book review The Dutch House
Danny Conroy’s father is a self-made man who parlayed an eye for rentable property into a fortune. Unfortunately, his discriminating eye failed him when he purchased a home for his wife ...
Book: The Little Paris Bookshop
“The Little Paris Bookshop” begins with a mystery: Monsieur Perdu (“lost” in French) shoves aside a bookcase and opens the door to a room he hasn’t used in 21 years. Stepping ...
Book: Beautiful Ruins
This is a delightful, laugh-out-loud, maybe cry-a-little novel that sweeps through time and around the globe — from World War II to the present day, from Beaverton to Hollywood to the Italian ...
Book: Button Holed
The protagonists of cozy mysteries usually have interesting professions or hobbies they pursue while solving crimes on the side. Hannah Swenson bakes cookies while helping the police in Joanne ...
Book: The Camera Never Lies
Australian author David Rawlings gives readers an intriguing premise in “The Camera Never Lies”: What if photographs revealed the whole truth, emotional as well as physical, rather ...
Book: The Revisioners
Ava has moved in with her paternal grandmother in the opening paragraphs of “The Revisioners,” Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s novel about women’s relationships and one family’s ...
Book: The Country Guesthouse
Hannah Russell has a miserable time at a work retreat: Her phone and computer are locked away, and her coworkers envision the long weekend as a time to drink and play, rather than bond and improve ...
Book: Word to the Wise
Librarian Lindsey Norris enjoys a great life as director of the Briar Creek library as Jenn McKinlay’s “Word to the Wise” begins. She has a great dog and an even better fiance, ...
Book: Out of the Past
Carmona Leigh is a plain young woman with a modest trust fund. Her neighbor, Alan Field, is a striking young man with a love of money, but no cash of his own. As “Out of the Past” ...
Book: Due for Discard
In “Due for Discard,” author Sharon St. George gives us a likeable mystery that will make readers think twice about social problems — and solutions, such as a restaurant that ...
Book: A Better Man
I admire the work of Canadian author Louise Penny, and I was thrilled to find a new novel in her series about Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and the residents of the magical village of Three Pines, ...
Book: Family Album
Penelope Lively’s “Family Album” is not just about the big family that lives in Allersmead, a stately home in rural England; it’s also about the house itself. Lively looks ...
Book: French Fried
“French Fried” is a pleasant, entertaining light mystery, but possibly a bit misnamed. Main character Laurel is a chef proud of her cooking skills, in this case, the French specials ...
From the Children's Room
A monthly column from the children’s librarians at the McMinnville Public Library. In studies on children’s literature, statistics show that the diversity of the population is not yet reflected ...
Book: Mrs. Fletcher
Tom Perrotta’s novels usually take an in-depth look at characters’ inner thoughts — readers learn a lot about the things they express to no one else. That holds true in his latest, ...
