Book Review
The Magdalene Deception
by Karen Rigby
"The Magdalene Deception" is an impassioned thriller that’s directed by Church mysteries, featuring a crystalline portrait of persistence. In Gary McAvoy’s steady, Vatican-set thriller, "The Magdalene Deception", an attractive duo...
Book Review
The Jellies and the Crunchers
by Karen Rigby
"The Jellies and the Crunchers" is an encouraging picture book that promotes willingness to branch out from what one knows best. In Matt Bell’s hopeful picture book "The Jellies and the Crunchers", a mountainside town embraces change....
Book Review
Some Laneys Died
by Karen Rigby
"Some Laneys Died" is a young adult novel whose heroine learns that choices are endless, and that no matter the sorrows, love intervenes. In Brooke Skipstone’s spellbinding psychological thriller "Some Laneys Died", alternate lives...
Book Review
Young Americans
by Karen Rigby
"Young Americans" is a visceral novel about treachery, filled with colorful period details. In Peter S. Rush’s "Young Americans", a hard-boiled crime novel set in the 1970s, an ambitious marijuana dealer is betrayed after he tries...
Book Review
Api's Berlin Diaries
by Karen Rigby
As a record of post-war tribulation, Api’s Berlin Diaries is a poignant social history; as a search for an elusive, multifaceted grandfather, it’s a fascinating labyrinth. In her eloquent memoir, Api’s Berlin Diaries, Gabrielle...
Book Review
Dylan's Birthday Present
by Karen Rigby
Dylan’s Birthday Present is a light educational title that concerns diversity, problem-solving, and a sweet friendship. A multicultural boy chases a lost chicken in Victor D. O. Santos’s enthusiastic picture book, Dylan’s Birthday...
Book Review
La Leona
by Karen Rigby
In James Gallant’s erudite short story collection, "La Leona", musicians witness European history from the sidelines. These intricate stories traverse medieval Spain, Elizabethan Denmark, and revolutionary France. In “Isaac Albéniz...
Book Review
American Follies
by Karen Rigby
Norman Lock’s dark, carnivalesque "American Follies" mines the seamier side of the 1880s through a woman’s febrile imagination and New York sojourns. Ellen, who was once Henry James’s typist, now helps Susan B. Anthony and...