The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake

THE LAST TRUE POETS OF THE SEA by Julia Drake has a beautiful cover, doesn’t it? This young adult novel introduces the story of Sam, who has tried to kill himself, but it focuses primarily on Violet, his sister who feels guilt, remorse, anger. Well actually, she is not sure what she feels or how to react when she is sent to live with her Uncle Toby for the summer in a small, coastal town named Lyric, Maine.  Violet meets new friends (Orion, Liv, Mariah, and Felix) and develops a romantic relationship as she struggles to repair her ties with her brother (under treatment in Vermont) and parents (working in New York City).  Drake explores bisexuality in this coming of age novel that also has an element of suspense and family history due to a long ago shipwreck. I thought that THE LAST TRUE POETS OF THE SEA started well and was quite engaging, but it also slowed a bit in the middle (too much angst over boyfriends and girlfriends?) before resolving many of the issues (“no one thing could fix us, because no one thing was wrong. The fixing would be in keeping going, in trying.”) and chronicling some of the healing. Drake writes beautifully: “I felt the weight of my brother’s sadness in my own chest. He was a jellyfish being asked to float on land.” Loosely evoking Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, THE LAST TRUE POETS OF THE SEA received a number of starred reviews, including ones from Booklist (grades 10+), Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Connection, and School Library Journal (grades 8+).

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER by Linda Holmes is a fun LibraryReads selection for June.  The tale begins with a young woman who is in the process of leaving her husband when she learns he has died in a car crash.  Now, regarded by others as a grieving widow, she struggles to redefine her life and depends in large part on a platonic friendship with Andrew. He, in turn, has a childhood friend named Dean Tenney, an MLB pitcher facing a career ending case of the yips.  Looking to get away, Dean arrives in small town Maine and rents an apartment at Evvie (rhymes with Chevy) Drake’s house. Holmes describes the feeling: “that was when he had known what was next. Now, his only plans were dinner and bringing his duffel in from the truck. The part of the future that was in focus had shortened; the part that was just a wall of fog went on forever.” Fortunately, these two lonely and bruised people click and both the banter (including a hilarious story involving a baseball field cereal box race) and the emotional healing (from abuse and devastation) begins. EVVIE DRAKE STARTS OVER is a gentle story, an undemanding read about forgiving oneself and moving forward. Author Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent at NPR and her debut novel received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus.

The Heretic's Creed by Fiona Buckley and more mysteries

Looking for a new mystery to read? Coming in January is the 14^th book in the Ursula Blanchard Elizabethan Mysteries by Fiona Buckley. Titled The Heretic's Creed and set in 1577, this novel takes place primarily in a rural area to the North of England. Ursula Blanchard is a half-sister to Queen Elizabeth I and, as in earlier whodunits in the series, she is asked to undertake a mission for the Queen. This time, two men were sent separately to deliver a message and to retrieve an ancient book related to astronomy from Stonemoor House in rural Yorkshire. Neither completed the mission and Sir William Cecil suggests that Ursula and her companions may be more successful. Upon arrival on the moors, a snowstorm contributes the feeling of a locked room mystery, essentially trapping Ursula's party with the religious women who live at Stonemoor House. The Heretic's Creed received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and can be read as a stand-alone story or in sequence with others in this excellent historical mystery series.

Another winter mystery - although a bit lighter and certainly more modern is Iced Under by Barbara Ross. 

This book is number five in the Maine Clambake series, a collection of cozies with which I was not previously familiar, even though the first, Clammed Up, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Contemporary Novel. In this story, Julia Snowden of Busman’s Harbor, Maine, is on a seasonal hiatus from the family clambake business when she collects the mail and discovers an extremely valuable necklace has been sent to her mother. There is no return address, but her mother recognizes the family heirloom missing since the 1920s and an enclosed note includes directions to use the funds from the necklace to restore their family home. Julia sets out to uncover the sender and learns some family secrets, including a questionable death (of course!). Readers of this series are very positive and I found Iced Under to be a quick, enjoyable read so I will also be looking for more.

Yet another cozy mystery involving a “cold” case is Jenn McKinlay’s Better Late than Never, part of the Library Lovers mystery series which features head librarian Lindsey Norris and the staff of Briar Creek Public Library. The renewed investigation for a killer is suddenly prompted by a long overdue library book. This is so light and fluffy, you will likely finish it off in an afternoon. The romance gets old, but the characters and setting are fun.  Enjoy!