What Your Neighbors Are Reading

The Registration by Madison Lawson
Imagine it’s legal to commit one murder in your lifetime? If you Register the victim and accomplish the kill within fourteen days. So when Lynell Mize stands in line to Register the man who abused her as a child, she’s shocked to hear a stranger Register her to be killed. Why would anyone who doesn't know her squander his one legal murder on her? Desperate to survive the next two weeks, she must find out who wants to kill her and why.

Hero of Two Worlds by Mike Duncan
Few in history can match the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought courageously on both sides of the Atlantic. He was a soldier, statesman, idealist, philanthropist, and abolitionist. From enthusiastic youth to world-weary old age, from the pinnacle of glory to the depths of despair, Lafayette never stopped fighting for the rights of all mankind. His remarkable life is the story of where we come from, and an inspiration to defend the ideals he held dear.

Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
In Jason Mott’s National Book Award-winning Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Hell of a Book and is the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent: Mott’s novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour.

Island of Spies by Sheila Turnage
Twelve-year-old Stick Lawson lives on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, where life moves steady as the tides, and mysteries abound as long as you look really hard for them. Stick and her friends Rain and Neb are good at looking hard. They call themselves the Dime Novel Kids. And the only thing Stick wants more than a paying case for them to solve is the respect that comes with it. But on Hatteras, the tides are changing. World War II looms, curious newcomers have appeared on the small island, and in the waters off its shores, a wartime menace lurks that will upend Stick’s life and those of everyone she loves. The Dimes are about to face more mysteries than they ever could have wished for, and risk more than they ever could have imagined.

Creepy Crayon! by Aaron Reynolds
Jasper Rabbit has a problem: he is NOT doing well in school. His spelling tests? Disasters. His math quizzes? Frightening to behold. But one day, he finds a crayon lying in the gutter. Purple. Pointy. Perfect. Somehow…it looked happy to see him. And it wants to help. At first, Jasper is excited. Everything is going great. His spelling is fantastic. His math is stupendous. And best of all, he doesn’t have to do ANY work! But then the crayon starts acting weird. It’s everywhere, and it wants to do everything. And Jasper must find a way to get rid of it before it takes over his life. The only problem? The creepy crayon will not leave.

Lost in Time by A.G. Riddle
Belinda says, "I am not usually drawn to science fiction, but Lost In Time by A.G. Riddle pulled me in by page 1 - the characters are compelling and the story is mind-bending. I found myself at times - which times?!! past, present, future? - re-reading passages to see how that could possibly happen only to remind my startled self that this is science fiction! But it seems so real. So plausible. So scientifically reasonable! I was thoroughly taken with the focused, rational brilliance of the characters as they tried against impossible odds to will their own survival in their extraordinary circumstances. The author skillfully guided me to lose myself in the past, present and future alongside these smart, capable and, at times, enigmatic traveling companions. An absorbing, compelling read with whip-smart characters - I highly recommend that you lose yourself in Lost In Time!"

What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe
Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. Unfazed by absurdity, Munroe consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airliner catapult–design to answer his readers’ questions, clearly and concisely, with illuminating and occasionally terrifying illustrations. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances.

Hell and Back: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson
What if you woke up lying in the middle of the street in the infamous town of Fort Pratt, Montana, where thirty young Native boys perished in a tragic 1896 boarding-school fire? What if every person you encountered in that endless night was dead? What if you were covered in blood and missing a bullet from the gun holstered on your hip? What if there was something out there in the yellowed skies, along with the deceased and the smell of ash and dust, something the Northern Cheyenne refer to as the Éveohtsé-heómėse, the Wandering Without, the Taker of Souls? What if the only way you know who you are is because your name is printed in the leather sweatband of your cowboy hat, and what if it says your name is Walt Longmire . . . but you don’t remember him?

The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance #3) by Naomi Novik
From Amber: "One of the most perfect endings to a trilogy I've ever read, Naomi Novik keeps the punches coming. Now that El is out of the Scholomance, what will she do with her life now? Especially when someone is destroying enclaves, and the world is on the brink of an enclave war. El is forced to find a way back into the Scholomance to help save everyone."

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
Emma says, "What a wonderful, hilarious, devastating book. McCurdy writes about some of the heaviest aspects of her life with levity and charm, and shows no hesitation in her vulnerability. I had two thoughts once I finished this book; 'Wow, that was ridiculously good,' and 'I fully understand why Jennette McCurdy is glad her mom died.' (Tread carefully if you're not comfortable with open discussions of ED or SA.)"

So Tall It Ends in Heaven: Poems by Jayme Ringleb
Following the end of a marriage, So Tall It Ends in Heaven’s queer southern speaker tries to restore a relationship with his father. His father lives across an ocean, but more keeps them apart than just that: the father rejected his son long ago after learning that his son is gay. The poems search for answers across the United States and Europe, in and out of historical imagination, as the speaker struggles to separate his understanding of devotion and belonging from the constant losses in his life. Drawing from—and subverting—the formal traditions of love poems, parables, and elegies, the collection claims a vital space for one’s own solace. “Nobody will love you / like this poem does,” the speaker says; “Tell this poem / what you want. // Anything.”

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
From Emma: "Lucrezia de'Medici is only 15 when she's married off to the Duke of Ferrara, and barely 16 when she realizes he intends to have her killed. Lucrezia is thrust into a world of honey-covered lies and manipulation, where her husband's sisters vie for her favor, her husband is kind one moment and volatile the next, and everyone waits for her to produce an heir. And if she can't...This is the best historical fiction I've read in years - an absolute must-read."

Fairy Tale by Stephen King
tee says, "Let me preface this by saying if this didn't have Stephen King's name on it, I never would have guessed it was written by him, so don't write this off thinking it'll be too scary. Oh, and the dog not only lives but thrives, so don't worry about that either. Alright, now into the review: I loved it. Five stars. Ten stars. Twenty stars. This has just about everything you could want: a heartwarming tale of a a boy taking care of his neighbor's dog, a quest into a fantasy world, brutal gladiator-type games, skeletons covered in forcefields of electricity, an inexplicable blight, and just a smidge of Eldritch horror. I loved every single character with my whole heart and I needed to know what was going to happen next even in the midst of the coziest scenes. I stayed up until two in the morning finishing it and I just sat and hugged it to my chest when I was done. I wanted to flip right back to page one and start all over. Read this book or we can't be friends (only slightly joking)."

Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #3) by Tamsyn Muir
In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona's not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger's body, and she's afraid she might have to give it back. The whole city is falling to pieces. A monstrous blue sphere hangs on the horizon, ready to tear the planet apart. Blood of Eden forces have surrounded the last Cohort facility and wait for the Emperor Undying to come calling. Their leaders want Nona to be the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses. Nona would prefer to live an ordinary life with the people she loves, with Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes, but she also knows that nothing lasts forever. And each night, Nona dreams of a woman with a skull-painted face...