What Have You Done?
by Shari Lapena

This book reminds me of the town I grew up in. Teenagers get their kicks telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. Parents trust their kids will arrive home safely from school, or wherever they visit after that. Everyone knows everyone else. House doors are rarely if ever locked. That will change in the blink of an eye! Today, one teen, Diana Brewer, isn’t lying in her bed, answering texts, or even attending class. Today, her murdered, naked body lies in a farmer's field being circled by vultures. How can a murder change a town? Read this book!
 
 

Stardust
by Neil Gaiman

Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing not even a fallen star, is what he imagined. I found myself craving light, fun, nostalgic fantasy and knew it was time to re-read Stardust for the first time in almost a decade. I loved this book as a teenager and I love it now. It's simple yet beautiful and lets you forget how deeply tragic the world is for a few hours. Gaiman is fantastic at creating flawed, kind, compelling characters that feel perfectly...human. Just delightful.
 
 

Lamb
by Christopher Moore

What a crazy fun book! An irreverent but lovingly told tale of Jesus told from the point of view of a forgotten apostle. The book explores the nature of myth making and legends and how history obscures truth. It also explores Christ's connections with Eastern philosophy. Moore is an imaginative and funny author. His books are delights. Recommended because of its intelligent humor and observations.
 
 

King Arthur And His Knights Of The Round Table
by Roger Lancelyn Green

This is a sweet and even fun version of the King Arthur stories. There are lots of stories included. They are written in a sort of old fashioned style and this makes them seem more like fairy tales. They are fun to read and fun to listen to. It's a great intro to King Arthur and all the characters. I recommend it, especially if you're a fan of fantasy.
 
 

Year Of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks

This was a lovely read. Brooks is a talented writer. Her works draw the reader in and spin engrossing yarns. This book tells the story of a plague year as experienced by a rural village in England. Focusing mostly on the life of one woman, Brooks is able to add depth to her story and explore the nature of fear, knowledge, discovery, and of momentous sea-changes. I wish there were a sequel. Recommended because it's a good story.
 
 

Nothing Like The Sun
by Anthony Burgess

Beautiful book ?? This is a love letter to Shakespeare and to those who love him. Burgess has crafted a delightfully poetic and ever so bawdy tale - an imagined biography of a lusty, passionate Shakespeare. It follows his life from Stratford to London and traces his coming to maturity. Burgess' style is unmistakable -- it's almost like reading an Early Modern tale told by Alex-ish narrator (from Clockwork Orange). It's rather lovely, all in all. Highly recommended because it's a joy to read.
 
 

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
by Betty Smith

Betty Smith’s classic is told from the perspective of Francie Nolan, a young girl living in Brooklyn at the turn of the 20th century. She details Francie’s early adolescence richly, illustrating hardship, poverty, alcoholism, discrimination and sexism with deep sincerity and respect - equally painting Francie’s world as beautiful, loving, funny, hopeful, and kind. Francie grows up in a half Irish and half German family with one younger brother, who frequently struggle to make ends meet in large part due to her dreamer father Johnny’s alcoholism which interferes with keeping regular work. Katie, Francie’s mother emphasizes education in the hopes that her children will be smarter and more successful than their parents. When Johnny dies tragically young, Francie has to leave school to work and support the family - a new kind of education in heartbreak, world news, and class dynamics in the workplace. However, Francie eventually works towards summer college courses, taking the regents exam, and applying to Michigan.
 
 

Brain On Fire
by Susannah Cahalan

Brain on Fire is part memoir and partially a work of journalism covering Susanah Cahalan’s harrowing experience with autoimmune encephalitis - from its early stages presenting as fever, paranoia, psychosis, to doctors’ confusion and in some cases failure to diagnose the condition, and to the recovery Susanah and her family undergo in the months following her hospitalization. Cahalan reflects on the medical system, bias and privilege and how without her strong social safety net the condition may have led to her institutionalization - as it has for countless others. Fascinating, well written and researched, relatable given my own family’s medical experiences.
 
 

Lafcadio Hearn's "the Faceless Ghost" And Other Macabre Tales From Japan
by Sean Michael Wilson

A lovely collection of a few very old ghost stories collected around the turn of the last century from Japan. As a graphic novel, the illustrations are wonderful and add to the eerie stories. I want to read more of the works this was based on. Beautiful and strange.
 
 

His & Hers
by Alice Feeney

When a woman is murdered in Blackdown, a quintessentially British village, newsreader Anna Andrews is reluctant to cover the case. Detective Jack Harper is suspicious of her involvement until he becomes a suspect in his own murder investigation. Someone isn’t telling the truth, and some secrets are worth killing to keep. Really enjoyed the audiobook version of this. The story is twisty and keeps you guessing until the very end. Great read!!