Princesses, ghosts and vampires will line sidewalks on the 31st, doorbells ringing and rhymes recited. To get into the mood how about bobbing for some “Do Boo Books” found in the stacks of your school and public libraries. In this month’s Picks, meet a skeleton stuck in its ways, a perky girl whose fear knows no bounds and a bevy of witches set on casting spells on kids in a country-wide campaign. Sink your teeth into reading—it’s better for you than candy corn and chocolate,

John Grisham’s newest book “The French Illusion” is haunting. This is not because it’s about ghosts or is a horror story. It’s haunting because it brings back so much to remember and learn from the Iraq War (2003-2011) and also leads the reader to think about the safety of current travel abroad. Kudos to Grisham for writing a historical fiction novel that includes foreign kidnappings, the experiences of detainees in Guantanamo Bay, and the inner workings of the CIA

Doctors attribute the rise in dementia to our aging population, increasing numbers of people now living well into their 80s and 90s. A form of dementia that is unique and can be inherited, Frontotemporal Dementia, FTD, is the subject of Robert Kolker’s new book, “The Vanishing Family: Love, Fate and the Quest to End Dementia.” In a non-fiction book that reads like a novel, Kolker compassionately relates the story of an unnamed Pennsylvania family. Ollie and Jean have nine ch

The year is 2031 in post-civil war Los Angeles. The former United States has been subdivided into competing republics and city-states. Foreign peacekeeping troops have been recently withdrawn from the city. A well-known Angelino raconteur is hosting a party to celebrate the lifting of the city-wide curfew. Attendees begin to notice unusual occurrences; guests in the lavish apartment see other attendees appear and reappear in markedly different modes of dress. As the evening

“The Secret Dinner,” by Brazilian crime writer Raphael Montes, is a chilling thriller exposing the human condition at its least appealing. Some moments of compassion and love are woven into, what one hopes is a very unlikely scenario. Dante narrates the story of him and his three boyhood friends who leave their tiny town in southern Brazil for Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro in 2018. With the help of Dante’s mother, the young adults rent a large, beautiful apartment that

“Switzy,” by Emma Cline, recently on the Long List for the Booker Prize, is an immersive character study that’s thought-provoking and soul searching. The book’s title is initially confusing. “Switzy” refers to Switzerland, the country where David Hastings, the main character, will end his life in assisted suicide. David has Alzheimer’s and life has become a confusing scenario of thoughts that swirl, the past colliding with the present in a nonsensical disarray. David had onc

Dorothy Roberts, a sociology and civil rights professor, has written an in-depth and poignant memoir of her father’s life and work. Mr. Roberts received his PhD from the University of Chicago. He became a long-time anthropology professor at Roosevelt University in Chicago. Robert E. T. Roberts’ doctoral dissertation was based on nearly 500 interviews with interracial couples in Chicago between the 1930s and the 1960s. Roberts, a white man, married Iris, a Jamaican-born Black

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