Book Reviews

The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls by J. Anderson Coats

At the turn of the twentieth century, as European immigration…

Dark Renaissance: The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival by Stephen Greenblatt

The mind's eye tends to summon associated grandeur…

Too Old for This by Samantha Downing

We are at the halfway point for the Joplin Public Library’s…
cover of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

Like her mother before her, Reyna dedicated her life to Queen…
Image of a book cover with a woman chasing a Great Dane on it.

Back After This by Linda Holmes

Cecily Foster loves podcasting and would love to have her own…

Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

During the months of December and January Joplin Public Library…

STALACTITE AND STALAGMITE BY DREW BRECKMEYER; ALL ABOUT U.S. BY MATT LAMOTHE AND JENNY VOLVOVSKI

Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer credits children’s books…

After the North Pole: A Story of Survival, Mythmaking, and Melting Ice by Erling Kagge

The North Pole, according to Erling Kagge, exists as a reductio…

“I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer” Letters on Love & Marriage from the World’s First Personal Advice Column by Mary Beth Norton

My friend and co-worker Linda liked to review non-fiction books.…
cover of the book Sister Snake

Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe

Over the centuries, Su and Emerald have drifted in-and-out of…
Book cover features a pink rose in the center.

AWAKE: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker

I have been familiar with Jen Hatmaker for a long time, mostly…

Fall Reads

Ahh, fall. The weather is crisp, the leaves are falling, the…

TIG by Heather Smith

Before moving to Wensleydale, Tig and Peter spent months alone,…

The Spinach King by John Seabrook

In John Seabrook's The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an…

The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

What does a youth worker, a retired farmer, a teenage computer…