At age twenty, Jessica Bachman left her two beloved sisters and her Amish community after clashing with the new bishop about her role in the family and the future of their farm. She tried to convince Silas Kemp, who'd been courting her for two years, to join her, but when he said no, she fled … Continue reading A PLAIN LEAVING, The Sisters of Lancaster County, Book One, by Leslie Gould, Bethany House/Baker Publishing House
book review
ARTEMIS, by Andy Weir, Crown Publishing
Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a … Continue reading ARTEMIS, by Andy Weir, Crown Publishing
POISON’S KISS, Breeana Shields, Random House Teens
A teenage assassin kills with a single kiss until she is ordered to kill the one boy she loves.. Marinda has kissed dozens of boys. They all die afterward. It's a miserable life, but being a visha kanya, a poison maiden, is what she was created to do. Marinda serves the Raja by dispatching … Continue reading POISON’S KISS, Breeana Shields, Random House Teens
EVERYTHING HERE IS BEAUTIFUL, by Mira T. Lee, Pamela Dorman Book (Viking)Penguin Random House
Two sisters: Miranda, the older, responsible one, always her younger sister's protector; Lucia, the vibrant, headstrong, unconventional one, whose impulses are huge and, often, life changing. When their mother dies and Lucia starts to hear voices, it's Miranda who must fight for the help her sister needs — even as Lucia refuses to be … Continue reading EVERYTHING HERE IS BEAUTIFUL, by Mira T. Lee, Pamela Dorman Book (Viking)Penguin Random House
BORNE, by Jeff Vandermeer, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
In a ruined, nameless city of the future, a woman named Rachel, who makes her living as a scavenger, finds a creature she names “Borne” entangled in the fur of Mord, a gigantic, despotic bear. Mord once prowled the corridors of the biotech organization known as the Company, which lies at the outskirts of the … Continue reading BORNE, by Jeff Vandermeer, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
THE BONAVENTURE ADVENTURES, by Rachelle Delaney, Puffin/Penguin Canada
Sebastian Konstantinov comes from a long line of talented circus performers. Somehow, however, he has not inherited any of their acrobatic skill: he has no balance, he's afraid of heights, he can't even turn a somersault. But there's one thing he does know: his father's circus, which travels through Eastern Europe, is out of date … Continue reading THE BONAVENTURE ADVENTURES, by Rachelle Delaney, Puffin/Penguin Canada
STINKY CECIL IN MUDSLIDE MAYHEM, by Paige Braddock, Andrews McMeel Publishing
It’s springtime at Cecil’s Pond and everything is coming alive: the flowers, grasses, insects, and butterflies. The marsh around the pond is all in bloom. Poor Nesbit (the chameleon) is overwhelmed by it all. He sees all the change as unsettling chaos! Nesbit grew up in a pet store before moving to the pond. He … Continue reading STINKY CECIL IN MUDSLIDE MAYHEM, by Paige Braddock, Andrews McMeel Publishing
FLAME IN THE MIST, by Renee Ahdieh, G.P. Putman’s Sons/Penguin Random House
The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment … Continue reading FLAME IN THE MIST, by Renee Ahdieh, G.P. Putman’s Sons/Penguin Random House
COLDWATER, by Samuel Parker, Revell/Baker Publishing Group
Having forfeited his youth to the state prison system, Michael moved back to the only home he'd ever known. An empty shell of a man who now lived--if it could be called living--in the still vacant house of his parents in a town with one stoplight. A town that hated him. Had always hated him. … Continue reading COLDWATER, by Samuel Parker, Revell/Baker Publishing Group
INK, by Alice Broadway, Scholastic Press
From the second you're born, every achievement, every failing, and every significant moment are all immortalized on your skin. There are honorable marks that let people know you're trustworthy. And shameful tattoos that announce you as a traitor. After her father dies, Leora finds solace in the fact that his skin tells a wonderful story. … Continue reading INK, by Alice Broadway, Scholastic Press
