This book was an absolute delight to read from start to finish. Probably my most enjoyable read from last year and perfect effervescent escapism with just enough bite to keep you absolutely hooking and chomping at the bit for the next installment.

This book is narrated by teenage El, who is at a school for wizards, but unlike any one I’ve ever seen. Built into a void, the school has no teachers and isn’t for the faint of heart as it’s infested with monsters that eat the magically inclined to consume their power. Students survive by wheeling and dealing and forming alliances, but El has a hard time with this, as her natural affinity for total destruction is a bit of a turn-off and she covers this up with a sarcastic wit which is so much fun to read.

This book effortlessly combines complex world-building with action and character development in this exciting new magic world. Knowing that Novik has drawn from fairytales for past books, I wouldn’t be surprised if this one had some influence from old myths, but none that I have ever heard of. This is an exciting story with engaging characters and I’m so excited for the next installment of the series (scheduled for this June) to see what happens next!

Reviewed by Pam.

Set in Paris, and told from the point of view of animals who make this wonderful city their home, this book is transportive, to another place, yes, but even better in these times, to another way of life, one outside of human concerns. Featuring a dog who has lost her master, an intrepid horse who ran away from the racetrack, a raven, a couple of ducks, and a little boy who crosses their path, Smiley deftly navigates this tightrope while remaining fairly realistic and never veering too far into the “cutesy” realm. This book is a delight to snuggle up against, like your favorite pet.

This book is a fabulous, wholly original read. Set in a nice suburban town in the south, it seems a vampire has come to town, charming a book club full of housewives and eventually disrupting their strict social mores. I couldn’t put this book down, as engaging for the women’s interactions with each other and this circumstance as for what that vampire is going to do next.

Reviewed by Pam.

When we went into lockdown last spring, I was too upset and distracted to read anything (which felt a little embarrassing at the time because, you know: librarian.) I eventually started reading again but only books that were light-hearted.  Bonus points if they made me laugh out loud. 

When I read a review of The Museum of Forgotten Memories that mentioned it took place in a Victorian-era taxidermy museum, and that the museum itself felt like a character in the book, I was intrigued enough to take a risk on a book that probably wouldn’t make me laugh.  And it did not make me laugh.  But it didn’t make me cry (much) either, even though our modern-day heroine, Cate, and her special-needs son are dealing with heartbreaking loss and a very scary and uncertain future. 

This book is really about hope and courage and strength. The entire cast of characters are fascinating and complex, the museum included among them! Anstey Harris’ writing is simple, but lovely, and I enjoyed her descriptions of the museum (based on the real Powell-Cotton Museum in Birchington, England) and of Cate’s inner thoughts. Unexpectedly, I sped through this book, loving the passages that delved into the past, and unable to wait to find out what would happen next.  I’ll be moving Harris’ first novel, Goodbye, Paris, to the top of my “To Be Read” Pile! 

Reviewed by Bri

Available as an ebook via Overdrive HERE