To Sir Phillip, With Love

I was so curious to read Elouise's love story because she is such a fiercely independent woman and I couldn't imagine who she would end up. Her romance is as improbable and unconventional as I anticipated - she becomes pen pals with a man she's never met (she wrote him a condolence letter after the death of his wife who happened to be her cousin) and he proposes marriage. At first she is annoyed and flabbergasted but when her best friend and fellow spinster, Penelope, gets married - she's feeling very alone. She decides to sneak away to meet him and see if he's the marrying sort. What Sir Phillip neglected to tell her was that he had two rambunctious twins who can't manage to stay out of trouble. He's looking for a new mother for them rather than a wife - but maybe they'll find there could be more to the relationship. 

Starfish

For anyone who has ever been bullied or felt uncomfortable in their own skin - this is the book for you. Ellie has been obsessively bullied about her weight ever since she had an under the sea 5th birthday party and wore a whale swimsuit. It's not just classmates, it's her siblings and her mother too. When your nickname is splash - life is anything but a cakewalk. Everything gets harder when her best friend moves away and her mother starts pushing her for surgery. She doesn't want to be skinny, she wants people to accept her for the way she is. Is she not good enough? Written in verse, this book also has so many great quotes or takeaways that readers will want to write down or commit to memory. Fat shaming is never ok - and so many angles are confronted and dissected by this precocious young teen. This middle grade novel will attract readers of all ages, so many people can relate to her story. Empowering and uplifting. A must read for everybody. 

Ariadne

I've been hankering for something to whet my appetite while I wait for Madeleine Miller to cook up a new Greek re-telling and Ariadne fit the bill. Like Circe I knew hardly anything about the mythology surrounding Ariadne, even though I knew all about her supporting cast of characters (King Minos, the Minotaur, Zeus, Hera, Dionysus, etc). Ariadne is the daughter of Kind Minos and older sister to the Minotaur. She dreams about one day leaving the kingdom, away from her tyrant father and monster brother. She always imagines that her beloved sister, Phaedra, will accompany her. When Theseus is brought from Athens to Crete to be sacrificed to the Minotaur, Ariadne has no idea how much her life is about to change. She is determined to be the master of her own destiny - no matter what the gods cook up for her. Compelling, fascinating, and wonderful. More please!

Beautiful Things

All I knew about Hunter Biden prior to this book was that he was the president's son and was an addict. Everything else I learned from reading this memoir. Beautiful Things isn't an exhaustive memoir - it's a love letter to his brother Beau who tragically died a few years ago and a detailed account of his descent into alcohol and crack. At times defensive, yet mostly contemplative and matter of fact. An accomplished married man with children, money, and a famous father did nothing but ensure that he had more money to spend on crack. He stayed sober for years but after Beau's death he went on a death spiral, no longer caring about anything except the next hit. Ultimately he's been sober since 2019 when he met his current wife and had another child with her (his three other daughters are grown). In this memoir he also details all the rumors about his Ukraine deal, his affair with his brother's widow, the "Where's Hunter?" shirts and more. It was enlightening, if not a little self serving at times. I hope he can stay sober and be more of a presence in his family's lives. 

The Hill We Climb

Watching Amanda Gorman perform this at Joe Biden's inauguration made me tear up - reading it now is still just as powerful as hearing it for the first time. I am in awe that a 22 year old wrote such a powerful and transcendent poem that will long be hailed as a masterpiece. It's a dream, a manifesto, a plea, and a prayer. Her poem encapsulates our country's past, present, and future. I can't wait to follow this young poet's career and read more of her works. Awe-inspiring doesn't even begin to give her enough credit. She's a marvel. 

Tiny Tales: Stories of Romance, Ambition, Kindness, and Happiness

McCall Smith, Alexander. Tiny Tales: Stories of Romance, Ambition, Kindness, and Happiness. digital. 2021. Recorded Books.

From the bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency comes a collection of short tales that will delight readers with their wit, absurdity, and delight. From a pope wanting to visit his native country of Australia to a woman looking to meet people skydiving to four dentists going on vacation together (with disastrous results); the breadth and scope of these stories will amuse and engage listeners. Thirty tiny tales are broken into sections on love, revenge, kindness, strangeness, and other manners of emotion. These brief stories are brought to life in inventive and amusing ways by a trio of narrators.  Narrated beautifully by Brian Nishii, Jamie Jackson, and Robert Ian Mackenzie; all of whom voice cleverness, banter, and hilarity with every breath. As Aesop said, "good things come in small packages" and this oddly unique collection is certainly proof of that. - Erin Cataldi, Johnson Co. Public Library, Franklin, IN

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town

I picked up this book solely because of the title and I was even more sold when I saw it was short stories. Once I started reading it I was excited when I realized that all the stories are interconnected in one way or another. Living in a small town can be stifling - it's all you've ever known, it's hard to imagine life elsewhere, and you are forever defined by the worst thing that ever happened to you. From wildfires, to cheating boyfriends, to invisible friends, to basketball, to gum wrappers and suspect priests - this book covers a variety of issues that plague teens in small Colorado towns, in Alaska, and on the coast. Compelling, dark, and yet ultimately uplifting and emotional - I was very impressed with this short story collection.