by JVBrown | Jan 31, 2020 | Dana, Staff Picks
The Long Way Down was such a short but powerful read that I wanted more by Jason Reynolds. This book is a letter in the form of a long poem that encourages young people to follow their dreams and aspirations. It is honest, conversational and powerful. The poem was...
by JVBrown | Jan 31, 2020 | Dana, Staff Picks
Earlier this year, the Library of Congress named Jason Reynolds the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and I was determined to see what all the fuss was about. And I’m glad I did. When 15-year-old Will decides to seek revenge after his older brother...
by JVBrown | Jan 31, 2020 | Dana, Staff Picks
When I saw the preview for the movie based on this book, I grabbed it off my TBR pile and quickly read it. The story focuses on agoraphobic therapist Anna Fox, who drinks too much and spies on her neighbors. When she thinks she sees a murder in the building across...
by JVBrown | Jan 31, 2020 | Dana, Staff Picks
The story focuses on David and Marilyn Lombardo of Chicago, a happily married couple who have four grown daughters. Family secrets, a long-lost adopted son, mental illness, pregnancy and loss are all central themes in this story of family dynamics. This book has been...
by JVBrown | Jan 31, 2020 | Robin, Staff Picks
My first five-star read of the year. The story follows Yale Tishman, the development director for a university art museum, and Fiona, the younger sister of the first of his friends to die of AIDS. The novel follows two timelines: the 1980s AIDS crisis in Chicago and...
by JVBrown | Jan 31, 2020 | Robin, Staff Picks
Kacey and Mickey grow up poor in a neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis; their mother was lost to addiction when they were young. Kacey is now an addict living on the streets, while Mickey has become a police woman working in the neighborhood. When Kacey...
