Reading Recs

Alma has a really looooooooooooong name. It is six names long which is way tooooo long. So she complains to her father. He sits her down and says she can decide if her name fits after he explains the origins of each name which come from her relatives. She decides that each name does fit. It is a wonderful reflection on the origins of names and importance of family. ~Stephanie Hallam, Kent Library

When a family member with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology analyzes a relative, the result usually attracts little attention, except when the subject of the analysis is the President of the United States. That is the situation in this work by Mary L. Trump, Donald Trump’s only niece. She had known him her entire life. The subtitle hints at the author’s conclusion about the family dynamic. Readers are invited to make up their own mind about this engrossing family drama. ~Alice Strange, Communication Studies and Modern Languages, Emerita

"Daniel Pitt, along with his parents, Charlotte and Thomas, is delighted that his sister Jemima has returned to London from the States for a visit. But it's not on the happiest of terms, since a violent theft just before her departure has left Jemima's good friend frightened and missing a treasured family heirloom. The thief appears to be a man named Sydney--a British diplomat stationed in America who, in a cowardly move, has fled to London, claiming diplomatic immunity. But when Daniel is forced to defend Sydney in court, he grows suspicious that he's not getting the whole story; so the lawyer puts on his detective hat to search out what information may be missing." ~Barbara Glackin, Kent Library

When I saw the prompt of "books about family," Anne of Green Gables came to my mind immediately. I've been in love with this series since I was a little girl, and something that always stood out to me was the beautiful story of familial love. This book is a stunning example of found family and serves to reaffirm the fact that family does not have to just be made up of blood relatives. Anne lets her childlike joy and zest for life shine through her in everything that she does; she gives her love freely to any and all who choose to join her in doing so, welcoming them into her vast family of "kindred spirits." ~Makenna Wessell, Class of '26

"Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives. Deborah's investigation of the prime suspect, Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict, leads her to Nicholas' wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone." ~Barbara Glackin, Kent Library

"A young wife is forced to confront a decades-old deadly secret when a medium connects her to her dead grandfather. A vicious psychopath wants ultimate revenge against Savich, but first, she wants to destroy what he loves most-his family. A series of three red boxes are delivered personally to Savich at the Hoover Building, each one containing puzzle pieces of a town only FBI agent Pippa Cinelli recognizes. Savich sends in Cinelli to investigate undercover but someone knows who she is. Savich and Sherlock are up to their eyebrows in danger, but can they figure out the red box puzzle and the young wife's secret before it's too late?" ~Barbara Glackin, Kent Library

A coming of age story of four sisters during the American Civil War. The sisters band together to support their family and one another and also are sisters who sometimes don't get along. I reread this book every winter and always catch something new. ~Barbara Glackin, Kent Library

"In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, Kacey lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. Her sister, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling. When Kacey disappears--at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district--she becomes obsessed with finding the culprit--and her sister--before it's too late." ~Barbara Glackin, Kent Library

Set during the Great Depression, this beautifully illustrated children's book recalls the author's grandmother's childhood. After her father's death, Marvel (age six) and her seven siblings (including a baby) moved to a tar-paper shack in the woods. Her mother's optimism and strength inspire the children to find treasures. Progressing through the four seasons, Marvel sees her home transform. She says, "Here in these woods, I find my brothers, my sisters, our mum, and me (Marvel). The shake all wrapped in tar paper looks different now -- warm and bright and filled with love. . . like I feel inside." `Stephanie Hallam, Kent Library

A flawed Frankie Elkin searches for missing people. A case in Boston has her searching for a Haitian teenager who vanished from her high school. Resistance from the Boston PD and the victim's family leave Frankie asking questions someone doesn't want answered. ~Barbara Glackin, Kent Library

The historical William Shakespeare was married and the father of three children. His son Hamnet died at the age of eleven. The cause is not known with certainty. The author of this work has imagined the context of this event, portraying the daily life of the family in a restrained style befitting the times. The death of young Hamnet and the emergence of his father’s talent are both portrayed in their full emotional impact upon the family. Widely acclaimed as historical fiction at its best. ~Alice Strange, Communication Studies and Modern Languages, Emerita