The Pet and the Pendulum (The Misadventures of Edgar and Alan Poe) by Gordon McAlpine 208 pages

Edgar and Alan Poe have returned home after their trips to Kansas and New Orleans. Though it is not quite a happy homecoming. Professor Perry has come back to Baltimore in order to take control over the twins. His plot even includes using a pendulum-like blade to kill one of the boys, so that he can communicate to the other side.

In the Great Beyond, the boys’ great-great-great-great granduncle, Edgar Alan Poe, has been watching over the boys. Though he was banished to the Animal Room, Poe is still trying to communicate with the boys to warn them.

What an ending to an amazing trilogy, with the puzzles and twists. This was read by Arte Johnson.

The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen 352 pages

It’s been a year since Detective Jane Rizzoli helped lock up the serial killer, Warren Hoyt. A year where Jane does a sweep of her house, every time she walks into her home because of the horror she faced at the hand of Warren Hoyt. Now, there is another serial killer on the loose and the signs are all pointing to Hoyt according to Jane.

When FBI Special Agent Gabriel Dean joins the team, Jane is not pleased. She believes that he knows more than what he lets on. Jane especially gets nervous when Hoyt escapes from custody. It seems that the murders are becoming personal, when a body is left on a grave marked Rizzoli.

Jane must find Hoyt and the killer before she becomes their next victim.

This was read by Anna Fields.

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen 368 pages

A serial killer is loose in the streets of Boston. The killer is sneaking into women’s homes, while they are sleeping. After brutally murdering them, he folds their nightgowns, which becomes signature of him. Due to the method of the killings, the media dubs the killer “The Surgeon.”

When Detectives Jane Rizzoli and Thomas Moore are put on the case, they realize that the murders are similar to ones that took place in Georgia several years earlier. The serial killer in Savannah, Georgia, was stopped when his last victim, Dr. Catherine Cordell, shot him. Now Catherine lives in Boston as a cardiac surgeon.

As the murders continue, Catherine is getting more and more nervous. She thinks that someone is breaking into her house and office. She is the only person to help catch the killer, but is it a copycat or did the original killer have a partner?

This was read by Dennis Boutsikaris.

Floors by Patrick Carman 272 pages

Leo Fillmore lives at the Whippet Hotel with his father. Leo knows the ends and outs of the Whippet, especially since his father is the janitor. The Whippet is not your ordinary hotel. Each floor has its own wacky design. When Mr. Whippet goes missing, Leo receives a cryptic box, which leads him to three more boxes.

Leo meets Remi, the new door boy. Remi is so excited to be working at The Whippet for the summer. Leo recruits Remi into helping him as he investigates the boxes as well as secret levels of the hotel.

The Whippet seems to be falling apart; it is up to Leo and Remi to locate Mr. Whippet before its too late.

This was read by Jesse Bernstein.

Flunked (Fairy Tale Reform School) by Jen Calonita 256 pages

Gillian Cobbler lives in a boot with her parents and five brothers and sisters. Gilly steals the things her family needs, to make things meet. She was a good thief, until one day she gets caught. Gilly is sent to Fairy Tale Reform School.

Fairy Tale Reform School is ran by former villains like the Big Bad Wolf and the Evil Queen. It is where mischievous children on the path to becoming villains go to be put on the path of heroes. While at school, Gilly and her friends Jax and Kayla must fight Gargoyles and help save the lives of princesses such as Snow White and Cinderella.

Gilly, Jax, and Kayla need to figure out just how good the former villains are?

This was read by Kristin Condon.

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz 320 pages

Have you ever wondered what happened to all of your favorite villains from the Disney movies? Well, twenty years ago all of the evil villains were banished to the Isle of the Lost from the kingdom of Auradon. The island is dark and dreary, where magic no longer works. 

They also had kids to follow in their footsteps. Mal the daughter of Maleficent, wants nothing more than to be just like her mother. Evie, the daughter of the Evil Queen, is fixated on her looks just as her mother was. Jay, the son of Jafar, is a thief and can lie like the best of them. Carlos, the son of Cruella, has great skills with technology, but is deathly afraid of dogs.

It’s not easy being a child of an evil villain.

This was read by Sophia Carson.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, 416 pages

While this book tells the wonderful story of the Washington University rowing team who made it to the Berlin Olympics in 1936, it mostly focuses on one of those boys in the boat, Joe Rantz. 

The book also shares a lot of information about the Depression, the Dust Bowl and the lead up to World War II in both the US and Germany.  It was an incredibly informative and spectacular book. 

I learned a lot about rowing, but I also learned a lot about what people overcame to survive in America in the 1930s.  I also learned about the nine boys in the boat and their coaches and their varied stories and what it took to reach Olympic glory.

A+, 5 stars, thumbs up!

Made For You by Melissa Marr 384 pages

This book is told in three perspectives: Eva, Grace, and Judge.

Eva Tilling wakes up in a hospital bed after being hit by a car walking home one night. She also discovers that she has a new skill, she can see how a person will die when they touch her. During her recover, Eva reconciles with an old friend, Nate, who is hired to help Eva.

Grace Young is Eva’s best friend who is an outsider, having come to North Carolina from Pennsylvania. Eva’s friends accept Grace because of Eva.

Judge is obsessed with Eva. He is also killing girls trying to send messages to Eva through flowers.

With the help of Nate and Grace, Eva uses her new skill to determine who the next victims will be. Will the trio be able to solve the murders before they are next?

This book is a Gateway Award nominee and was read by Shannon McManus, MacLeod Andrews, and Samantha Quinn. This book was intense and hard to put down. 

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek (a Memoir) by Maya Van Wagenen, 264 pages (2016-2017 Truman Readers Award Nominee)

Self-proclaimed geek,  Maya Van Wagenen,  discovers an old copy of a 1950's popularity guide,  written by former teen model Betty Cornell and decides to spend her 8th grade year following the advice in hopes of attaining popularity. 

The first thing I have to admit is that I definitely do judge a book by it's cover and I couldn't resist this kitschy cute one.  Then I read the inside flap and the awkward 8th grader inside of me cheered!  If only I'd had this book in 1993!  My BFF and I would have followed it to the letter!

The next thing I have to admit was that I was concerned when in the first chapter Maya devotes an entire month to solving her "figure problems."  Not exactly the body positive image I'm trying to instill in my own daughter.  Fortunately, it's pretty humorous and not at all preachy.

Each month was devoted to a different topic from the original book by Betty Cornell.  Maya included tidbits from Betty as well as live and learn tips from her own experiences.  By the end of the year, she had succeeded.  People knew her and liked her, she had become popular.  Her final popularity tip was the best one, in my opinion.  "Popularity is more than looks.  It's not clothes, hair, or even possessions.  When we let go of these labels, we see how flimsy and relative they actually are.  Real popularity is kindness and acceptance.  It is about who you are, and how you treat others."  Well said, Maya.  Well said.

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler, 325 pages

This is a poignant story that weaves two story lines together.  Isabelle McAllister is an 89 year old white woman who asks her 30-something black hairdresser, Dorrie Curtis, to drive her from Texas to Ohio for a funeral. Obviously, they are also close friends.

On the road, Dorrie learns the story of Isabelle's life in the 1930s when she fell in love with a young black man.  It didn't end well.

Dorrie has her own problems and Isabelle helps her come to terms with those too on their week-long road trip.  This was a beautiful story that made me wonder why we still keep worrying about the color of other people's skin.