The Violin Conspiracy is a masterpiece of a debut by Brendan Slocumb. The author has over 40 years of experience as a musician, so worry not about musical accuracy. I would describe this book as contemporary with a mystery and a dash of history. 

We begin with Ray losing his precious violin. As the story progresses, we learn about its origins and the unlikely way Ray became a successful violinist- up against blatant and subtle racism at every turn. 

With an instrument so old and so valuable, there are many people with a vested interest in stealing it. Slocumb builds fascinating characters throughout the book and I almost guarantee he will surprise you in the end. I absolutely loved the drama with Ray’s family and the descendants of the slave owner who taught Ray’s director ancestor how to play. 

This book will pull at your emotions, tangle you up in its mystery, and have you eagerly awaiting Slocumb’s next book. I highly recommend the audiobook for its excellent narration and music played by the author, as well as a tender and informative author’s note. Truly, this is one of my favorites of the year- perhaps of all time. 

Magic for Liars is an enjoyable read about Ivy Gamble, a PI who is hired to solve a murder. That sounds simple enough, but the murder happened at the magic high school where Ivy’s estranged twin sister teaches. 

As Ivy begins to investigate, she discovers that her sister is wrapped up in the mystery and it looks suspicious. Ivy untangles a mystery that involves teachers, students, and so much deception. If you were a fan of HP, this is the adult version with no trans phobia and lots more positive character development. 

I highly recommend this for a standalone magical realism/touch of fantasy novel. 

Cw: abortion 

Started just fine. Not amazing but fine. Student teacher trope is not my bag so it’s a DNF for me. 

Kelly Yang has written another stellar installment in the Front Desk series. Read on if you have read the first three, and if not DO IT NOW! 

In this fourth book, the women’s World Cup is coming to LA and Mia is forced to play soccer at school. She still hasn’t overcome her fears of getting hurt and as always she’d rather write than do anything else. In her quest for straight As and a place in a journalism camp, Mia makes a deal with the soccer coach. If she interviews the team, she can get her grade revised. 

In classic Mia style, she is determined to accomplish her goal and help those around her. I loved Hank getting plenty of on page time in this book, which always highlights the intersectionality of racism and immigrant issues. Hank faces his own challenges and Mia inspires him as he inspires her. 

This book definitely left me feeling happier about the world and optimistic for a fifth book. Kelly Yang is a middle grades hero. This series is one I will recommend forever. 

The Measure has such a fascinating premise- every adult on earth receives a box with a string. The length of the string represents the length of your life. Sadly, this book that I looked forward to so greatly was a far cry from what I think this story could have been. 

Nikki Erlick does explore some obvious and less forthcoming themes that would emerge if everyone knew the time they would die. Short stringers experience discrimination in many ways. Most of the novel focuses on the impact on partner relationships. There is also a connected political storyline that while not uninteresting, I felt it detracted by expanding the cast of characters too far and muddying the focus. 

Eventually some of the character arcs connect, and the ending was hopeful. I just felt it was not fleshed out and that this book missed much of the journey that such an interesting hook could have taken us on. 

Stacy Willingham’s sophomore novel brings us more incredible creepy Southern atmosphere like her debut, but her writing has clearly grown and the twists here are both unpredictable and incredibly insightful. 

The first half of this book moves slowly, establishing Isabelle and Ben- parents to a toddler who went missing one year ago. Isabelle is determined to keep her son in the news, speaking at numerous true crime events, while suffering with extreme insomnia. Sleep has always been her Achilles heel, Isabelle fluctuates between periods of sleepwalking and insomnia. Ben has left her and says they should accept their son is dead and move on. 

Then enters Waylon, a true crime podcast host, who wants to present Isabelle’s story. But things soon go sideways. This story moves to deep and dark places that make a fascinating and important statement about our society and motherhood. I can’t say more without treading too close to spoilers. Once I got to the halfway mark, I couldn’t put this down. I highly recommend this thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. 

Josiah and Deja have worked at the most idyllic pumpkin patch for three years. Now it’s Josiah’s last night before going to college, and Deja insists he is finally going to talk to his crush. 

The story follows their hijinks through the patch looking for Marcy, the elusive crush. With everything stereotypically fall and a whole lot of failure, we learn more about these two bffs. 

When the night finally ends, we see the true colors of each character. This is a slow moving graphic novel focused on indulging every quintessential fall outdoor activity you can think of. The end finally delivers some great character growth and it’s worth reading to get there.