The discovery of a baby’s skeleton at a construction site in London is the focus of the mystery novel “The Child”. How long had the baby been buried? How had the baby gotten there? Most importantly, who is this baby? These are questions journalist Kate Waters tries to answer as she chases her next front page story. Continue reading
Author Archives: mmelland
“Okay for Now”, by Gary D. Schmidt
“Okay for Now” is an engaging, young adult coming of age novel narrated by fourteen-year-old Doug Swieteck. Doug has a lot going on in his young life. He just moved to a new town, his father is abusive, his brother is wounded in Vietnam and he’s having a hard time assimilating into his new school. Continue reading
New Reader Recommendations Page
My blog readers (you!) have provided a ton of great book recommendations. Now everyone can see them all in one place on the new Reader Rec’s page. The page can be accessed from the main menu or you can click here. Continue reading
“The Help”, by Kathryn Stockett
I was feeling like the only person on Earth who hadn’t read “The Help”, so I took care of that little problem. Wish I hadn’t waited so long! Continue reading
October’s Kind of Like a Book Club Book
October’s book is “Ready Player One”, by Ernest Cline. As you can see from the description below, this book is a departure from my usual fare. It caught my eye because it got really good reader reviews on Amazon plus Steven Spielberg is directing the movie version, and he usually picks winners. But what really sold me is that it’s supposed to be full of 1980’s pop culture references and that, like, is totally my decade, fer sure. Continue reading
Fundraiser to Fight ALS
I was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) six years ago. It’s been a hard road. It started as a little bit of weakness in my foot and within three and a half years I was paralyzed and on a ventilator. I need 24/7 care but private insurance and Medicare don’t cover that. But there are patients in worse situations than me. Thankfully, we have the ALS Association to fill some of that support gap. Continue reading
“The Chaperone”, by Laura Moriarty
Cora Carlisle is a Wichita housewife who is given the opportunity to chaperone 16-year-old Louise Brooks on a month long trip to New York City during the 1920’s. Louise is a precocious and selfish teenager who goes to NYC to study with a famous dance company and would go on to be a silent film star (in real life). Cora’s motive for going on the trip is so she can try to find out about her birth parents. She spent the first six years of her life in a NYC orphanage, until an orphan train delivers her to a family in Kansas. Although she was happy with her adopted family, she really wanted to know more about her roots. Continue reading
Book Review: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The Secret Keeper is a really well-written and cleverly structured mystery that spans a couple of generations in Great Britain. Great characters and a hard to predict ending make it a top notch read! Continue reading
Book Review: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
“The Language of Flowers” is a novel about learning how to forgive yourself and accept love from others. Told from the perspective of an 18-year-old product of the foster care system, it runs the reader through a gauntlet of emotions, including frustration, sympathy and hope. Continue reading
Book Review: Gone for Good by Harlan Coben
Gone for Good is a well engineered thriller, full of unpredictable plot twists and surprises. Although sometimes dark and disturbing, it’s hard to put down because you’ll be anxious to see what storyline twists the author has cooked up next. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 