Title: The Stranger You Seek

Author: Amanda Kyle Williams

Genre: mystery, suspense, thriller, Georgia author, Augusta Literary Festival author, Yerby Award winner, takes place in Georgia

Source: Augusta Literary Festival/William Gray

I met Amanda Kyle Williams at the Augusta Literary Festival last month. She won the 2015 Yerby Award for Fiction for her third book Don't Talk to Strangers. I was able to get Ms. Williams' autograph for my personal copy of her first book The Stranger You Seek. Due to school projects I was only able to read a few pages here and there until last night. Last night after finishing my term paper, I went on a 3-hour fun reading binge with The Stranger You Seek and I wasn't disappointed!

Keye Street is a private investigator, process server, bail recovery agent and recovering alcoholic. After alcoholism ruined her career as an FBI profiler, Keye remakes her life in Atlanta. While working odd assignments Keye gets pulled into profiling a serial killer terrorizing the citizens of Atlanta. At first the Wishbone Killer's victims appear to have no relation to each other. Keye must use a mixture of her wits and FBI training to pinpoint the killer's motives and protect herself, her loved ones and the citizens of Atlanta. Throw in a few plot twists and tight, quick (but not too quick) pacing, and no-nonsense writing= one of the best mystery/suspense/thriller novels I have read in a long time.

For more information on Amanda Kyle Williams: http://amandakylewilliams.com/

For more information on the Augusta Literary Festival: http://www.augustaliteraryfestival.org/

Title: Isabella's Libretto

Author: Kimberly Cross Teter

Genre: YA historical fiction

I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Kimberly Cross Teter last week at the 4th annual Augusta Literary Festival. She was one of five finalists for the Yerby Award for fiction for her debut YA historical novel Isabella's Libretto.

Source: Augusta Literary Festival/William Gray

Source: Augusta Literary Festival/William Gray

Source: Augusta Literary Festival/William Gray

Isabella's Libretto takes place in Venice in 1715. The title character, Isabella dal Cello, is a teenage orphan who lives in the Ospedale della Pieta- an all-girls orphanage. This orphanage is special because the girls receive a musical education and play in a weekly orchestra directed by Don Antonio Vivaldi (yes, that Vivaldi). Isabella is a cello player in the orphanage orchestra and her dream is to play a solo cello concerto. 

Like most teenagers, Isabella has a bit of a rebellious streak- she and her best friend Catherine sneak out to watch fireworks. Of course they are caught by the all knowing and all seeing Signora Priora! Isabella's punishment is a unique one- she must teach a new resident to play the cello. This "punishment" turns out to be a positive growing experience for Isabella as she gains a new friend and further improves her musical skills.

Unfortunately, Isabella faces three hardships in quick succession (keep the tissues handy!) and must make an important, life-changing decision: will she marry or will she stay at the Pieta for the rest of her life?

For more information on Kimberly Cross Teter: http://www.kimteter.com/

For more information on the Augusta Literary Festival and the Yerby Award for Fiction: http://www.augustaliteraryfestival.org/

Title: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Author(s): Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb
Genre: non-fiction, biography, education for girls

I am disappointed in this book. This was the January selection for the book club I belong to and we are reading books in 2015 about strong women. This book was my pick and it didn't live up to my expectations. Malala has an inspiring story and this book fails to capture this. At first I thought the busyness of life was not letting me enjoy this book but the writing was choppy and the whole book didn't seem to "flow" very well. On the positive side, Malala gives the reader lots of background information on the political history and climate of Pakistan and the history of Swat, her home in Pakistan. The reader learns how the corrupt and inept Pakistani government let the Taliban infiltrate their country and brainwash the Pakistani people. There are lot of parallels between the Taliban takeover of Pakistan and the Nazi takeover in Germany. Should people read this book? Yes, but it might not live up to your expectations.

Title: The News Sorority: Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, Christiane Armanpour - and (Ongoing, Imperfect, Complicated) Triumph of Women in TV News
Author: Sheila Weller
Genre: non-fiction, biography, TV history

This cover caught my eye since I have always viewed Sawyer, Couric and Armanour as respected journalists. Sheila Weller gives a brief history of the beginnings of women in television along with mini biographies of Diane, Katie and Christiane. At 481 pages, Weller did extensive research and interviews with friends and work colleagues of each women to get a balanced picture of each woman's work ethic and personality. We read how their upbringing influenced their choices of stories and interview styles. As with all celebrities what we see on the TV screen is not the same as what happens before airtime. All three women are accused of being demanding and difficult by coworkers. An interesting but long read.

Title: When Rain Falls
Author: Tyora Moody
Genre: Christian fiction, mystery, suspense, urban Christian

I met Tyora Moody at the 2014 Augusta Literary Festival in Augusta, Georgia, and she was one of the finalists for the 2014 Yerby Award for Fiction. I bought the first book in her Victory Gospel series and I finally had a chance to read it over the holidays.

Candace Johnson is a widowed mother of two two teenagers when she suffers another personal tragedy- the murder of her best friends Pamela Coleman. Darnell Jackson is a cop who is a transfer to the Charlotte, NC Police Department from LA. Detective Jackson becomes the lead investigator into Pamela's murder which means he ends up spending a lot of time with Candace. Together they pool their brainpower to find a killer while they cautiously acknowledge their growing attraction for each other.

I would recommend this for anyone who is in the mood to read a mystery that's not too graphic or too sickly sweet (like some cozy mysteries). I am definitely looking forward to reading books 2 and 3 in this series.

Title: Positive: Surviving My Bullies, Finding Hope and Living to Change the World
Author: Paige Rawl with Ali Benjamin
Genre: non-fiction, biography, memoir, inspirational

Paige Rawl, by all appearance was your typical, American middle school girl: she loved cheerleading, soccer, was a straight-A student and loved hanging out with her friends. Paige was also HIV-positive (from birth) and disclosed her secret to her best friend one night at a school lock-in. Before an hour had passed, all the kids at the lock-in knew Paige's secret and her relationship with her best friend was destroyed.
Bullying and teasing soon followed after this. When Paige went to the school counselor for help, she was told "to stop the drama." Because of this lack of understanding, Paige withdrew even more into herself and wouldn't tell her mother what was happening at school or about the nasty notes left anonymously at her locker. The stress eventually manifested itself through self harm and pseudo seizures, and out of desperation, Paige was homeschooled for a year. After a year had passed, Paige transferred to another high school that was more accepting and had a zero tolerance policy on bullying. Her middle school years still haunted her though and after another huge health scare, Paige used her anger, frustration and public speaking skills (from years of pageants) to bring awareness for HIV/AIDS.

A quick read (it took me two days); although this is catalogued in the adult biography section at my library, a middle schooler would be able to easily read this. There is no graphic content, although there a few swear words from when Paige recalls conversations with other kids. I look forward to watching Paige's successes in the future!

Title: Rain Reign
Author: Ann M. Martin
Genre: juvenile literature, special needs character, dogs

Since my last blog post (3 months ago!) I have been transferred to the Children's Department at the library where I work. A few weeks into my new position, this book by Ann M. Martin comes in. Yes, that Ann M. Martin of The Babysitters Club fame! I immediately snatched this book up because a) Ms. Martin was one of my favorite authors when I was a kid, b) the book cover is beautiful and c) this is considered research for work (reader's advisory).

The main character in this book is Rose who is high-functioning autistic and is obsesses with homonyms (hence the title) and prime numbers. Rose lives with her father, who is neither the best or the worst father in the world, but he does not act kindly towards Rose's disability. The book starts off with Rose's daily struggles in school to contain her outbursts and her awkwardness in social situations. Luckily, Rose has Rain, her dog, and her Uncle Weldon to help her through life and her father's moods. Unfortunately, Rain becomes lost during a hurricane and it's weeks before she is reunited with Rose. At the reunion, Rose learns that Rain had a family before her and Rose takes the hard, brave and unselfish journey to find Rain's original family...