I was so excited to see that a Williamsport born and bred writer had written about the Gulf Coast of Florida, my stomping grounds. Cutter’s book is a nonfiction account about the search for a missing woman, Sabine Musil-Buehler, and three people who may know what happened to her: her estranged husband, her boyfriend, and the man who stole her car.

Cutter was a guest at the hotel owned by Sabine and her husband, before it was set on fire and Sabine goes missing, and presumed murdered. As a student in Iowa, he becomes obsessed with learning about the case and unsolved mystery, eventually befriending the boyfriend who is in prison on other charges.

The book is more than just a true crime novel, though, as he also examines the early beginnings of his relationship with Erin, who eventually becomes his wife.

I am obsessed with minimalism right now and one of my favorite bloggers and authors, Joshua Becker, has been recommending Cait Flanders’ book as inspiration for those who want to get started in a minimalism journey.

The story is common – Cait had nearly $30,000 of credit card debit and wanted to save money and get out of debt. What she realized was that her retail therapy addiction was fueled by depression and alcoholism, so she came up with a plan to not spend anything extra in a year other than what was on her “approved” list.

For 12 months, Cait only bought consumables such as groceries, toiletries and gas, and documents how successful she believes this project will be. Obviously, it’s a success and she learned a lot, but for those who are looking for a “how to,” this book is not it.

This is a personal story of Cait and her vices and how she overcame them, and the actual “how” could have been a blog post. This book is geared toward 20-somethings who are figuring out what drives them to spend and drink.

17-year-old Leila takes a road trip from Louisiana to Alaska to see the Northern Lights and along the way she meets several teens who end up needing her in some way. Each chapter highlights the teen and their locale, from Hudson to Bree to Elliot to Sonia. Along the way she falls in love, reunites orphaned sisters, gives a brooding teen a prom night he’ll never forget, and gets arrested and sneaks a girl who lost her passport into Canada to stop a wedding disaster.

Leila is insightful and helpful; yet she rarely shares much about her own life until she reaches her destination and is the focus of the final chapter. It’s fun story that gives each character a happy, predictable ending, but the pacing keeps it interesting. This is recommended for teens who like John Green’s “Paper Towns” and “Looking for Alaska.”

What would you do if you knew the date you were going to die? In 1969, the four Gold children – Simon, Klara, Daniel and Varya – visit an unusual psychic who predicts the date they will die. From there, each sibling deals with the information in different ways as it affects their lifestyle. This is a wonderful story about family, Jewish traditions and a little bit of magic, and it’s up to you to decide if the fortune teller was right or if the children just wanted to believe her.

Trigger warning: This book focuses on the 54 minutes after a school shooting takes place. Although the story is fictional, it reads just like something that could have happened last week.

The story focuses on four high school students and their connection with the shooter and how they have to deal with this tragedy as they are either trapped inside the school auditorium or locked outside wanting to break in. There are some flashback scenes that detail the abuse, and some of the deaths are graphic. The book features a diverse cast of characters and the realism of the situation may be difficult for some to read. Hopefully, the book will spark discussions and conversations about a topic that is a reality for students today.

The brutal opening is King’s way of proving he’s a master of horror – including the real-life horrors that are among us. When a young boy is found dead and mutilated in unspeakable ways, the police find evidence that points to Terry Maitland, a teacher and beloved Little League coach. The only problem is that Terry was out of town when the murder took place, with video footage corroborating that. So how could he be in two places at the same time?

Fans of the Mr. Mercedes trilogy will have a welcome surprise when Holly Gibney is brought onto the case and she begins to think it’s a supernatural “Outsider” committing theses mysterious crimes. King’s fans may notice similarities between previous novels – especially the Mr. Mercedes series – and I thought it was an updated version of “It” told through the eyes of the adults and police detectives.

The news about Anthony Bourdain’s suicide death on June 8 shocked me. I loved his television shows where he mixed traveling with culture, journalism and, of course, food.

I realized that although I had read some of Bourdain’s other books, I had not read his story in this compilation of stories by well-known travel writers and food lovers. The book features 38 stories of the way food and culture impact us all – from barbecue, to simple bread, to tea ceremonies to couscous there’s sure to be something for everyone in this book.

This is the next book after Weir’s debut best-selling novel, The Martian. Unlike The Martian, which took place on Mars, this book takes place in the near future and is set in Artemis, the first and only city on the moon. It follows Jazz Bashara, a smuggler who uncovers a deep conspiracy by some people on Earth and Artemis to take control of the city.

Fans of Weir’s first novel will appreciate the extensive research and scientific detail in this story. Weir has truly created a city with laws, economy, tourism, and socio-economic and cultural divisions. What’s fascinating is how a typical crime noir story fits in with this futuristic setting; although the ending may be slightly predictable, it’s still a fast-paced, fun, sci-fi story.

Neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi was only 36 years old when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and then a rare form of brain cancer. Suddenly he went from doctor to patient, struggling to find his identity in the face of death. This is recommended for fans of Atul Gawande’s “Being Mortal,” and told from the dying patient’s point of view.

Everything Paul and his wife worked so hard for, the decade spent training to become a doctor, his medical research and his future teaching plans – were put on hold because of his treatment plan. He and his wife’s decision to have a child during this difficult time made me tear up. When his wife said, “Don’t you think that saying goodbye to a child would make your death more painful?” And he replied, “Wouldn’t it be great if it did?”

Paul has a lyrical way of writing, referencing literature and poetry that was meaningful to him throughout the book. Keep your tissues nearby when you read this moving and heartbreaking memoir that was completed by his wife after his death.