Did you ever hang out with friends at a roller rink? Watch your favorite TV actors competing on Battle of the Network Stars? Can you still remember the Mr.Yuk theme song? If so, you’ll enjoy this fun, nostalgic, and often snarky look at the popular culture of the ‘70s and ‘80s.   posted Apr 17, 2012 at 9:28AM

It’s 1939 and Europe is on the brink of the Second World War. Raybould Marsh, of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, uncovers evidence of a covert German laboratory and a mysterious experiment involving a small group of test subjects – young men and women with strange and frightening abilities. Klaus, who can walk through walls, and his sister, Gretel, who can see the future, are two of these test subjects. Orphaned by World War I, they’ve been raised in a lab and trained by a Nazi scientist to use their considerable powers against Germany’s enemies. As war begins, Marsh and his colleagues, including Britain’s most formidable warlocks, will fight against the siblings and their Nazi handlers. This fantastical reimagining of the Second World War is the first book of the Milkweed Triptych trilogy.   posted Apr 5, 2012 at 2:36PM

Camille Bergeron, native of New Orleans and on the run from her abusive husband, arrives on Little Gale Island, Maine with her teen daughters, Josie and Dahlia. Soon befriended by single dad Ben Haskell and his teenage son, Matthew, the Bergeron women start a new life and, with the Haskells, open a restaurant serving Creole favorites. But Camille’s husband wants his wife and daughters back, and both families soon learn that troubles from the past don’t always stay safely in the past. Recipes are included in this novel about friendship and family.   posted Jan 5, 2012 at 12:02PM

Frances, a twenty-two year old English tutor living in Mexico, meets three wealthy American couples at a party. Soon, she's invited to stay at the rented villa the couples share. As Frances enters into the privileged world of the Americans and their children, she discovers the darkness under the glittering facade. Twenty years later, facing a serious illness and family troubles of her own, Frances reflects on the choices she made so long ago and the impact those choices have made on her past and her present.   posted May 31, 2011 at 4:09PM

The real-life mystery of Sir John Franklin and his doomed 1845 expedition to find the end of the Northwest Passage provides the starting point for this very long (over 700 pages), but extremely readable novel. When the story begins, the English ships Erebus and Terror have been trapped in the ice of the Arctic for months; as their food supply dwindles, the crew slowly realizes that any hope of escaping by ship may be futile. As they struggle to survive the harsh winter, a creature, that may be a giant polar bear or may be something more sinister, begins preying on the men. This compelling mix of historical fiction, horror story, and Inuit lore kept me alternately fascinated and terrified to the very end.   posted Feb 27, 2009 at 10:17AM

Alison Weir examines the unexpected rise and tragic fall of Lady Jane Grey in this carefully crafted and touching historical novel. Although the ultimate fate of Lady Jane is well-known, the author creates real suspense for the reader by detailing the various plots leading to Jane's reluctant reign as Queen of England when she was just sixteen years old.   posted Apr 17, 2008 at 11:54AM

Lady Hamilton is perhaps best known today as the mistress of Lord Nelson, but Emma Hamilton was a celebrity in her own right before she ever met the famous admiral. A one-time artist’s model, Emma rose from poverty and servitude to become one of the most-recognized women in England. This well-researched and sympathetic account of her incredible life story reads like fiction.   posted Jan 28, 2008 at 4:23PM

When a turf cutter finds the preserved head of a young woman in an Irish peat bog, pathologist Nora Gavin and archaeologist Cormac Maguire are among the investigators called to the scene. Nora, an American who has come to Ireland to escape a tragic mystery in her own past, soon joins with Cormac to solve the question of the woman in the bog as well as the questions about a missing mother and son that are raised by their investigation. This is an evocative and beautifully-written mystery.   posted Apr 26, 2007 at 10:43AM

Dr. Apelles is employed at a book warehouse, but his true vocation is translating old Native American documents. When he begins working on a rare manuscript about Bimaadiz and Eta, his own solitary existence starts to change as he finds love with the beautiful Campaspe. The author challenges the reader to reflect on the pleasure and pain inherent in life, love, and reading in this unique and skillfully written novel that examines the parallel stories of two sets of lovers.   posted Apr 26, 2007 at 10:40AM

As she nears thirty, Shannon Olson is still trying to understand growing up, love, and especially her mother, Flo. This funny and often touching novel offers a compelling and realistic view of a woman learning who she is and who she wants to be.   posted Apr 26, 2007 at 10:39AM

Virginia Morgan has always helped others, but after a devastating stroke she struggles to return to normal life. As family and friends rally around her, she learns that accepting help is just as important as giving help and that she still might be able to contribute to the lives of others after all. Minnesota author Traci Depree returns to the small town of Lake Emily in the third book of this inspirational series.   posted Apr 26, 2007 at 10:38AM

Have we become too rude? Lynne Truss thinks so. In this witty and engaging book, Truss laments the increasing neglect of the social niceties and the impact this may have on society as a whole. Although the author examines six good reasons to stay home (thereby avoiding the boorish behavior of others), this book will leave you feeling encouraged; we can all positively influence society through simple good manners!   posted Dec 27, 2006 at 9:29AM

Hannah Swensen happily owns and operates the Cookie Jar bakery in Lake Eden, Minnesota. But when the Magnolia Blossom Bakery opens across the street, Hannah’s profits dwindle. Even worse, Southern belle Shawna Lee, the rival bakery’s owner, is spending too much time with Hannah’s would-be boyfriend, Mike. When Shawna Lee is found murdered next to a pan of peach cobbler, Hannah is a prime suspect and must track down the real killer. Cookie recipes included!   posted Oct 25, 2006 at 3:16PM

Beginning with the Druids and ending in 16th century Dublin, this novel carries the reader along on a breath-taking ride through Ireland’s past. The stories of ordinary people and the fates of their intertwined families, during some of the most crucial points in Irish history, are chronicled through the ages in this engrossing read.   posted Jun 25, 2006 at 9:02AM