2020-11-02 22:40
Stalking Jack the RipperBy Kerri Maniscalco Brown and Company, 2016. 326 pages. Young Adult.Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth an… Read More
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Provo City Library Staff Reviews Blog
provolibrarystaffreviews.blogspot.com
Books read and reviewed by the librarians at Provo City Library.
2020-11-02 21:04
The Glass OceanBy Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen WhiteWilliam Morrow, 2018. 408 pages. Historical FictionDesperate for inspiration for her next book, a struggling author opens a… Read More
2020-10-31 18:46
Finderby Suzanne PalmerDAW, 2019. 391 pages. Science Fiction.Fergus Ferguson has a job that gets him into a lot of trouble. To some, he's a thief, a con artist. To others, a repo man. But to… Read More
2020-10-30 22:32
Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen by Adeena SussmanAvery, 2019. 368 pages. Non-fiction With photos and colors as vibrant as the flavors themselves, Adeena Sussman presents… Read More
2020-10-30 22:21
Burn the Placeby Iliana Regan Midway, 2019. 266 pages. Biography Iliana Regan is a self-taught chef and owner of a Michelin-star restaurant in Chicago. This memoir is an exploratio… Read More
2020-10-30 22:07
Didn't See That Coming: Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apartby Rachel HollisDey St. and imprint of William Morrow, 2020. 222 pgs. NonfictionRachel Hollis is known for writi… Read More
2020-10-30 20:22
Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters by Emily Roberson Farrar Straus Giroux, 337 pages. Young Adult Ariadne has never been one to be part of the drama of her reality TV famil… Read More
2020-10-26 20:48
A Good Girl’s Guide to MurderBy Holly Jackson Delacorte Press, 2020. 390 pages. Young Adult For her senior project, Pippa Fitz-Amobi investigates a five-year-old murder that still affe… Read More
2020-10-20 17:36
I Was Told It Would Get EasierBy Abbi WaxmanBerkley, 2020. 352 pgs. FictionJessica Burnstein is a successful attorney whose only daughter is about to leave for college. They travel to… Read More
2020-10-16 19:14
Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheusby Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyVintage Books, 1831, 231 pages, General FictionObsessed with discovering “the cause of generation and life,”… Read More
2020-10-14 21:58
The Kingdom of BackBy Marie Lu G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2020. 313 pages. Young Adult Nannerl Mozart is a young protégé at the clavier and wishes to be remembered forever… Read More
2020-10-10 21:17
Old Man's Warby John ScalziTor, 2005. 316 pages. Science Fiction.John Perry, age 75, begins his new life by being declared legally dead and joining the space marines. Why did he do it? For a… Read More
2020-10-10 00:40
The Most Precious of Cargoes By Jean-Claude Grumberg HarperVia, 2020. 120 pgs. Historical Fiction In the height of World War II, one Jewish man must make a heart wrenching dec… Read More
2020-10-09 00:34
Axiom's EndBy Lindsay EllisSt. Martin's Press, 2020. 384 pgs. Young Adult Sci-FiIt's 2007, and Cora Sabino is trying to lay low from the media frenzy created by her whistleblower father.&nbs&hell…Read More
2020-10-08 22:34
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann Vintage, 2011. 553 pages. Nonfiction In this astonishing book, author Charles Mann thoroughly an… Read More
2020-10-02 21:57
How to: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problemsby Randall MunroeRiverhead Books, 2019. 307 pages. NonfictionThere's more than one way to solve every problem. There's a right… Read More
2020-10-01 00:02
At Love’s Command By Karen Witemeyer Bethany House, 2020. 377 pages. Romance Following the massacre of Wounded Knee, cavalry officer Matthew Hanger leaves the military a… Read More
2020-09-30 18:03
World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil Milkweed Editions, 2020. 165 pages. Nonfiction World of Wonders i… Read More
2020-09-25 20:30
Wilder GirlsBy Rory PowerDelacorte Press, 2019. 357 pages. Young AdultNo one at the Raxter School for Girls knows exactly what it is, or where it came from, but they call it the Tox. It took… Read More
2020-09-21 17:33
Forget Me Not by Sarah M. Eden Covenant Communications, 2020. 256 pages. Romance Julia Cummings has long been acquainted with loss-her mother, her brother, her sister, her fri… Read More
2020-09-18 18:43
The Jane Austen SocietyBy Natalie JennerSt Martin’s Press, 2020, 309 pages, Historical FictionThe small English village of Chawton boasts a famous connection that no other place can&md&hell…Read More
2020-09-16 15:31
Vying for the ViscountBy Kristi Ann HunterBethany House, 2020. 348 pgs. RomanceHudson has been raised in India his entire life to hide from an uncle who will do anything for the family title… Read More
2020-09-11 20:58
Midnight Sun By Stephanie Meyer Little, Brown and Company, 2020. 662 pages. Young Adult When Bella met Edward, her world was set on a path where everything changed in less than a moment… Read More
2020-09-05 22:12
K-Pop ConfidentialBy Stephan Lee Point, 2020. 323 pages. Young Adult Candace Park is trying do what’s expected of her. She attends a good school, plays viola, and appreciates her Kore… Read More
2020-09-02 16:17
Kintsugi: The Japanese Art of Embracing the Imperfect and Loving Your Flawsby Tomas NavarroSounds True, 2019. 273 pages. NonfictionCultivate inner strength and rebuild your life with the anc… Read More
2020-09-02 15:49
Loveboat, Taipai by Abigail Hing Wen HarperTeen, 2020. 414 Pages. Young Adult Ever Wong just wants to dance. She has been on dance squad and color guard; she choreographs all their dan… Read More
2020-09-01 23:20
Little Disasters: A Novel by Sarah VaughanEmily Bestler Books/Atria, 2020. 432 pages. Mystery Senior pediatrics doctor Liz Trenchard is called down to the ER on a Friday night for… Read More
2020-09-01 16:54
Tabernacles of Clay: Sexuality and Gender in Modern MormonismBy Taylor G. PetreyUniversity of North Carolina Press, 2020. 273 pages. NonfictionThis very well-researched book discusses Latter… Read More
2020-09-01 00:17
Gods of Jade and Shadow By Silvia Moreno-GarciaDel Rey, 2019. 338 pages. Science FictionThe rest of the world is living it up during the Jazz Age, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning… Read More
2020-08-31 19:20
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universeby Alex WhiteOrbit, 2018. 473 pages. Science FictionNilah Brio wants one thing, to be the youngest Pan Galactic Racing Federation Champion. She’s… Read More
2020-08-26 22:38
Say Her NameBy Zetta ElliotBrown Books, 2020. 96 pages. PoetryIn this collection of powerful poems, poet and educator Zetta Elliot raises her voice in honor of both victims of and activists… Read More
2020-08-24 18:47
Displacementby Kiku HughesFirst Second, 2020. 288 pgs. Young Adult Graphic NovelsKiku is on vacation in San Francisco with her mother when she finds herself pulled back in time, or displaced… Read More
2020-08-20 19:15
Devolution by Max Brooks Del Rey, 2020. 286 pages. Fiction The great Mount Rainier eruption rained death and destruction on much of the surrounding area, closing roads, buryin… Read More
2020-08-14 20:50
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horseby Charlie MackesyHarperOne, 2019, 128 pages, Literary Graphic NovelIn the tradition of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, illustrator Charlie Mackes… Read More
2020-08-06 21:41
Wanderers by Chuck Wendig Del Rey, 2019. 782 pages. Fiction All across the nation, a strange phenomenon is occurring—people appear to be sleepwalking, gathering in a &ld&hell…Read More
2020-08-05 21:48
The Opposite of Always By Justin A. Reynolds Katherine Tegen Books, 2019. 457 pages. Young Adult One fateful evening Jack meets Kate at a party. He falls hard for her, but her unexpected dea… Read More
2020-08-04 00:33
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz By Erik LarsonCrown, 2020. 464 pgs. NonfictionLarson recounts Churchill's first days as prime minister a… Read More
2020-08-01 22:52
Stars Unchartedby S. K. DunstallAce, 2018. 401 pages. Science Fiction.What does a cargo space captain, a celebrity gene modder, and a seemingly innocuous engineer have in common? Usually not… Read More
2020-08-01 21:11
The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow Ink Yard Press, 2020. 426 pages. Young Adult Fiction. This book is set after the invasion of the Ilori, beings made of electricity that want… Read More
2020-08-01 19:05
Voxby Christina DalcherBerkley, 2018. 326 pages. Sci-FiWhen the United States government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than one hundred words per day, it's only the beginning… Read More
2020-08-01 15:13
Wisdom from a Humble Jellyfish: And Other Self-Care Rituals from Natureby Rani ShahDey St., 2020. 126 pages. NonfictionWe could all learn a thing or two about living in balance from our frie… Read More
2020-07-31 23:16
StepsisterBy Jennifer DonnellyScholastic Press, 2019. 352 pages. Young AdultThis is the story of Cinderella's stepsister Isabelle, who cut off her toes to fit into Cinderella's shoe. W… Read More
2020-07-31 00:28
Talk Nerdy to Meby Tiffany SchmidtHarry N. Abrams, 2020. 336 pgs. Young Adult Fiction Eliza Gordon-Fergus is excellent at following the rules. Her scientist parents dictate and track ev… Read More
2020-07-20 19:17
When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest WilliamsSarah Crichton Books, 2012. 208 pages. Nonfiction.When Diane Tempest was dying of breast cancer, she… Read More
2020-07-17 18:31
Here and Now and Thenby Mike ChenMira, 2019, 326 pages, Science FictionWhen a mission goes wrong, time travel agent Kin Stewart finds himself stranded in the 1990s. Unsure of what else to d… Read More
2020-07-15 00:20
The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay AdamsJove, 2019. 339 pgs. RomanceThe first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club. Professional baseball player Gavin Scott realizes… Read More
2020-07-13 19:19
The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Lee GulledgeAmulet Books, 2020. 180 pages. YA COMICSMona Starr feels all alone. Her best friend just moved to Hawaii and she finds it hard to make… Read More
2020-07-08 16:00
Tempests and Slaughter (Numair Chronicles, #1) by Tamora PierceRandom House, 2018. 464 pages. Young Adult Tempests and Slaughtercenters on a young boy who wants very much to enjoy his time g… Read More
2020-07-07 21:44
The Long Way to a Small, Angry PlanetBecky ChambersHarper Voyager, 2016. 443 pages. Science Fiction.Desperate to leave Mars behind, Rosemary Harper takes a job on the aging ship, the Wayfare… Read More
2020-07-02 20:10
The Rest of the Story By Sarah DessenBalzer + Bray, 2019. 440 pages. Young AdultWith her father leaving the country and her summer plans falling through, Emma Saylor Payne is stuck with nowh… Read More
2020-07-01 18:45
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesby Suzanne CollinsScholastic, 2020. 517 pages. Young AdultThe Tenth Annual Hunger Games are about to begin, and Coriolanus Snow has been chosen as a mentor… Read More
2020-07-01 18:45
Mythos: The Greek Myths RetoldBy Stephen FryChronicle Books, 2019. 349 pages. NonfictionThe Greek myths are among some of the most enduring stories in the history of human kind. Persisting t… Read More
2020-06-30 23:33
When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egyptby Kara CooneyNational Geographic, 2018. 399 pages. Nonfiction. Throughout history women seldom ruled, but in ancient Egypt women repeated… Read More
2020-06-29 17:58
Snow Like AshesSara Raasch HarperCollins, 2014. 422 pages. Young AdultSixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch… Read More
2020-06-26 23:48
The Herbalist’s Healing Kitchen: Use the Power of Food to Cook Your Way to Better HealthBy Devon YoungPage Street, 2019. 192 pages. NonfictionFor those looking to cook their way into… Read More
2020-06-26 17:33
Will My Cat Eat my Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals about Deathby Caitlin Doughty W.W. Norton & Company, 2019. 222 pages. Nonfiction.If you are a mortician and a funeral direct… Read More
2020-06-25 20:36
Valley of DreamsBy Sarah M. EdenMirror Press, 2020. 296 pgs. Historical RomanceThe newest book in the Hope Springs series tells the story of Patrick O'Connor. He is the brother everyone beli… Read More
2020-06-23 15:21
The Girl the Sea Gave Back By Adrienne YoungWednesday Books, 2019. 327 pages. Young AdultWhen she’s just a young girl, Tova is found washed ashore by the Svell. Now at 18, memories of… Read More
2020-06-09 22:52
Mooncakesby Suzanne Walker and Wendy XuLion Forge, 2019. 256 pages. Young Adult Graphic Novel.Nova (she/her) is not your ordinary teen. She is a witch, well, she’s in training. She hel… Read More
2020-06-03 21:03
The Ten Thousand Doors of JanuaryBy Alix E. HarrowRedhook Books, 2019, 374 pages, Historical/Fantasy FictionIn the early 1900s, January Scaller, a biracial teenager, isn’t sure where s… Read More
2020-06-01 22:59
The Poppy Warby R. F. KuangHarper Voyager, 2018. 530 pages. Fantasy.Inspired by the bloody history of China's 20th century, R. F. Kuang brings an a unique tale of fantasy where gods inhabit… Read More
2020-06-01 22:45
The Proposalby Jasmine GuilloryJove, 2018. 325 pages. RomanceA Dodgers game becomes extremely awkward for freelance writer Nikole Paterson where her actor boyfriend proposes unexpectedly. Of… Read More
2020-05-28 22:48
Eat Joy: stories & comfort food from 31 celebrated writers Edited by Natalie Eve GarrettBlack Balloon Publishing, 2019. 194 pages. Nonfiction Growing pains, loss, healing, hom… Read More
2020-05-19 20:28
Kings of the Wyldby Nicholas EamesOrbit, 2017. 529 pages. Fantasy.In one of the most unique recent twists on the adventuring fantasy genre, Kings of the Wyld follows a band of adventurers wh… Read More
2020-05-18 22:31
The Nickel Boysby Colson WhiteheadDoubleday, 2019, 213 pages, Literary/Historical FictionElwood Curtis is a black, straight-A student who lives in Harlem in the 1960s and loves the words of… Read More
2020-05-08 21:02
Not If I Save You FirstBy Ally CarterScholastic Press, 2018. 293 pages. Young AdultMaddie Manchester thought she and Logan would be friends forever. But when your dad is a Secret Service age… Read More
2020-05-04 22:44
Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Timesby Jennifer WorthPenguin Group USA, 2012. 340 pgs. Biography Young Jenny is a trained nurse who unknowingly chooses a convent to… Read More
2020-04-30 12:27
Strange Planet By Nathan PyleWm Morrow Gift, 2019. 144 pages. Graphic NovelBased on the popular Instagram, Strange Planet, Pyle has published many of his most popular comics, and some that h… Read More
2020-04-21 18:01
UntamedBy Glennon DoyleThe Dial Press, 2020. 352 pages. Nonfiction.In her third memoir, Untamed, Glennon Doyle discusses what it is like to go from tamed and small, to untamed and free to be… Read More
2020-04-19 03:00
Dragon Hoopsby Gene Luen YangFirst Second, 2020. 445 pgs. Young Adult ComicsGene is an artist and understands stories, so when he hears about the boys’ varsity basketball team at the h… Read More
2020-04-16 17:14
Seven Deadly Shadowsby Courtney AlamedaHarperTeen, 2020. 376 pages. Young AdultKira Fujikawa is not your typical High School student living in Kyoto. She is a shrine maiden who can see yokai… Read More
2020-04-13 19:33
Her Quiet Revolution: A Novel of Martha Hughes Cannon: Frontier Doctor and First Female State SenatorBy Marianne MonsonShadow Mountain, 2020, 357 pages, Historical FictionThis fictionalized… Read More
2020-04-10 21:47
More Than Words Can Sayby Karen WitemeyerBethany House Publishers, 2019. 358 pgs. Historical RomanceAbigail Kemp is determined to not lose her family’s bakery. The city council tells h… Read More
2020-04-01 21:00
The Lost HeiressBy Roseanna M. WhiteBethany House, 2015. 439 pgs. Inspirational FictionBrook Eden has never known where she really fits in. She was raised by an opera singer in Monaco and ma… Read More
2020-04-01 19:24
Elemental: How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) EverythingBy Tim JamesAbrams Press, 2019. 216 pages. Nonfiction.Our universe was formed 13.8 billion years ago. As the unorganized… Read More
2020-03-30 18:10
Animal Farm: The Graphic Novelby OdyrHoughton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019. 175 pgs. Graphic Novel.Odyr, a Brazilian graphic novelist, brings to life the events of George Orwell's Animal Farm with… Read More
2020-03-29 02:44
Knitting Magicby Tanis GrayInsight Editions, 2020. 207 pgs. NonfictionIn this first official Harry Potter knitting pattern book, there are over 25 beautiful patterns based on the iconic book… Read More
2020-03-24 17:54
Me by Elton JohnHenry Holt. 2019. 374 pages. BiographyI love Elton John. I have been drawn to his music since I was a child. And I’m not just talking about The Lion King and The R… Read More
2020-03-17 22:06
The Hidden Power of F*cking UpBy The Try GuysDey Street Book, 2019. 275 pages. Nonfiction.Ever try something new and fail at it miserably? The popular YouTube group, The Try Guys, discuss th… Read More
2020-03-16 17:12
The Dutch HouseBy Ann PatchettHarper, 2019. 352 pages. FictionAt the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy began an empire in real estate with the purchase of the Dutch House, a lavish e… Read More
2020-03-14 21:11
Going Postalby Terry PratchetHarper, 2004. 471 pages. Fantasy.The book starts with Moist Van Litwig, an accomplished con man, thief, swindler, etc., waiting for his own execution. Just after… Read More
2020-03-14 01:44
Go to Sleep (I Miss You): Cartoons from the Fog of New Parenthoodby Lucy KnisleyNew York : First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, 2020.177 Pages. Graphic NovelFollowing the co… Read More
2020-03-11 22:20
This Tender LandBy William Kent KruegerAtria Books, 2019, 450 pages, Literary/Historical FictionIn 1930s Minnesota, Odie O’Banion is an orphan living at the Lincoln School, a horrible… Read More
2020-03-06 03:45
The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild by Lawrence AnthonyThomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, 2009. 368 pgs. Nonfiction In the midst of dealing… Read More
2020-03-05 17:30
PetBy Akwaeke EmeziMake Me a World, 2019. 204 pages. Young AdultSeventeen-year-old Jam lives in a future society that claims to have gotten rid of all monstrous people. Everyone lives in pea… Read More
2020-03-05 01:45
The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North AmericaBy Matt KrachtChronicle Books LLC, 2019. 169 pages. NonfictionThis snarky, illustrated handbook is equal parts profane, funny, and -- let's face… Read More
2020-02-29 20:53
The Truth About Magic: PoemsBy AtticusSt. Martin’s Press, 2019. 250 pages. NonfictionIf poetry intimidates you, this collection is a good place to start. Author Atticus became famous f… Read More
2020-02-29 16:55
A Woman is No Man By Etaf RumHarper, 2019. 337 pages.Spanning two generations of an Arab-American family, this debut novel is a startling look into the lives of women in a male-centered… Read More
2020-02-29 01:46
The Language of Fireby Stephanie HemphillBalzer + Bray, 2019. 512 pages. Young AdultThe endlessly inspiring story of Joan of Arc is retold in this novel in verse. After years and years of de… Read More
2020-02-29 00:10
Waiting for Tom HanksBy Kerry WinfreyBerkley, 2019. 288 pages. FictionAnnie Cassidy grew up watching all the Nora Ephron classics like Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally, and You've… Read More
2020-02-26 19:43
The TollBy Neal ShustermanSimon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019. 625 pgs. Young AdultThis is the third book in the Arc of the Scythe series. It is really hard to review this boo… Read More
2020-02-21 21:21
Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Yearsby Julie AndrewsHachette, 2019, 340 pages, BiographyIn her second memoir, Julie Andrews reflects on her career in Hollywood, from her first film, Mar… Read More
2020-02-18 19:52
The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher SkaifeStraus and Giroux, 2018. 256 pgs. Nonfiction Legend has it that if the ravens of the Tower of… Read More
2020-02-15 23:59
Ninth Houseby Leigh BardugoFlatiron Books, 2019. Fantasy.For her entire life, Galaxy "Alex" Stern has been able to see the dead, an ability that lands her acceptance to Yale University and a… Read More
2020-02-07 21:14
The Burdens of a Bachelor (Arrangement, #5)By Rebecca Connolly Phase Publishing, 2017. 283 pages. RomanceWhat the eye cannot see...Colin Gerrard has everything. He is a handsome, charmi… Read More
2020-02-05 20:56
A Pursuit of Home By Kristi Ann HunterBethany House, 2019. 380 pgs. Historical RomanceFor most of her life Jess Beauchene has been hiding and always on the move in order to escape her p… Read More
2020-02-05 20:28
Serving Up Love: A Harvey House Brides CollectionBy Tracie Peterson, Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Jen TuranoBethany House, 2019. 371 pgs. Historical RomanceThis was a fun collection of… Read More
2020-02-01 22:51
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of LanguageBy Gretchen McCullouchRiverhead Books, 2019. 326 pages. NonfictionIt shouldn't be a shock to you, as you read a book review on a blog… Read More
2020-02-01 17:00
In WavesBy AJ DungoNobrow, 2019. 368 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction Comics“Surfers have always found solace in the waves.” Through a series of alternating chapters, the author explo… Read More
2020-02-01 03:19
Queen of the Seaby Dylan MeconisWalker Books, 2019. 400 pages. Young AdultMargaret has lived at the quiet island convent her entire life, brought there as a baby, an orphan. Hers and the nun… Read More
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