Our Favorite Books:

Wintercake by Lynne Rae Perkins is a fine choice for the entire family this time of year.  Written for 4-8-year-old children this cozy picturebook has everything a good book needs. It is fun, has an exciting story in which something actually happens, and the writing is terrific. A missing basket of dried fruits returned by a stranger leads two friends to make a  Wintercake and embark on a journey to find the stranger and give him the cake.  The vocabulary is sophisticated, always a good sign.

Elizabeth Strout's latest novel Olive, Again, is a continuation of the previous novel Olive Kitteridge. Olive indeed is back in all her cranky, DownEast hard scrabble ways. Olive delivers a baby, gets married again after living alone as a widow, has a poem written about her and marches into old age as only Olive can do. 

The Saturday Night Ghost Club is the perfect rainy day read. It's just the right amount of heartwarming and bittersweet.

An irresistible and bittersweet coming-of-age story in the vein of Stranger Things and Stand by Me about a group of misfit kids who spend an unforgettable summer investigating local ghost stories and urban legends

"A celebration of the secret lives of children, both their wonders and their horrors . . . Immensely enjoyable, piercingly clever, and satisfyingly soulful." -Jason Heller, NPR

Not quite a British "cozy," this delightful mystery has enough suspense and threatening situations to be totally absorbing and yet the light touch in the writing makes it a fine if not too serious read.  It is London, England, 1934, and an unimportant and down on her luck "Royal," Lady Georgiana Rannoch, (Queen Victoria was her grandmother) finds herself swept up into the inner circle of the royal family and the preparations for the upcoming wedding of Prince George, when she's asked to be a companion to the foreign and beautiful bride-to-be, Princess Marina of Greece.

     If you haven't discovered Elly Griffiths Dr. Ruth Galloway mystery books you are in for a treat. The House at Sea's End is part of this series written by Elly Griffiths and I recommend it with great enthusiasm. Published in 2011 it is now available in mass market. The setting is the northern coast of England in 2005. Dr. Ruth Galloway is summoned by the local police Chief Inspector Harry Nelson to examine 6 bodies recently uncovered in a seaside cave by a spring storm.

     England, 1939. Ten-year-old Virginia Wrathmell arrives at Salt Winds, a secluded house on the edge of a marsh, to meet her adoptive parents―practical, dependable Clem and glamorous, mercurial Lorna. The marsh, with its deceptive tides, is a beautiful but threatening place. Virginia’s new parents’ marriage is full of secrets and tensions she doesn’t quite understand, and their wealthy neighbor, Max Deering, drops by too often, taking an unwholesome interest in the family’s affairs. Only Clem offers a true sense of home.

     This sequel to The Cruel Prince is tense, atmospheric, twisty, and everything I wanted it to be. Jude survived the events of the first book, but not without sacrifices--and now she has to fight to keep her power, fend off the fae of the Undersea, and untangle her complicated relationship with High King Cardan. This book will take you for a wild ride, and you won't be able to put it down. The moral gray areas, difficult decisions, and suspense will captivate you and ensure you're still thinking about it when you finish.

     It is the 1890's and a young, recently widowed naturalist Cora travels to Aldwinter to investigate rumors of a return of a mythical sea serpent to the gloomy marshes and estuaries of the tiny village. Top notch historic fiction writer Sarah Perry spins a well-written tale of menace and fear as well as humor, love, faith and courage. For a tale well told - read this book.
 

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce is filled with colorful characters.--literally-- a tattoo artist, a clerk who blankets the street with flyers, and most importantly the music shop owner, Frank. Frank helps customers and friends through tough times by choosing the right music to listen to: a a heartbroken Chopin listener gets Aretha Franklin. Frank's whole world changes when a mysterious customer in a green coat faints outside his shop. This novel even has a playlist on Spotify!

     Christopher Knight lived in a tent encampment in the Maine Woods for 27 years, never being seen or speaking to another human. He lived unlike anything you can imagine--breaking into homes for food, batteries, propane, books, even mattresses--waking up in the middle of the night so as not to freeze to death in the heart of the winter.