MARK TWAIN
Author: Ron Chernow
Call number: 921 TWA
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: March 9, 2026
Checking in at 1033 pages of text (not including notes and bibliography), Mark Twain is thorough, if nothing else. But it is more than that. Besides offering a painstaking chronicle of the life of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Ron Chernow deftly puts Twain’s beliefs and actions in context of the radically changing times in which he lived between 1835-1910.
Having both read and taught some of Twain’s short stories and novels, I had an inkling of his background and its effect on his work. However, I did not realize that he came from a relatively privileged family. But his father’s inability to sustain consistent financial security for his family would shape Twain’s attitude towards money management for the rest of his life. The most prominent (and costly) example of this was Twain’s obsession with a movable type machine that cost him millions (in today’s dollars) and an untold amount of stress, despite numerous opportunities to move on to less risky and more viable investments.
Chernow did an admirable job of summarizing, and even analyzing, all of Twain’s published and unpublished work, but that shouldn’t be the main reason to read this extraordinarily detailed book. Instead, he effectively comments on the world-renowned author’s triumphs and tragedies apart from his writings. The family dynamics, for example, are extraordinarily complicated, starting with his relationship with his wife Olivia, and their three daughters. Of the four in his immediate family, only one (Clara) outlives him, and his reactions to each of their deaths is through intense grief. By the end of his life, Twain is truly a tortured man who seeks solace in his “angelfish”, who he defined as young girls between aged 10-16. Some of these girls were companions to Twain in his later days and even more than a century ago, many noted that this practice was unusual, especially some members of his own family and inner circle.
Some of Twain’s high moments, however, involved bearing witness to history. From his experiences as a riverboat cub-pilot to enlisting (briefly) as a Confederate soldier, to exploring the new West, to helping to secure U.S. Grant’s legacy as an American hero, he led a life of meaningful adventure. Later, he was witness to some of Europe and Russia’s evolving revolutions and instability as well. In the end, Chernow’s book not only captures an extraordinary life, but one framed by the arrival of Hailey’s Comet, which happened the year that Twain arrived and again when he departed.
HOW TO TALK TO YOUR SUCCULENT
Author: Persico, Zoe
Illustrator: Persico, Zoe
Call number: NEW J GN PER
Reviewer: Randy Morgan
Date: March 5, 2026
What is the most important thing to take with you when moving from a warm and sunny California to a dark and cold Michigan winter? Plants. More specifically, the plants Mom nurtured and talked to. With her mother’s death and an unfamiliar place, Adara has never felt so alone. Adara and her father explore a nursery, and this is where she discovers her ability to talk to plants!
There is no right or wrong way to grieve. However, there are many examples of how people grieve differently. How to Talk to Your Succulent provides many examples with whimsical art and relatable experiences. Zoe even includes an author’s note about her own experiences and illustrated guide on propagating succulents.
How to Talk to Your Succulent is on Michigan’s Notable Books list. https://www.michigan.gov/libraryofmichigan/public/mnb/previous-notables/2026-michigan-notable-books
WE FELL APART
Author: E. Lockhart
Call number: Y FIC LOC
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: March 5, 2026
When I like a particular author, I tend to continue reading their work, especially in a series. After enjoying We Were Liars and Family of Liars by E. Lockhart, I gladly moved on to her latest YA effort We Fell Apart, published in 2025. In many ways, this novel was more efficient than those were, but it had two things in common: a complex first-person narrator and some truly shocking plot twists.
We Fell Apart features 18-year-old Matilda, who has recently been contacted by her famous estranged father Kingsley Cello. Cello is a world-renowned artist who invites Matilda to spend the summer with him at his “castle” off the coast of Massachusetts. Having few other good options for her immediate future, Matilda takes a leap of faith and flies across the country only to find that her expectations of a satisfying family reunion need to be lowered a bit.
While at the Cello compound, Matilda encounters the mysterious partner of her father’s, along with others who are near her age. They have several fun (though sometimes dangerous) adventures before things get complicated. Eventually, Matilda learns more about her father and the rest of her family lineage than she had thought possible.
Although We Fell Apart is technically a “stand-alone” novel, there are many references (and major spoilers) to We Were Liars. Therefore, I would advise reading We Were Liars first if you want the full effect that Lockhart probably intended. She does a masterful job of expanding the Sinclair family universe without sacrificing the story that Matilda needed to tell.
I’M JUST A LITTLE GUY
Author: James, Charlie
Illustrator: Tompkins, Paige
Call number: NEW 818.6 JAM
Reviewer: Randy Morgan
Date: January 22, 2026
I’m Just a Little Guy is a whimsical book about Paul Bog- a frog- and how he faces everyday challenges through humor. Some of Paul’s recommendations include: maintaining at least three enemies, vocalizing grievances in the form of howls or screams, and whispering secrets into jars before boiling them.
Author Charlie James is concise and witty which matches perfectly with Paige Tompkins delightful illustrations. It is conveniently packaged into a pocket sized book, which makes it super easy to share with frogs and other companions.
THE QUEEN WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD
Author: S.J. Bennett
Narrator: Samantha Bond
Call #: CD-FIC BEN
Reviewer: Sonja Downey
Date: January 14, 2026
This is the fifth installment of this delightful mystery series with the late Queen Elizabeth II. starring as a very apt and very regal sleuth.
The Queen’s sojourn on the royal train is marred by an alleged murder witnessed by somebody less than reliable as a witness. A corpse can’t be found and the whole affair is about to be swiped under the carpet. However, a few unrelated incidences that came to Elizabeth’s attention seem not to be all that unrelated after all. Since the Queen is the Queen, and thus somewhat hampered when it comes to moving about and investigating, she is once again relying on her forceful assistant private secretary, Joan, to be her eyes and ears and most of all her legs.
I adore this series. In the first three installments it is actually the ninety-year-old Elizabeth royally sleuthing about. After Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022 the author very cleverly retreated into the past and for the last few installments it is a very young Queen solving the murders happening in her surroundings with grace and aplomb.
Award-winning narrator Jane Copland reads the first three titles in the series and I loved the easy grace with which she portrays Her Majesty, Prince Phillip and all the other members of the royal household. Samantha Bond took over narrating the young queen and she invokes the same listening pleasure in me.
What I love most about this series are the witty dialogues and how the author portrays the late Queen’s sense of humor.
The titles in order:
The Windsor Knot
All the Queen’s Men
Murder Most Royal
A Death in Diamonds
The Queen Who Came in from the Cold
ARE THERE RAINBOWS IN SPACE?
Author: Dr. Sheila Kanani
Illustrator: Liz Kay
Call number: NEW J 535.6 KAN
Reviewer: Randy Morgan
Date: January 12, 2026
Are there Rainbows in Space? Captured my attention just from the title. It microdoses information about art, science, geography, music, sports, animals, history, language, world religions, and so much more! Author Dr. Sheila Kanani organizes information based on color, and orange is where I learned about an animal called an olm. She goes into detail about animal classification, habitat, and evolution. Lots of bit sized pieces with plenty of opportunity to expand upon your own knowledge. The bold imagery is captivating and takes the eyes on an adventure of their own.
FAMILY OF LIARS
Author: E. Lockhart
Call number: Y FIC LOC
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: January 6, 2026
Prequels can be enjoyable and revealing, and Family of Liars was certainly both. The eight-year gap after the publication of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, which featured a stunning conclusion, seemed to allow ample time for the Sinclair family’s numerous secrets to marinate properly.
Caroline (Carrie) Sinclair is the narrator of this story, which takes place in 1987, also known as “Summer 17” for her. Like We Were Liars, the events take place on Beechwood Island, where Harris and Tipper Sinclair host their extended families for a series of familiar traditional activities. Joining the three Sinclair sisters (Carrie, Penny, and Bess) are Dean Sinclair (Harris’s brother), and his children Yardley and Tomkin. Yardley unexpectedly brings her friends George, Major and Pfeff to the island, where Erin, a schoolmate of Penny’s, will also be lodging.
Throughout the novel, Lockhart details the jockeying for attention and approval that Carrie, Penny, and Bess desire from their parents, which is not particularly original for YA fare. Nor is the yearning for attention that two of the sisters have for one of the boys that they are hosting for the summer. However, the lengths that they go to is remarkable at times. This is especially true regarding Tipper’s invaluable black pearls, which they all covet dearly. Furthermore, when Carrie relentlessly asks Tipper about the identity of who is in a photograph hidden in her mother’s room, she gets far more than she bargained for.
I found the prequel easier to read and I was more ambitious to finish it than Lockhart’s earlier work. She can create complex characters with a believable, yet suspenseful plot. I am eager to move on to Lockhart’s most recent effort, We Fell Apart, as a result.
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