The First Phone Call From Heaven

The First Phone Call From Heaven

Mitch Albom
Rating: 3/5 stars
Reviewer: Denise G.

Summary: Coldwater, a small town in Michigan is thrust into the global spotlight when some of its residents start receiving phone calls from loved ones in Heaven. Not everyone in town is a believer, and one of its residents is set on getting to the bottom of this mystery, whether it be an act of God Himself, or someone who knows a little too much about the residents of Coldwater.

Review: I'm a big fan of Mitch Albom, and always find his books to perfectly balance tugging on the reader's heartstrings with an uplifting and positive message. The First Phone Call From Heaven left me wanting more, which was a first for anything Albom has written. This is a quick read, yet another book I read within 24 hours of starting it. I found the main character to be a little difficult to like, which was unfortunately because he had a sad back story and I wanted to like him as the book progressed.

Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams

Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams

Author: Catherynne M. Valente
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Todd

Summary: In the mind of Ayako, an old woman in exile on a mountain in medieval Japan, nothing is certain, and nothing holds a familiar shape for long. This is a map of a psyche exalted and destroyed by solitude, and on its contorted surface Shinto philosophy, Greek mathematics, Hawaiian goddesses, Egyptian legend, quantum physics, and Babylonian myth meet and merge... In Catherynne M. Valente's second novel since the critically acclaimed The Labyrinth, language and myth construct a strange new geography of the self. This is The Book of Dreams: open it and walk the shadowy paths of this extraordinary landscape

 
Review: This isn't the type of book that's easily described.

It begins as if it’ll be an exploration of the world though a mad woman’s eyes, but that deception soon fades. The story is an exploration of the collective unconscious and spirituality, as the dreams of Ayako embody and surpass the constraints of the archetypes that they are in myth.

It is a moving tale that keeps you questioning what reality is and what is the waking dream of madness that belongs to Ayako. But the answer never truly comes; instead we are given the sense that all can be as true as it is false. This is a wonderful read; one that can be read quickly and with something new possibly waiting for you to find it with each new turn of the page.

Wait Till Helen Comes

Wait Till Helen Comes
Author: Mary Downing Hahn
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: Molly and Michael dislike their spooky new stepsister Heather, but realize that they must try to save her when she seems ready to follow a ghost child to her doom.

Review: This is an amazingly well-crafted ghost story. It’s spooky without being too scary. There are great descriptions creating the eeriness, and the fast-moving plot keep you turning the page to see what’s going to happen next. Third grade and up should enjoy this book. Great read to get you in the Halloween spirit!

The Husband's Secret

The Husband's Secret

Liane Moriarty
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Reviewer: Denise G.

 

Summary: What would you do if you stumbled across a letter your husband wrote, only to be opened upon his death? Cecilia, a wife who seems to have it all together, discovers this letter while her husband is away on business. Despite her husband's wishes, she reads the letter and their world changes. Set in present-day Australia, Moriarty paints a suspensful, but believable story about marriage, relationships, and the lengths you would go to protect your family.


Review: The Husband's Secret was addictive- I couldn't put it down and I ended up reading the book in less than 24 hours. Moriarty spins the perfect web, connecting the three female main characters into an unforgettable chain of events. I really enjoyed this book because it puts the reader in the same mindset as the characters- what would you do if you opened a letter from your husband that changed your world as you knew it? This novel defied my expectations and was equally complex as it was believable.

Inside Outside

Inside Outside
Author: Lizi Boyd
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Sue

Summary: This wonderful wordless book is about a boy and the activities that he does during the different seasons.  There are cutouts so that while the boy is inside making a boat to sail, you can see the pond outside through the window.  While he is outside sailing the boat he just made, you can see the bookshelves inside through the window.  A very cute way to explain the inside/outside concept, talk about the change of seasons, play “I Spy” with your child (there are two mice in every “inside” picture to find), and just look at and talk about all the details in the book.

Review: This book would be fun to read with a child, or for them to read by themselves.  It could easily be read and looked at many times! 

Haunted Summer

Haunted Summer
Author: Betty Ren Wright
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Reviewer: Christi

Summary: Shy, nine-year-old Abby surprises herself, her equally timid babysitter, and her older brother when they are haunted by a ghost that is trying to reclaim a stolen music box.

Review: This ghost story is right up my alley. Not too scary but still edge-of-your-seat good. Abby is facing a summer with no best friend and a brother who just sees her as a nuisance. But when her parents decide to get a babysitter for the summer, things start to look up. When 18-year-old sitter Hannah arrives, Abby gives her a music box. Abby notices that Hannah seems afraid of it and everything else. Hannah soon tells Abby about the ghost of a little girl showing up when the music box is playing. Soon the brother starts to play tricks on Hannah just to spook her. Eventually, the girls decide to investigate. As they learn about the ghost girl they’re seeing, they realize maybe they could help her rest peacefully. In the end, you find out sometimes the most courageous person is the last one you’d expect.