Joey likes fiction, thrillers, mysteries. memoirs, historical fiction and even horror.

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