push” by Audrey Audrain. Joey could not put this book down and finished it in a day ! You will not want to let go and of course you want it to continue. This always happens with a really good book. This is a Good Morning America pick and we get exactly why it was chosen . Unbelievable !like Good Morning America said , you’ll get hooked from the first page and you do !! A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family—and a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for—and everything she feared . Read it ! Seriously !
JANUARY 26, 2021: Joey’s pick this week is “Eight Perfect Murders” by Peter Swanson.
Completely enjoyed this book! Malcolm Kershaw who owns “ Old Devil’s Bookstore in Boston, is a mystery aficionado, compiled a list on his blog of the most unsolvable murders which he titled “eight perfect murders.“ These mysteries were chosen from among the best authors, one being Agatha Christie’s ABC Murder. Then a FBI agent comes knocking at Malcolm’s bookstore door one snowy day in February. She’s looking for info about a series of unsolved murders that look very similar to the killings in the books on Malcolm’s list. The killer is also interested in this bookseller who is always home reading every night and he knows his every move. Joey read this at the beginning of the pandemic and couldn’t put it down . Very engaging and a multilayered mystery. To Joey it was a definite excellent Who Done It ! And it’s now in paperback!
FIRST PICK OF THE NEW YEAR!
JANUARY 19, 2021:Joey’s pick this week! This title hit the shelves last week and I grabbed it up! Holy smokes, could not put it down for a second . Children’s Blizzard is about the January 12, 1888 Blizzard that took place in the Midwestern states. Killing over 200 people most of them school children trying to get home. Follow the lives of five true to life characters from three different states and how the storm effects them and those they love. This definitely pulls at your heartstrings and you may even cry, I did . Amazing job this author.MelanieBenjamin did retelling this unbelievable story!
DECEMBER 16, 2020: Still don’t know what to get that cute baby or toddler for the holidays? Joey’s pick this week is the awesome series of IDESTRUCTIBLES by Workman Publishing. They are the best baby & toddler books for your special little one. Bright pages, easy to grasp and they can put it in their mouth without destroying it. Great for cribs or car or just for mommy & me or daddy & me time. Read to your baby these wonderful INDESTRUCTIBLE books. They’ll be a sure hit.
DECEMBER 9, 2020: Joey’s pick this week is the Armand Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny . This has been selected before but with the holidays coming she just wants everyone to know how absolutely enjoyable these mysteries are. If you don’t know what to get your mom or dad, grandparent or a mystery fan these would be a sure hit . So incredibly enjoyable and you feel like you are right there with the wonderful cast of characters. Remember when in doubt, Louise Penny for sure!
DECEMBER 2, 2020: Joey’s pick this week is the wicked good book called “ Queen’s Gambit” by Walter Tevis. You may have heard of this title from the new show Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. Both of these are so great! Definite differences but none the less excellent.
NOVEMBER 24, 2020: Joey’s pick this week is the awesome book Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery. If you haven’t read this it’s a definitely must! You will read about Sy’s experience at the New England Aquarium and her relationship with the octopuses. Honestly you get pulled right into this book. Which is not unusual for this author. After reading this you will feel completely different about the octopus. Just the thought of this book makes Joey smile.
NOVEMBER 17, 2020: Joey’s pick this week is Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout. This is another wonderful book where the main character is moody, wry, doesn’t like change, says what’s on her mind , pulls no punches and you still fall in love with her . Joey enjoyed Olive Kitteridge very much but absolutely loved Olive, Again, and highly highly recommends it. And it’s now in paperback.
NOVEMBER 10, 2020: Joey’s pick today! Nala’s World by Dean Nicholson! This is such a wonderful story & you’ll even love it more if you’re an animal person . This man and his cat (that he rescued as a kitten) go on journeys together and you’ll just find it so fascinating! You can also find Dean & Nala on Instagram & FB and keep up with their travels.
NOVEMBER 2, 2020: Joey’s book pick this week is “Insignificant Events in the life of a Cactus” by Dusti Bowling for Ages 8-12 but we’d probably suggest 10 up. 13 year old Aven Green’s family is moving to Arizona where her dad and mom will be running a rundown western theme park. Aven is not excited about this as she’ll have to meet new people. People who don’t know her story. She likes to make up exciting stories on why she doesn’t have arms. But her life takes an unexpected turn when she meets Connor, a classmate who feels alone because he also has a disability. Together they solve a mystery, help a friend and realize how far from insignificant she really is.
OCTOBER 27, 2020 Joey’s pick this week is the book “Splintered” by A.G.Howard which is the first book in the series Splintered. This isn’t Joey’s usual type of book but it’s a book she’s always wanted to read , as it sounded so fascinating . Alyssa Gardner hears the thoughts of plants and insects. She hides her delusions for now, but she knows her fate she will end up like her mother in an institution. Madness has run in her family ever since her great great great grandmother Alice Liddell told Lewis Carroll her strange dreams inspiring his classic Alice’s adventures in Wonderland.
OCTOBER 22, 2020: Joey’s picks this week .Brandon Stanton author of Humans of New York , newest book “ HUMANS” of New York •Paris •St.Petersburg •Hong Kong• Amsterdam•Juba•Santiago •Karachi•Accra•Buenos Aires•Berlin•Calcutta• and many more around the world.This book is so fascinating you won’t be able to put it down . This would make a great addition to your book collection or for an awesome gift . Either way it’s well worth reading. A book for the young ones in your life -- great pictures, warm story, fun -- The Bookstore Cat by Cylin Busby.
OCTOBER 13, 2020: Joey recommends the author A.F. Brady. Joey loves this author! She read her latest book “Once a Liar“ and could not put it down . Very suspenseful and edgy and full of twists and turns . If you love thrillers then you’ll love A.F.Brady Joey also highly recommends The Blind which was her first Brady book to read and she read that in 24 hours . Unputdownable! Try her
OCTOBER 8, 2020: Joey’s pick this week is Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kathe Moore. For our younger readers there is the young readers' edition, The Radium Girls: The Scary but True Story of the Poison that Made People GLOW in the Dark. This has been in the news more lately as there’s a new movie coming out soon about this unbelievable story . Joey could not put this book down .
SEPTEMBER 30, 2020: Joey’s pick this week is Monogamy by Sue Miller. This review says it all about this great read: "A haunting meditation on love, marriage, fidelity, betrayal, and loss...Miller's work is magnificent and moving. Consider it for your next book club." --AARP Magazine Fall Preview
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020: Joey’s pick this week is from the awesome author Fredrik Backman, “Anxious People “ Joey loves this author and has enjoyed many of his books.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2020: Joey’s pick this week is The Institute by Stephen King now in paperback! She enjoyed this thoroughly and it reminded her of The show Stranger Things. Unputdownable as they say!
In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.
As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute “is another winner: creepy and touching and horrifyingly believable, all at once” ( The Boston Globe). #stephenkingbooks #stephenking #theinstitute
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020:
Joey’s pick this week is Louise Penny’s “ Still Life “ the first in an absolutely wonderful series.
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. Still Life introduces an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces---and this series---with integrity and quiet courage.
SEPTEMBER 1, 2020:
Joey’s pick this week is “Show Me a Sign” by Ann Claire LeZotte age 8-12
Deaf author and librarian Ann Clare LeZotte weaves a riveting Own Voices story inspired by the true history of a thriving deaf community on Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th century.
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha's Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there -- including Mary -- are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.
But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary's brother died, leaving her family shattered. Tensions over land disputes are mounting between English settlers and the Wampanoag people. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island's prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a "live specimen" in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this penetrating and poignant novel that probes our perceptions of ability and disability. It will make you forever question your own ideas about what is normal.
August 25, 2020:
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Hardcover) By Holly Jackson In this YA, 15 & up crime thriller tells the story of Pip who feels that the while the case of the murder 5 years ago of a high school friend is now closed, the supposed resolution doesn't quite add up. She is determined to find the real killer. Not everyone wants her looking into this case. Twists and turns with an ending you will never forget! YA and adults will enjoy this book. Joey certainly did and highly recommends it.
August 18, 2020:
This is Joey's pick this week . This book is amazing and everyone should read this! The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell is a book that tells the story of a young boy bullied in school, protected by his mother, made to be a man by his father, and loved by his true friends. I found it unique that it was a story told by the main character in both the present time and the past. Amazing book !
August 11, 2020:
This week I am sharing two of my favorite YA books . I am so thrilled that I discovered this author , #nancyrichardsonfischer , these books are amazing . I know some of you adults read YA and I highly recommend these titles . I always try to recommend these to the teens that come into the store along with the adults . They do have a love interest but it’s done very tastefully and real . Your teen will love them . Nancy , we can’t wait for the next one !
The Speed of Falling Objects (Hardcover) By Nancy Richardson Fischer and When Elephants Fly (Hardcover) By Nancy Richardson Fischer
August 4, 2020: playing NICE(hardcover) by JP Delaney
July 28, 2020: Home Before Dark:A Novel (hardcover) by Riley Sager
July 23, 2020: Dear Edward: A Novel (Hardcover) By Ann Napolitano
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell (Paperback) By Robert Dugoni
Something in the Water: A Novel (Paperback) By Catherine Steadman
July 14, 2020:
The Mother-in-Law: A Novel (Paperback) By Sally Hepworth
The Other Mrs. (Hardcover) By Mary Kubica
