Barbara Claypole White

THE WATCHERS OF MONIAH is classified as young adult fantasy, but ignore those labels. A tightly plotted and beautifully written page-turner, it’s packed with fascinating and duplicitous characters, romance and jilted lovers, revenge and mysticism, political intrigue and telepathic giraffes On page one we meet fifteen-year-old Adana, heir to Moniah, one of four kingdoms that…

THREE ORDINARY GIRLS is an inspiring and timely work of nonfiction about three young women who played a vital role in the World War II Dutch resistance—despite sexism from their commanders. As a history major, I’m perennially fascinated by true stories of exceptional women. As someone with Jewish family, I struggle when reading about the…

THAT’S NOT A THING has an intriguing premise: What if you couldn’t forget the man who shattered your world, and after years of silence, he reappears in the midst of your wedding plans? From the beginning, this page-turner packs an emotional punch as the author deftly weaves together a past passion with a present, rock-solid…

LAST COUPLE STANDING gets my vote for the best escapism from the s***show of 2020. A hilarious novel with a big heart, it explores complex relationships and serious family turning points with empathy, hope, and laugh-out-loud moments. What couple hasn’t wanted to breathe new life into the craziness and exhaustion of their marriage while raising…

I’m a huge Jodi Picoult fan. Her books entertain me, haunt me, and take me outside my comfort zone; her every sentence inspires me as a writer. But I always read a new Jodi Picoult too fast, desperate to reach her signature twist, which I know will surprise me, yet make perfect sense. THE BOOK…

A ROGUE OF ONE’S OWN is the second in Evie Dunmore’s outstanding series, A League of Extraordinary Women. (If you haven’t read her debut, treat yourself and buy both books.) Set in Oxford and London during the suffragette era, this novel is rich with Victorian color and filled with savvy women, including Lady Lucy, who…

Chris Bohjalian is an automatic buy for me, but THE RED LOTUS is the first of his novels I’ve purchased as an audiobook. What a brilliant decision, because the narrator’s pitch perfect voice fully immersed me in the crisp prose and the relentless tension that follows the story from a boutique hotel in Vietnam to…

Ellen Marie Wiseman’s skill is to transport you into a dark moment of history and then introduce you to courageous characters who guide you through tragedy–and often brutality–with humanity, compassion, and hope. Thirteen-year-old Pia Lange, the heroine of THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR, might be the bravest character of them all. Even when she has lost everything,…

This novel is a beautiful, timely story about discrimination and difference, family and faith, and one guy who makes everyday life extraordinary through his strength of character: Sam Hill. As the story unfolds in Sam’s voice–at six years old and forty years old–the reader aches for a gentle, likable hero who quietly survives everything he…

WHEN WE BELIEVED IN MERMAIDS is a book you want to savor, re-read, and gift. I was hooked from the opening line, “I thought my sister was dead until I saw her on the evening news,” and needed to understand the entire story underneath that single sentence. The writing is gorgeous, and even when the…