February 2014 Reads

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8	Fangirl	Rainbow Rowell
9	Never Come Back	David Bell
10	Lies You Wanted to Hear	James Whitfield Thomson
11	Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy	Karen Foxlee
12	Fourth Day	Zoe Sharp
13	Fifth Victim	Zoe Sharp
14	The Counterfeit Agent	Alex Berenson
15	Ruby	Cynthia Bond
16	The Scar Boys	Len Vlahos
17	Try the Morgue	Eva Maria Staal

Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson is an excellent debut novel.  One of my favorite authors reviewed it and I'm going to quote his review, because I can't say it better.  "The searing tale of a wife and mother, a husband and father, both of whom are - like the rest of us - flawed, their animosity for one another only outweighed by their deep and abiding love for their children. No spouse or parent who picks up this book will be able to put it down. Nor will anyone else." - Andre Dubus III, NYT bestselling author of Townie and House of Sand and Fog.  Read the book!

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee is a grade school book for 8-12 year olds.  It will be read and loved by youngsters who've grown up on fairy tales, and appreciate gorgeous writing and complex storytelling. In this story of friendship and bravery, Ophelia shines as one of the first true heroines of  fabulous middle-grade novels."

This month I read the 4th and 5th installments of the great Charlie Fox books by Zoë Sharp.  This is a great series I recommend starting with the first book, First Drop.

The Counterfeit Agent is Berenson's ninth John Wells story.  I've read all of them.  John Wells is who you want to know when everything around you goes upside down.  He's my favorite hero.  Berenson apparently does a lot of meticulous research regarding both locations and spycraft; all this, plus his great story adds up to a well-crafted spy novel.

Scar Boys by Len Vlahos, is a debut novel for high schoolers. It's a coming-of-age, rock-and-roll novel mashup written in the form of a college admissions essay (one that blows past the 250-word limit).  Set in the early 1980s, the narrative flows easily and rings true.  Scar Boys is not just for high schoolers!

Try the Morgue by Eva Maria Staal, is an unusual debut.  Again, I'm going to quote someone else, "Staal, a former arms dealer, fictionalizes the dilemma of a young woman caught between the thrill of international gunrunning and the security of family and home.  Try the Morgue deftly marries an edgy thriller to a sensitive literary story.” ~ Bruce Jacobs - Shelf Awareness

What are you reading?