Local Writers Recommend
May 2018
The Road to Bittersweet
by Donna Everhart

I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories set in the south. I enjoy Everhart's immersion into time and place, the hardship, the resilience, the loss/grief/acceptance, all of it. Her characters are so well-drawn that you feel as though you're watching them from a broke-down porch step somewhere deep in a Carolina holler as the story unfolds. I love the scrappy indefatigability of her protagonist, Wallis Ann, who is so believable and earnest. She has you rooting for her from the moment that first drop of rain falls, through the flood, and all the way to a conclusion that kept me turning pages well past my bedtime.
—Review by Eldonna Edwards, author of This I know
The night child : a novel
by Anna Quinn

The novel is full of deep rich text which pries emotion both out of the character and the reader. The author's finger hooked, motioning, come on, keep reading, it's going to get even better. A gripping novel you won't be able to put down.
—Review by DJ Adamson, author of Admit to Mayhem 
Blood, bones, & butter : the inadvertent education of a reluctant chef
by Gabrielle Hamilton

I love real stories from chefs on how they became a culinary hero.This one is written with a biting edge to her family, her early days as a caterer and chef.  I love her voice as much as I love her food.
—Review by Teri Bayus, author of Consumed: an erotic culinary adventure
Travels with Charley : in search of America
by John Steinbeck

While written decades ago, Steinbeck’s look at America provides a slice of life in the country during a particular period of time with lessons that still pertain to today’s traveler. While we can no longer park alongside the road in any farmer’s field, his laundering method while on the road is still a hit with our family.
—Review by Jennifer Best, author of Best Family Adventures: San Luis Obispo County
 
Yes please
by Amy Poehler

It’s light, and funny, and transcends other autobiographies. Then it stabs you in the heart. More real truth about show business and comedy than anyone else has the nerve to write about. There’s no linear story – she ping-pongs back and forth through different periods in her life – but it works. Then there are the guest stars, and performance art experiments in the middle. It’s fun and awesome and touching and I think every person in America should read or listen to it immediately. 
—Review by M. J. Sewall, author of Forever Warriors
Down the river unto the sea
by Walter Mosley

Framed by corrupt enemies within the NYPD and forced to serve a decade in prison, private detective Joe King Oliver receives a confession from a woman who helped set him up, a situation that compels him to investigate his own case at the same time he assists a black radical journalist who has been wrongly accused of murdering two corrupt cops.
—Recommended by Tod Rafferty, author of The Pismo Calamity
Now that you mention it
by Kristan Higgins

Higgins is an automatic buy for me, and this newest release is a delight. It would make a perfect summer read for anyone who likes women's fiction with a touch of romance.
—Review by Sheri Humphreys, author of A Hero to Hold
Love, Life, and Elephants : An African Love Story
by Daphne Sheldrick

A conservationist who has dedicated her life to saving orphan elephants in Africa describes her relationships with late husband Tsavo Park warden David Sheldrick and a host of animals, including a dwarf mongoose, a buffalo weaver bird and the majestic elephant, Eleanor.—Recommended by Patty Blue Hayes, author of Wine Sex and Suicide: my near-death divorce
A court of thorns and roses
by Sarah J. Maas

I absolutely love this series because it features all my favorite things: strong, yet flawed characters (both male and female), heavy Fae and Celtic themes, depth of story and vivid world building, just enough grit to keep me on the edge of my seat, and finally, the perfect amount of romance that slowly builds over time.  I highly recommend these books to anyone who is willing to let this rich world seep into their bones and get under their skin.  I can't wait to read A Court of Frost and Starlight! 
—Review by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, author of Faelorehn
Dead Irish [electronic resource]
by John T. Lescroart

Lescroart pulls you into a world where his characters and their situations become as real as his setting, San Francisco. I began reading these books almost a decade ago and now burrow through used book stores to find them.
—Review by M.R. Arnold, author of Monster: The Early Life of Mary Shelley
Forest Secrets
by Laurie Woodward

Fun novels where art comes to life.
—Review by Brendan P. Kelso, author of Shakespeare for Kids books 
Monster : The Early Life of Mary Shelley
by Mark Arnold

A vivid, absorbing portrait of one of our most beloved authors, impeccably researched. M.R. Arnold channels Mary Shelley so authentically, you'll feel you've met the real woman, as you experience a life both triumphant and tragic. It's a true story that will haunt you forever.
—Review by Susan Tuttle, author of Proof of Identity
Hotel on the corner of bitter and sweet : a novel
by Jamie Ford

When artifacts from Japanese families sent to internment camps during World War II are uncovered during renovations at Seattle's Panama Hotel, Henry Lee embarks on a personal quest that leads to memories of growing up Chinese in a city rife with anti-Japanese sentiment and of Keiko, a Japanese girl whose love transcended cultures and generations.
—Recommended by Samantha Lê, author of Little Sister Left Behind
Conclave
by Robert Harris

My favorite Robert Harris work is Conclave, a contemporary novel about choosing a new Pope. As a mystery writer, I’m usually pretty good at picking up clues and distinguishing them from red herrings, but the ending of this book came as a huge surprise.
—Review by Sue McGinty, author of Murder at Smuggler's Cove
The devil's highway : a true story
by Luis Alberto Urrea

A masterfully told chronicle of twenty-six men attempting to cross the Sonoran desert from Mexico to Arizona after being deserted by their coyote.
—Review by Toni Stern, author of As Close as I Can
Blood work
by Michael Connelly

Terry McCaleb, a retired FBI agent, is the recent recipient of a transplanted heart. He falls for a beautiful woman, who convinces him to investigate the murder of her sister, who happens to be the donor of his new heart. No one is better than Michael Connelly than building suspense while leading the reader down blind alleys and throwing in red herrings.
—Review by Jack Cameron, author of The Storm Drain Murder