This is the third in the Monster Hunter series, and while I'm a huge fan of mystery and thriller series, this was one I hadn't heard of before. Professional cryptozoologist, Morgan Hunter, is called to solve the murder of a fisherman whose body is found slashed in the woods, leading some to believe that the death was caused by a mythical monster called a hodag. Is there really such a creature? Morgan is on the trail to find out, especially since the man accused of the murder is the nephew of Morgan's bookstore employee, Rita. This was a serviceable mystery, entertaining enough, but not one to keep me glued to its pages. It reminded me at times of a cozy mystery, although the search for a creature with red eyes and scales on its back is anything but cozy. I did enjoy the mystery and the characters, though Morgan's boyfriend lacked any kind of attraction for me; he seemed like a nag, overly concerned with her safety, but not with her. If you're looking for a little romance in your cryptic mystery, this is not the book for you. I have to say that my favorite character was Newt, the dog. This could be a standalone read, but there are several characters and incidents in the first two books that are mentioned here. Will I read the first two, or any more? Not sure.

As in The Personal Librarian, co-written with Marie Benedict, Murray brings to light an accomplished young woman who was responsible for encouraging many young black writers at a time (1912) when getting their work known was a difficult endeavor. Jessie Redmon Fauset
is herself a talented writer who has just been appointed to the position of literary editor by W.E.B. Dubois for a NAACP-sponsored magazine at a time when black women editors were unheard of. She has also embarked on an affair with him, a married man and father, a relationship that she tries unsuccessfully to keep private. Murray writes equally about the affair and the young writers that Jess mentors, including Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and others. The author tries hard, perhaps too hard, to educate readers about Jessie and her accomplishments; at times it seems too much, and the novel begins to drag. Murray sheds light on the character of Dubois - he seems above all else dedicated to the improvement of the Negro race, at times to the detriment of his relationships.The reader is left to question his and Jessie's long standing, on-again, off-again affair as to whether Dubois took advantage of her or truly loved her. All told, Murray is successful in bringing to light a previously unknown black woman of considerable talent.

I love historical fiction, and this was a topic about which I knew little - the first steamboat on the MIssissippi River, how it came to be, and the story of its first journey, but this novel failed to engage me for some reason. Maybe it was the writing, which seemed overly descriptive, particularly about Lydia's marriage, her love for her husband, their age difference, and her children. None of this added to the story, but rather made it seem to plod along. McPhail included some interesting facts and anecdotes, especially towards the end when the earthquake occurred, and they were maneuvering through unknown, destroyed territory. I appreciated the fact that Lydia was an intelligent, independent young woman who seemed determined to be a part of her husband's contributions. Overall, an interesting topic, but could have been more engaging.

This is one of those books that defies genres: it's a thriller, an environmental diatribe, a saga of two siblings, and an exploration of mystical relations between human and animals. I quickly became immersed in the plot and characters, although the writing is extremely dense. There was more than one occasion when I had to reread (and reread again) a particular passage. This is not a novel that can be skimmed or read quickly, nor would you want to. The character of Bowman, recreated from McLaughlin's award-winning previous book Bearskin, is thrust back into society from a life lived off grid when a possibly dangerous inheritance from his grandfather threatens his and his sister's existence. Bowman returns to the beautiful, remote ranch in Colorado where he and Summer were raised and educated by a non traditional father, and where he had numerous mystical encounters with wildlife. The environmental message of the author is hard to miss; McLaughlin's writing is deeply layered, and there were many terms I wanted (and needed) to research further. I had a few plot issues - Summer and Bowman's characters had such deep discussions that it was hard to believe that they were teenagers. Also, I doubted whether Sam's character was even necessary. That said, this is a novel that delves deep into many facets including the environment, ancient civilizations of the West, and man's future with the earth.

How to describe this debut? Is it dystopian fiction about biotechnological innovation? Is it historical fiction about a family in newly independent India in the 1950s? Or is it science fiction about a new world order where citizens are shareholders? It's a back and forth mish-mash of all three, at times confusing, with the author constantly throwing more characters into the mix. Much of the book is about King Rao's childhood on an Indian coconut plantation, intermingled with his later creation of a personal computer, the Coconut (Apple?), which changes how the world is governed. Can this technology lead to the Internet becoming a part of our brains? And how does this affect his daughter, Athena? This book will not be everyone's cup of tea, but maybe those who enjoyed Anthony Doerr's latest, Cloud Cuckoo Land, will enjoy it.

"Chinese history is sad," the author's father would say, and this fictional version of his life bears testament to that statement. Melissa Fu was determined to flesh out what she knew of her father's early life and eventual immigration to America, and her debut novel accomplishes that. It's a sweeping story of a Chinese family who loses everything due to the advancing Japanese army in 1938, and describes their many harrowing journeys to safety, their struggles to find food and shelter, and ultimately the transition they each make as individuals whether living in America or China. The themes of this book? Love, loss, family, war, survival, with the latter half an examination of the difficulties of assimilating into a new culture while still belonging to the old. A gripping story, well written. For those, like me, who love reading about Asian culture and history. For Lisa See fans or those who enjoyed Qian Julie Wang's recent memoir, Beautiful Country.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres; I love reading about eras, people, and places I was previously unaware of. So reading about the literary life in Paris in the 1920s, the published authors, the up-and-coming writers, and the trials and tribulations involved in publishing James Joyce's novel Ulysses should have been fascinating. I had never heard of Sylvia Beach or her English-language bookstore, Shakespeare and Company. However, the book bogged down almost immediately; it was as if the author wanted to include every single writer or literary figure who crossed the threshold of Shakespeare and Company. And every single conversation. And every single time Sylvia fell into the arms of her lover, Adrienne. I wish it had been 100 pages shorter. Even then I'm not sure I wanted or needed to know that much about Sylvia Beach's life. For me, an article or two on the internet would have sufficed; however, I'm sure this novel will appeal to those who enjoy a detailed literary memoir.

Marie Benedict seems to have discovered a sure thing: write a novel about a real-life, strong, independent woman whose achievements need to be recognized by the world. Her newest book, The Personal Librarian, is the story of a young African American woman, passing as white, who is hired by J. P. Morgan to acquire and organize antiquities for his personal library. Benedict recognized that she could not truly tell this story without the voice of an African American writer, so she teamed with Victoria Christopher Murray, author of Stand Your Ground. Together they recount the fascinating story of flamboyant Belle, her family, her lover, her relationship with J. P. Morgan, and her career as a collector of antiquities, all the while hoping that her true identity would not be discovered, thereby putting an end to her considerable accomplishments. My only criticism? The title is a little lackluster, and I don't think it's going to hook too many readers. Other than that, an excellent choice for book groups with lots to discuss, especially in light of the recent racial controversies.

A heartfelt memoir from an award-winning astrophysicist who grapples not only with being a female in a male-dominated field and on the autism spectrum, but a mother of two young boys who discovers that her husband is suffering from terminal cancer. It's engagingly written, and while the science information (exoplanets, biosignature gases, transit transmission spectra, to name a few) is essential to her story, it's a tad much for the average reader. Her discovery of a group for widows in her community is one of the highlights of the book - their care and sustenance are truly heartwarming. All things considered, a thoughtful (and hopeful) take on the author's search for life after loss. Readers of all types would enjoy this memoir, but book clubs might find the science info a bit heavy.

Creatures is a well-meaning but unfocused novel of yet another dysfunctional family - daughter raised by alcoholic, druggie father with some help from her mostly absent mother - all taking place on an island off the coast of California. At times the writing shows flashes of beauty, especially when the author describes the main character's island home, her affinity for the sea, and all its creatures. Mostly, though, the story meanders confusingly through timelines and sparsely developed characters. I think the author was trying for poetic, dark, and beautiful but misses the mark on all three. Sorry to say, but I won't be recommending it.

The author started writing this as a PhD dissertation, but it reads as anything but! This is a very engaging account of the first group of women students at Yale in 1969, but this book encompasses so much more - the struggle for women's rights in the 1970s, campus safety in the early days of coeducation, campus civil rights, sex education, sexual harassment, protesting against the Vietnam war, and more. Some fascinating history swirling around the country during this time, with Yale University in its midst. My favorite parts? The personal stories of the individual coeds - their struggles with making friends, fending off male advances, fitting in, and advancing their causes, such as protesting police brutality against blacks, starting the first field hockey team for women, and forming an all-women rock band. Yale Needs Women is an excellent example of narrative nonfiction that reads like fiction - not something I would normally have picked up but so glad I did.

With so many books written about World War II, it was refreshing to read one about a lesser known conflict, the Korean War. Maybe refreshing is not the appropriate word to describe a conflict that tears a nation apart, divides its citizens, and involves the United States in yet another war. Sisters Miran and Inja grow up apart, in different cultures and countries, one raised by a minister father and unsentimental mother in America, the other by a loving uncle and bickering aunt in war-torn, then divided Korea. Family secrets, struggles, and loss unite and divide both families, resulting in a fascinating look at American and Korean cultures in the 1950s - 1970s. The story dragged a bit in the middle third, but overall was a well-written and gripping account of the sacrifices family members make for each other. There's plenty here for book groups to discuss. Also of interest, the author based this novel on the experiences of her own family.

A debut novel about a young Irish widow who, without telling her adopted daughter and her best friend, travels to Boston to (hopefully) discover the whereabouts of her daughter's birth mother, something she promised her husband on his deathbed that she would do. The story focuses mostly on Iris, the young widow, as she finds herself in Boston, unsure how to proceed and also facing a health crisis of her own, while the story of her daughter, Rose, also unfolds. I enjoyed imagining Iris's life in Ireland, comparing it to the lives of the people she meets in Boston. I also enjoyed the emphasis the author places on the importance of music in her characters' lives, how it can be the cause of both inspiration and frustration. A beguiling, not-too-heavy story for fans of Maeve Binchy, Anne Tyler or Dorothea Benton Frank.

When I first started reading First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen, I thought the story sounded familiar, and then I realized that this book continues the story of the Waverly sisters, first begun in Allen's 2007 title, Garden Spells. First Frost is as filled with magic and charm, with endearing, likeable characters, replete with a cranky apple tree and a house with an unpredictable personality, as its predecessor, yet .... the story felt the same as Allen's previous books, with the same requisite amount of quirky characters, magical happenings, and fairy dust sprinkled throughout. Though this recipe has worked out well for Allen in the past and I did enjoy finding out what happened to the Waverly family, maybe it's time for her to try something new?

Small Blessings was one of those books that I didn't want to end. It was a gentle story full of quirky characters who all had their own obstacles to overcome. I wanted them to live down the street from me so I could continue to be part of their lives. There are a lot of heavy issues discussed - alcoholism, mental illness, adoption - some of which are wrapped up quite neatly, and others not so much. I really enjoyed the way the author tossed in quotes from books and songs, like Pippi Longstocking and Three Dog Night. I'll be passing my copy of Small Blessings along to friends who are in the mood for a funny, quirky, yet serious read.