Review by Nicole Zappone:
The Cornwalls Are Gone is about a Army Captain named Amy Cornwall whose family has been kidnapped. Amy must break rules in order to save her family, even if that means killing people (not always innocent ones, but sometimes innocent). She has to kidnap a man to exchange for the release of her family and while she is doing this, she is supposed to attend a meeting with her superiors about a discipline action she had committed during a previous tour (a prisoner had died on her watch supposedly). In order to save her family, she must drive her Jeep from Virginia to Texas, and then to Florida to make the exchange.

Review by Professor Amy Lenoce:
Feel behind in all you do? Feeling like each communication is a crisis response? Author Vanderkam provides insights into why and how to change that. Set your priorities so that you are fully present, fully engaged, and fully enjoying each activity and then move on to the next project.

Review by Jahnesha Lewis:
If the idea of an intense turf wars and family drama excites you in a book than this is the story to read. While the Duncan’s may own the most popular car company they really are more than meets the eye. Couldn’t put this book down until I finished.

Review by Jennifer Frontiero:
This was truly a coffee table book. I was expecting more of an autobiography. It was full of great photos, shout outs, and stories, but wasn't really anything I would recommend to others.

Review by Jazmin Ayala:
Joanna Gaines provides a generalized guide on interior design. I love the show her and her Husband, Chip Gaines, star in and thought the book would be as good as the show. After having read the book, in about 45 minutes, I concluded that either it is too technical and meant for interior designers or that it was not very useful as a design guide. The pictures were beautiful but the content was hard to follow and did not flow well between the chapters. It would work well as a coffee table book.

Review by Mary Kate Halmose:
This book follows the story of Tess Kendrick, a 17-year-old girl who grew up on her grandfather's farm after the death of her parents. All of a sudden her estranged sister Ivy Kendrick reappears in her life taking her all the way to Washington D.C. In D.C. Tess is thrown into a world of politics and high society, not to mention finding out that her sister is fixes problems for these VERY powerful people. Being enrolled in Hardwicke Academy she's soon labeled to be the very same "Fixer" her sister is. She tries denying the role but when a problem arises that's too big to ignore, will she be willing to solve it no matter the cost? Even if that brings her world colliding with her sisters' and could even involve the White House?

Review by Nicole Zappone:
The Big Bad Wolf, "he will huff and puff and blow your house down if he has too.." The "Wolf" as he calls himself, is nothing but a gangster from Russia, who escaped to the United States with the help of the CIA. He had promised to give information to the CIA in help with a case, but took off and went into hiding instead. Throughout this thriller novel, the Wolf plays around with everyone, including those closest to him. He toys around with everyone while he commits the ultimate crimes: extortion, white slavery, money laundering, game cheating, and much more. What's difficult is that nobody can find the Wolf, but he always manages to find everyone else. For his White Slavery, he communicates with people through a website called The Wolf's Den. In this chatroom, people explain what they are looking for and at a price, they receive the desired person. The people are kidnapped and then handed to their purchaser. Alex Cross, an ex DC homicide police detective (Alex Cross series) has recently joined up with the FBI and this is his first big case. He must do what he can to catch the Wolf before it is too late. Honestly, I really enjoyed the book and James Patterson hasn't disappointed me yet in the 10th installment of the Alex Cross series. Tonight, I will read the sequel to the Big Bad Wolf: London Bridges.

Review by Jazmin Ayala:
I have read all of the Harry Potter series and wanted to supplement this with further titles by J.K Rowling. Overall this book would be great as a reference book to read alongside the series and not so much as a stand alone. I read the series over 16 years ago. I did learn a lot about the mythical beasts in the story and how some of the magical components are created. I plan on reading more of the Pottermore series and learning about the charity foundations that Rowling has as well. I read this book in about an 1h 45mins.

Review by Dawn Mendez:
The majority of the reviews I read about this book were overwhelming positive. Mostly 5 stars with a few random 1 stars thrown in. Everyone was talking about how the ending was so unexpected. About a 1/4 way through the book I was pretty sure I had discovered the “unexpected” part everyone was talking about. In spite of that, the book was still pretty decent and I continued to read so curious to see how it all would end. Unfortunately, the ending killed it for me. What I had figured out 1/4 of the way through the book is basically how it ended. There’s no tidying up of story lines or anything, it just ends. All in all it was a decent read, just not happy that there was an abrupt stop instead of an actual ending.

Review by Robert Laney:
Having just completed the first four chapters it is a fascinating journey back in time to around the beginning of the the 20th century, and a view into the experiences of African Americans at this time. What a brutally non-accepting world to live in for my descendants.However their resilience was remarkable. Interestingly, what made the most seemingly significant difference in the value of their lives was education and social participation in the issues facing them.
What surprised me most in the chapters I read was the political activity of African American during this period.Specifically known as the Harlem Renaissance Period known for the artistic achievements the the African American community, it was also a time of significant political action. Also, a burgeoning AA bourgeoisie was evolving as well with differing class structure in the AA society.However, the still most amazing development was an African American Woman ran for office in the New York State Assembly, she lost, but nonetheless she ran. Remember, this was the 1930's America when Jim Crow and segregation was norm of the day.

Review by Amanda Peck:
This book was such an interesting read all the way through. The story is written in letter format and is easy to follow. It takes place after WWII and brings you through what the people of Guernsey did during the war while they were occupied by the Germans. Concurrently, the story goes through the present life of Juliet, a writer who is learning of all this new information about the people and place of Guernsey through their correspondences. This story will make you smile, laugh, and surprise you. It also includes a touch of romance, but will keep you interested until the last page. A must read!

Review by Dawn Mendez:
Crazy Rich Asians is a story mostly about main characters Rachel and Nick traveling to Singapore for Nick’s best friend’s wedding. Nick and Rachel have been dating for close to two years, however Nick has never spoken about his family to Rachel or about Rachel to most of his family. This story can sometimes get a little confusing as there are so many extended family members that all play a part in the story and all their story lines as well. Luckily, there is a very helpful family tree in the beginning of the book that I found myself flipping to multiple times. As the title suggests, this book is all about Crazy Rich Asians. It reads like a soap opera and was fun to read. The bulk of the story is centered on Nick’s family and almost every one of Singapore’s single females trying to split Rachel and Nick up. There is drama sprinkled into the story pretty frequently, but what else would you expect from the rich, nosy and meddlesome? After reading the book, I am now looking forward to seeing the movie! Also, I just started book 2 in the trilogy. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book. It’s a good story and an easy read.

Review by Ashly Snyder:
I find this book is great for those who want to learn about healing without medicine. It’s easy to read. It’s not too long. It has a lot of information. It’s talked about sunlight, air, water, rest, exercise, trust, natural healing and diet.

Review by Jazmin Ayala:
The life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo is a helpful tool in tidying up your home. Marie covers her now famous KonMari method that has been become popular through her Netflix show. In the book she covers how she became a tidying consultant and her experiences growing up tidying as well as recounting stories she found useful while consulting. The stories are peppered through guidelines to follow so that the reader can implement her method in their lives. Kondo is a positive refreshing and endearing author that inspired me to take a look at my home and tidy it up! I read this book in about 5 hours and plan on buying the book to keep.

Review by Jazmin Ayala:
I chose to read this book after having read Ng's debut novel Everything I Never Told You (2014). The story of Mia and Pearl Warren a transient mother-daughter duo that settle and work for The Richardson's in a community where everything seems perfect. Ng does a great job of examining real life and a variety of struggles that each individual have face. This book was a 12 hour read.

Review by Jahnesha Lewis:
Most people are uncomfortable with the idea of anorexia because they don’t know everything that happens to the people it affects. But in this book the author creates a perfect picture of the life of Anna a woman with anorexia nervosa, and what led to her diagnosis and how it affects not only herself but her loved one. This book shows the journey of Anna as she enters a treatment facility and tries to better herself as well as creates bonds with the other girls at her facility dealing with struggles of their own. This book is not for the faint of heart but more for a person who wants to know more about this disease in a very realistic way, I wished I could read it all over again.

Review by Cynthia Goergen:
Maitland Maternity is a series about a world-renowned clinic founded 25 years ago by Megan Maitland, the matriach of a family of seven children. In this first book of the series, an unidentified baby is dropped off at the clinic with a claim that the child is a Maitland. All of the family is stunned wondering if the claim is legitimate. The media is all over this as women claiming to be the child's mother come materialize from everywhere. Dr. Abby Maitland is the head of Gynecology at the clinic and she bonds with the father, Kyle McDermott, of her teenage patient. As they begin to get closer, Abby is finding it harder to juggle her duties at the clinic and try to be supportive of her young patient while still trying to resist feelings for Kyle.

Review by Jazmin Ayala:
In this book Ellen DeGeneres writes about a variety of topics none relating to anything in particular. I am a huge fan of DeGenres' talk show but this book did her no justice. It had few good points and one liners but it felt like a real waste and I wonder if she wasn't famous would this have gotten published? I would say it is not worth your time reading this book. It is a shame as she has accomplished amazing things and it would have been nice to hear from DeGeneres, what her experience in accomplishing such great feats.

Review by Mary Kate Halmose:
Written by Waterbury resident Esther Wallace, The Savage War is about a young sheperd named Arnacin who feels he's destined for something greater than herding sheep. With help from his family he builds a boat and sets sail in search of that greater purpose. Crash landing on the shores of Mira, Arnacin befriends a local lord and eventually meets the ruling monarch and his daughter, Princess Valoretta. While trying to repair his boat, Arnacin gets swept into the war against the continents' native people. A person that is steadfast in his beliefs, will the war break Arnacin and his dearly held honor? Or will the actions of Mira's king run everything into the ground? And is the mysterious Black Phantom Mira's salvation or it's ultimate doom?

Review by Jennifer Frontiero:
The author really pulled you right into the Lee family right from the start. She developed each character throughout the book in a way that made it easy to empathize and connect with each of their stories and see their motivations.

Review by Kathylee Perez:
So this book so far seems very intriguing and interesting. Considering that I am a mother myself... I love that I feel that I can kind of relate to the mom Marilyn with her routines and worrying all the time for her children. I love that their last names are Lee like my first name! So far, she sounds like a very tired, nervous mother who is dealing with her own trauma of memories and she can't seem to find her missing Lydia. She seems very distracted and sad. I feel like she hids her emotions to just make her day go by, to get to the next mission. Her kids, Nath, Lydia and Hannah sound like typical teenagers who don't want no opinions from mom Marilyn whatsoever. James Lee is a Professor at Middlewood College and is a man who gets the job done who is dedicated but feels his students don't put their all in their studies. He is may be a little tired of the same routine. James has been grading essays and not quite enjoying what he is reading and his teaching assistant Louisa Chen who reminds him of his daughter Lydia, the story is still developing for me.

Review by Jazmin Ayala:
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng is a fictional novel about a family that is torn apart by a tragedy. Ng's story will have you turning page after page full of questions and emotions. Each character is well thought out, complex and unique. The setting of the story, a college town near the lake, plays into the story very well. Ng lets us in to the Lee family. The dynamism of this family is most interesting, full of thoughts unspoken between the family and unfulfilled dreams. Most will identify with one or even all of the characters. Ng's debut novel was a great read, that will not take up a lot of time but will have you intrigued. I can see this book becoming a classic.