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Editorial Content for Dead and Gone: A Detective Annalisa Vega Novel

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

Joanna Schaffhausen has flown under the radar with her first-class novels featuring Detective Annalisa Vega. Perhaps the release of the third and latest one, DEAD AND GONE, will bring her out into the light for all to see. I guarantee you it is worth the effort to jump into this absorbing and satisfying series. Read More

Teaser

For Chicago police detective Annalisa Vega, Sam Tran’s death presents an ominous puzzle. The ex-cop turned PI is found hanging from a cemetery tree with a message across his chest that suggests someone holds a murderous grudge against the police. Annalisa suspects the real answer lies in one of Tran’s open cases. She believes he stumbled on a dark secret during his investigations and someone killed him to keep him quiet. Her own family harbors plenty of secrets, something Annalisa is reminded of when her brother turns out to be one of Sam’s last clients. Vinny Vega hired Tran to find a dangerous stalker on his daughter’s college campus. Now Sam is dead and the stalker remains at large, with Annalisa’s niece, Quinn, firmly in his sights.

Promo

For Chicago police detective Annalisa Vega, Sam Tran’s death presents an ominous puzzle. The ex-cop turned PI is found hanging from a cemetery tree with a message across his chest that suggests someone holds a murderous grudge against the police. Annalisa suspects the real answer lies in one of Tran’s open cases. She believes he stumbled on a dark secret during his investigations and someone killed him to keep him quiet. Her own family harbors plenty of secrets, something Annalisa is reminded of when her brother turns out to be one of Sam’s last clients. Vinny Vega hired Tran to find a dangerous stalker on his daughter’s college campus. Now Sam is dead and the stalker remains at large, with Annalisa’s niece, Quinn, firmly in his sights.

About the Book

The next installment of Joanna Schaffhausen's critically acclaimed Detective Annalisa Vega series.

For Chicago police detective Annalisa Vega, Sam Tran’s death presents an ominous puzzle. The ex-cop turned PI is found hanging from a cemetery tree with a message across his chest that suggests someone holds a murderous grudge against the police. Annalisa suspects the real answer lies in one of Tran’s open cases. She believes he stumbled on a dark secret during his investigations and someone killed him to keep him quiet. Her own family harbors plenty of secrets, something Annalisa is reminded of when her brother turns out to be one of Sam’s last clients.

Vinny Vega hired Tran to find a dangerous stalker on his daughter’s college campus. Now Sam is dead and the stalker remains at large, with Annalisa’s niece, Quinn, firmly in his sights.

To protect Quinn, Annalisa begins tracing Sam’s steps back through his open cases, which include not only the campus stalker but also a brutal double homicide from 20 years ago. Did Sam finally find the killer? Did he uncover the stalker’s identity? Annalisa must figure out which secret got Sam killed, and fast or someone else will die. Every move she makes brings her closer to the truth of Sam’s death, and closer to a murderer who will stop at nothing to remain free.

Audiobook available, read by Kelsey Navarro Foster

Editorial Content for Between Us

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Norah Piehl

It’s been 10 years since the formation of the so-called “Brian Club,” a WhatsApp group of friends who met one another while working at a Manchester bookstore. A decade later, some things have changed pretty dramatically for them. Read More

Teaser

When Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend at a country house, it’s a triple celebration --- a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe’s shiny new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group, and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. And as they watch the first episode of Joe’s drama, she realizes that the private things she told him are right there on the screen. With her friend group in chaos and her messy love life on display for the whole world to see, Roisin returns home to avoid the unwanted attention and help run her family’s pub. But drama still follows, in the form of her dysfunctional family. Yet the most unexpected twist of all is an old friend, who is suddenly there for Roisin in ways she never knew she needed.

Promo

When Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend at a country house, it’s a triple celebration --- a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe’s shiny new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group, and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. And as they watch the first episode of Joe’s drama, she realizes that the private things she told him are right there on the screen. With her friend group in chaos and her messy love life on display for the whole world to see, Roisin returns home to avoid the unwanted attention and help run her family’s pub. But drama still follows, in the form of her dysfunctional family. Yet the most unexpected twist of all is an old friend, who is suddenly there for Roisin in ways she never knew she needed.

About the Book

International bestseller Mhairi McFarlane delivers a witty, clever, emotional new novel about a woman whose life unravels spectacularly after her screenwriter boyfriend uses their relationship as inspiration for his new television show.

When Roisin and Joe join their friends for a weekend at a country house, it’s a triple celebration --- a birthday, an engagement, and the launch of Joe’s shiny new TV show. But as the weekend unfolds, tensions come to light in the group and Roisin begins to question her own relationship. And as they watch the first episode of Joe’s drama, she realizes that the private things she told him --- which should have stayed between them --- are right there on the screen.

With her friend group in chaos and her messy love life on display for the whole world to see, Roisin returns home to avoid the unwanted attention and help run her family’s pub. But drama still follows, in the form of her dysfunctional family and the looming question: What other parts of her now-ex’s show are inspired by real events? Lies? Infidelity? Every week, as a new episode airs, she wonders what other secrets will be revealed.

Yet the most unexpected twist of all is an old friend, who is suddenly there for Roisin in ways she never knew she needed.

Audiobook available, read by Mira Dovreni

Editorial Content for The Girls Who Fought Crime: The Untold True Story of the Country's First Female Investigator and Her Crime Fighting Squad

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

In THE GIRLS WHO FOUGHT CRIME, Mari K. Eder offers a vibrant, refreshing look at the life and accomplishments of Mary “Mae” Foley. Mae was one of the first women to serve as a police officer for the NYPD and among the most prominent of her times. Read More

Teaser

Mary "Mae" Foley was a force to be reckoned with. On one hip, she held her makeup compact; on the other, her NYPD badge. When women were fighting for the vote, Mae was fighting crime in the heart of New York City --- taking down rapists, bootleggers, Nazis and serial killers. One of the first women to be sworn into the police force, Mae not only fought crime in the city that never sleeps, but also did something much bigger --- challenged the patriarchal systems that continually tried to shut her and other women down. The result of her efforts? A long career that helped over 2,000 women join her auxiliary police force, the “Masher Squad.” Mae Foley is proof that women can do anything men can do, all while wearing corsets and the perfect shade of rouge.

Promo

Mary "Mae" Foley was a force to be reckoned with. On one hip, she held her makeup compact; on the other, her NYPD badge. When women were fighting for the vote, Mae was fighting crime in the heart of New York City --- taking down rapists, bootleggers, Nazis and serial killers. One of the first women to be sworn into the police force, Mae not only fought crime in the city that never sleeps, but also did something much bigger --- challenged the patriarchal systems that continually tried to shut her and other women down. The result of her efforts? A long career that helped over 2,000 women join her auxiliary police force, the “Masher Squad.” Mae Foley is proof that women can do anything men can do, all while wearing corsets and the perfect shade of rouge.

About the Book

For fans of Margot Lee Shetterley and Liza Mundy comes an inspiring feminist tale of a woman who dedicated her entire life to the New York Police Department, upending the patriarchy and the status quo for women working in public service.

Corsets, Crime and the Woman to Change Modern Policing Forever

Mary "Mae" Foley was a force to be reckoned with. On one hip, she held her makeup compact; on the other, her NYPD badge. When women were fighting for the vote, Mae was fighting crime in the heart of New York City --- taking down rapists, bootleggers, Nazis and serial killers. One of the first women to be sworn into the police force, Mae not only fought crime in the city that never sleeps, but also did something much bigger --- challenged the patriarchal systems that continually tried to shut her and other women down. The result of her efforts? A long career that helped over 2,000 women join her auxiliary police force, the “Masher Squad.” Mae Foley is proof that women can do anything men can do, all while wearing corsets and the perfect shade of rouge.

From renowned author, speaker and retired U.S. Army Major General Mari K. Eder comes the exciting and superbly researched story of a trailblazer who courageously dedicated her life to public service. 

Audiobook available, read by Elizabeth Wiley

Editorial Content for DeFord Bailey: A Black Star in Early Country Music

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

A legend comes to new life in this dynamic biography by David C. Morton. DeFord Bailey was one of the first musicians to have his sounds recorded in Nashville as country music hit the airwaves in the mid-1920s. Read More

Teaser

A founding member of the Grand Ole Opry and the program’s first Black star, DeFord Bailey (1899-1982) was among the Opry’s most popular early performers. Known as the “Harmonica Wizard” for his virtuosity on the instrument, he was also a singer, guitarist, banjoist and composer. For decades following his departure from the Opry, Bailey’s story was shrouded in mystery. This meticulously researched biography, long out of print, tells the story of a pioneering Black star in early country music in rich and fascinating detail. The book’s original publication in 1991 helped pave the way for Bailey’s election to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

Promo

A founding member of the Grand Ole Opry and the program’s first Black star, DeFord Bailey (1899-1982) was among the Opry’s most popular early performers. Known as the “Harmonica Wizard” for his virtuosity on the instrument, he was also a singer, guitarist, banjoist and composer. For decades following his departure from the Opry, Bailey’s story was shrouded in mystery. This meticulously researched biography, long out of print, tells the story of a pioneering Black star in early country music in rich and fascinating detail. The book’s original publication in 1991 helped pave the way for Bailey’s election to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

About the Book

Includes a new foreword by musician Dom Flemons, 45 illustrations and a complete session discography.

A founding member of the Grand Ole Opry and the program’s first Black star, DeFord Bailey (1899-1982) was among the Opry’s most popular early performers. Known as the “Harmonica Wizard” for his virtuosity on the instrument, he was also a singer, guitarist, banjoist and composer.

For decades following his departure from the Opry, Bailey’s story was shrouded in mystery. This meticulously researched biography, long out of print, tells the story of a pioneering Black star in early country music in rich and fascinating detail. The book’s original publication in 1991 helped pave the way for Bailey’s election to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

August 11, 2023

I have been doing something that I call Sleep Math, which is what happens when you are reading a great book --- and you know what time you need to get up in the morning. Say it’s 11pm when you start reading, and you need to be up at 7am. Yes, that’s eight hours, the ideal number of hours to sleep according to many doctors. But then you keep reading and see where it goes. It becomes a 2am or 3am night. Suddenly the math gets more interesting. There are fewer hours of shut-eye, but lots more great reading. 

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

August 2023

I have been a fan of Liz Nugent’s books since her debut, UNRAVELING OLIVER. So when STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND got on my radar, I had a feeling that I would be in for a terrific psychological thriller. And boy, did it deliver, with a very interesting premise and execution.

As the book opens, Sally’s father has passed away, and she has followed the instructions that he told her in one of their conversations --- that after he died, she should put him out in the bin. And well, since garbage is typically burned, she takes steps to try to burn him. Readers quickly see that Sally has some challenges with taking things literally. She clocks in on the neurodiverse spectrum and does not always get an implied joke. From this action, the town is now paying attention to Sally.

August 11, 2023 - August 25, 2023

Here are reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for the contest period of August 11 - August 25.

How often do you visit your library? This means going to the physical building.

August 11, 2023, 712 voters

Elizabeth Acevedo, author of Family Lore

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake --- a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led --- her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters: Matilde, Pastora and Camila. But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own. Spanning the three days prior to the wake, FAMILY LORE traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City.

Judy Blume, author of Summer Sisters

In the summer of 1977, Victoria Leonard’s world changes forever when Caitlin Somers chooses her as a friend. Dazzling, reckless Caitlin welcomes Vix into the heart of her sprawling, eccentric family, opening doors to a world of unimaginable privilege, sweeping her away to vacations on Martha’s Vineyard, an enchanting place where the two friends become “summer sisters.” Now, years later, Vix is working in New York City. Caitlin is getting married on the Vineyard. And the early magic of their long, complicated friendship has faded. But Caitlin begs Vix to come to her wedding, to be her maid of honor. And Vix knows that she will go --- because she wants to understand what happened during that last shattering summer. And, after all these years, she needs to know why her best friend still has the power to break her heart.