Hoover was THE best-selling author of 2022. The NY Times describes her books this way: Hoover is eclectic. She’s written romances, a steamy psychological thriller, a ghost story, harrowing novels about domestic violence, drug abuse, homelessness and poverty. Though her books are hard to categorize, most of them have an addictive combination of sex, drama and outrageous plot twists.

Her top-selling book, “It Ends With Us,” a drama about a florist who falls for a brooding, abusive neurosurgeon, … [Read more...] about It Ends With Us

Some of the most significant moments in American history have occurred over meals, as U.S. presidents broke bread with friends or foe: Thomas Jefferson’s nationbuilding receptions in the new capital, Washington, D.C.; Ulysses S. Grant’s state dinner for the king of Hawaii; Teddy Roosevelt’s groundbreaking supper with Booker T. Washington; Richard Nixon’s practiced use of chopsticks to pry open China; Jimmy Carter’s cakes and pies that fueled a détente between Israel and Egypt at Camp … [Read more...] about Dinner With The President

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to … [Read more...] about The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Sam Kemp is struggling to keep herself, her out-or-work husband, and her sarcastic teenager daughter afloat. After working out at the gym and feeling bad about herself compared to the other women, the "yummy mummies" as she calls them, Sam grabs her gym bag and hops in the car with her co-workers on her way to an important sales call. With her depressed, unemployed husband at home, her job is all important.

As she opens her gym bag to put on her one-inch comfy black shoes, all she spies is a … [Read more...] about Someone Else’s Shoes

Remember Sister Jean, the then 98-year-old Chicago nun who gained international fame during Loyola University’s men's basketball team’s journey to the N.C.A.A. Final Four in 2018? She’s got a new book out. 
Yep, at the age of 103 that sister is still captivating the world with her infectious smile, love of basketball, and approach to life. 
Reading her book feels akin to having her sit in your living room reminiscing about her life. What’s her secret to living such a long and fulfilling … [Read more...] about Wake Up with Purpose: What I’ve Learned in My First 100 Years

This Is How It Always Is blew me away. It’s the story about a family navigating their lives with their youngest daughter who is trans. I found it enlightening and deeply moving in terms of what trans individuals and families face on their journeys.

Yet the story is also universal. It’s about acceptance and love in the face of hardship; it’s about the power of speaking the truth when the truth seems too scary; it’s about seeing our own obstacles in relation to all the other bad stuff in the … [Read more...] about This Is How It Always Is

The summer between my junior and senior year of college I did summer stock at U of I. I’ll never forget that summer. The rehearsals, the friendships, the romances, the drinking, the smoking, the late nights, the FUN. Oh to be young and have your whole life ahead of you.

When I read Ann Patchett’s book Tom Lake I was suddenly reliving my own summer and reflecting on the decisions I did and didn’t make since those heady days of youth.

In Patchett’s book, we meet a family during the pandemic. … [Read more...] about Tom Lake

The opening line of this BANNED children's book is “There will be days when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.”

Ever felt that way?

The book follows the first day of school for children who feel like they don’t fit in because of their language or looks or what they eat or whatever.

Woodson offers her reader a remedy toward the end of the book: “There will be days when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you……until the day you begin to share your … [Read more...] about The Day You Begin

For those who can never get enough of the Kennedy’s, there’s a new book out just this week to satiate your passion for this storied family. It’s called White House By the Sea by Kate Storey. The book focuses on the Kennedy lives from the vantage point of their summer house at Hyannis Port, also known as the Summer White House, where for a hundred years America’s most famous political family has come to swim, play, celebrate, and bond. It is also the setting of so many events we remember: JFK … [Read more...] about White House by the Sea