Earlier this year, I read Brendan Slocumb’s first novel, “The Violin Conspiracy,” and was blown away by its authenticity and power. Slocumb himself is a POC and classical musician, and the book was very much inspired by his own experiences and coming-of-age. He excels at writing about music in a way that makes it come alive even for the non-musical like me.

I eagerly awaited his recently released second book, “Symphony of Secrets.” It is similar in theme (exploring race and the classical music world) but seems less directly personal to Slocumb. I was still drawn in by the mystery, characters, and tension and would certainly recommend it. I’ll be excited to see where Slocumb’s talents take us next.

Three words that describe this book: Mystery, music, race

You might want to pick this book up if: You want something a bit different from your standard mystery/thriller that challenges and inspires but still entertains.

-Erin

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

The book “Home Fires,” the inspiration for the BBC television series of the same title, explores the activities of Britain’s National Federation of Women’s Institutes during World War II. It begins by touching on the founding and purpose of the Institutes before going on to describe how members worked with evacuees, grew and preserved incredible amounts of food, made and mended clothing, and took over jobs usually done by men. All while dealing with rationing, widespread lack of running water or electricity, and the wondering about or grieving the loved ones more directly involved in the war.

This nonfiction book combines facts and figures with notes from organization records and anecdotes from wartime members and their children. While quite organized, there were a few places that I felt like it rambled a bit or revisited topics that I thought had been covered already. Note that it’s not a short book; the audiobook is about 12 hours long, but overall I found it a fascinating look at a group of remarkable “normal” rural women. It certainly put my own efforts in some of these areas into perspective!

Three words that describe this book: historical, stories, WWII

You might want to pick this book up if: you’re interested in the domestic side of WWII.

-Anonymous

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

I am not a fan of the thriller/mystery genre, per se, but a fan of good writing, good characters, complex relationships and a good story line. Jane Harper does all of these good things in her Aaron Falk Series. All the stories are set in rural Australia and center on Federal Agent Falk.

When I read “The Dry,” I was captured by the landscape (dry), a compelling storyline, and a complex main character. It was quickly turned into a movie of the same name, which was a top-grossing film in Australia. The second book, “Force of Nature,” was set in an entirely different part of Australia, a thickly-forested mountainous area, which was as much an element of this story, as was the outback in the previous novel. The story was entirely different and yet hugely compelling. It is set to be released as a movie this fall.

I just finished the third (and supposedly last) novel in the series, “Exiles,” which is set in a rural area north of Melbourne. It is my favorite of all three novels. Again, the setting is hugely important to the feel and plot of the novel; Agent Falk is still complex, developing even more in this novel, and the plot is a thrilling build-up to several unexpected conclusions.

Three words that describe this book: compelling, beautifully-written, complexly-charactered.

You might want to pick this book up if: you want to go to a setting you’ve never experienced, learn about complex family and small-town relationships, feel carried away by a well-developed plot.

-Woody

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year.