American author Daniel Mason is a psychiatrist on the staff of Stanford Hospital and a professor of writing at Stanford University. His most recent novel, “Country People,” is set in southern Vermont. Kate and Miles, she a Ph.D. professor of English Literature, he a frustrated academic struggling to complete a doctoral thesis on Russian folklore, have moved to Vermont, where Kate has accepted a 1-year visiting professorship at a prestigious liberal arts college. They, with t

“The Truth About Ruby Cooper,” by Liz Nugent, is a story told in alternative voices and chapters between two sisters, Ruby and Erin Cooper. Each gives their viewpoint of a criminal incident occurring in 1999 when they were teens. Occasionally, a short chapter is narrated by their mother Maureen in which her perspective is given. In 1999, Erin is a senior in high school. She is beautiful, a talented writer, and kind. She also is in love with Milo, a year older tha

It’s happening. Awakening to an alarm, boarding a bus and meeting teachers at the door, excitement builds as a new year begins. Time to kiss the summer goodbye and open the door to academia, to seeing old friends and making new ones. Time to embrace learning and get challenged by classes you thought you might hate, but end up loving. To kick off the year, Clover’s suggesting “Cool School Picks” that students can check out at their school and public libraries, thanks to the ge

The second sentence of the Declaration of Independence declares, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” On the 250th anniversary of its adoption, Walter Isaacson has written an 80-page book that examines and appreciates each word and vision of the Declaration. Isaacson maintains that the second sentence i

“Big Little Truths,” a must-read by Liane Moriarty, is an engrossing, gossipy melodrama readers will clamor to get their hands on. Moriarty’s newest features characters from “Big Little Lies,” (2014), the wildly popular novel that spawned an HBO series in 2017 that everyone was talking about, set in Australia. In the TV series, the location played out on the rocky coast of the Monterey Peninsula. While Moriarty’s newest is a sequel, it is a standalone, so readers won’t be lo

Clover knows that “Anything is Possible,” a mantra your bee buddy follows with energy and enthusiasm. In this month’s Picks, young readers meet animals and humans who take heart and follow Clover’s lead. These spunky characters aren’t bound by fear, what others think or a lack of self-confidence. Meet a cow with curiosity, a book-loving magician and a couple of kids determined to crack a kidnapping case. Page on, enjoy! The Community Literacy Foundation, in partnership with N

American journalist Pamela Colloff is a reporter for ProPublica and a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine. A former editor at Texas Monthly, she published several long-form articles describing the tortuous road leading to the release of two prisoners whose convictions were overturned after extensive investigations showed the evidence against them was fabricated. In her first book, “Catch the Devil,” Colloff describes a similar scenario, but one that does not, at the

“The Lowe Job,” by Grave Alexander, is a sexy, contemporary book rife with scandal and humor that pulls readers right in. Think of it as a blending together of Monica Lewinsky’s story and “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.” The story begins with Lili Lowe, the oldest of four sisters, becoming the center of a media storm when she is photographed giving Teddy Landen, a married member of Parliament, oral sex in his car. As the scandal erupts, threatening to ruin Lili’s career a

Jill Biden stepped into the role of First Lady of the United States in a turbulent time defined by the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol insurrection. She recounts her White House experience of helping to reassure and steady a stressed and frightened nation, while maintaining her own identity. Dr. Biden led a multifaceted life, balancing her career as an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College with serving as a major representati

With 26 books to his name, Chris Bohjalian continues to captivate, his fans eagerly awaiting his next release. Bohjalian knows how to spin a tale, and he scores a perfect round with “The Amateur,” a read-it-in-one-day novel that centers on a deadly incident at a country club in the 1970s. The freak accident kicks off the pageturner, the prologue introducing a young caddy waiting to tote players’ bags round 18-holes when a ball cracks open his skull. Within minutes Kenny Fost

“Sunlight Finds You” is a historical fiction novel that explores the ramifications of teen pregnancy in the late 1940s. Being a pregnant teen back then meant shame, isolation and scandal that affected not only the pregnant girl, but the entire family. Families went to great lengths to hide pregnancies for which the young women ultimately suffered. “Sunlight Finds You” also is a love story broken into three parts. In the first, Eleanor meets Leonard in her new high

Two months ago, I was in a bookstore in a small town in England when I saw that Douglas Stuart had presented on his much-lauded book “John of John” the night before. What bad luck that I missed him—but what good luck after all. The shop had signed copies. Still, I hesitated. Toting a hardcover in an over-stuffed suitcase might not work. I gave in to blatant desire and remain grateful, counting this novel as one of my favorites. Stuart has set his beautifully written story in

Mexican-American novelist and essayist Valeria Luiselli holds a Ph.D. in comparative literature from Columbia University and teaches creative writing at Bard College. Her earlier writing emphases on Latin American culture and life, as well as the challenges of immigrant children. Her most recent novel, “Beginning Middle End,” her second to be written in English, details a mother-daughter road trip around the mother’s ancestral island of Sicily. The novel proceeds in three pa

The New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan interviewed more than 1,000 people for their new book, which depicts an unrestrained president remaking the United States government and its foreign relations in sweeping and alarming ways. The authors’ interview with the president reveals that he has become fixated on becoming “a great man of history.” Trump showed them a document that compared him to Mao, Hitler, Attila the Hun, and Genghis Khan. “The list [h

Reading is a cool choice for hot July days when temperatures soar, and the pool has lost its lure. If you’re waterlogged, heed Clover’s advice, head for your local library where stillness envelops like a hug and books beckon with whispers that float through the stacks. For Your Reading Pleasure, Clover has scoured the kingdom for stories certain to appeal, books that earn your reading bee’s hearty stamp of approval. Check one out— Page on, enjoy! The Community Literacy Founda

"The Traveler: One Man’s Quest to Discover Our Shared Humanity" recounts the life of naturalist and anthropologist George Forster, who was born in 1754 in a hamlet outside Danzig, Poland (modern-day Gdansk). George was the shy but curious son of a strict and cantankerous father. At the age of 17, the young man joined Captain Cook's second voyage on the HMS Resolution that had orders to find the "southern continent." The search for Antarctica required the expedition to stop a

Author Jessica Knoll has been on my radar since her thriller “Bright Young Women,” (2023) loosely based on serial killer Ted Bundy’s murders of college girls in 1978. Knoll has a gritty way with words that makes a reader sit up and take notice. Her newest offering, “Helpless,” is a mystery/thriller that keeps you guessing, with erotic sex scenes that leave little to the imagination. Deception, greed, sordid affairs and the like are commonplace in this unsettling story with t

Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead’s most recent novel, “Cool Machine,” concludes the Harlem Trilogy. The first two novels, “Harlem Shuffle” (2021) and “Crook Manifesto” (2023), tell the story of Ray Clancy, a Harlem native who has grown a successful furniture store through the 60s and 70s, into the 1980s, where the new novel is set. Clancy, the son of a long-dead small time Harlem crook, augmented the early days of his business by selling the occasional stolen item of f

Fans of crime fiction that take place in a wide array of settings will find Don Winslow’s latest collection of action-packed stories smart, rowdy, and poignant. In “Final Score,” best-selling author Winslow has included six short novels in a single volume, each featuring strong characters and compelling plot lines. The author uses his firsthand experiences as a former investigator, anti-terrorist trainer, and trial consultant to write some of the most eloquent crime fiction

American author Sigrid Nunez is best known for her novels, one of which (“The Friend”) won the 2018 National Book Award for Fiction. She also writes short fiction, some of which has been published in such periodicals as The New Yorker and The Paris Review. Nunez’s most recent book, “It Will Come Back To You,” is a collection of 13 stories, largely contemporary, although at least one is from early in her career. Many of the stories are set in Nunez’s home, New York City, alt