Staff and Patron Reviews

MY FRIENDS

Author: Fredrik Backman
Call number: FIC BAC
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: November 19, 2025

I have read several of Fredrik Backman’s books and have never been disappointed. So sometimes, I must remind myself that the methodical (and sometimes painstaking) method that he uses to arrange stories will yield an enormously powerful payoff in the end. This was true for My Friends, which opens in a church art auction, when a teenaged girl named Louisa draws a small fish on the wall next to a valuable painting created by C. Jat.

Jat’s works are among the most famous in the world, and this piece, “The One of the Sea” is among his most noteworthy, most misunderstood, and most valuable. After an incident at the auction, Jat’s best friend Ted briefly possesses the painting, only to bequeath it to Louisa, and the two of them take a journey where the true origins of the painting are slowly revealed.

Admittedly, this novel did not grip me immediately, partly because of the structure, which alternated between past and present. At first, the present story was far more engaging, and I really wanted it to unspool before the setting takes the events back approximately 25 years. However, Backman’s skill at storytelling eventually captured my interest equally between historical and current. At about the two-thirds mark of the novel, I was in “can’t put this down” mode and torn between wanting to know what happens next and not wanting to finish it because it was so enjoyable.

Backman has a particular gift of making seemingly insignificant characters reveal their importance, while somehow not minimizing any of them. It reminded me of the desperate wonder of being fourteen, and the weariness many feel at 39. But it also reminded me of the trauma and helplessness of any age, and the myth that we are ever truly prepared to deal with human tragedy. In the end, however, My Friends offers the characters at least a chance at redemption, which is all that we can ask for sometimes.

TONIGHT IN JUNGLELAND

The Making of Born To Run

Author: Peter Carlin
Call number: 782.421
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: November 17, 2025

Peter Carlin’s A Night in Jungleland is sandwiched between the release of the recent movie Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere and the book that it is based on. And as much I loved Jeremy Allen White’s portrayal of The Boss, which is relatively faithful to Warren Zane’s straightforward book that inspired it, I’m convinced that the events that led to the creation of the Born to Run album are arguably more dramatic.

The release of Springsteen’s Born to Run album in 1975 launched the iconic New Jersey native from what had been a respectable (though tenuous–financially) music career and Carlin explains how it almost didn’t happen. In part because of a management shakeup at Columbia, Springsteen’s label at the time, and many other factors, the company refused to release a full album from him until he released a “can’t miss” single. Springsteen did deliver the single (“Born to Run”) eventually, and obviously so much more. Columbia was so unprepared by the immediate success of the album they had to immediately order more records for distribution then they had anticipated just based on the pre-orders alone. From Springsteen’s point of view, an undesirable consequence of this nearly instant explosion of fame (he was on the covers of Time and Newsweek in the same week, something that was noteworthy then) was that in many ways, it was his biggest fear: losing his soul and his craft.

Like his biography Bruce from 2012, Carlin captures moments in the iconic rocker’s career that we may have missed or weren’t fully explained, but A Night in Jungleland covers a much smaller period of Springsteen’s life—at a time where he was more vulnerable than even those closest to him probably knew. For example, this book more fully explains his relationship with different band members, especially Stevie Van Zandt and Clarence Clemons. Also, because of its focus on just one album, we are allowed to have at least a glimpse of the path that it took to make this epic work. Without the single “Born to Run”, we may not have had a “Thunder Road”, “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”, or of course, a “Jungleland”. Would this be a tragedy? No. But the musical catalog of rock would be sorely lacking.

NEVER FLINCH

Author: Stephen King
Call number: FIC KIN
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: November 13, 2025

Knowing that I was a Stephen King fan, my son purchased this novel as a birthday gift for me. He thought that it was a “can’t miss” pick, and he was right. Once again, King created a sequence of believable scenarios that come together through credible characters who propel the plot forward.

Never Flinch starts with a complex (and overly complicated) criminal trial that ends with a conviction and eventual death in prison of a defendant who is later revealed to be not guilty, when more evidence becomes available. A recovering addict (who is also mentally ill) named Trig decides to start killing random people to “make up” for the injustice of the wrongful conviction, thinking that it will somehow avenge the defendant’s tragic death.

At the same time, a women’s rights activist named Katie McKay is forced to hire recurring character and private detective Holly Gibney to be her bodyguard on her tour of the Midwest, which will culminate in Buckeye City, the very same town that Trig hails from. And McKay has a very capable and highly motivated assassin stalking her. The two main plot threads come together seamlessly, with a surprise twist that only King can deliver.

I was reluctant to read Stephen King novels until I read his book On Writing, which was published in 2000. By then, he had become nearly as well-known for the novellas The Body, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and the novel The Green Mile, all of which were made into successful films. And although the “King of Horror” still flexes the scary muscles occasionally, it seems that he is more interested in the mystery genre, which is good for the non-horror fans. Never Flinch is a prime example of the genius of a writer who has a seemingly endless enthusiasm for storytelling and an uncanny knack for keeping us guessing.

ATTACK FROM WITHIN

Author: Barbara McQuade
Call number: 320.973 MCQ
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: November 11, 2025

Undeniably, the way that we get information has changed immensely in the past few years and with the increased use of artificial intelligence, this is unlikely to change. Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor, presents the issue of disinformation just as I suspect that she did for her cases—and she is very compelling.

The book explains and analyzes three main points: 1. She shows how the delivery of information has changed; 2. She argues that we are in the middle of the most divisive period in American history in over a hundred years; and 3. She gives evidence that society is fearful of the present and the future.

As evidence of the delivery of information, McQuade points to what she refers to as the “authoritarian playbook”, which harkens back to the early part of the 20 th century and the vast propaganda machines of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and others. She connects the strategies of these often-slow moving media disseminators to the instant and viral possibilities that exist today through social media. She follows with a brief history of some key recent history, particularly the events of January 6, 2021. Instances of the anxieties of society are presented throughout the book as well.

After arranging her case very carefully, McQuade, currently a law professor at the University of Michigan, does offer some hope, most of which can be summarized with this: pay attention and verify your sources before taking action. At a recent keynote address at the Michigan Library Association in October, she pointed out that even she was fooled recently by a story that came into her algorithm on social media—thankfully before she shared the information widely. She also argues that our legal system is woefully behind in regulating the internet and needs to tighten these up, especially regarding social media and liability. Attack from Within’s overarching message is that in the words of John Philpot Curran and others “the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

PROMISE BOYS

Author: Nick Brooks
Call number: Y FIC BRO
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: October 28, 2025

I first learned about Promise Boys from the high school where I taught for over 30 years. They have a program called “One Book, One School,” where everyone in the school (including adults) reads the same book. While it is difficult to find a choice that potentially appeals to everybody, this novel by Nick Brooks has a good chance to.

Brooks engages the audience immediately by describing various reactions to the murder of Kenneth Moore, the innovative and unyielding principal of the Urban Promise Prep School in Washington, D.C. We get many different perspectives of the context of the crime initially, but eventually three characters (J.B., Ramon, and Trey) emerge as the primary narrators—and suspects.

At times, Promise Boys is a multi-layered mystery tale, and it is effective for that purpose. However, Brooks’s experience with educating at-risk youth in D.C. shows how systemic racism, stereotypes, prejudice, family dynamics, and societal norms can pull even the most well- intentioned characters in sinister directions.

This novel really gained momentum for me in the second half because the main characters’ motivations were revealed with more clarity. It was also obvious that schools like Urban Promise fail to live up to their name. Instead, many of them prey upon areas badly in need of educational guidance. And when the schools fail to live up to unrealistic expectations, it is the students that suffer. Promise Boys was the October 2025 Teen Book Club selection.

CASTERS AND CROWNS

Author: Elizabeth Lowham
Call number: Y FIC LOW
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: October 28, 2025

Although not my favorite genre, Elizabeth Lowham managed to keep my attention throughout this young adult novel. After a slow start, the novels plot accelerated into a race against time with potentially fatal consequences.

From the outset we learn that Crown Princess Aria is cursed to die after one hundred days if she cannot solve a spell. Fortunately, she can enlist the aid of Baron Reeves, a “Caster” with extraordinary magical powers. She hopes to end the curse before it kills her and her royal family, but things get complicated because of Aria’s insomnia (one of the side effects of the curse).

Although not my favorite genre, Elizabeth Lowham managed to keep my attention throughout this young adult novel. After a slow start, the novel’s plot accelerated into a race against time with potentially fatal consequences.

From the outset, we learn that Crown Princess Aria is cursed to die after one hundred days if she cannot solve a spell. Fortunately, she an enlist the aid of Baron Reeves, a “Caster” with extraordinary magical powers. She hopes to end the curse before it kills her and her royal family, but things get complicated because of Aria’s insomnia (one of the side effects of the curse).

Lowham ambitiously engages with various complex themes, including Aria’s battle with perfectionism and Baron’s with prejudice, but this stand-alone novel becomes too bulky as a result. The character’s motivations and depth become secondary to a complex plot (with a surprising twist at the end.)

Two characters that did resonate with me were Corvin and Leon – Baron’s twin brothers. Their wit provided much-needed comic relief at times and including them on more pages would have made the story more effective and enjoyable, especially for those who need a nudge to read more young fantasy fiction. Casters and Crowns was the September Teen Book Club selection of TDL.

WANDERING STARS

Author: Tommy Orange
Call number: FIC ORA
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: October 15, 2025

In this much anticipated follow-up to There, There, Tommy Orange created a study of multi- generational trauma that was inflicted on an American Indian family. It starts in 1864, when a young Cheyenne man named Jude Star (also known as Bird) is imprisoned at Fort Marion after miraculously surviving the Sand Creek Massacre. Richard Henry Pratt, a guard who is stationed there, encounters Bird and attempts to eradicate his culture. Pratt eventually founds the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania and does this on a much larger scale with thousands of unwilling students, including Charles Star, Bird’s son.

The novel ends in present-day Oakland, California with the descendants of Bird, most of whom are displaying the scars of the often-brutal treatment that they have endured from the government and American society in general. Multi-faceted characters such as Charles Star (Bird’s son), Opal (Charles’s wife), Jacquie Red Feather (Opal’s sister) and her adopted sons Orvil, Lony, and Loother.

Orange uses an alternating narrator plot structure, which is quite effective mainly because the character’s voices are distinct and their stories are highly engaging. For example, Jacquie’s struggles with maintaining sobriety are portrayed realistically, but without sentimentality—they are mirrored by Orvil sinking further into addiction and hopelessness.

Ultimately, all these characters wage personal wars against the past and the present, which is not unique to contemporary literature. What sets Wandering Stars apart is that Orange creates the conditions where it is possible, or even likely for the audience to empathize with them.

THE GREAT BELIEVERS

Author: Rebecca Makkai
Call number: FIC MAK
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: July 10, 2025

I was in high school when I first became aware of the AIDS epidemic. This was in the 1980’s, and a diagnosis of the HIV virus was equivalent to a death sentence to many people’s thinking. And unfortunately, in many cases, HIV did lead to AIDS and was fatal. There was also the added stigma that it was a disease that only affected the gay community, which was proven to be false in large part to NBA’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s announcement that he had contracted the virus through heterosexual activity in 1991.

Makkai did a masterful job of recreating the context of how AIDS lead to extreme anxiety within a group of friends in Chicago’s Boystown (as it was known in the 1980’s) neighborhood. One of the main characters, Yale, works at an art museum on Northwestern University’s campus and seems to be a faithful narrator of the unfolding drama that balances hope for humanity and extreme uneasiness about the present and future. As the plot unfolds, it is easy to root for Yale.

On the other hand, Fiona’s character emerges mostly in 2015 as she searches for her estranged daughter who was last seen in Paris. Fiona’s brother Nico was the first of the close-knit group to die of AIDS, and the impact that her brother’s diagnosis (followed by many others) on her is told mainly through a series of flashbacks to the years between 1986 and 2015.

One of the best aspects of The Great Believers is how it occasionally touches on domestic and world events. For example, Yale and his partner Charlie have an extended conversation while watching tv coverage of the tragic explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. Most Americans were transfixed by the extended media coverage of the event, but Yale and Charlie compared it to the constantly evolving (but much less covered by the media) epidemic of AIDS unfolding every single day.

In the end, this skillfully woven narrative does accomplish what was often lacking in real time: the ability to put perspective on the long lasting impact of the AIDS epidemic.

The Blessing Way

Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee series: book 1

To the Heart of Solitude

Author: Tony Hillerman
Call number: X FIC HIL
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: September 2, 2025

After watching all the seasons of Dark Winds on AMC, I decided to read the book that it was at least partially based on. Originally published in 1970, The Blessing Way is set on a Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. The plot involves Tribal Police Detective and Native American Joe Leaphorn’s investigation of a fugitive who is soon found deceased in the desert. At the same time, a white anthropologist (Bergen McKee) leaves his college campus town for the reservation to do research on Navajo myths. Inevitably, he meets up with Leaphorn, whom he knows from their college days. Through a variety of circumstances, their paths cross at an opportune time for both characters.

At times, The Blessing Way is quite an easy read, especially when McKee unexpectedly finds himself in danger. The inner dialogue that Hillerman provides propels the narrative forward. And the dialogue throughout the book feels authentic, while providing enough detail to illustrate the scenes effectively. However, I did find myself re-reading parts of chapters occasionally—mainly because there are so many characters and background to keep track of. Hillerman’s gift for sensory detail and creating suspense allowed me to overcome all of that, though, and I look forward to reading more of the series—and the introduction of Jim Chee, who is absent from this book entirely.

Ultimately, Tony Hillerman’s grasp on native American culture, and his ability to integrate it into a compelling story makes Dance Hall of the Dead (next up in the series) enticing.

John Muir

To the Heart of Solitude

Author: Lomig
Call #: Y917.94 LOM
Reviewer: Sonja Downey
Date: September 2, 2025

What a beautiful book – in every aspect. A book about John Muir is always special. And a book that is about John Muir which contains amazingly detailled graphics is just a delight.

I am a great admirer of John Muir, his philosophy and his reverence for nature and all that it entails. The graphic novel details the 1000 mile walk he took from Wisconsin to the South shortly after the Civil War was over. With an astute and keen eye Muir captured the interconnectedness of fauna and flora and understood that one cannot be without the other. He also saw the hand of man interfering with this precarious balance. The graphic novel ends with the poignant sentence: “May we, at least for the span of a walk, see [the exosystem of our wonderful planet] through John Muir’s eyes, before it’s too late”.

Meditations for Mortals

Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts

Author: Oliver Burkeman
Call #: 158.12 BUR
Reviewer: Andy Jackson
Date: August 30, 2025

Oliver Burkeman has authored many popular books on psychology, and after reading this one, I intend to read them all eventually. The experience is like reading his newsletter, which he emails intermittently—and only when he really has something to write about.

With Meditation for Mortals, Burkeman encourages us to only read one slim chapter at a time, and it is quickly apparent why that strategy is probably best as he shares his thoughts on “Being Finite”, “Taking Action”, “Letting Go” and “Showing Up” over the twenty-eight days prescribed. One of my favorite chapters was Day One, which contained this nugget that you are unlikely to find in most self help books (which Meditation for Mortals is not): “…if you want to spend more of your time on the planet doing what matters to you…grasp the sense in life as a finite human being…(that it) is really much worse than you think.” He goes on to explain that once we accept that we “definitely” will not get what we want out of life, we will be free. He uses the example of the “to-do” list that we think we might get through. That list is inexhaustible, and infinite—so if crossing things off the list makes us happy, we will simply never be.

Burkeman’s style is journalistic with a humorous voice, yet he is never sarcastic. He points out the absurdities of life in an entertaining and helpful way, although he does not believe that ubiquitous self-help genre works for most. As he points out on day fifteen of the reading: how boring would life be if this were easy?

The Sun Blessed Prince

Author: Byrd, Lindsey
Call number: NEW FIC BYR
Reviewer: Randy Morgan
Date: August 9, 2025

Elician is the crown prince of Soleb, is a Giver – he has powers that allow him to heal himself and others. It is the royal family’s best kept secret because the crown is not permitted to inherit these abilities. After the most recent battle, Elician finds a terrified, emaciated man at the edge of the bloody battlefield… a Reaper, someone who can kill with a single touch. Fearing that this Reaper will be tortured, he is taken to a sanctuary for Givers and Reapers. Here the Reaper maintains his new identity and refines his skills as a Reaper. 

I am a sucker for healing magic, and with life comes death, making The Sun Blessed Prince a promising read. Author Lindsey Byrd is very deliberate in her parallels between fantasy and reality, which makes for a more engaging read. The romance was a very light dusting, which was surprising because it is advertised as an enemies to lovers situation. All this to say, I was stoked when I looked at Lindsey’s website and found the announcement for the next novel!