Memphis Reads

Memphis Reads Blog

10 SCARIEST BOOKS OF 2020

September 29, 2020

These are from the website, LitReactor.com, and just in time for Halloween. Here are the 10 scariest books of 2020: 10. “The Bank” by Bentley Little 09. “If It Bleeds” by Stephen King 08. “Devolution” by Max Brooks 07. “The Only Good Indians” by Stephen Graham Jones …

MEMPHIS READS: NEW JIM CROW by MICHELLE ALEXANDER

August 3, 2020

Melissa Reviews: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. “The genius of the current caste system, and what most distinguishes it from its predecessors, is that it appears voluntary. People choose to commit crimes, and that’s why they are locked up or locked…

MEMPHIS READS: LOCK EVERY DOOR by RILEY SAGER

July 21, 2020

Andrea reviews LOCK EVERY DOOR by RIley Sager, Dutton, 2019. Jules Larsen has not had the easiest life by any stretch of the imagination. Her beloved older sister, Jane, disappeared into thin air when Jules was seventeen. Then when she was 19, both of parents died in a house fire. Now…

MEMPHIS READS: MY DARK VANESSA by KATE ELIZABETH RUSSELL

July 10, 2020

Andrea reviews MY DARK VANESSA by Kate Elizabeth Russell, Harper Collins, 2020, 372 pages. It has been 17 years since 15 year-old Vanessa Wye was in Jacob Strane’s high school honors literature class. It’s also been 17 years since Strane, as Vanessa calls him because “he was never a Jacob…

MEMPHIS READS: THE BALLAD OF SNAKES AND SONGBIRDS by SUZANNE COLLINS

July 10, 2020

Melissa reviews Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, Scholastic Books, 2020, 510 pages. The long-awaited prequel to the beloved Hunger Games Trilogy is finally here! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is told from Coriolanus Snow’s perspective who grows to be the much hated dictator of Panem from…

MEMPHIS READS: THE LIBRARY BOOK by SUSAN ORLEAN

June 24, 2020

Melissa H. reviews THE LIBRARY BOOK by Susan Orlean, Simon and Schuster, 2018, 317 pages. “The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” The first time I heard…

MEMPHIS READS: RAYNE & DELILAH’S MIDNITE MATINEE by JEFF ZENTER

June 17, 2020

Sharon reviews Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zenter, Crown Books, 2019, 400 pages Josie and Delia are best friends. They share everything, including a love for old, bad, monster movies. Every Friday night, they host a show on local TV, complete with costumes, cheap props and skeletons…

MEMPHIS READS: I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI by Sarah Kuhn

June 15, 2020

Sharon reviews I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn 9781338302882 Scholastic Press, 2019. 308 pages Kimi’s mom is an up and coming artist. Her art is made up of splashes of color on a canvas. Kimi was an artist, and that’s something she and her mom could stay sane over. But…

MEMPHIS READS: BENT HEAVENS by Daniel Krause

June 9, 2020

Laura reviews Bent Heavens by Daniel Krause, Henry Holt and Co, 2020. Liv Fleming’s father, Lee, appeared one day, naked and filthy, at the edges of the town square, claiming he’d been abducted by aliens. As the seasons changed, Lee didn’t get better; he claimed the aliens would be back,…

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2023

MEMPHIS READS: MEMPHIS by TARA STRINGFELLOW (4/17/2023)

MEMPHIS READS: NOTHING TO SEE HERE by KEVIN WILSON (4/5/2023)

MEMPHIS READS: GOOD OMENS by TERRY PRATCHETT AND NEIL GAIMAN (3/8/2023)

MEMPHIS READS: THE HOMEWRECKERS by MARY KAY ANDREWS (3/8/2023)

2022

MEMPHIS READS: THE HOUSEKEEPER by JOY FIELDING (11/7/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE (9/4/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: MAID by STEPHANIE LAND (8/5/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: BIRD BOX by JOSH MALERMAN (7/22/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: FUZZ: WHEN NATURE BREAKS THE LAW by MARY ROACH (6/24/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: BAR FLOWER by LEA JACOBSON (6/22/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: RISING TIDE by JOHN BARRY (5/3/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: HOW TO BE A WOMAN by Caitlin Moran (4/13/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY by QIAN JULIE WANG (3/29/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: A DIRTY JOB by CHRISTOPHER MOORE (3/4/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: DRIFT by RACHEL MADDOW (1/22/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: WHITE BOY (A MEMOIR) by TOM GRAVES (1/8/2022)

MEMPHIS READS: THE PRINCESS SAVES HERSELF IN THIS ONE by AMANDA LOVELACE (1/5/2022)

2021

MEMPHIS READS: THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR by AMAL EL-MOHTAR and MAX GLADSTONE (12/30/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: FOR YOUR OWN GOOD by SAMANTHA DOWNING (12/28/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: PONY by R.J. PALACIO (12/6/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: STATION ELEVEN by EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL (12/3/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: MAYBE HE JUST LIKES YOU by BARBARA DEE (12/2/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: DAY WORLD CAME TO TOWN by JIM DEFEDE (11/19/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by MATT HAIG (11/19/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK by JEN LANCASTER (10/30/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: TOMORROW WILL BE DIFFERENT by SARAH MCBRIDE (10/22/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: DEADLY EDUCATION by NAOMI NOVAK (10/18/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: ODD THOMAS BY DEAN KOONTZ (10/16/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: BEST HORROR BOOKS TO READ FOR HALLOWEEN, 2021 (10/12/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: ASTROPHYSICS FOR PEOPLE IN A HURRY by NEIL deGRASSE TYSON (9/22/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY BY DOUGLAS ADAMS (9/18/2021)

Memphis Reads: FIND YOU FIRST by Linwood Barclay (9/16/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: ON THE ROAD BY JACK KEROUAC (8/31/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury (8/17/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: THE MARTIAN BY ANDY WEIR (7/28/2021)

Memphis Reads: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman (7/10/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: MATILDA GUNDALINI by SUSAN MORESI (6/4/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: KINGDOM OF ICE (4/7/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: RIP BEVERLY CLEARY 1916-2021 (4/1/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: AND THE PEOPLE STAYED HOME (3/4/2021)

MEMPHIS READS: THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP (1/22/2021)

2020

Memphis Reads: DOLLY PARTON: SONGTELLER, MY LIFE IN LYRICS (12/16/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: FIRE LOVER by Joseph Wambaugh (12/15/2020)

Memphis Reads: WHO ELSE CAN LOVE YOU? by DWIGHT E. KOBAR (12/8/2020)

Happy Thanksgiving from Memphis Reads! (11/20/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE END OF HER by Shari LaPena (10/13/2020)

RIP Sam McBratney (1943–2020) (10/5/2020)

10 SCARIEST BOOKS OF 2020 (9/29/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: NEW JIM CROW by MICHELLE ALEXANDER (8/3/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: LOCK EVERY DOOR by RILEY SAGER (7/21/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: MY DARK VANESSA by KATE ELIZABETH RUSSELL (7/10/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE BALLAD OF SNAKES AND SONGBIRDS by SUZANNE COLLINS (7/10/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE LIBRARY BOOK by SUSAN ORLEAN (6/24/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: RAYNE & DELILAH’S MIDNITE MATINEE by JEFF ZENTER (6/17/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: I LOVE YOU SO MOCHI by Sarah Kuhn (6/15/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: BENT HEAVENS by Daniel Krause (6/9/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE BOY FROM THE WOODS by HARLAN COBEN (5/20/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE DARK THIRTY: SOUTHERN TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL by PATRICIA MCKISSACK (5/19/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: CHILDREN OF THE FIRE by HARRIETTE ROBINET (5/18/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: WORLD WAR Z by MAZ BROOKS (5/12/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: D-DAY GIRLS by SARAH ROSE (5/11/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: AN EAGLE IN THE SNOW by MICHAEL MORPURGO (5/8/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: CORALINE by NEIL GAIMAN (5/6/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE DARK IS RISING by SUSAN COOPER (5/5/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: DARLING ROSE GOLD by STEPHANIE WROBEL (4/28/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE BELEAGURED CITY: THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN (4/27/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: DISPATCHES FROM PLUTO by RICHARD GRANT (4/22/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: LITTLE DEMON IN THE CITY OF THE LIGHT by Steven Levingston (4/21/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: SAVE THE DATE by MARY KAY ANDREWS (4/20/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: A THOUSAND BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman (4/18/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: ARTEMIS by ANDY WEIR (4/17/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: DOG HEAVEN by Cynthia Rylant (4/15/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: AIRMAN by Eoin Colfer (4/14/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES by Sarah J. Maas (4/13/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: FINAL SOLUTION by Michael Chabon (4/11/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: UNDERWATER PUPPIES and UNDERWATER DOGS by Seth Casteel (4/10/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: KNOW MY NAME: A Memoir by Chanel Miller (4/9/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: BRINGING ELIZABETH HOME: A JOURNEY OF FAITH by Ed and Lois Smart (4/7/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: CRESCENT CITY by Sarah J. Maas (4/4/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: I AM LEGEND by Richard Matheson (4/3/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: DEVILS UNTO DUST by Emma Berquist (4/2/2020)

Memphis Reads: LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by S.B. Pfeffer (3/31/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: THE LIBRARIAN OF AUSCHWITZ by Antonio Iturbe (3/31/2020)

Memphis Reads: ROLL WITH IT by Jamie Sumner (3/29/2020)

MEMPHIS READS: REGRETTING YOU: A Novel by Colleen Hoover (3/11/2020)

Memphis Reads: THE ESCAPE ROOM by Megan Goldin (2/10/2020)

Memphis Reads: MEDAL OF HONOR by Allen Mikaelian (2/6/2020)

Memphis Reads: Mary Higgins Clark (1927-2020) (2/4/2020)

2019

MEMPHIS READS: MADE IN THE USA by Billie Letts (12/30/2019)

Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays! (12/19/2019)

Happy Thanksgiving from Memphis Reads! (11/26/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: A Jewish Community in Memphis in A Biblical People in the Bible Belt: the Jewish Community of Memphis, Tennessee by Selma S. Lewis (11/6/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: WHITE BIRD by R.J. Palacio (10/28/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: Titles for Halloween (10/12/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: WAITER RANT: Thanks for the Tip- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by the Waiter (9/16/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: SAVING MEGHAN by D.J. Palmer (9/13/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: MY LOVELY WIFE by Samantha Downing (9/12/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: THE PERFECT NANNY by LEILA SLIMANI (8/13/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin (7/30/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: THE STARTER WIFE by Nina Laurin (7/6/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: MAKING THE MOOSE OUT OF LIFE by Nicholas Oldland (5/30/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: MEMPHIS, 1800-1900 by Carole M. Orelas-Struve and Frederick Lee Coulter (4/28/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: ROBERT CHURCH by Cookie Lommel (4/23/2019)

MEMPHIS READS: THE GREAT PEARL HEIST (4/17/2019)

Memphis Reads: YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, JILLY P! (4/9/2019)

Memphis Reads: FINDING DOROTHY by Elizabeth Letts (4/1/2019)

Memphis Reads- THE FOUNDING OF MEMPHIS, 1818-1820 by James E. Roper (3/27/2019)

Andrea reviews THE ADULTS: A Novel by Caroline Hulse (2/19/2019)

Memphis Reads: EDUCATED by Tara Westover (2/5/2019)

Memphis Reads: The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee (1/22/2019)

Memphis Reads: If you could be Mine by Sara Farizan (1/5/2019)

2018

Season’s Readings from Memphis Reads! (12/18/2018)

Memphis Reads: The Return by William Shatner (11/28/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: I am so Thankful (11/15/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: SHIP OF THE LINE BY DIANA CAREY (10/24/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber (9/15/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: I’m a Memphian by Dan Conaway (9/10/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: WHO FEARS DEATH by Nnedi Okorafor (9/7/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: How Hard can it Be? (8/25/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: Better Late than Never by Kimberla Lawson Roby (8/16/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: FALLEN by David Baldacci (8/13/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: MEMORY MAN by David Baldacci (8/6/2018)

MEMPHIS READS: THOR VOL 1 by Michael J. Straczynski, Marvel Books, 2018 (7/23/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- I’LL STAND BY YOU by Sharon Sala (7/19/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- RAMONA BLUE by Julie Murphy (7/16/2018)

Memphis Reads: Curl Up & Dye by Sharon Sala (6/9/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- The Last Mile by David Baldacci (5/31/2018)

Memphis Reads-THE COLOR OF LOVE by Sharon Sala (5/25/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN by Doris Kearns Goodwin (5/23/2018)

Memphis Reads- Dangerous Pleasures by Bertrice Small (3/27/2018)

Memphis Reads: World Famous Astrophysicist dies (3/14/2018)

MEMPHIS READS- MY SISTER ROSA by Justine Larbalestier (3/8/2018)

Memphis Reads- DARK IN DEATH by J.D. Robb (2/21/2018)

Memphis Reads- MASH: An Army Surgeon in Korea by Otto F. Apel and Pat Apel (2/20/2018)

Memphis Reads- After the Jump: Columns on the Best 20 Years in Memphis Sports by Geoff Calkins (1/23/2018)

Memphis Reads- Happy Birthday, Dolly Parton! (1/19/2018)

Memphis Reads- Batman Noir: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore (1/18/2018)

Happy New Year, Readers! (1/17/2018)

2017

SECRET SERVICE DOGS: The Heroes who Protect the President of the United States by Maria Goodavage (12/8/2017)

11 Most Festive Book Club Choices (11/21/2017)

SWCC Review- TAR BABY by Toni Morrison (10/24/2017)

COMING SOON-Southwest Community College Student Reviews! (10/24/2017)

MEMPHIS READS- My Five Husbands (and the Ones Who Got Away) by Rue McClanahan (10/23/2017)

Top Ten Scariest Books of 2017 (10/13/2017)

Memphis Reads – Banned Book Week – September 24 – 30, 2017 (9/28/2017)

Memphis Reads – Monument Men by Robert M Edsel and Bret Witter (8/28/2017)

Memphis Reads- HIGH ON ARRIVAL by Mackenzie Phillips (8/1/2017)

Memphis Reads Book Review – Presidential Diversions by Paul F. Boller (7/17/2017)

Memphis Reads – HILLBILLY ELEGY by J.D. Vance (6/2/2017)

Memphis Reads – The Girl Before by JP Delaney (5/18/2017)

Memphis Reads – Indigo by Beverly Jenkins (5/8/2017)

Memphis Reads – The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough (4/17/2017)

Memphis Reads – Orleans by Sherri L. Smith (3/31/2017)

Memphis Reads – Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie (3/23/2017)

Memphis Reads – Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (3/3/2017)

Memphis Reads – Rainbow Cottage by Grace Livingston Hill (2/27/2017)

Memphis Reads – The Color Purple by Alice Walker (2/3/2017)

Memphis Reads – As I Descended by Robin Talley (1/17/2017)

Memphis Reads – El Deafo by Cece Bell (1/5/2017)

2016

Memphis Reads – Richard Adams 1920 – 2016 (12/27/2016)

Memphis Reads – The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen (12/20/2016)

Memphis Reads – Pretending to be Erica by Michelle Painchaud (11/17/2016)

Memphis Reads – If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo (10/6/2016)

Memphis Reads – Banned Books Week 2016 (9/26/2016)

Memphis Reads – Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler (9/21/2016)

Memphis Reads – Tall Tail by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown (9/19/2016)

Memphis Reads – EVEN WHEN YOU LIE TO ME by Jessica Alcott (8/29/2016)

Memphis Reads – The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey (8/10/2016)

Memphis Reads – Falling by Jane Green (8/4/2016)

Memphis Reads – The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater (7/14/2016)

Memphis Reads – Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica (7/12/2016)

Memphis Reads – Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) (7/5/2016)

Memphis Reads – 2001 A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (6/30/2016)

Memphis Reads – Spotlight on Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (6/13/2016)

Memphis Reads – The Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll (6/9/2016)

Memphis Reads – Spotlight on Roots: The Saga of an American Family (5/25/2016)

Memphis Reads – Jesus Before the Gospels by Bart D. Ehrman (5/24/2016)

Memphis Reads – Paper Towns by John Green (5/18/2016)

Memphis Reads – Holidays and Festivals (5/6/2016)

Memphis Reads – Book Awards Update 2016 (5/5/2016)

Memphis Reads – May 7, 2016 is Free Comic Book Day (5/2/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: The Ultimate Betrayal (4/22/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: Best Friends Forever (4/22/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: One in a Million (4/21/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: Changing Faces (4/20/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: Casting the First Stone (4/19/2016)

Memphis Reads – Roby Reviews: The Perfect Marriage by Kimberla Lawson Roby (4/18/2016)

Memphis Reads – Beverly Cleary: Author, Librarian, and Centenarian (4/12/2016)

Memphis Reads – It’s National Library Week! (4/11/2016)

Memphis Reads – Find Her by Lisa Gardner (3/30/2016)

Memphis Reads – Hooked by G. Bruce Knect (3/11/2016)

Memphis Reads – Umberto Eco and Pat Conroy (3/7/2016)

Memphis Reads – Author Obit – Harper Lee (1926-2016) (2/22/2016)

Memphis Reads – Bookish Images (2/12/2016)

Memphis Reads – News and Notes (2/11/2016)

Memphis Reads – Disclaimer by Renee Knight (1/22/2016)

Memphis Reads – LUSH by Natasha Friend (1/12/2016)

Memphis Reads – The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (1/4/2016)

About

Memphis Reads is a blog series where Memphis Public Library staff members can discuss their favorite adult fiction and non-fiction books. Library staff members contribute reviews, essays, and news items about titles in the Library’s collection and raise ideas, questions, and concerns for Memphians to consider.