Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson

This was good! It was a detailed and suspenseful account of Abraham Lincoln's assassination and the 12 day manhunt for his killers. I also liked the photographs and documents that were included throughout the book.

Happy Reading! If you read Chasing Lincoln's Killer, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it! :)

Diamond Willow by Helen Frost

I loved this little gem of a book. You always hear me talk about how I am drawn to a book's cover .. and this cover didn't impress me, SO I am glad I didn't judge a book by the cover and gave this book a chance!

From Amazon:

In her small Alaskan town, 12-year-old Diamond Willow, named for the tree, prefers to be just "Willow" but muses that if her parents had called her "Diamond," "…would I have been one of those sparkly kinds of girls?" Instead she describes herself as an average, part-Athabascan girl with one good friend, who finds herself more comfortable around her family's sled dogs than with people. Her story takes a heartrending turn on a solo dogsled trip to visit her grandparents, and Willow is soon caught up in an intense adventure that leads to the discovery of a family secret. As she unravels the truth, Willow comes to understand the diamonds and scars that bind her family together. She also gains awareness of her own strength and place in her community. Willow relates her story in one-page poems, each of which contains a hidden message printed in darker type. At key intervals, the narrative is continued in the voices of her ancestors, who take the form of animal spirits—Red Fox, Spruce Hen, Mouse, Chickadee, Lynx—and her sled dogs. Frost casts a subtle spell through innovative storytelling. Her poems offer pensive imagery and glimpses of character, and strong emotion.

Happy Reading! If you read Diamond Willow, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it! :)

Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty

I had a hard time settling into this book - it wasn't bad, it just didn't grab me like some books do. I DO think this book has a little something for everyone - mystery, drama, and pulls at your heartstrings too. I loved that the main character, Lily, is a big reader :)

From Amazon:
Lily, who hasn’t spoken since the accident that killed her brother two years ago, does nothing to contradict the general notion that she is now brain damaged. She finds comfort in the openhearted affection of an elderly neighbor and in reading Nancy Drew mysteries on the sly. After Tinny, a troubled new girl in their small Illinois town, discovers that Lily is hiding the fact that she can still read, Lily finds it increasingly difficult to maintain the facade that has been her emotional shield. A present-tense account of scenes leading up to her brother’s death, inserted in italics at intervals within the primary first-person narrative, heightens the level of intensity as the main story progresses and the parallel narrative approaches that shrouded but clearly traumatic event.

Happy Reading! If you read Cicada Summer, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it! :)

new books

New books in the LMC - please stop by to take a look :)

A few that I thought looked interesting:
* A Taste For Red by Lewis Harris
* Flygirl by Sherri Smith

I have also received some more copies of the Short and Shivery short stories collections. Fun reads with Halloween around the corner.