Book Review: Me Before You

Me Before You  by Jojo Moyes reviewed by Nina

A brief overview, I don’t want to reveal too much!
Louisa “Lou”, a young woman that had never left her small town worked in a local tea shop, and when the tea shop closed she had to look for other employment.  With little experience or training she accepts a position as a caregiver for Will, who was a high flying executive before an accident left him paralyzed. They gradually warm to each other and develop a touching friendship.
It is a beautiful, touching story with endearing characters.

***** Stars

Book Review: Audrey Bunny

Audrey Bunny by Angie Smith, Illustrated by Breezy Brookshire Reviewed by Sarah Kramer

Audrey Bunny, a picture book by Angie Smith, is a heartwarming standout. It tells the story of a stuffed bunny who's ashamed of a mark on her fur, and afraid that because of it no child will want her. However,when a little girl named Caroline chooses the bunny, names her Audrey, and makes her a treasured part of her life, the newly-named Audrey Bunny discovers the sweetness of loving and being loved. Through it all, though, Audrey Bunny is afraid that when Caroline discovers her mark, she will stop loving her. Thankfully, there's a happy ending, and kids (and grownups) will be encouraged by the message that we are loved, imperfections and all. The cozy illustrations by Breezy Brookshire are an added treat.

5 Stars

Book Review: Extinction

Extinction: A Thriller by Mark Alpert Reviewed by Sergio Ragno

I’m going to be honest with you.  I picked up Extinction because of the cool cyber arm on the cover.  I have a real weakness for Sci-Fi Espionage stories, and I guess I just have good instincts because Extinction ended up being a member of that rare genre, and an excellent one at that!  Extinction uses very topical world events such as the War on Terror, Wiki-Leaks, and Artificial Intelligence as a foundation to explore the boundaries between man and machine, and reveals the line to be more ethereal than one may assume, and on a more haunting note, may vanish via our own misguided machinations.

Book Review: The Wife's Tale

The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens reviewed by Ellen

The story centers around obese, middle-aged Mary Gooch who has lost herself in food trying to fill the voids in her marriage and in life in general. When her husband bails after 25 years of marriage, she sets off in search of him. We realize long before Mary does that subconsciously she is really in search of “Mary”. Along the way she befriends all kinds of quirky, but heartwarming characters who teach Mary that for every loss, there’s an eventual gain.

(I give it 4 ½ stars.)

Book Review: Untold Story

Untold Story by Monica Ali Reviewed by Sarah Kramer

The cover image is immediately engrossing. The portrait of a woman, recognizable even from a profile view–a beautiful blonde princess–is obviously the late Diana, Princess of Wales. And as such, I was predisposed to dislike this novel. After all, I reasoned, the woman at the heart of it has been dead for over a decade. This book could have easily been just another unscrupulous attempt to make money off of the lightening-rod name of Diana. Ali, however, draws the reader into her imaginary alternate reality skillfully, and without a crass attempt at commercialization of the princess.