Book review: Nothing To See Here — by Kevin Wilson

(Ecco Press) Lillian and Madison first met at a fancy girls’ school; they had vastly different backgrounds yet they forged an unlikely bond that was severely tested right from the start. We meet them again about 10 years later when Madison, married to a senator from Tennessee, offers Lillian, holed up in her mother’s attic working two dead-end jobs, an interesting opportunity — to be governess to her two step-children, the senator’s from his first marriage. The twins, Bessie and Roland, are 10 years old and … (read more)

(Knopf Publishing Group) Carl Hiaasen, author of more than 20 novels and long-time columnist based in Florida, is writing at the top of his game in his latest humorous crime caper, a hyper-current murder mystery involving senior Floridians, a massive pyth … (read more)

(St. Martin’s Press) When Kerri Arsenault was growing up in Mexico, Maine, a paper mill town on the banks of the Androscoggin River, she felt lucky and safe; her community, comprised of generations of mill workers, was focused inward, enjoying softball ga … (read more)

(Farrar, Straus and Giroux) In his new book, subtitled “A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl,” ornithologist, field scientist, conservationist and author Jonathan Slaght will take you on a journey to the remote forests of eastern Russia to fin … (read more)

(Flatiron Books) When we first encounter Franny Stone — strong, gutsy, passionate Franny — she is in Greenland, alone, geo-tagging what very well may be the last Arctic terns in existence. She then manages to convince a fishing boat captain by the name of … (read more)

(William Morrow) When young Brenda Dubie, having to mind her father’s music store in the Hyde Park corner of 1940s Chicago while he is serving overseas, first meets young Charlie Fish, she’s decidedly underwhelmed. But in wartime pickings are slim, and Br … (read more)

(William Morrow & Company) To the Métis people of Canada and the far north reaches of the midwestern United States, a Rogarou is a shapeshifting werewolf-like creature that roamed the roads at night, “the threat from a hundred stories told by those old en … (read more)

(Knopf Publishing Group)   In the late 16th century, a glover from Stratford, England, foul-tempered and prone to fits of rage, in debt to a now-deceased land owner, compels his oldest to tutor the farmer’s sons in Latin as a form of repayment. While ther … (read more)

(William Morrow)   A remote island with austere rocky cliffs and an impeccably restored inn is the perfect setting for the perfect wedding. And the bride and groom? They are perfection in the flesh. Jules and Will, two balanced halves of a dazzling whole. … (read more)

(Tor Teen) To amplify Black voices, it is important to read beyond the (still very important) contextual Black history and anti-racism books; it is important to read great stories that are written by Black authors with captivating Black characters, like t … (read more)

(Knopf Publishing Group)   When an inflammatory social media post gets a young woman arrested, the story begins. Set in contemporary India, Jivan is a young Muslim woman accused of committing a terrorist attack on the train station near her home in the sl … (read more)

(Vintage)   Raphael Bob-Waksberg, creator of “BoJack Horseman,” delivers quirky, dark, surreal stories of love in a stunningly original and creative collection. Take the story, “A Most BLESSED and AUSPICIOUS OCCASION,” which features common quandaries for … (read more)

(Pantheon Books) There came a time in Helen Jukes’ life when the natural world felt slightly “out of kilter,” and she was struck with a pervasive restlessness, so she embarked on a new pastime, an outlet to occupy her, to keep her grounded. Having spent a … (read more)

(Riverhead Books) From the very first page, Brit Bennett will pull you in; she is such an impressive storyteller. The story begins in the town of Mallard, a small southern black community, where everyone knows the Vignes girls, twin sisters Desiree, the r … (read more)

(Riverhead Books) Five children in an unnamed postcolonial African port city, having fled their previous lives riddled with unspoken struggles, come together, one by one, to form a little family of their own, one that cares for, protects, and provides for … (read more)