Wildcatters: The True Story of How Conspiracy, Greed, and the IRS Almost Destroyed a Legendary Texas Oil Family by Charles Moncrief ” This is a true story. It’s an examination of how life can irreversibly change. One day, you’re living in peace, and then you’re […]

Shimmer and Burn by Mary Taranta This is the story of two kings: one has taken to hiding among the shadows of a plague-ridden city while the other rules over his land with an iron fist, desperate to hold on to his stolen magic. In […]

The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel by Raina Telgemeier original series by Ann M. Martin The fact that I am recommending this series makes me smile — right from the inside out. As a child, books defined my days. They were an escape from a reality […]

White Horses by Alice Hoffman In Alice Hoffman’s spellbinding tale of a strange Southwestern family, the assumed chains of binding ties are challenged and left raw – all before eventually disintegrating into dust that rolls along the California hills. A distant and distrusting father figure, […]

The Belle is on a (much-needed) vacation until next Monday! Toes are in the white sands of Pensacola Beach this week while the little ones play in the warm waters of the Gulf. But don’t worry — reviews and recommendations will be back next week! […]

The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken If your son is anything like mine, it is almost impossible to get him to read outside of his allotted “required reading” for school. The summer has always been a struggle for me as […]

The Teddy Bear Chronicles (Saved in Paris) by Donnalyn Vojta When Kelly met the roughly handsome and intensely charming Mark, she was impressed with more than just his fancy education and the flashy job that came with a substantial paycheck. Mark Flannery was doting, seemed […]

The Help by Kathryn Stockett “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.” Some books are worth reading even if you see the movie — and Kathryn Stockett’s raw and real telling of The Help is one of them. In it’s essence, The Help […]

Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown ” Leave, and they’ll hate you.  Die, and they’ll love you forever. “ At a cursory glance, the Flanagan family is a typical Californian unit: a techie Dad with cool hair, a beautiful and athletic mother, and a mature […]

Say No To Joe? by Lori Foster ” ‘Yes, Joe.” Then she smiled. “Saying yes to Joe Winston — it has to be one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.’ “ About ten years ago I was living in a small town that was […]