Brunch at Bittersweet Café by Carla Laureano ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Once upon a time, Melody Johansson had believed in happily ever afters.

To be truthful, she still believed in them, but with her thirtieth birthday in the rear-view mirror, the fairy tale ending had turned away from meeting a handsome prince to owning a little patisserie in Paris.  Even if sometimes, as she toiled away in her own version of Cinderella's attic, both fantasies seemed equally far-fetched."

Fool's Errand by Jenna Zark ~ a Review

by MK French

On Monday, I reviewed the first book in Jenna Zark's Beat Street series. Today, I'm sharing my thoughts on the second book - Fool's Errand.

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

It's been a while since I read a WWII story, but I couldn't pass up A Light Over London when I saw it at Netgalley. It is a wonderful story told in two timelines.

The Beat on Ruby's Street by Jenna Zark ~ a #KidLit Review #MondayBlogs

by MK French

In the summer of 1958, Ruby Tabeata is proud of being a Beat and not like the "average" eleven-year-old. She lives in New York City with her Beat parents and older brother, writes poetry, hopes to attend a Jack Kerouac reading and make her way through Greenwich Village. When she's accused of stealing fruit, it starts a cascade of events that sends her a children's home and shows her the power of art and protest.

A Great American Author: Pat Conroy

by Susan Roberts

None of Pat Conroy's book turned up on the Great America Read book list.  If it had been the 'Susan Great American book list', his books would own the first three spots and the rest would be in the top 20.  Pat Conroy was my first real introduction to the genre of modern Southern Fiction.  He had a mastery of the language that pulled you into his stories so that you felt like you knew the characters and you could smell the salty air as you read.

Poseidon's Academy by Sarah A. Vogler ~ a Review

by MK French

Over sixteen hundred years ago, humans banded together to kill the gods that had been using them. The gods' powers then rained down onto humanity, so that they could wield those powers for themselves. There is a prophecy that the gods will return, and one with the power of Zeus will control lightning and save the world. Hailey Woods is the first person born with the powers of Zeus in a century, but she's thirteen years old and hardly knows how to handle the power she does have. She enrolls in Poseidon's Academy, an underwater school that is very exclusive. The benefit of being underwater also means that Hailey can't use her power or be harassed to put on a show, allowing her to feel like a normal teenager. However, she overhears nymphs plotting against the human students and will do what she can to stop them from enacting the prophecy.