GSMC Book Review Podcast

Sarah speaks with Fran Wilde, author of Horizon, the final book in the Bone Universe trilogy.  In the conclusion to this series the characters have to find resolution to the collapse of their city, homes, and way of life, while figuring out how to work together with the many factions that have fought for power throughout the story.  The book is woven together thorugh the experiences of 3 of the ma...

Sarah revisits some of the series she has previously discussed after reading further.  First looks at the Spellshadow Manor Series by Bella Forrest, of which 5 of 6 books are now out.  Next she talks about the 2nd in the Max Crumbly series: Middle School Mayhem by Rachel Renee Russell.  Finally, she talks about Dangerous Minds, the 2nd in the Knight and Moon series by Janet Evanovich.<br />&...

Sarah interviews author Mary Ann Marlowe about her book Some Kind of Magic, which came out in January.  The book is the story of Eden and Adam who meet under what might be considered questionable circumstances.  As their relationship grows Eden has to decide when and how to tell Adam that their attraction might not be real, but rather the result of a scientific experiment involving pheromones.  Ma...

Sarah interviews Kathleen Barber, author of Are You Sleeping?  Are you sleeping is Barber's debut novel and comes out on Tuesday, August 1st.  This suspense novel centers on the family of Josie Buhrman, whose father was murdered when she and her twin sister, Lanie, were 15.  Lanie claims she saw their neighbor commit the murder, but 13 years later a podcast called Reconsidered begins raising quest...

Sarah talks about Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton.  Curious Minds is the first in the Knight and Moon mystery series, featuring Emerson Knight and Riley Moon.  The 2 find themselves involved in some crazy mysteries that take them to unexpected places. They have to combine their very different skillsets and personality types in order to solve the mysteries and extricate themselves...

Sarah interviews Mitchell F Jones, author of Murder in Old Main and Dead Men Can't Murder, the first 2 novels in the Michael Airlie mystery series.  The novels are set in the early 1980s on a campus in rural Pennsylvania and involve Michael Airlie, a former colonel turned computer science professor who keeps finding himself in the midst of murder investigations on campus.  He must use his connecti...

Sarah interviews author Melissa Scholes Young about her debut novel FLOOD, which tells the story of Laura Brooks as she struggles with what it means to move home again after 10 years away from her hometown of Hannibal, Missouri.  Laura navigates life of a small town as a person who has now been away, and discovers how that has affected not only her relationships but also herself.  Hannibal is also...

Sarah discusses The Secret of Spellshadow Manor, the first in a new series by Bella Forrest.  Alex Webber finds himself mistakenly enrolled in a school of magic where the students are more like prisoners and the ominous prospect of "graduation" looms.  The book has been promoted as a combination of Harry Potter and The Hunger Games.  Does it live up to this hype?  Tune in to find out!<br />&...

Sarah talks about author Rick Riordan's books, with an emphasis on one of his newest series, The Trials of Apollo. The second book of the series, The Dark Prophecy, came out in May, and continues the story of the god Apollo who has been sent to earth as a mortal by his father, Zeus.  Apollo must complete certain quests in order to regain his place on Mount Olympus, and there are many familiar char...

Sarah interviewsCurtis C. Chen, author of Waypoint Kangaroo and Kangaroo, Too, which comes out next Tuesday, June 20th.  The science fiction series are set in the future and center around Kangaroo, a secret agent with an ability no one else in the universe posesses:  he is able to open "the pocket" a portal that opens into an empty, seemingly infinite, parallel universe.  The pocket makes Kangaroo...

Sarah talks about one of her favorite authors from childhood, E.L. Konigsburg.  2017 marks the 50th anniversary of her classic book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  She talks about that book as well as another of her favorites, Up From Jericho Tel.  Konigsburg's books are about adventure, friendship, and finding your way in a world that might not feel like it accepts you.&lt...

Sarah interviews Kristin Rockaway, author of The Wild Woman's Guide to Traveling the World, a story about Sopie Bruno who seems to have her life completely figured out.  At least until an unexpected twist on a girls' trip to Hong Kong and a chance encounter with Carson, a free-spirited sketch artist.  Sophie begins to question whether her 5 year plan is really the plan she wants to follow or if sh...

Sarah interviews Jasmine Silvera, author of Death's Dancer, which is a story set in an alternative Prague.  It is a romance, fantasy and mystery about a women named Isela who dances for gods and a necromancer named Azrael.  The two of them must combine their skills and overcome their difficulties to solve a series of murders.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Book Review Podcast at: <a hre...

Sarah talks about fantasy author Terry Brooks' Shannara series.  This series is epic in scope, creating a world readers will love.  His new book, The Black Elfstone, comes out on June 13th and in anticipation of that, Sarah looks back at the series that she has been reading since high school.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Book Review Podcast at: <a href="http://www.gsmcpodcast.com/book...

Sarah talks with author Jason Pellegrini, writer of the books The Replacement and Booth.  Booth is a novel that falls into several categories: historical fiction, supernatural, science fiction, and even, to some extent, romance.  It tells the story of Joseph Bateman, whose search for redemption takes him to a place (and a time) he never expected.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Book Review...

Sarah discusses one of her favorite sets of books from childhood:  The Betsy-Tacy Series by Maud Hart Lovelace.  This series of 13 books is based on Lovelace's childhood and were first published in the 1940s.  Although they describe life in a different time, they are still relatable in many ways from the values of friendship to family dynamics.  They are full of warmth and humor and are a fun read...

Sarah talks about 1 book and 2 series from one of her favorite authors, Debbie Macomber.  The first is a stand-alone book called A Girl's Guide to Moving On, about a woman and her mother-in-law who are both going through transitions in their lives.  The Rose Harbor series is about an Bed and Breakfast owned by a woman named Jo Marie Rose, and the healing that happens to the guests who visit her in...

Sarah talks about the Menagerie Trilogy by Tui T Sutherland and Kari Sutherland, a story which centers around Logan Wilde, Zoe Kahn, and a secret menageri in a small town in Wyoming that houses mythical creatures such as dragons, griffins, and mermaids.  Next she talks about the first 3 of a 5 book series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare.  The Magisterium Series is about a boy named Callum Hunt...

Sarah discusses 2 memoirs.  First up is Lauren Graham's Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (And Everything In Between).  Ms. Graham talks about her chilhood and early days in acting, as well as her time on the original Gilmore Girls and the recent Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.  Next she talks about Mara Wilson's Where Am I Now?:True Stories of Girlhood and Accidenta...

Sarah interviews Marianne Delacourt, author of the Tara Sharp series, specifically about the latest book, Too Sharp.  The series is about amateur sleuth, Tara Sharp, who has a particular ability in that she can read people's auras, which helps her to solve the cases on which she works.  You can learn more about the author as well as the series at <a href="http://www.mariannedepierres.com" rel="...

Sarah talks about 3 books with young, male protagonists.  First, she looks at the Fudge Series by Judy Blume, which centers on Peter and his little brother "Fudge."  Fudge is little, cute, and highly opinionated, three things that drive Peter up the wall.  Next, she talks about How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell where two boys make a bet that one of them can't eat 15 worms in 15 days.  Gros...

Sarah discusses 2 series featuring smart, curious, stubborn, sassy young heroines: Junie B Jones and Ramona Quimby.  The Junie B Jones series is by Barbara Park and tells the story of Junie B and her adventures during Kindergarten and first grade. The Ramona Quimby series is by Beverly Clearly and tells of Ramona and her family over the course of several years.  Both series are hilarious and heart...

Sarah discusses 2 novels she saw recommended on numerous must-read lists.  The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeny is a story of 4 siblings who find themselves confronted by a situation that forces them to confront the lies they have told themselves, each other, and their loved ones.  Falling by Jane Green is the story of Emma, Dominic, and Dominic's six year old son.  As their relationship evolves, th...

Sarah discusses Jennifer Weiner's new Young Adult novel, The Littlest Bigfoot, a story about 2 young girls (one human, one Bigfoot) who don't feel like the fit in with their respective communities.  As they struggle to find where they fit in their worlds, the 2 form an unlikely friendship.<br /><br />Follow the GSMC Book Review Podcast at <a href="http://www.gsmcpodcast.com/book-rev...

Sarah and author Camille Griep discuss Griep’s 2 novel, New Charity Blues. <br /><br />“In the wake of a devastating plague, two communities emerge as bastions of survival. One is called the City, and its people scrabble for scraps in the wasteland. The other, New Charity, enjoys the bounty of its hydroelectric dam and refuses City denizens so much as a drop of precious water. When Cit...