Reviews

Staff Review
Cover of BOMB SHELTER by Mary Laura Philpott

Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives

By Mary Laura Philpott
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Gregg W.
Apr 12, 2022

For today's #NewTitleTuesday pick, we turn our attention to the nonfiction section with Mary Laura Philpott's BOMB SHELTER: LOVE, TIME AND OTHER EXPLOSIVES. Philpott, an essayist who some critics call a spiritual successor to Nora Ephron or Erma Bombeck and who wrote 2019's I MISS YOU WHEN I BLINK, writes a fresh, funny, and insightful collection of new essays that speak to everyday life, motherhood, and the anxiety-ridden moment that many Americans are going through.

Staff Review
woman with blonde bangs and red lipstick

The Unknown Writing Contest Winner

By Claire McMurray
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Helen H.
Apr 6, 2022

Johnson County Library is pleased to announce that Claire McMurray has won our essay writing contest on the theme of The Unknown with her piece "Who Is She?" 

Claire McMurray has a doctorate in French from Yale University and runs a blog about special needs parenting at: www.idontknowhowyoudoit.org.

Who Is She?

Staff Review
Cover of COVER STORY by Susan Rigetti

Cover Story

By Susan Rigetti
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Gregg W.
Apr 5, 2022

Welcome to #NewTitleTuesday where we say hello to one of the many books that make their debuts on the library shelves this week. 

Staff Review
The cover to Slow Horses by Mick Herron

Slow Horses

By Mick Herron
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Matt I.
Mar 28, 2022

Slough House is the dumping ground of the British Secret Services. Left a briefcase filled with state secrets on the bus, accidentally punched the Prime Minister's wife or nearly blown up a major metropolitan train station during a training exercise? Then Slough House is where you end up; doing stultifying and demeaning administrative tasks under the baleful eye of station commander Jackson Lamb (think a bitter and burned out James Bond).

The Slow Horses are only around until they can be made to quit, or get back into the good graces of their higher ups at MI6.

Staff Review
The Cover of IMPOSSIBLE US by Sarah Lotz

The Impossible Us

By Sarah Lotz
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Gregg W.
Mar 22, 2022

Hello and welcome to NewTitleTuesday, where we take a look at a new book that gets released into the publishing world this week. Today's novel is a love story - well, let me stop right there, as it's not exactly a love story, it's a love story that goes wrong. In the beginning, anyway.

Staff Review
Image of a large house located on the tip of a cliff that jets out over a beautifully blue body of water with a radiant sunrise in the background.

The House in the Cerulean Sea

By TJ Klune
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Caitlin P
Mar 18, 2022

I have not loved a book this much in a very, very long time. I have to be careful about saying that though because it immediately sets the bar at an almost impossible level. This book landed in my hands at exactly the right time. It was the first book I’d been able to read read (as opposed to listen to on audio) since having a baby. With my daughter finally sleeping through the night and in her own room, I was once again able to curl up with a book in bed and let my not-quite-as-sleep deprived brain travel to another place.

Staff Review
smiling woman with short, wavy brown hair

The Unknown Writing Contest Winner

By Molly Hopkins
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Helen H.
Mar 17, 2022

Johnson County Library is pleased to announce that Molly Hopkins has won our short story writing contest on the theme of The Unknown with her piece "Kerplunk." 

Molly Hopkins is a feisty individual, who lives out adventures in her mind as there is little she can do with her body. Driven to writing due to a severe chronic illness, Molly finds purpose, intrigue, and joy in the world of her imagination and the art of storytelling. For more of her work, visit www.goldinthegray.com.

Kerplunk

Staff Review
cover of The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks by Igort

Learning More About Ukraine

By Igort
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Bet M
Mar 16, 2022

What do you do when calamity strikes the world yet again? How do you handle the confusion of trying to unravel the news? As someone who works at a library, perhaps it’s not surprising that I turn to...the library. What book or film can I find that connects me to someone’s story so I can more clearly see and hear the events from those involved.