I Found You by Lisa Jewell

I Found You by Lisa Jewell is NOT another Girl on the Train.  Sure, it's a mystery.  The only similarity is going to be that everyone is going to be talking about it - it's that good.  

I Found You tells three separate stories in alternating chapters.  Readers will not want to put the book down so they can read how it all comes together.  In one story line we have a man sitting on the beach for hours not moving.  It begins to rain and still he doesn't flinch.  Alice watches from the window and finally ventures down to find out what's going on.  There she discovers a man with no memory.  

Then there is a newly married couple.  Lily's new to London.  She doesn't know anyone except her adoring husband, Mark.  When Mark suddenly goes missing one night after work she doesn't know who to turn to.

There is also a flashback to 1993 where a family is vacationing.  They meet a man named Mark that begins obsessing over the family's young daughter.

The story has many likable characters and many twists and turns.  I Found You is very unpredictable.  You won't be able to sleep without one more chapter.  The book will be released in Canada on April 25th, 2017

Also, check out Lisa Jewell's The Girls in the Garden.

Insidious by Catherine Coulter

I enjoy a good murder mystery now and then but it can't be too gruesome and gory and it can't have kids.  That can be tough to find.  I was a bit sceptical when I received a copy of Insidious but all was good.

Insidious was a good clean murder mystery.  A real page turner without a ton of blood and guts and harming small children.  There is a serial killer though and someone is trying to kill an 87 year old grandmotherly business tycoon.  At first it seemed like so many characters to keep straight and try and figure out how they all fit together but it all came together quickly.

Someone has been trying to poison Venus the 87 year old grandmother.  But who?  And why?  Surely, she can't have that much longer to rule the business empire.  Can't they just wait to die naturally?  And which one of her children or grandchildren is so anxious to see her gone?  They are all quick to point fingers.

In Hollywood it's a pretty competitive world.  Everyone is trying to be a star.  After the third murdered starlett the FBI realize they have a serial killer on their hands but how many more up and coming stars need to be brutally murdered before they catch the killer?

The Altogether Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman by Mamen Sanchez

The Altogether Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman is a mystery, a love story, a story of strong friendships and also quite funny as well.  Atticus Craftsman is the son of a wealthy tycoon in the literary business.  His father had established small literary newspapers across Europe.  All were very successful expect the Spain office.  Atticus is sent to Spain with the task of firing the five employees and closing up the office.  His father sends him off with a warning - they're all women.

The women of the office are a tight group of friends.  They help each other out when in need and celebrate each others successes and cry together when life isn't going as planned for one of the group.  When they receive word that the office is too be closed they quickly make a plan to stall for time.  And the mystery begins.

All of the characters in the book were very like-able.  There were many characters in the book and I was worried it was going to get confusing but they were each well defined and distinct.  I enjoyed reading a book set in Spain.  I can't think of anything else I've read set in Spain.  It was a nice change.

The Altogether Unexpected Disappearance of Atticus Craftsman  will be on sale August 9th, 2016. 

Nick and Tesla's Special Effects Spectacular by "Science Bob" Pflugfelder

Recently I've been reading some articles about MakerSpaces.  They are all the buzz these days.  A MakerSpace are often for children but can certainly be for adults as well.  They are spaces setup in libraries or other community areas where people are encouraged to create or "make".  MakerSpaces may be simple things like origami or Lego or high tech such as 3D printers.  MakerSpaces could be knitting and sewing machines or hammers, nails and wood.  Anything to create.  It is a growing trend and if you haven't heard about it do a quick search to see what is available in your area.

The Nick and Tesla series caught my eye on a recent shopping trip for my school library.  Without having any reviews to go on I took a risk and scooped up the 5 book series.  Am I glad I did!  I've only had a chance to read Nick and Tesla's Special Effects Spectacular but I can tell that I am going to love this series and I think teachers and students will too.

Nick and Tesla are brother and sister.  It seems each book has a bit of a mystery that they stumble upon and work to solve.  While unraveling the mystery they work on these awesome projects to create cool stuff.  Unfortunately I didn't have time to do one of the projects before posting my review but they seemed totally do-able and fun.  

I'm really hoping I can convince one of the teachers to do this as a read aloud this year and do one of the crafts with the kids.  I'm very excited about this series.