The Wayward Reader

Book reviews

Bound by Blood by Shawn David Brink

Publisher: Tell-Tale Publishing Group, LLC Length: 298 pages Publication Date: August 15, 2024 Two brothers, Seth and Jason, grow up in horrible circumstances. Their mother, Amanda, is an addict who uses her body to pay for her addiction. The brothers live in a rundown rental house with barely any food and no adult supervision or […]

The Booklover’s Library by Madeline Martin

Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing Publication Date: September 10, 2024 Length: 432 pages Emma Taylor’s life had its share of joys and sorrows. Her family’s bookstore burned down, killing her father. Alone in life, she married not for love but for protection. When she became a mother, she found the love of her life, her daughter, […]

Under Her Spell by C.K. Cerra

Pulisher: Random House Length: 368 pages Publication Date: September 10, 2024 In her senior year of high school, Liv and her family move to a new town. She starts her senior year knowing no one. As the new girl, Live becomes a target for rumors and gossip. One of the groups in school are a […]

Bombmaker by Daniel J Davies

Publisher: Shaling Press Publication Date: October 11, 2023 Length: 344 pages I received this book from the author, Shaun Loftus, and Book Whisperer. Why would an American citizen want to harm his country? How could a seemingly loyal citizen become a bombmaker intent on hurting America? Emma Ripley is tasked with answering this question. She […]

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

Publisher: Random House Length: 528 pages Publication Date: August 20, 2024 Legendary playwright William Shakespeare’s works have withstood the test of time. His characters are beautifully flawed and each play has a message for the viewers. What do we know about Shakespeare? He is a theater actor. He has a family, debts, and a lack […]

the book of elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville

Publisher: Del Rey Publication Date: July 23, 2024 Do you believe in immortality? Could there be an individual or entity that never dies? If so, would this person stop aging, or would they just look very old? In the book of elsewhere, immortality and aging, god or gods, hero or villain, and life or death […]

Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate

Publisher: Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books Publication Date: June 4, 2024 Length: 384 pages I received this book from the publisher for an honest review. Sometimes, secrets don’t want to be discovered. In 1909, in Oklahoma, Olive Augusta Radley could tell her stepfather looked at the young Choctaw girl differently than he looked at her. She […]

The Botanist’s Tracks by Michael Reit

Publication Date: March 6, 2024 Length: 370 pages I received this book from The Book Whisperer and the author for an honest review. This book is the third in the Beyond The Tracks series by Michael Reit. He provides readers with unique viewpoints of WWII through his empathetic, fascinating characters. This book stands alone and […]

When The Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart

Publication Date: January 23, 2024 Length: 400 pgs. Publisher: Kensington I purchased this book myself. This is the second book I have finished this year that I immediately wanted to re-read. I first became a Donna Everhart fan strangely. I read a blurb about the book “The Saints of Swallow Hill”. One of the characters […]

Goyhood by Reuven Fenton

Publisher: Central Avenue Publication Date: May 28, 2024 Length: 288 pages I received this book from the author for an honest review. So, I know this book has an unusual title. It is about a devout Jewish scholar and his brother facing major life events. I am not Jewish so it would seem like an […]