South Carolina Bookstores

Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea

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Twenty Years Later
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A Fall Read This Next! Selection

A great plot that incorporates family, lifelong friendship, betrayal, and the specter of 9/11. Avery seems like an all-American girl who has achieved her dream job. She is the new anchor for a well-received news/life show. It appears she has an amazing life. And she does, unfortunately much of it is in a deeply buried past. Walt is an unwilling retired FBI agent who has hidden away from life in the remote area of Jamaica. Their lives collide when Walt’s early career intersects with Avery’s current career. The plot is deep with several sub-plots that keep you guessing about how it will all come together. The ending is very unexpected on several fronts. Any good crime and mystery fan will enjoy this book.


Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea, (List Price: $27, Kensington, 9781496727169, December 2021)

Reviewed by Jackie Willey, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

 

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Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

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Beautiful Country
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Qian Julie Wang opens her heart and bares her soul in this striking memoir about an illegal Chinese immigrant family. Wang does a fine job describing the poverty and sweatshops of Chinatown, her parents’ fear of getting deported, and her determination to make something of herself in Mei Guo, America, the beautiful country. The poverty and prejudice her family faced as well as her parents’ marital difficulties created trauma that Wang today is still determined to break through.

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang, (List Price: 28.95, Doubleday, 9780385547215, September 2021)

Reviewed by Linda Hodges, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Wildwood Whispers by Willa Reece

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Wildwood Whispers
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Once I started this book I did not want any interruptions until I finished reading. The mysticism of Appalachia comes to life on the pages of the book. Mel is in the foster system and has learned all the pitfalls of the system, but cares for no one until Sarah arrives at her foster home. Sarah is otherworldly to Mel, she is kind, timid and becomes Mel’s family. They bond and escape terrible situations together, but Sarah always wants to return home to the Wildwood where she was born and raised. Mel would do anything for Sarah so she grants that wish and begins a journey with a cast of characters she could have never even imagined. I won’t go into detail here as the discoveries are best made when you read this touching and heart-grabbing book.

Wildwood Whispers by Willa Reece, (List Price: 28, Redhook, 9780316591768, August 2021)

Reviewed by Jackie Willey, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey

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Where the Truth Lies
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When teenaged Abi Blake goes missing after a party in the woods the search for her by her best friend Emma slowly uncovers the dark secrets the people of the small town of Whistling Ridge, CO have been hiding. Where The Truth Lies is a disturbing and very atmospheric novel about a town full of abusers, racists, bigots and homophobes, a fire and brimstone preacher, and a congregation of religious zealots who use God as an excuse for all their evil or for the secrets they keep about their abusers. Beautifully written considering the bleakness and sadness that pervade the novel you will not want to put it down in the hopes that at least the young can escape and find happiness and normalcy.

Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey, (List Price: 27, Atria Books, 9781982157166, August 2021)

Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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City Problems by Steve Goble

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City Problems
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Ed Runyan is an ex-NYPD detective who left the big apple for the relative quiet of rural Ohio after a particularly gruesome case involving the brutal murder of a young woman. Now it seems his past has caught up with him when he finds himself in a case of another missing young woman on his own turf in the quiet fields of Ohio. The girl, Megan Beemer was reported missing from the Columbus area and was last seen at a party where a high school band from Ed’s area was performing. Between the band and the local kids who were or may have been at the same event, and with the help of a woman detective from Columbus, Ed has to unfold the story of who was at the party and how they might have interacted with Megan. When Megan’s body is found in a local creek, Ed has to struggle with his past and the demons that have stayed with him from the earlier murder in NY which has been the center of his nightmares for years. Ed Runyon is a damaged character, but one who shows his human side in his empathy and depth of commitment to solve this crime and find justice for the victim. We can only hope we’ll see more of Ed Runyon. This one was a great read!

City Problems by Steve Goble, (List Price: 26.95, Oceanview Publishing, 9781608094431, July 2021)

Reviewed by Brent Bunnell, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Stranger Care by Sarah Sentilles

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Stranger Care
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As a child advocate for the family court system, I have a pretty good idea of what foster care is like. Sarah Sentilles is spot on in her memoir about her and her husband’s experience training and becoming foster parents. Sentilles accurately portrays the emotions of the parents, foster parents, social workers, and children involved. She uses examples from animals and plants to show techniques of care in the natural world. But even after they accumulate this knowledge, Sarah and her husband underestimate the pull on their heartstrings at the possibility of a child’s loss from their lives.

Stranger Care by Sarah Sentilles (List Price: $28, Random House, 9780593230039, 5/4/2021)

Reviewed by Linda Hodges, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

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One Last Stop
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A Spring 2021 Read This Next! Title

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Griffin, June

August has grown up believing that being alone is best. Then she moves to New York and gets caught up with her new wacky roommates, who drag her out of her comfort zone. And she meets Jane, a girl on the subway she has an instant connection with. The only problem is…Jane is literally stuck on the train, displaced somehow from her life in the 1970s. So August makes it her mission to solve the mystery of Jane and fix it so she can be where and when she belongs, even though August wants Jane to belong with her more than anything. If The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue were a rom-com, this would be it. McQuiston has written a big-hearted, laugh-out-loud funny, and tender novel that will speak to readers about love and connection and friendship and family.

– Melissa Oates from Fiction Addiction in Greenville, SC

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Best Day Ever! by Marilyn Singer, Leah Nixon (Illus.)

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Best Day Ever
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Very sweet boy-and-puppy friendship story. Great gift for any child who’s just gotten a puppy.

Best Day Ever! by Marilyn Singer, Leah Nixon (Illus.) (List Price: $17.99, Clarion Books, 9781328987839, 5/25/2021)

Reviewed by Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Once Upon a Dragon’s Fire by Beatrice Blue

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Dragon's Fire
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Lovers of books and dragons will rejoice at this imaginative tale of how dragons learned to breathe fire.

Once Upon a Dragon’s Fire by Beatrice Blue (List Price: $17.99, Clarion Books, 9780358272427, 3/2/2021)

Reviewed by Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler

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Many Points of Me
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Georgia’s dad was an artist before he died. Now Georgia struggles with his legacy, with people thinking they know him because of his art. Her best friend Theo is the only one who might understand, except he’s also focused on art, especially his own. And while Georgia’s own art has always been important to her, it’s taken a backseat to figuring out the mystery of what her dad’s last unfinished painting was supposed to be. A heartfelt story about art and grief and friendship for anyone trying to determine where they fit in their own life when everything has changed.

Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler (List Price: $16.99, Greenwillow Books, 9780063027008, 1/12/2021)

Reviewed by Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Cow Says Meow by Kirsti Call, Brandon James Scott (Illus)

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Cow Says Meow
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A very clever take on the classic what do animals say book. Great for a preschool storytime.

Cow Says Meow (A Peep-and-See Book) by Kirsti Call, Brandon James Scott (Illus) (List Price: $12.99, HMH Books for Young Readers, 9780358423348, 3/16/2021)

Reviewed by Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Little Bat in Night School by Brian Lies

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Little Bat In Night School
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This story works on many levels: It’s great for any child nervous about attending school and it’s also a wonderful friendship and kindness story. Plus, all the fun you’ll have explaining why bats go to school at night!

Little Bat in Night School by Brian Lies (List Price: $14.99, HMH Books for Young Readers, 9780358269847, 6/29/2021)

Reviewed by Jill Hendrix, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Cathedral of Bones by A. J. Steiger

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Cathedral of Bones
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Simon’s life goal is to be an Animist–someone who can call on beings from the shadow realm adjacent to theirs to do good and keep the peace–but he’s not a very good one. When a town’s request for help goes unanswered by the Animists in charge, Simon decides to take matters into his own hands and sets off to deal with the monster–whom he discovers is actually a girl named Alice who doesn’t remember how she became a monster. Simon and Alice join forces to search out the secrets in Alice’s past, and in so doing find secrets that affect Simon and their whole world. A dark middle-grade fantasy that will appeal to fans of Kelly Barnhill, about identity and finding your self worth.

Cathedral of Bones by A. J. Steiger (List Price: $16, HarperCollins, 9780062934796, February, 2021)

Reviewed by Melissa Oates, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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Love and Other Lies by Ben McPherson

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Love and Other Lies
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At the beginning, Love and Other Lies was a fast paced typical thriller to read. One which centered on a horrific event–the mass killing at a summer camp for teens, and the disappearance of one of the young campers. It was about the relationship between husband and wife, the love they still have for each other after 15 years of marriage and the lies they might be telling, and about their relationships with their teen daughters. Then you begin to realize what might have really happened and it suddenly becomes an extremely thought-provoking and unnerving story that could have easily been taken from true events. It shows the horrors that can occur with the rise of white supremacy, and how normal people with the best values can be infected by political ideology.

Love and Other Lies is not a feel good story by any means, but it is an important story with lots and lots of topics to discuss and a story that is definitely pertinent to the times in which we live. This is a book that you will think about for a long time after you put it down.

Love and Other Lies by Ben McPherson (List Price: $16.99, William Morrow Paperbacks, 9780062406149, 2/9/2021)

Reviewed by Nancy McFarlane, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina.

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All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz

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I enjoy the series with the Paranormal content. It is very interesting and does not engulf the characters or the plot, so if it is not your thing you will still have a great plot and suspense. North has some issues with questions that remain about his Grand Fathers loyalty, a strange and sudden onset health issue, but in every other aspect has his life well ordered. He excels at his job, lives in a home he enjoys and is challenged intellectually. Sierra is his opposite in so many ways, raised in a free spirited fashion by non-conforming parents, she has started another career path after many failed attempts. North has a high priority job and not much time to find local help, Sierra is available and selected for him, not a comfortable situation.The seriousness of the situation does not leave time for finesse or subtlety on either end. What follows is an intricate plot to try and understand what may have fallen into the wrong hands in the past. The location and exploration of the closed Fogg Lake labs has just begun, so they have no idea how much danger is ahead. This is a great and entertaining series. Lots of suspense, twists and good character development.

All the Colors of Night by Jayne Ann Krentz (List Price: $27, Berkley, 9781984806819, 1/5/2021)

Reviewed by Jackie Willey, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina

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