It’s 1908 in New York City and Eloise Drake is putting her math genius to work for the state water board as an accountant. When she is assigned to return to her hometown to assess properties that are to be demolished she soon finds herself at a crossroads. Her intent to maintain a strictly professional […]
Author Archive | Kimberly Monaghan
Raise Your Hand
It’s scary to speak up. And when you raise your hand in class and give the wrong answer, it makes you think twice about speaking up again. This is how eleven-year-old Alice Paul Tapper felt when she raised her hand in school. After ruminating on this embarrassing classroom situation she talked with her mom who […]
The Smile
This story begins in the Italian countryside where thirteen-year-old Mona Elizabetta struggles to become the noble woman she’s destined to be. Her family, however, are challenged to keep their silk-weaving business thriving during economically challenging times. Still, Mona’s mother is planning to give her daughter an elaborate party to meet eligible husbands, but upon her […]
Something Old and Something New
If I were truly referring to the English good luck rhyme I would use “Olde” and include something borrowed and something blue. But, I’m not. Rather, I’m referring to the books I’ve been reviewing as of late. I see way too many book reviews on new books, which is great. Sometimes I like getting a […]
No Ordinary Life
What would you do if social media catapulted your child to fame overnight? Probably everything you could to protect their welfare as stardom sets in. That’s exactly what struggling mom of three Faye Martin sets out to do in this novel by Suzanne Redfearn. Faye is trying her best to make ends meet and be […]
Life As A Barnacle
What would make you happy? This is the question that little barnacle Abraham ponders as he floats out and looks for a place to stick. As he meets other barnacles in oyster colonies, on piers, and along the bottom of a boat he is tempted to stay but decides to continue on his journey towards […]
The Ghost and The Goth
Do opposites really attract? Take the ageless example of polar opposites coming together—the most popular girl in high school and the loner boy in this young adult novel by Stacey Kade. Oh, right. Did I mention that one of these teens just happens to be dead and the other a reluctant medium? Talk about chemistry. […]
August Skies
Even if you’re a full time working professional, there is something about fall that feels like new beginnings. I liken it to the quote from “You’ve Got Mail” where the reference to a “bouquet of newly sharpened pencils” celebrates the anticipation of setting off to school and onto other novel adventures. In this picture book […]
Re-Reading
A friend once told me that re-reading a book is like walking backwards. I wholeheartedly disagree. I own way too many books not to re-read them and one of the very reasons these books have been purchased is because I enjoyed them tremendously and look forward to re-reading them. Recently, I picked a motivational book […]
The Silent Sister
Upon the passing of her father, Riley MacPherson is tasked with clearing out her parents’ home and the RV park that she’s inherited. But upon her arrival in New Bern, North Carolina, she encounters several friends of her parents who are intent on opening old wounds and stirring doubt in her mind that her family’s […]