I Love You So Mochi is a perfect springtime YA romance and bildungsroman that will leave you with a sweet taste in your mouth. Kimi Nakamura is an artist, like her mom. They both paint and Kimi’s mom is eager for Kimi to take advantage of the opportunities she didn’t have. Kimi’s already accepted a placement at a fine arts college for fall, but she has a secret. She hasn’t painted anything in months and doesn’t know if this is the path she wants to pursue.

Just in the nick of time, a letter arrives from Kimi’s mom’s estranged parents, inviting Kimi to visit Kyoto over spring break. Wanting to run away from the impending drama and fallout sure to come when she tells her mom the truth, Kimi drops everything and heads to Kyoto.

Behold the meet-cute. Akira is a good looking guy who just so happens to be wearing a mochi costume when he first meets Kimi. They get to know each other as Akira shows Kimi around the city and Akira agrees to help Kimi on her quest to discover what she is really meant to do. Is it possible her destiny has been in plain sight this whole time? Will she help mend the relationship between her mom and her grandparents? What about Akira?

Enjoy your own sweet treat as you devour this delightful story!

Reviewed by Anna

• Overdrive: https://minuteman.overdrive.com/minuteman-medfield/content/media/4907369
• Overdrive audiobook: https://minuteman.overdrive.com/minuteman-medfield/content/media/4907369
• hoopla audiobook: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12453751

Blue Sargent, who lives in a house full of psychics without being one herself, was told that when she kisses her true love, they will die. Despite this “curse” and the warnings from her mother, she is drawn to the Raven Boys which consists of Noah Czerny, Ronan Lynch, Adam Parrish, and the famous Richard (Dick) Gansey who is on the search for a lost Welsh king. As they team up to uncover the hidden magic in Henrietta, Virginia, they end up getting looped into more than they were bargaining for.

Although this series had its ups and downs, it was so exciting and refreshing. Geared more towards young adults but anybody older could also find enjoyment in the adventure. 

Find the always available audiobooks on Hoopla.

Find the ebooks and audiobooks on Overdrive.

Reviewed by Mairead, Teen Page

Claire Hadley is the Head Librarian of Hell’s “Unwritten Wing,” in charge of keeping an endless supply of conceived-of but never written novels under close watch. When a book takes the form of one of its characters and escapes to earth, Claire – accompanied by her assistant, a failed muse named Brevity, and a teenage demon who may be more than he appears – must travel back to the world of the living to find it before the worst can happen.  What begins as a simple errand turns into a mystery that extends beyond realms and holds the fates of Heaven, Hell, and earth in the balance. 

The Library of the Unwritten is the first book of Hell’s library and is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys books about books, diverse and colorful characters and a rich, detailed world building. 

Library of the Unwritten can be listened to on Overdrive here 

Reviewed by Athena

This book takes place in the early 1950’s and is a coming-of-age tale about a boy who is traveling aboard a ship from Colombo in Sri Lanka to England – via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean sea. The “cat’s table” in the title refers to where he is seated for his meals – at the table furthest from the Captain’s table. Unaccompanied, he makes friends with two other boys and some other offbeat and eccentric characters and the narrative shares their adventures while onboard, with flashbacks coming later on as Michael looks back and reflects on his journey. 

I found this book very moving. Beautifully written – it read as if every word, every punctuation mark, every phrase was carefully chosen to evoke the most perfect understanding of the world Mr. Ondaatje has created for us. The pictures he paints of the ship, the storms, the passage through the Suez Canal and the characters he peoples the book with – all wonderful and memorable. It’s the perfect time to become immersed in a story like this one. I highly recommend it for lovers of historical fiction, tales of the sea, and coming-of-age stories.  

–Available via Hoopla as one of their Bookclub-in-a-Box selections

–also available via Libby/Overdrive

Recommended by Susan

Get swept away into the world of Nan Sparrow, the stories of her Sweep, and the discovery of Charlie, a magical creature made of soot and ash. Set in 19th century London, when even young children were forced into hard labor, this book has the makings of a modern classic and offers valuable lessons, both moral and historical. Although written primarily for middle grade children, this story can be appreciated and loved by adults too. While the subject matter can be tough at times, it is interwoven with simple goodness and joy. A magical bag and promises kept. Pillow fights and first snow. A creature who is filled with innocence and curiosity. Friendship. Love. This book is one you’ll always remember as “unputdownable.”

– ebook available on Hoopla

– ebook available on Overdrive

Reviewed by Bernadette

It’s a bad time to try to read the latest, hottest books on Overdrive: everyone wants them. It’s a great time to read hot titles from a few years ago! This review was originally posted in 2017, and as of the posting of this review, it is available as an audiobook and eBook on Overdrive and the Libby app. Not sure how to get started? Ask a librarian! We are available by email at medfield@minlib.net and by phone at 508-359-4544 Mon-Fri 10 am – 6 pm.

Original review:

Bohjalian writes another thriller and this time it concerns sleepwalking. Annalen’s disappearance is attributed to her sleepwalking,but why was she near the river and where is her body? Her family and
the authorities spend the novel trying to solve this mystery. Of course there’s a twist at the end! This is Bohjalian at his best.

Reviewed by Terri.

Find the book!

Lisa Jewell has become one of my favorite thriller writers. Her books are quick reads filled with suspense and psychological twists.

Ellie Mack was 15 years old when she went missing. She was the youngest of three children who went to the library one day and never came back. Laurel Mack, the mother, was never the same. Her marriage ended and her other 2 children became distant.

As time passed and Laurel found a new love, she never gave up hope of finding out what happened to Ellie. She never believed that Ellie just ran away, although the police found no clues as to her whereabouts.

This is a typical Jewell thriller and there are more I would recommend: FAMILY UPSTAIRS, WATCHING YOU.

Listen to the audiobook on Hoopla

And find it as an eBook and audiobook on Overdrive

Reviewed by Terri

Kasey, a lively and funny twelve-year old stuck in the hospital for a month, writes a series of letters to her friend Nina. She introduces us to her family, the nurses and staff at the hospital, and to Ivy, her IV, who becomes her protector during the long, scary nights at the hospital. 

Kasey’s perspectives on her family, her soccer team, and her elderly hospital neighbors paints a vivid portrait of a trying time in her life.

This is a great read for grades 4-7! 

Available as an eBook on Overdrive

Reviewed by Anna

This novel was truly one of the best reads of 2018 and beyond.  Jones, an African American author, writes a powerful story about what happens when a black man is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit.

Celestial and Ray are newlyweds and just starting their lives together – he as a young executive and Celestial as an artist.  Unexpected circumstances  occur that absolutely rip their lives apart and test their new young love to the limit. Roy is placed in jail, while Celestial must return to her past life feeling confused and angry. To help Celestial cope, her dear friend Andre brings her some comfort.

This a love story that stirs up deep feelings for three people who are dealing with forces beyond their control.

Available as eBook on hoopla and Overdrive

Available as downloadable audiobook on hoopla and Overdrive

Reviewed by Terri

You were the one who wouldn’t let me in when I knocked

 Sixteen-year-old Amanda Verner is trying to put what happened last winter behind her. Living in a cramped cabin with six other family members, she craves a few moments of escape and relief. That’s how she finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy as her family decides to suddenly move from their mountain home to the wide expanse of prairie miles away, where her father has been told of a surplus of empty cabins just waiting for them.Unfortunately, the story of rich land and beautiful houses is too good to be true. The family’s new residence has evidence of a terrible crime and soon Amanda begins to fear that the devil she saw that winter may not be so easy to escape. But does the creature exist in this world, or only in her own haunted mind? 
Daughters Unto Devils is said to be “If Little House on the Prairie were written by Stephen King” but after reading it, it’s very clear that the inspiration might have been more Evil Dead than Carrie. The story’s build up is slow and increasingly unsettling, causing the reader to wonder, along with its narrator, just what is real and what isn’t. The final conclusion is altogether horrifying, gruesome and completely haunting. For fans of horror stories, don’t let the YA label on this one turn to away. It’s a fright you wont want to miss. 

Daughters Unto Devils is available to stream on Hoopla here in both ebook and audiobook formats. Just don’t listen to it late at night.

Reviewed by Athena