Glass Houses by Louise Penny

GLASS HOUSES by Louise Penny is another excellent mystery (following A Great Reckoning and The Nature of the Beast) featuring Armand Gamache, his wife Reine-Marie, son-in-law and colleague Jean-Guy, plus numerous village residents and members of the judiciary and police forces.  In this stellar addition, Penny divides the narrative between Judge Maureen Corriveau’s first homicide case in Montreal (where Gamache is testifying) and the Quebecois village of Three Pines where a murder occurred.  The deceased was wearing a black hood and robes, perhaps acting as a “debt collector,” or Conscience, of sorts. But who was the target? Someone from the village or one of the college friends making an annual visit to the B and B? As Gamache and his force try to solve the local murder, they are also battling widespread drug trafficking and powerful cartels. Consequently, GLASS HOUSES explores moral questions from several perspectives.  And, as always, Penny weaves a suspenseful tale, culminating in exciting, action-filled scenes. GLASS HOUSES received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Library Journal.  

This series is an absolute favorite and highly recommended. Not to be ignored is the Author’s Note with Penny’s comments about Three Pines: “The village does not exist physically.... Three Pines is a state of mind. When we choose tolerance over hate. Kindness over cruelty. Goodness over bullying. When we choose to be hopeful, not cynical.  Then we live in Three Pines.”

Project You by Aubre Andrus

PROJECT YOU by Aubre Andrus will be available in our library in September.  This book will likely be high interest, particularly for girls in middle school and early high school.  Andrus divides the book into two major sections: Take Control and Find Your Balance. Within each, are multiple chapters with titles like “Head Outdoors”, “Exude Confidence,” “Create a Time Budget” and “Speak Up.”  There is a section on breathing and meditation, and several visualization exercises.  I liked the conversational tone of the book, famous quote selections, and the many suggestions for action like simplifying your wardrobe or choosing joy through creating reminders of happy moments on slips of paper. There are tasks for creating a gratitude journal, sending a card of thanks, or establishing a vision board.  Most of this is probably not really new to readers, but having it together in a concise format helps; there are even lists of “feel good” and “pump up” songs, plus a very practical list with websites and phone numbers of where to go for help.  One issue, though is the almost exclusive focus on girls (as reinforced by images, color schemes and choice of font).  We know boys feel stress, too, and I wish this potentially helpful book also provided them with “More Than 50 Ways to Calm down, De-Stress, and Feel Great.”

Working Fire by Emily Bleeker

WORKING FIRE appealed to me originally because it is set in small town Illinois and the best-selling author, Emily Bleeker, lives in suburban Chicago. As such, it seems to fit nicely with ideas expressed in “Keep Summer Reading Alive All Year” (appearing in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal) wherein Will Schwalbe extols the benefits of reading a variety of titles, especially those chosen randomly.  WORKING FIRE was a fun surprise to read because it involved action, tension, mystery and a clever shift in time to tell the story of two sisters, Amelia and Ellie. The latter is a paramedic who answers a 911 call at her sister’s home – finding gunshot victims and the start to a traumatic few days.  Amelia, much older, is seemingly defined by her role as mother (to Katie and Cora) and wife to Steve.  Amelia’s high school boyfriend, Caleb, and a newcomer real estate investor, Randy, also feature in the story which is told in flashbacks beginning about six weeks prior to the shooting. Dealing with issues of family loyalty and trust, WORKING FIRE delves into complex relationships and is filled with secrets, suspense and manipulation in a contemporary setting.