Marina Mews by DL Mitchell

 

Genre:  Adult, Mystery

Source: I received a copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The opinions expressed here are my own.

What I loved about this book is that it is a fast paced mystery and has animals to fall in love with. I loved that the author had a six toed cat named Hemingway as a character in the book. The story takes place in a small South Florida town. I could relate because I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida with its laid back feeling.  Emily is a veterinarian and has just found the body of her friend Billy. He owned a dive shop and actually taught Emily to dive. Eventhough her boyfriend and brother try to get her to stay out of it she just can't. This seems more important when she learns the death was possibly a murder. As a teacher I love learning things in books, especially if they are sprinkled throughout a fictional book. The author has sprinkled advice about treating animals all throughout the book. In other words, the author has interjected her own expertise into the book. The cat Hemingway belonged to Billy. He helps Emily solve his owner's murder. There is the slightest romance in the book, but not enough to throw me out of it. There are actually two other books in this series I have not read.  I will be reading them. I love when I find not only a great new series but a great new author. I highly recommend this series to you.

Ten Days In A Mad-House by Nellie Bly

 

Source: I purchased a copy

Genre:  Memoir

My fascination with this book came when my students had to read an excerpt in my Middle School English class.  They struggled to understand why someone would purposely get themselves committed to an asylum. Nellie Bly had a lot of guts in my mind. First of all she was a female living in a male dominated world. Many women were put away by husbands who no longer wanted them around. Nellie Bly wished to let the world know what actually went on inside. Why you may ask. There was no one to speak for those women. Bly came up with a plan to tell their story. She got herself committed by acting like she was insane and used a fake last name. They sent her to the asylum where she spoke with these women and documented the abuses they suffered.  She had pre-arranged with her editor to have them get her out after ten days. She exposed the atrocities and created change.

 

Genre:  Young Adult, Fantasy, Ghost Stories

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I had never heard of this series before I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing. It has so many things that I love in books I read. I love reading books where one or more of the main characters are underdogs.  We have Luis who loves math but gets bullied. We have Zuri who practices mixed martial arts. She and her mother have moved to Pinedale to get away from her father who is very violent. She actually saves Luis from the bullies and they become best friends. Then of course who doesn’t love stories that have ghosts. Zuri meets one in her school library. Zuri has a ghost friend she meets in the library and helps her with her math. I wish I had a ghost when I was in school to help me with my math.  As I read I learned there was an evil entity in the sub-basement.  I have had a fear of basements since I was about ten years old. Zuri, Luis and many of the other ghosts in the school decided to help Zuri protect the ghost helping her with her math.  Here is why teens will love this book. It deals with so many issues they often deal with. Zuri has to deal with not only a violent father, but also with racism.  Then there is Luis who has to deal with bullies.  They can identify with and relate with so much in this book.  Of course this is a great book for anyone who loves reading about people who overcome major obstacles in their lives and especially for those who love ghost stories. I would most definitely recommend this book.