Sonderling Sunday – The Order of Odd-Fish – The Prophecies Coming True

Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge, Sonderling Sunday 0

It’s time for Sonderling Sunday! That time of the week when I play with language by looking at the German translations of children’s books, showing you handy phrases for quirky travelers.

Today, after all these years, I’m approaching the finish of The Order of Odd-fish, by James Kennedy, and the German edition, Der Orden der Seltsamen Sonderlinge. Last time, I left off in the middle of the climactic scene in the penultimate chapter. Because I don’t want any spoilers, I will choose phrases that I hope will merely pique your interest rather than give anything away.

We’re starting on page 377 in English, Seite 477 auf Deutsch. [Wow! At this point, the German version is precisely 100 pages longer.] Here’s the first sentence of the new section:

“A rumble came from the tube.” = Ein Rumpeln drang aus der Röhre.

“a great, gurgling blast” = ein gurgelndes Brausen ertönte [“a gurgling roar sounded”]

“smashed timbers” = zertrümmertes Holz

“blocks of stone” = Steinquader

“But it was too late.” = Aber es war zu spät.

“scrabbled” = wegkrabbeln

“convulsed” = verkrampfte

“obscenely” = obszön

“gasping and shrieking” = keuchten und krieschten [I always love a little alliteration!]

“stitched together” = zusammengeflickt

“She was starving.” = Sie verhungerte.

“popped like a bubble” = zerplatzte wie eine Seifenblase

“inch by agonizing inch” = Zentimeter um quälenden Zentimeter

“puddle” = Pfütze

“getting sucked into the walls” = von den Wänden aufgesogen werden

“loomed” = schwebte

“bulges, valves, and tubes” = Blasen, Klappen und Röhren

This word has come up a lot, and it always delights me:
“slurped” = schlürfte

“Everything wobbled” = Alles schien zu schwanken [“Everything seemed to be swaying.”]

“backwards” = rücklings

“stabbing daylight” = grellen Tageslicht [“bright daylight” – so much less vivid!]

“throbbing Chaos” = kochendes Chaos [“boiling chaos”]

“balance” = Gleichgewicht [“even-weight”]

“deafening thumps” = ohrenbetäubendem Pochen

“steaming” = dampfendem

“squirming” = zwängte

“tight in her fist” = fest in der Faust

“swamp of guts” = Sumpf von Eingeweiden

“desperation” = Verzweiflung

“esophagus” = Speiseröhre [“Meal-tube”]

And here’s the final sentence for tonight (still not done with Chapter 27):

“‘Silly,’ whispered the Belgian Prankster. ‘Did you think it would be that easy?'”
= »Dummerchen«, flüsterte der Belgische Scherzkeks. »Hast du wirklich geglaubt, es wäre so einfach?«

That’s all for tonight! I hope you have fun thinking of how to use keuchten und krieschten in a sentence! As for me, I may start calling it “stabbing daylight” the next time I go out on a bright day. Bis bald!

Review of Twenty-four Seconds from Now…, by Jason Reynolds

Audiobooks, Contemporary, Starred Review, Teen Fiction Review 0

Twenty-four Seconds from Now . . .

A LOVE Story

by Jason Reynolds
read by Guy Lockard

Simon & Schuster Audio, 2024. 4 hours, 28 minutes.
Review written January 7, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review
2024 CYBILS Award Finalist, Young Adult Fiction
2025 Capitol Choices selection

Yes, this is a book about a seventeen-year-old boy having sex for the first time. And it turns out to be very sweet.

I was afraid it would go into detail about each second building up to the moment of connection. But no, it’s much more interesting than that. It does open with “Right now” where the teenage boy, Neon, is in the bathroom of his girlfriend Aria’s house, looking at a picture of her dog – a dog he dislikes that is now living in his own house – and feeling extremely nervous about what’s supposed to happen in approximately twenty-four seconds from now.

But instead of going into excruciating detail about those seconds, the story backtracks to 24 seconds before that – when they were kissing in her bedroom, and he had to excuse himself to go to the bathroom, he was so nervous.

But then we look at 24 minutes before that – when he was using the whole note knocker on her front door (made by his family’s door knocker company), bringing her the chicken nuggets that she loves.

And then it switches to 24 hours before that – when he was interviewing other students for their high school’s video yearbook, which Aria also works on. And he was having his sister make a special door knocker for Aria to take to college with her. And his sister has some good advice about what’s going to happen.

And then we move to 24 days before that – when he walks with his Gammy and that same dog to visit his grandfather’s grave and he hears Gammy tell the story of how they met, and gives Neon some advice about love. And he’s talking with Aria because they want to have sex, but they want to make it special. And his mother has some good advice.

And then we see 24 weeks before that – when Neon took the dog off Aria’s hands, because her mother didn’t like his barking – and Gammy fell in love with that dog. And his father has some good advice.

And finally we see what happened 24 months ago, when Neon was at his grandfather’s funeral, and an out-of-control dog interrupted them, and he met Aria, and his life was never the same again.

Before we finally come back to the present and what’s about to happen.

And all of this shows us the story of these two teens and their families. And how much they care for each other and care about each other. And there’s some good advice in what Neon hears.

And no, it doesn’t describe the details. This isn’t a how-to manual. But it shows the thought and care and love that went into the decision these two teens make. A decision that’s ultimately, as it should be, about the two of them.

I don’t think of this as a book that promotes teens having sex so much as a book that promotes teens giving thought and care into their decisions about when and whether to have sex. And it tells a good story, too! The strategy of going backward in time piques our interest and is used extremely effectively.

jasonwritesbooks.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Announcing #Sonderbooks25!

Sonderbooks25 0

This is my 25th year of posting Sonderbooks! And I’ve decided to celebrate.

Well, okay, I’m jumping the gun a tiny bit. But my 2025 Sonderbooks Stand-outs will be my 25th best-of-the-year list. Since I begin working on that list when I begin reading for the year, I figure I’m officially in my 25th year.

Here’s how I plan to celebrate: I’m going to make 25 posts featuring each past year’s Stand-outs. My plan is to read all the reviews, and choose one book to reread. I may or may not write a new review of the chosen book, but I’d like to at least write a blog reflection on looking back at it.

Mind you, choosing just one book is going to be incredibly difficult! I’ve already begun looking at my 2001 Stand-outs and made a list of over 30 books that I’d love to reread. (Though when I realized I really would need to only plan on rereading one book, it was an easy choice.)

While I’m at it, I’m also going to put the Stand-outs pages into the newer phone-friendly format. That’s going to especially take some time with the first five years of posts. But I plan to redo a Stand-out page every couple weeks and then post about that year’s books and what was going on in my life that year. The whole project will take me through most of 2025.

Here’s a little history of Sonderbooks:

I started working half-time at Sembach Air Base Library in Germany in 1998 and started reading more than I ever had before. I was having trouble remembering all the wonderful books I was reading and wanted a way to share them with others. The name was always a no-brainer, because one of the first German words I learned is that “Sonder” is a prefix that means “special.”

So on August 1, 2001, I began writing Sonderbooks. It started out as an email newsletter, and even when I made the website to go with it, only a few issues in, I still called it an ezine. For each issue, I tried to have a reviews in a variety of categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Young Adult Fiction, Children’s Fiction and Nonfiction, and Picture Books. I like to reread (especially back then when I had time for it), so beginning with Sonderbooks #7, every issue included an Old Favorite. I also included a quotation from my current reading at the end of every issue – or, okay, it looks like I started that with Sonderbooks #9. I really did post every week or two (remember, I was only working half-time) and reviewed pretty much every book I read.

When I began, I still had hopes of making a little money as an Amazon associate. (Their rates have gone way down since then, so though I am still an associate, it never even covers the cost of web hosting. I do it for the love of it.) With that in mind, I made a tagline for my ezine:

Discover new books. Discuss old books. Order more books.

So that was all well and good while I lived in Germany. In 2006, my then-husband’s time with the U.S. Air Force Band in Germany was up, and he got himself sent to Japan so I couldn’t follow him. I came to Virginia, got my Master’s in Library Science, and began working full-time in libraries. In 2006, I took a class in library school on web design, and revamped my website. And my friend Deborah Gregory made the lovely logo that I still use today. That was when I added the blogs, because blogs were now a thing. (Hadn’t heard of them in 2001.) I use this main blog, but also included Sonderquotes, which is where I now put quotations from the books I read, and Sonderjourneys, for musings and meditations and stories of travel.

Now instead of ezine issues, I used the blog for those who like to follow my current reading, but the website is great for my own reference when I want to recommend a great book I’ve read. So to this day, reviews show up on the blog, but also get their own webpage. Well, except when I’m in a hurry and trying to catch up on back reviews. I currently have 103 reviews written but waiting to be posted, which is down from 270 last year in February, so I may do some of those blog-only reviews to catch up.

Of course, my 25th year won’t really begin until August 1st, but I thought it would be more fun to celebrate #Sonderbooks25 throughout 2025, since after all, it’s my 25th calendar year of writing Sonderbooks. But I figure I can keep the celebration going all the way until August 1st, 2026, which is the actual 25th anniversary of when I started Sonderbooks.

So – to really get started, I will revamp the webpage for my 2001 Sonderbooks Stand-outs and write a blog post about those wonderful books and what was going on in my life at the time. I’m looking forward to revisiting some fantastic reading! And I’ve begun looking at the books and am pleasantly surprised how many are still carried by Fairfax County Public Library and how many are still in print.

But more on that in the next issue of #Sonderbooks25!

And I’d love it if readers will add to the celebration by commenting about when you first heard of Sonderbooks!

Review of Touch the Sky, by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic and Chris Park

Contemporary, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Touch the Sky

by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic and Chris Park

Carolrhoda Books, 2024. 36 pages.
Review written January 15, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

Okay, this is a picture book that needed to exist. It’s wonderful. It’s perfect. It’s about learning to pump and make a swing go.

Our hero is Vern, a kid with long hair (the better for streaming out behind him) who loves to twist and spin on the swings, but doesn’t know how to pump. Some of the other kids laugh, but finally a girl sees him trying and offers to help.

It takes a lot of explaining and lots of encouragement.

It feels hard until you get it, and then it’s not.

And yes, we see all of Vern’s struggles – his awkward twists, out-of-sync movements, and even falls. And maybe there’s somebody out there who learned to pump on their very first try, but I, for one, was transported back to childhood and remember how hard it was before it was easy.

And the illustrations! Those transported me back, too. The swooping! The gliding! That feeling when your toes touch the sky! It’s all captured here on the page.

This picture book isn’t a how-to manual for learning to pump a swing, but it does offer plenty of tips. And most of all, it models persistence, along with taking and giving a helping hand. And the glorious joy of a new skill and the ability to touch the sky.

stephanielucianovic.com
chrisdpark.com
lernerbooks.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/touch_the_sky.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Gamer Girls, by Mary Kenney

Biography, History, Starred Review, Teen Nonfiction 0

Gamer Girls

25 Women Who Built the Video Game Industry

written by Mary Kenney
illustrated by Salini Perera

RP Teens, 2022. 148 pages.
Review written January 9, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

Wow! I had no idea so many women were fundamental to developing the video game industry. Yes, there are 25 featured women, but each feature has at least one “Side Quest” about a woman who achieved similar things to the featured person, and often more than one. So if anybody has any doubt that women can do great things with video games, this book completely obliterates those doubts.

Each story was fascinating. Many of the women are contemporaries with me, and so I watched most of these innovations to video games happen in my lifetime. We’ve come a long way – and I’d had no idea how many women were responsible for that. Oh, and I also loved that the author included more than one trans woman, without making a big deal of them, but including them in this book featuring accomplished women, where they belong.

Yes, there’s a lot about how innovative ideas – for example, actually making video games targeted to women, who’d have thought? – led to huge popularity, and how women overcame prejudice and stereotypes in their own creative lives. So this is especially a book to inspire girls who love computers or video games, but it’s also for anyone interested in the history of how video games developed.

I have two peeves with the book itself. The first is the horrible use of a neon orange font for headings and for the Side Quests. So terribly hard to read! I had to use a ruler slid down the page to read it at all. Maybe just a problem for my old eyes.

My second peeve is that I still have no idea why the women are presented in the order they are. It’s not alphabetical. It’s not in order of their births. It’s not in order of when they worked in the industry (which is part of the headline for each woman). I’m thinking it can’t possibly be random, but I still can’t figure out what the reasoning is, and that was distracting.

I read this whole book very slowly, a few pages and one profile at a time. It was very enjoyable that way, though perhaps if there was an overarching organization, I lost sight of it. The women did start to run together in my mind because I hadn’t figured out how to organize the information in my own brain – but mind you, I was super interested as I was reading each page.

Here’s how the author summarizes her goals for the reader in the Epilogue:

You might not remember every name, studio, and game featured in this book, and that’s okay. What I hope you do remember is this: A profound sense of joy and purpose. The knowledge that there is work to be done in this beautiful, messy field, and that you could be part of it. I hope this book dispels your fear. I hope you see a future that is growing brighter with every new developer who decides to make games. And I hope you realize that developer could be you.

I think she’s hitting those goals with this inspiring and interesting book.

marykgames.com

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of The Last of the High Kings, by Kate Thompson

Audiobooks, Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Starred Review 0

The Last of the High Kings

by Kate Thompson
read by Marcella Riordan

Clipper Audiobooks, 2009. 5 hours, 52 minutes.
Review written December 7, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

I’ve been meaning to listen to this book ever since I listened to The New Policeman back in 2011. But in those days, I listened to audiobooks on CD and never as eaudiobooks, but that was the only version the library had of this sequel. I’d been so taken with the Irish music mixed into The New Policeman audiobook that I wasn’t going to settle for reading it in print.

Well, sadly The Last of the High Kings doesn’t have any Irish music in the audiobook, though it does include the delightful Irish accent of the narrator. We’ve got the same main character, J. J. Liddy, but fifteen years have passed since he first visited Tir na nOg, and now he’s a father with a family.

And his eleven-year-old daughter Jenny never wants to stay indoors and can’t seem to follow directions. She can see and talk with the ghost who guards the ancient beacon at the top of the hill. She laughs when he thwarts archaeologists from digging into it. But she can also talk with the pooka who masquerades as a goat, who also seems to have designs on the old beacon.

Meanwhile, their old neighbor Mikey says he’s the last of the High Kings of Ireland. He wants to visit the top of the mountain one last time – maybe by helicopter? J. J.’s too distracted to make it happen, but his son Donal tries to see what he can do.

And those are the bare bones of what’s going on, but we’ve got more Irish magic and ultimately the fate of the world depending on some cleverness. But I especially like that the entire Liddy family gets involved in the magic that happens in this book. And there’s plenty of music and dancing.

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson

Audiobooks, History, Nonfiction Review, True Stories 0

In the Garden of Beasts

Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin

by Erik Larson
read by Stephen Hoye

Random House Audio, 2011. 12 hours, 53 minutes.
Review written January 8, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

I’m not sure where I noticed the suggestion, but I do know that somewhere I saw the suggestion that I read this book about the rise of Hitler in order to gain insights about the rise of Donald Trump. Even though the book is 14 years old, there was still a wait for the audio. Now that I’ve read the book in that context, let’s just say that I was not reassured.

This is the story of William Dodd, the American ambassador to Nazi Germany in 1933 through 1937, just after Hitler became chancellor to Germany. Dodd was an academic, not the usual wealthy donor to get an ambassadorship, but newly-elected FDR was having trouble finding someone willing to go. Dodd brought along both his adult children, and the book gives extra attention to his daughter Martha, who had affairs with a wide assortment of men, including the first head of the Gestapo and a Russian Communist.

The chilling part of this book is how so many people simply didn’t take Hitler seriously. They believed him when he’d earnestly lie to their faces and claim he would put a stop to any harassment the people might do to American citizens or Jews. When I think about World War II, I think about the years after America entered the war, and had no idea how early Dachau was built, and that international visitors toured it, saw the prisoners in “protective custody” and said they were well-treated.

Of course, it was mostly unsettling. At first Dodd and his family didn’t believe the Jews were actually being mistreated, except for isolated incidents. And nobody really thought Hitler’s regime would last long. And Hitler improved unemployment! And inflation! And he found people to blame. Roused up national pride. While the main concern from America’s president was that Germany would repay its debts to American banks. (I always forget how soon after World War I Hitler rose to power. Not even fifteen years later.)

The author doesn’t take a grand overarching view of history. He shows us what it was like for one family, transplanted from America to Berlin. He heavily uses descriptions from their writings and keeps their viewpoint – which is all the more poignant, knowing what we know now.

I hated the way they shut their eyes to the threat from Hitler – as I continue to shut my eyes to the parallels I saw. Humans don’t want to believe that bad things are coming. I am still very much hoping this book is simply a fascinating in-depth look at the history of the lead-up to a madman taking power in one country and causing the upheaval of the world. May any parallels simply be products of wild imagination.

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Kingdom of Without, by Andrea Tang

Science Fiction, Teen Fiction Review 0

Kingdom of Without

by Andrea Tang

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024. 275 pages.
Review written December 19, 2024, from a library book.

I loved the setting of this novel in a future Beijing where society has become literally stratified – the poorest live in the Sixth Ring and have to pass checkpoints to even be allowed to enter the lower rings. The Sixth Ring has a strict curfew, patrolled by androids, and life is difficult. As the book opens, Ning’er has just sold her artificial arm and leg on the black market, because she has a friend who can get her a new one, and she needed cash to make rent on her small place. Her father is addicted to the drug Complacency, and takes any of her money he can access to get more. He is the one who sold her natural limbs long ago to get some cash.

So when Ning’er gets the offer of a job pulling off a heist, she can’t afford to let it go. It turns out the job is from the Red Yaksha, a powerful force of resistance against the current corrupt regime. But when she learns that the person behind the Red Yaksha’s mask is the Young Marshal – the son of a chief minister and an up-and-coming member of the gendarmes – Ning’er has some rethinking to do. If she takes the job, she’ll have to work with a team and break into the biolabs of the corporation that produces Complacency.

So it’s a heist novel with many political ramifications and bad guys who control the lives of the powerless and make those lives worse and worse. I wanted to love the book, but as the heist went down, I’ll just say that some details got murky for me. I very much hope there will be a sequel, and that will make it more clear what actually happened at the end.

All the same, I am a fan of Ning’er, a scrappy girl with a prosthetic arm and leg, scratching out a living – but beginning to hope maybe that changes can be made and that the powers that be aren’t invulnerable.

AndreaTangWrites.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Teens/kingdom_of_without.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of Whalesong, by Zachariah OHora

Children's Nonfiction Review, Science, Starred Review 0

Whalesong

The True Story of the Musician Who Talked to Orcas

by Zachariah OHora

Tundra, 2024. 44 pages.
Review written December 30, 2024, from a library book.
Starred Review

This is a picture book version of the true story of how a scientist and a musician discovered that orcas would respond to music played to them.

The story begins in 1971, when the musician and his two kids moved to Vancouver Island in British Columbia and discovered they loved to go to the aquarium there. They noticed a scientist playing music to the orcas and got the idea of the musician, Paul Horn, playing his flute to them. When the orcas responded, everyone was amazed, and the family made a habit of going to the aquarium and playing to the orcas.

But while Paul Horn was away on a trip, one of the orcas died, and the remaining orca was listless and refusing to eat. When Paul came back and played happy music, over time, they were able to coax the bereaved orca to eat again.

It all makes a lovely picture book, with the kids’ participation making the story all the more fun. I’ve always been a fan of Zachariah Ohora’s illustrations, and I love the way they illuminate this true tale. He’s also got a gift for telling the story simply.

I also like that the scientist involved, Dr. Paul Spong, went on to found an organization that studies orcas in the wild and works to free all captive orcas. I learned that on the last page of the picture book text, with more details for adults in the back matter.

I love that kids who read this book will never question that orcas can communicate – and can even communicate with us.

fuzzy.town
penguinrandomhouse.ca

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Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

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Review of The Turn of the Key, by Ruth Ware, read by Imogen Church

Audiobooks, Fiction Review, Mystery 0

The Turn of the Key

by Ruth Ware
read by Imogen Church

Review written December 30, 2024, from a library eaudiobook.
Simon & Schuster Audio, 2019. 12 hours, 13 minutes.

The Turn of the Key is Ruth Ware at her most frightening. Never mind what I said in my last review of one of her books – even though this is the fourth one of her books I’ve read in the last half of 2024, I had no idea what was going to happen in this one. Well, except what the person telling the story told us – she was in prison for murder for the death of a child. The book is her writing to a lawyer the other ladies in prison have said is good for no-chance cases.

Before I talk about the book, let me say that this book is extremely well-written and had me on the edge of my seat all the way. The plot wasn’t predictable, and so many small things combined to keep the tension high. So why am I not giving it a star? Well, a child dies. And even watching all the pieces come together to explain mysterious events isn’t enough to make me feel good about the story. I was left with a sinking feeling at the end of the book, so I feel like my review has to include a fair warning. Not only does someone die whom you’ve come to care about, it’s a child.

And the author absolutely tells you that right from the start. So if I wasn’t able to handle that, I probably shouldn’t have read the book. And I did thoroughly enjoy reading the book and couldn’t stop thinking about it – but it didn’t give me the usual happy feeling at the end when a mystery is solved.

Anyway, that said, the story is told by Rowan Caine. She discovered an opportunity to be a nanny for two architects and their four children in a remote part of Scotland. Rowan is up front that she told some lies to get the position, and her reasons are some of the mysteries in the book. But it has an enormous salary, and the family seems nice, and the teenage daughter is off to boarding school when Rowan is first due to arrive.

The initial interview – a day with the family – went great, but when Rowan shows up for duty, she’s told the parents are heading to a conference the very next day. The previous nannies have left because they thought the house was haunted, but Rowan firmly believes that’s a load of bunk. All the same, when she starts hearing pacing in the night above her room – where there shouldn’t even be a room – and when the “smart” house malfunctions in the night, and when the children get her told off after they lead her into the poison garden on the grounds – well, she doesn’t know what’s going on or where to turn. The lady who comes in to clean doesn’t seem to like her, and the handyman/driver is helpful, but she doesn’t want him to think she’s a neurotic female who needs to be rescued.

The situation builds, with one thing after another. Just when Rowan thinks she’s getting a break, something more happens. And it all ends with the death of a child. And when Rowan tried to explain to the police what had been going on, she only makes them more suspicious.

It’s another thriller with expertly done, twisty suspense. Pick it up with a fair warning.

ruthware.com

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Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Fiction/turn_of_the_key.html

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.

What did you think of this book?