series

‘Defy the Night’ and ‘Defend the Dawn’ are the first two books in Brigid Kemmerer’s fabulous new series

/ Pamela Kramer

I admit that sometimes, I am spectacularly uninformed about the books I read. Take Brigid Kemmerer’s new series which begins with “Defy the Night” and its sequel, “Defend the Dawn.” I was sure that this was a duology, and I was thrilled that I would get to read both books in a row. I was especially psyched to do so while reading the first book and becoming so completely immersed in the fictional kingdom of Kandala, that I didn’t want to wait to find out how it all ended. I really enjoyed meeting and reading about Tessa and Corrick, one an apothecary apprentice and the other the King’s Justice, brother of the king of Kandala, and a feared royal figure.

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‘Flight Risk’ by Cherie Priest is her second murder mystery featuring a psychic travel agent

/ Pamela Kramer

A quirky travel agent who also has psychic talents is the star of “Flight Risk,” the stand alone sequel to “Grave Reservations” by Cherie Priest. These fast-paced and clever mysteries feature Leda Foley, the aforementioned travel agent whose paranormal abilities are sometimes an asset and sometimes a frustration. In this novel she continues working with Seattle Police Department detective Grady Merritt, who is well into middle age and lives with his teenage daughter. He still mourns the loss of his wife to cancer, and while he was skeptical about the paranormal in the first book, after being presented with clear data showing that Leda knew things about the future, he actually got her a contract with the police department as a consultant.

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‘Wildwater Walking Club: Walk the Talk’ by Claire Cook is still another witty and wonderful novel

/ Pamela Kramer

Author Claire Cook’s fourth and latest entry in her Wildwater Walking Club novel series is “Walk the Talk,” and this one is every bit as imaginative, thought-provoking, and witty as each of the previous entries. The  Walking Clubs’ adventures, featuring protagonist Noreen and her club partners, Rosie and Tess, offer generous samples of Cook’s salient wit and thoughtful commentaries. It might be tempting for some to label Cook’s novels light romantic Women’s Lit – and they certainly are romantic, in more ways than one – but to do so seriously undervalues the many uniquely admirable qualities of her work. They’re also full of marvelous gems of home-spun practical wisdom, thoughtful comments – even studies – of human nature, the vagaries and problems of human relationships, romantic and otherwise, and exceedingly clever, often self-deprecating humor. And the Wildwater series offers significant travelogs, too. Quite a package, indeed.

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‘A World of Curiosities’ by Louise Penny is a brilliant and gripping mystery with many twists

/ Pamela Kramer

Louise Penny’s latest entry in her Chief Inspector Gamache series is brilliant and addictive. While it begins slowly as Penny is creating the backstory, that narrative becomes all-important later in the novel when the action and the connections are so fast and furious that it’s almost impossible to put the book down. We feel compelled to keep reading to see what clues will be uncovered next, who will die or be in danger, and what connection to the past an item or person has that we are just learning about.

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‘A Ghost of Caribou’ by Alice Henderson is the third suspense novel about wildlife and our world

/ Pamela Kramer

What do you get when you combine a wildlife researcher’s knowledge with a gripping plot and an admirable and likable protagonist? You get the books in this new series by Alice Henderson, the latest of which is “A Ghost of Caribou.” In each title, she cleverly uses the group noun for the animal that the main character, Alex Carter, is researching. In the first two books in the series, we read about “A Solitude of Wolverines” and “A Blizzard of Polar Bears” and now we learn about caribou in this novel. Personally, in addition to the fine writing and the characters I have come to care about, I love learning about the wildlife. Caribou? I had no idea that we had them in the US until I read this thrilling novel.

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Two pop-up books for children about animals and dinosaurs would make great holiday gifts

/ Pamela Kramer

Almost all kids love pop-up books, and pop-up books about animals are sure to be a hit. “Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures” by Arnaud Roi and illustrated by Charlotte Molas and “The Pop-up Guide: Animals” by Maud Poulain and Peggy Nille are two picture books that entranced my six-year-old grandson, and he did think that his two-year-old sister would love the one about animals.

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For young mystery lovers: a picture book and beginning readers series for using clues to solve puzzles

/ Pamela Kramer

When I was teaching, I loved using picture books as teaching materials. The students were so entertained by the stories that they didn’t realize I was sneaking in important concepts! With these mysteries for young readers, teachers can show students how to pay attention to details and how to use organized problem-solving methods to get answers to questions and to solve mysteries. And kids will have lots of fun while learning about these methods – I guarantee it!

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‘Furysong’ by Rosaria Munda is the conclusion of a brilliant fantasy trilogy

/ Pamela Kramer

With her latest novel, “Furysong,” the last fantasy in the trilogy that began with “Fireborne” and continued with “Flamefall,” author Rosaria Munda has claimed her place as a first class writer who can plan, plot, and execute a series of books wherein each approaches 500 pages—not one page of which feels unnecessary. Yes, the novels are lengthy, but they are chockfull of fascinating characters with whom we empathize, nonstop action, unexpected twists, heartbreaking turns, and dragons who bond to their specific humans. Be forewarned that if you start with the first one, you will probably want to read all three books in a row, and this situation might affect your performance at work or school.

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National Geographic Kids has some engaging and informative 2022 books kids will love

/ Pamela Kramer

National Geographic Kids creates the kind of nonfiction books that kids of all ages (and adults, too) love to read. They are filled with facts, photographs, maps, charts, and lists, in addition to the nonfiction text features that elementary school students learn about — like table of contents, indexes, glossaries, and pages with more information. In short, they are the perfect vehicle for teaching about nonfiction reading because kids love the content. And as every teacher knows, when the content is engaging and interesting to the reader, kids are able to read higher level material. As an aside, when my six-year-old grandson saw these books, his eyes lit up. “I’m taking these home,” he declared. Music to my ears. From dinosaurs to animals and space, these sturdy, beautifully edited books will have you covered.

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‘Spy School: Project X’ by Stuart Gibbs: Not just action and humor, also a beautiful depiction of disinformation

/ Pamela Kramer
Spy School: Project X by Stuart Gibbs

“Spy School: Project X” might just be my favorite novel in the “Spy School” series by acclaimed children’s author Stuart Gibbs. It has all of the action and humor that the previous books in the series do, but in this one, Gibbs centers the plot on a disinformation campaign designed to put a target on our main character, Ben Ripley, who attends the CIA Academy of Espionage for school-aged potential agents.

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‘An Island Wedding’ by Jenny Colgan a delightful summer romp

/ Pamela Kramer
An Island Wedding by Jenny Colgan

The fictional Scottish island of Mure is the setting for a series of novels by Jenny Colgan, and so delightful are her descriptions of the remote setting and the colorful inhabitants that we long to visit there and see the whales in the ocean, feel the cold breezes, and marvel at the colorful buildings that line the street along the coast. In “An Island Wedding,” we revisit this magical place, based on the real islands of Orkney and Shetland, and reacquaint ourselves with many of the inhabitants who have been featured in past novels.

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‘Dead Against Her’ by Melinda Leigh is a gripping mystery novel

/ Pamela Kramer
Dead Against her by Melinda Leigh

The fifth novel in the Bree Taggert series by Melinda Leigh, “Dead Against Her,” is just as riveting and touching as the first ones. They feature Bree Taggert, a tough female sheriff in a rural upstate New York community who was born in the county to an abusive father. She became a detective, and, when her sister was murdered, returned to her roots to raise her sister’s children with the help of her now retired former partner.

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