Fire Exit                               

by Morgan Talty

Tin House

     This is a strong, quiet, look at family, secrets, friendship, the price of truth and the price of culture. Charles is not a young man as he's trying to care for his long estranged mother, still torn about the daughter whose life he's not in, caring for an often lapsed AA friend, and trying to stay sober himself while facing all of his past, and the Native heritage that is not his.

     You'll think about this long after you finish.

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

 Nicked

by M.T.Anderson

Pantheon/PenguinRandomHouse                     

     If there were still an Index Librorum Prohibitorum - the Catholic Church's list of banned books, surely Nicked would be there. It is a wonderful, rollicking, seastorm adventure of relic stealing, romance, fun and faith, set in 1087 and based on a true story.

    Where is the Monty Python troupe when you need them? I'm afraid only they could do this great romp justice.

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

    

 The Bright Sword        

by Lev Grossman

Penguin Random House

    This retelling of the legend of Camelot centers on the less well known people of the realm, makes villains of some of the heroes, has a great deal of bloodshed and is, overall, a wonderful read. Grossman explains in a short essay at the end a bit about the way this story has been changed over hundreds of years with each retelling - the anachronisms and lack of historical accuracy - which bring new colors to each of the stories. 

    This is a fine addition to the lore.

If you'd like to know more about this book, or own it, please check with your local independent bookstore or this fine place bookshop.org .

 I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons 

Peter S. Beagle

Simon & Schuster

    This is a very light and engaging fantasy. The characters are delightfully well drawn and I hope we see them in a sequel. This is my first Beagle book but I will try some of his other older ones.

    A distracting fantasy may be just the thing we need for these difficult political times.

    Vote. Please.

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

Trust Her                               

by Flynn Berry

PenguinRandomHouse

This is a fine sequel to Berry's Northern Spy - both deal with the conflict in Ireland; two sisters who escaped severe consequences when they moved from Belfast to Dublin find it's a very small island. Both of the women are thoughtful and hopeful about the prospects for peace, in spite of their own difficult positions, and they'll do their best to keep their families safe. A compelling read.

If you'd like to know more about this book, or own it, please check your local independent bookstore or this great placebookshop.org