Unforgotten

While technically a standalone, Unforgotten is set in the same community as a few other novels by Shelley Shepard Gray and there are a few familiar Amish faces. There are two major storylines and four points of view. Bethann Hostetler is ready to move on with her life after nearly being raped years ago. Although she is looking forward, she has a hard time looking at Jay because he used to be friends with the man that tried to force himself on her. It's really a shame though, because Jay is a good man and has never had eyes for anyone else. Bethann's Englisher (non-Amish) cousin, Candace has just been crowned Miss Crittenden County, and is enjoying traveling around the county as an ambassador and inspiring young girls. The only problem is that someone is starting to stalk her and won't leave her alone online. The police send their newest recruit, Officer Ryan Murphy to escort Candace to her events. Ryan really admires Candace and soon he's catching feelings for her. Two besotted men, two women with trouble in their lives. What on earth could happen? Love that's what. Predictable and wholesome in the best ways.

Homebody

A quick and joyous graphic novel about one individual's journey to discover their true identity. Theo Parish never felt like they truly fit in. It was hard to verbalize and make sense of their feelings towards gender and sexuality. An eye opening look at one person's courageous adventure into discovering their true self as nonbinary. A great book for those looking to understand for themselves or for those around them. Great illustrations and analogies! 

Lore Olympus v. 7

I will keep reading this, but man are they really drawing it out! We FINALLY make it to the trial but of course it ends right as they are in the middle of it. Come on, throw me a bone! I love this series and I need more already!

Melania

.... an embarrassment to all the first lady memoirs. First off.. there is no way Melania wrote this, she can't even write her own speeches. This was 100% written by a ghostwriter or AI. This is a vapid, no depth look at Melania's life that focuses solely on her fashion, love for Barron, and doubling down on her hatred of the media. There is no substance whatsoever to this, it doesn't even humanize her, in fact it does the opposite. The writing is banal and boring. "I wore Chanel to this event. Later I went to this event. It was such an honor." It just shows how little she did during her term as first lady. A full third of this book is dedicated to photos of herself and all the renovations she did on the White House (she talks more about that then her relationship to Donald). She addresses her plagiarized speech (of which she takes no blame), swatting away her husbands hand (protocol!), her infamous jacket (they took it out of context!), and many other faux paux she committed (but which blames the media for). Dry and boring, I cannot believe this vapid book was "written" by a first lady. What a joke. 

The Women

OMG THIS WAS SO FREAKING GOOD! Why is Kristin Hannah the literal best?! Solid gold. EVERY. TIME. Don't believe people when they tell you there were no women serving in the Vietnam War, because they were and my goodness were they overlooked and undervalued. The Women follows Frankie McGrath, an affluent young woman who decides to enlist as a nurse in the war so she can join her big brother overseas. Frankie has no idea what she signed up for. The war will overhaul her entire life. The first half of the book focuses on her service and the second half focuses on her transition back to civilian life and the awful treatment she received from both her country and her family. Heartbreaking and eye opening. I had no idea. What an impactful and resilient book!

A Healing Touch

I will read anything by Suzanne Woods Fisher and I am never disappointed!  A Healing Touch is a standalone that is set in Stoney Ridge and has some familiar characters in it. A Healing Touch has three main storylines and chapters alternate between the two. Dok Stoltzfus is the town's doctor, she serves Amish and Englishers and is beloved by both. Having grown up plain she knows how to connect with her community. When an abandoned baby is found on her office doorstep, she and her husband find themselves as temporary foster parents. Her husband is enamored with the idea but she is not, she feels that she is well past that stage in her life and wants to focus on being there for her community. Will a baby get in the way? Annie is Dok's trusty assistant. Even though she is plain she LOVES helping people and learning everything medical. When she discovers an Amish EMT she feels called to become one as well - but how to convince her family and her boss? Finally there is Bee. She is recently widowed and is undergoing chemo for breast cancer.  To top is off, her meddling doctor (Dok) has forced her to have grief sessions with an Amish widow down the road and has found a man to help her take care of her horses, the same man that sabotaged Bee's career early on. These three storylines are heartfelt and will tug at reader's hearts. Another wonderful inspirational read from Fisher! 

Bad Dreams in the Night

LOVED this graphic novel short story collection! They were all *chef's kiss* As a kid I loved short horror story and this was such a fun, genuinely creepy collection. Every story was great. This is one I enjoyed so much I might actually buy. This collection is perfect for teens and adults - I hope Adam Ellis makes another collection in the future! The art was great too! 

The Color of Home

An inspirational novel brimming with heart and passion. Audrey Needham is a talented interior designer in California, she is on the brink of making it big. but she feels called to go out to Oregon to help her aging aunt and uncle. It's a place she's put off going for a long time, there are memories there and not all of them are good. Her Aunt Daisy needs help fixing up her house and putting it on the market so she and her husband can move into an assisted living facility. Uncle Dean is suffering from Alzheimer's and is going to eventually need more care than Aunt Daisy can provide. While helping tame the yard and paint fences, Audrey finds out that her boss has taken a leave of absence. Her job in California is no longer waiting on her. She is understandably distraught, but... this trip hasn't been bad, Oregon is more calming and refreshing than she remembered. Audrey decides to extend her trip from a few weeks to a few months. She befriends a shy ten year old named Paige and gets on the wrong side of a studly rancher with piercing eyes. What is God calling her to do? Audrey is at a crossroads in her life and she needs to find out where her true passions really lie. Uplifting and filled with wonderful characters. I hope this is the start of a series so we can see more stories from people in this charming town! 

Holly

I am so glad Holly Gibney is back. She is one of my favorite Stephen King characters and I love that she has a whole book of her own to shine in. This was trippy to read as it was very much a pandemic book and covid (and politics) plays a huge part in it. Stephen King was definitely on his soapbox about mask mandates, vaccinations, and Trump fanatics. I didn't disagree with him, but it was weird reading it in a novel. Holly Gibney's mother has just died and rather than focusing on her grief and anger she decides to take on a missing person's case. Chapters and timelines alternate between Holly and the victims. She soon discovers that her missing person could uncover something greater and much more sinister. I liked this book, but it was weird because you know who the villains are the whole time. You are just waiting for Holly to pick up all the pieces and take the trail as far as she can. Creepy and great. Love me some Stephen King!