In the US, tomorrow is Memorial Day. It is an opportunity to honor those who have served and is estimated to have begun sometime around the Civil War in the South, when someone first put flowers on a soldier’s grave in remembrance. We are not far from the robotic “Star Troopers”, the enemy of the resistance in Star Wars. But we remember this day, our soldiers were and are, first and foremost, people. Whoever and wherever you are “May the Fourth be with you” and “Thank you.”

Now, back to our regularly scheduled recap.

Three-Part Harmony hit pause, but not before a deeper dive into the world of language and how learning Chinese motivated me to study abroad in Austria. How’s that for a switch! Ni Hao meets Gruss Gott.

In a move to improve our content and find our readers where they are, we took a look at mistakes along the way and that sometimes its best to ignore what you’ve learned so you can start again.

Before we knew it, Book Review Week was back! Below is a quick list for this month as you begin to make your Summer Reading Selections.

• Looking for Home – Women Writing about Exile – a poetry book with heart, promise, and remembering home both in their mother tongue and that of their new adopted language, English.
• The Child by Fiona Barton (Guest Reviewer, Sharon Harvey) – investigative reporter Kate Waters learns human remains have been discovered in an abandoned house in London scheduled for demolition. In her search for answers, she is drawn into the lives of three women, and faces a Sophie’s Choice-esque ethical stalemate of secrets. Which can and should be told and which should remain buried.
• The Rainaldi Quartet by Paul Adam – a Felony & Mayhem selection which focuses on stories set outside the usual places of the UK and the US. This story is a murder mystery set in Cremona, Italy about violins, violin dealers, and that sometimes you pay for your passions with your life. Walk with Gianni and Guastefeste to discover who killed Tomaso Rainaldi and why.
• The Broadcast by Liam Falkov – a mystery thriller about chance encounters, the search for family, and how technology and esoteric sensibilities collide and connect.
• Death Returns by J.S. Peck – third in the Death Card series, Rosalie is back with Isabella in tow. A shady neighbor just down the road from Isabella’s family gives Rosalie pause. There’s a mystery in the air, she can feel it, and what the card shows? Well, it hasn’t been wrong yet.
• Third Choice: Rich, Poor, or Hypercube by Eric Y.F. Lim – Guest author, Rachel Barber reviews and discovers our world is not quite either or, a third choice exists.

Special thanks to Sharon Harvey and Rachel Barber for their guest reviews .

If you’d like to post a review of a book during one of our Book Review Weeks, get in touch for more information. And in case you missed it, we’re now doing Dual Language Book Reviews.

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We look forward to hearing from you.

Happy Memorial Day! We hope you have made the most out of your long weekend.

Break a Pencil!

© Lisa Street Rogers 2019