Glyph

by Ali Smith

Pantheon/PRH

    Sisters who've been estranged, a loss which leads to too much imagination (can there be?), all of the horrors people inflict upon each other, ghosts and a horse that leads to a reconciliation. This is warm and sad and a reminder that war, 'though it's always been with us, has never been right.

    I'm going to have to read everything she's written.

If you would like to know more about, or own this book, please check with your local independent bookstore or this great place: bookshop.org. 

All the Birds in the Sky

Charlie Jane Anders

Tor/Macmillan

    Friendship, what it needs and what it can bring, and whether it just might be able to save the world. This is a thoughtful and frightening novel about the kinds of destruction, 10 years after this was published, we are doing.

    Take it as a warning, but a charming and very readable one.

If you would like to know more about, or own this book, please check with your local independent bookstore or this great place: bookshop.org. 

Homebound 

by Portia Elan

Scribner/S&S

   There is so much going on and yet it all hangs together beautifully. Difficult family, found families, lost family, ocean travel, space travel, AI, computer games and above all else, a deep sense of caring.

    This is great fun and gives  a sense of hope for us all.

If you would like to know more about, or own this book, please check with your local independent bookstore or this great place: bookshop.org. 

A Box Full of Darkness 

by Simone St. James

Berkley/PRH

    Sometimes you just need a good ghost story. This is definitely that. The town of Fell, New York is not on anyone's list of vacation spots and the three Esmie siblings are not thrilled about returning but feel that they have to when their landscaper quits.

    That's all I'll say, but this is a fun, escapist read.

If you would like to know more about, or own this book, please check with your local independent bookstore or this great place: bookshop.org. 

London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth

by Patrick Radden Keefe

Doubleday/PRH

    This is a very sad, but intriguing book. How could this child have gotten himself into such awful circumstances? But, do you remember being nineteen?

    The family's response, their search - at first for their child, then for an explanation - is heartbreaking. 

    The picture of London as something out of the Wild West, complete with deadly Russian cowboys, is surprising and frightening.

    Raden Keefe is a wonderful writer and keeps us riveted.

If you would like to know more about, or own this book, please check with your local independent bookstore or this great place: bookshop.org.