Book Reviews by Jeana Gockley

ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld

In ROMANTIC COMEDY by Curtis Sittenfeld, Sally Milz is a sketch…

JEANA’S FAVORITE READS OF 2023

Happy New Year and welcome to 2024! As with past years I like…

Congratulations to JPL Staff!

Joplin Public Library (JPL) was recently announced as the winner…

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

The setting for Lisa See’s latest New York Times bestselling…

The Celebrants by Steven Rowley

In April, the Library hosted bestselling author Shelby Van Pelt. …

Happy Place by Emily Henry

With summer on the way, it is a good time to start thinking about…

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Sam Mazur and Sadie Green first met, at age 11, in a hospital…

Jeana’s Favorite Reads of 2022

Welcome to 2023! As we kick off a brand new year, I like to reflect…

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

As Alice Stern approaches her fortieth birthday she feels unsatisfied…
Wish You Were Here book cover

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult

Diana O’Toole has her life completely mapped out - educational…

A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K Barnett

I had the pleasure of getting to hear lawyer, criminal justice…

Ready, Set, Cook: How to Make Good Food with What’s on Hand by Dawn Perry

I usually leave reviewing cookbooks to the talented Lisa Brown,…

Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher

Marin Cole is not a risk taker.  When she was seventeen the…

Favorite Reads of 2021

As we kick off a new year, I like to reflect on what I have read…

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Have you ever gotten a book recommendation that was so good you…

Project Hail Mary by Anthony Weir

“PROJECT HAIL MARY‘s” main character Ryland Grace is on…

The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker

”THE ART OF GATHERING” is PRIYA PARKER‘s gift to those…

The Chicken Sisters by KJ Dell’Antonia

When I heard of this book — “THE CHICKEN SISTERS” by KJ…

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

A couple of months ago I saw a Netflix trailer for a movie called…

Jeana Gockley: JPL director shares her favorite reads of 2020

Goodbye 2020, hello 2021.   As the previous year is wrapped…

Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams & Beach Read by Emily Henry

As of late, I have been on a romance reading kick. If you would…

Untamed by Glennon Doyle & Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I have been on a nonfiction reading kick of late, with autobiographies…

Becoming by Michelle Obama

Before reading “BECOMING,” I knew little about MICHELLE OBAMA. I…

In Five Years by Rebecca Serle

Meet Dannie Kohan. Numbers are important to her. Here are…

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

When I saw this title come out a year ago, I was hyped. JENNIFER…

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Around the holidays I kept seeing the same book for sale everywhere…

Counting your read books — how many will you read in 2020? by Jeana Gockley

The end of the year and the start of a new one is typically…

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Librarian Seeks Book - Needed quick! Great book to read.  Looking…

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey (and other graphic novels)

One of my favorite things about being a librarian is that I get…