Check out these book reviews from Deena. Deena was a member of the Library’s Patron Service Team who recently retired. She has generously continued to share book reviews with us. Thank you, Deena!
The Little Liar by Mitch Albom DB117937
Nico lives in Salonika, Greece, home to 50,000 Jews. He was known as the boy who would not lie. When Nico’s parents and brothers and sisters are hauled off to the ghetto, Nico is hiding in the house. The German officer, Udo Graf, who takes over Nico’s parents’ house discovers that Nico does not lie and puts him to good use at the train station telling the Jews, as they are shoved into boxcars that they are going to new jobs and new homes.
The story follows four people Nico; Nico’s brother, Sebastian; a friend of both boys, Fannie whose life is intertwined with theirs and Udo Graf, the evil German officer. Each of them survives the war in different ways and their experiences shape their lives after the war and how they move on from it. There are a number of words to describe this story: survival, atonement, revenge, compassion, forgiveness, truth and love.
Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls DB114958
Prohibition: Sallie Kincaid lives with several extended family members who have different ideas of how things should be run in the Kincaid family business. Their ideas don’t always work out as planned. Sallie, by default becomes the heir to the family businesses. The Kincaid’s own several properties and rent has to be collected, they also own a store, where they take moonshine as payment for rent and goods. Sallie and her partner see an opportunity to make a lot of money by running several carloads of liquor across county lines. This results in feuds between other bootleggers who want their cut of the action. This book is filled with family drama and action.
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James DB99575
Twenty-year-old Carly goes to Fell, New York to investigate her aunt Vivian’s disappearance in 1982. Vivian disappeared from the Sun Down Motel, where she worked as a night clerk. Carly takes a job as the night clerk at the same motel. Strange things seem to be happening such as doors to rooms not rented, that without reason, suddenly open. There also seem to be ghosts haunting the place.
Carly spends time at the library tracking all of missing women of the area, who disappeared before her aunt, Vivian did. Slowly, she puts together what she thinks happened and who is responsible. This is a creepy story filled with a real cast of characters.
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