The Book Loft of German Village

Scott Guild and Rachel Cochran stopped by the store for a visit and signed copies of their books Plastic and The Gulf!

“Toxic Prey: A Lucas (and Letty) Davenport #34“ by John Sandford Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

If you love thrillers with a nightmarish twist…

“Toxic Prey” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780593714492 by John Sandford is the thirty fourth adventure for US Marshall Lucas Davenport, now paired with his daughter Letty who is working for DHS.

“Toxic Prey” is another engrossing, "can't put it down" thriller from John Sandford. This one will leave you with nightmares because it could be true! It could happen!
Sandford uses the plague / pandemic theme, cranks it up to 1000 and let's it rip. And boy does he grab the theme and make it terrifying.

Series star US Marshall Lucas Davenport teams up with his daughter Letty who now works for DHS (Dept of Homeland Security). Between the two of them and their law enforcement colleagues, they must foil a plot to unleash a plague, a virus that could decimate Earth's human population. They are told to “Shoot to kill” no matter what.
Talk about a nightmare scenario.

“Toxic Prey” by John Sandford is another "stay up all night" reading until the end. And you will, because who wants to go to sleep when there's a nightmare in their book. If I tell you more, I’ll spoil the whole tale.

Yes, we have plenty of John Sandford’s books in stock including Lucas Davenport’s previous adventure ( #33) is “Judgment Prey” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780593542811 while Letty’s is “Dark Angel ( #2)” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780593422410

“Mind Games” by Nora Roberts Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

The perfect thriller for Beach reading or a rainy summer day.

Nora Roberts’ stand-alone thriller “Mind Games” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781250289698 is just that, filled with mind games that will chill you to the bone.

Thea and Rem are staying with their Grammie Lucy in Redbud Hollow, deep in the Appalachian Mountains. Their parents just dropped them off for a two week visit. It’s not too far from their home in suburban Virginia.

Thea and Lucy wake up from a shared nightmare, a dream that shakes them to their cores and tests their psychic abilities. After calling the local police, and sending them to check on Thea’s parents, they wait to learn of their murders by a sadistic killer who is also psychic.

With Thea’s help, the killer is sentenced to life without parole, for the murder of Thea and Rem’s parents and other murders he committed before he was 18.
As Thea grows up in Redbud Hollow, then becomes an accomplished video game creator, she’s plagued with nightmares and visits from the killer who seems to worm his way into her brain, her dreams, and her life.

“Mind Games” by Nora Roberts is filled with layers of story that shift from idyllic to terrifying, from lovely to intense. There’s a love story, of course, but that’s how the author sucks readers into her tales.

Take your time, savor Nora Roberts’ writing, her lyrical use of language and description.

Get your snacks and drinks ready, because you’ll be reading this thriller from start to finish with no breaks in between.

Nora Roberts “Mind Games” is the latest of her 230 novels to date. We have many of them including “Identity” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781250284112 as well as her “Random In Death: An Eve Dallas Novel #58,” the latest in the series which she writes as JD Robb.

Get ready to dive in and know you won't resurface until the tale is told.

“The Outlaw Noble Salt” by Amy Harmon Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

For lovers of Westerns and Romance

“The Outlaw Noble Salt” by Amy Harmon https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781662514456 is the latest piece of historical fiction to come from her creative pen (or computer).

Set in the first decade of the 1900s, “The Outlaw Noble Salt” revolves around Butch Cassidy aka Noble Salt, and Jane Toussaint, a famous singer, and her nine-year-old son Augustus (Gus).

The moment Cassidy hears Jane Toussaint sing on stage, he’s smitten, he’s struck by love that doesn’t fade. And he’ll do anything to keep her safe.

Author Amy Harmon, builds a romance around the outlaw and the singer, pulling together an imagined love story from legends of Cassidy's last years evading the law.

The language is languid, flowing from scene to scene, thought to thought, creating a vivid backdrop to Utah, the western plains, and then New York. It takes a while for the reader to sink into the book but when they do, they'll be hooked.

Filled with lots of twists and turns, this tale will delight Western and Romance fans alike.
If you like historical fiction with a military twist and an imagined romance, you’ll love “A Girl Called Samson” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781542039741 set during the Revolutionary War.

“The Truth About The Devlins” by Lisa Scottoline Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

If you love mysteries with a twist

Lisa Scottoline’s “The Truth About The Devlins” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780525539704 brings together a somewhat dysfunctional family of lawyers (Devlin & Devlin) and their black-sheep son, TJ, who is an alcoholic and ex-con and now works as their firm’s investigator.

TJ becomes embroiled in his brother John’s mess. John has confronted a client, accused him of embezzlement, and after striking him, thinks the client is dead. John asks TJ to help him clean up the mess. But when the client isn’t there, isn’t anywhere, life goes sideways and all hell breaks loose.

Lisa Scottoline fills this thriller with lies and truth, the strength and weaknesses of family ties, and lots about sobriety. Conspiracy and cover-up are neck-and-neck with a fistful of lies and half-truths. In the end, the family must face the truth and pay the consequences.

If you love flawed heroes, you’ll fall in love with “The Truth About The Devlins,” a twisty thriller / mystery about justice.

Lisa Scottoline’s two previous books are “Eternal” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780525539797 and “Loyalty” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780525539834 . Both are set in Italy and look at family and love and are filled with unputdownable tales.

“Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade” by Janet Skeslien Charles Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

If you love tales about books, librarians, and more

“Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade” by Janet Skeslien Charles https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781668008980 is set in the north of France, 40 miles from the Maginot Line in the last year (1918) of WWI.

Jessie Carson, a librarian from NYPL, joins the American Committee for Devastated France (CARD), bringing books and hope to the ravaged women, children, and men who were wounded in the war. Carson introduces children’s libraries to France, changing the face of literacy and the joy of reading forever.

Wendy Peterson, a microfilmer at NYPL in 1987 comes across a series of newsletter and articles about Jessie Carson, the affluent women who are part of CARD, including Anne Morgan (JP Morgan’s daughter). She digs into the life of Carson, revealing this amazing librarian’s life to the library world and to readers alike.

You’ll get caught up in the pain, sorrow, and horrors of WWII France while reading “Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade.” Jessie’s courage and compassion shines through the devastation of the lives of the French. Wendy Peterson’s research skills and determination are a credit to all writers and researchers who bring out books for their readers.

After reading “Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade”, you’ll want to read Janet Skeslien Charles’ first book “The Paris Library” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781982134204 set in WWII France.

Thank you to Rebecca Thorne for joining us to speak about her new cozy fantasy release, Can't Spell Treason Without Tea! We are very excited for the sequel, A Pirate's Life for Tea slated to release October 1st 🏴‍☠️🫖
Signed copies of Can't Spell Treason Without Tea are available while supplies last

TOMORROW!
☕May 23rd at 7pm ☕
An in-store event with Rebecca Thorne, author of cozy fantasy romance "Can't Spell Treason Without Tea"
If you liked Legends & Lattes, you'll LOVE this!
https://www.bookloft.com/event/book-loft-presents-rebecca-thorne
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Rebecca Thorne is an author of all things fantasy, sci-fi, and romantic, such as the Tomes & Tea series. She thrives on deadlines, averages 2,700 words a day, and tries to write at least 3 books a year. (She also might be a little hyper-focused ADHD.)
After years in the traditional publishing space, Rebecca pivoted into self-publishing. Now, she's found a happy medium as a hybrid author, and leans into her love of teaching by helping other authors find their perfect publication path.
When she's not writing (or avoiding writing), Rebecca can be found traveling the country as a flight attendant, or doing her best impression of a granola-girl hermit with her two dogs. She's always scheming to move to a mountain town and open a bookshop that serves tea.

“The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest forGold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics” by Daniel James Brown Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

For every reader!

“The Boys In The Boat” by Daniel James Brown https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780143125471 is one of the best, most captivating books I’ve read so far this year. Once I got started, I couldn’t stop reading. You MUST read this book!

I will admit I know nothing about sports and certainly little about rowing but NOW I do. I was riveted by descriptions of boat building, about rowing, and about the competitions. More than anything about the history of the US and Germany between 1932 and 1936.

Daniel James Brown follows the lives of four of the rowers, particularly Joe Rantz, “a teenager without family or prospects.” Rantz and his team mates are from working class family hit hard by the Depression. They work in farm fields, lumber camps, even building a dam is make enough money for the next semester. They live on pennies so they can row.

YOu’ll also meet the two coaches and the man who built the boats George Yeoman Pocock who comes from a family of boat builders. Quotes from Pocock introduce each chapter.

“The Boys In The Boat” is about the men and their boats. The excitement and tension builds up to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. Along the way, Brown provides glimpses into what was happening in N**i Germany.

On the American front, you learn about life during the Depression, how these rowers struggled to make ends meet, to find the money to attend school each year, and their drive to accomplish and train to be the best at rowing.

If you liked the rowing scenes in “Lessons in Chemistry” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780385547345 you’ll be captivated by the scenes in “The Boys in the Boat.”

I cannot imagine that the film based upon the book is as thrilling as the words on the page. Kudos to the author.

Daniel James Brown also wrote “Facing the Mountain: A True STory of Japanese American Heroes in World War II” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780525557425

“The Women” by Kristin Hannah Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

For readers of history and historical fiction.

“The Women” by Kristin Hannah https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781250178633 is her latest novel, this time set during the Vietnam War and afterwards.

This is the tale of three female nurses sent to work with doctors just shy of the battlefront in Vietnam. They work with mass casualties and severe injuries from 1966 through 1968. Scenes of operating rooms and casualties will remind readers of scenes from the TV show MASH without much humor. The nurses are in-country during the Tet Offensive.

When the nurses come home, they face new battles from disrespect to humiliation, from PTSD to struggles to use their nursing skills in hospitals and for their patients. Throughout it all, the nurses battle for a place in society.

“The Women” by Kristin Hannah is a powerful book. It will draw you into the action, hold you there, and make you feel just what the nurses felt.

While older readers will remember America’s response to the Vietnam War and its Veterans, younger readers will relate to returning Vets from Iraq and Afghanistan. Me, I cried through many of the scenes in the last half of the book.

If you only read one book this year, “The Women” by Kristin Hannah is the one to devour.

If you want more historical fiction by Kristin Hannah, you should read “The Nightingale” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780312577223 and “The Great Alone” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781250229533

“Code Name Kingfisher” by Liz Kessler Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

For tweens, teens, and adults who like historical fiction and want to know more about the lives of Jews during WWII.

Liz Kessler’s “Code Name Kingfisher“ https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781665929738 is set in 1942 Amsterdam. The Germans have marched into Holland, overrunning the cities and enforcing N**i rule.

Two Jewish girls, fifteen year old Hannah and her twelve year old sister Mila, aka Mimi, are sent away by their parents just as the N**i’s are rounding up Jews for the concentration camps and extermination.

Hannah is rebellious and ends up working with the Resistance, rescuing Jews on the eve of their deportation. Mila, a little too young but no less bold, lives in hiding and prays her sister will be safe.

Fast forward to the present when Mila’s granddaughter Liv is asked to build a family tree. She doesn’t know any relatives other than her parents and her Bubbe (her grandmother). Asking questions doesn’t get her answers, but helping Bubbe move does. Liv finds a box of Bubbe’s hidden treasures and the past comes to life.

The action alternates between Mila’s narrative, Hannah’s diary, both describing events in 1942, and Liv’s discoveries and quest for family history in the present.

“Code Name Kingfisher” is written for 8-12 year olds, this book is perfect for tweens and teens, and indeed adults. Reading this tale will illuminate just what happened in Holland during WWII.

Liz Kessler is the author of many books for tweens and children. “Code Name Kingfisher” is her second stand alone book for tweens. The previous book, another stand alone deals with the building up to war in 1936 Vienna “When the World Was Ours” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781534499669

Thank you to Philip Eil and everyone who came out for his presentation on his debut title, "Prescription for Pain"
Signed copies are available while supplies last!

An in-store event with Rebecca Thorne! Thursday, May 23rd at 7pm
If you loved Legends & Lattes, you'll love this new cozy WLW romance/fantasy!

Rebecca Thorne is an author of all things fantasy, sci-fi, and romantic, such as the Tomes & Tea series. She thrives on deadlines, averages 2,700 words a day, and tries to write at least 3 books a year. (She also might be a little hyper-focused ADHD.)

https://www.facebook.com/events/432896655935710

We're excited for Independent Bookstore Day tomorrow (4/27) and we hope you are too! Don't forget to pick up your Bookstore Crawl card and visit at least 5 of the 9 participating stores for your chance to win an awesome gift basket full of bookstore swag.
Also, NYT bestselling author and illustrator Andy J. Pizza will be at the store from 1-3pm to sign copies of his books including "Invisible Things", so bring the kids!

“Floating Hotel” by Grace Curtis Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH
For Sci-Fi lovers

Set in the 2870s in the far reaches of our galaxy, Grace Curtis’ “Floating Hotel” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780756419301 is a q***r, sci-fi mystery.

The hotel sails through space from planet to planet, picking up guests and ferrying them to other planets along the route. But there’s a spy aboard, and a dissident called “The Lamplighter.” Together they unwittingly bring ‘the law’ to the hotel, and its possible ruin.

Each chapter tells the tale from another character’s point-of-view. As the story moves forward, you’ll learn more about the ship and the secrets the characters will do anything to protect, even kill?

If you love tales of outer space, “Floating Hotel” by Grace Curtis is for you. Just don’t expect too many aliens.

Grace Curtis is also the author of “Frontier,” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781786188823 a q***r, space western about climate change.

Floating Hotel (Hardcover) | The Book Loft of German Village This cozy science fiction novel tells a story of misfits, rebels, found family—and a mystery that spans the stars Welcome to the Grand Abeona Hotel: home of the finest food, the sweetest service, and the very best views the galaxy has to offer. All year round it moves from planet to planet, system...

Thursday, May 16th at 7pm; an in-store event with Jeffrey D. Barbieri on his latest title, "Source Code," a cyber crime thriller.
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People change, but some feelings last forever.
Renna is accused of hiring a hitman to kill Tony Defoe, a notorious mobster.
To prove her innocence, she must emerge from hiding and team up with her former lover, Hunter, who is well-known in the world of computer hacking.
As she returns to this perilous world she had hoped to leave behind, she discovers some unsettling truths lurking in the depths of the dark web.
Will she be able to uncover the identity of the person who framed her, or will she find that her true enemy is someone much closer to home?
https://www.facebook.com/events/1081591239727769

Thursday, May 9th @ 7pm
An in-store event with Philip Eil in conversation on "Prescription for Pain"
A true crime deep dive into the case of the 'Pill Mill Killer'
https://www.facebook.com/events/902229278231746

*THIS SATURDAY ONLY-INSTORE ONLY* While supplies last, for Independent Bookstore Day, we will have 20% Discounted Special Edition copies of Fourth Wing with a signed bookplate from Columbus Metropolitan Library's 4/8 event with the author. 94945667@N05/albums/72177720316118137/" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://www.flickr.com/photos/94945667@N05/albums/72177720316118137/

“The Widow Spy” by Megan Campisi Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

If you love historical fiction about real characters, try this one.

Megan Campisi’s “The Widow Spy” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9781668024850 is a fictionalize tale of the capture of the Confederate spy, the widow Rose Greenhow by Allen Pinkerton and Company, most particularly the role of Mrs. Kate Warne, the first female detective.

Set during the first years of the Civil War, the action revolves around finding Greenhow's cipher and her capture. Pinkerton spies travel between Washington DC and Richmond in an attempt to suss out spies and traitors. It's an intense time for emancipated blacks, for immigrants (from Ireland), and the country as war heats up as do tempers.

Megan Campisi captures the language of the time, describes dresses and ornaments. She even has the women embroidering. A fascinating picture of domestic life and spy craft.

A most engaging read.

The Widow Spy: A Novel (Hardcover) | The Book Loft of German Village The author of the “magnificent…complex, vivid” (New York Journal of Books) Sin Eater returns with a rousing and propulsive novel based on the astonishing true story of the first female Pinkerton detective whose next assignment could end the Civil War.Kate Warne is many things: the country’s ...

For those of you who always spend part of your tax return on books... 🤑 Save 15% on the 15th with this special Book Loft Tax Day coupon! Show this at the register for 15% off your entire purchase today only. Not combinable with other offers.

“Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout” by Cal Newport Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH
Student or Adult, you’ll want this book.

“Slow Productivity” by Cal Newport https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780593544853 is his latest on simplifying your life and turning off distractions.

This time he takes on productivity and joins the "slow" bandwagon. Focusing on (and I paraphrase) "Quality over Quantity" and saying NO when you just can't take on more work or volunteer opportunities.

Slowing down life, focusing on the important things is the key. Breaking tasks down, blocking out undivided time, and a serious commitment to mono-tasking is the key.

Don’t wait, read the chapters one at a time, and put Newport's ideas into practice.
Share this one with friends, colleagues, and all those overworked people you know. They'll thank you for it. After all, tasks expand to fill all available time. Limits are the key.

If you want more Cal Newport, I recommend “Digital Minimalism.” It will change your relationship with your cell phone, tablet, and computer https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780525536512

Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout (Hardcover) | The Book Loft of German Village A New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and IndieBound bestseller"Brilliant and timely" — Oliver Burkeman~ Do Fewer Things. Work at a Natural Pace. Obsess over Quality.

“The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers” by Samuel Burr Reviewed by Miriam Kahn, Librarian, Columbus, OH

For readers who love puzzles of every type and stripe.

What a treat! Samuel Burr’s “The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers” https://www.bookloft.com/book/9780593470091 is a lovely, stimulating, and challenging book featuring the people who craft puzzles of all types; crosswords, jumbles, jigsaws, sudoku, mazes, and many more.

There are two mysteries or rather a mystery told in two timelines revolving around this fellowship of puzzle-makers.

Clayton was a foundling, left on the doorstep of the house / commune in rural England where the puzzle-makers lived. He was raised by all the residents, yet never knew his parents. When Pippa the matriarch of the commune dies, Clayton follows the clues she left to find his birth mother and father.

In the alternating chapters, we see the puzzle-makers come together as a group, becoming supportive and self-supporting. There are clues to Clayton's parentage. You could figure it out (I guessed), but solving the puzzle or mystery wasn't as much fun as following the clues. That's the mantra of this book solving isn't as much fun as working out the clues, or something to that effect.

The characters are quirky, the setting is idyllic, and Clayton has a grand old time following the clues and having an adventure along the way.

Perfect for teens and adults, you'll love that the puzzle clues are there for you to solve.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers: A novel (Hardcover) | The Book Loft of German Village An extraordinary, gloriously uplifting novel about the power of friendship and the puzzling ties that bind usClayton Stumper might be in his twenties, but he dresses like your grandpa and fusses like your aunt.