Thirteen

 Fiction by Steve Cavanagh

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Attorney Eddie Flynn has a strict policy: he will only defend clients that he genuinely thinks are innocent. In this story, he's given the opportunity to gain a major paycheck by defending Bobby Solomon, a Hollywood star accused of murdering his wife and her bodyguard, but he needs to be convinced that Bobby is truly not guilty, and the actor is definitely lying about something. 

And then there's the crazy guy who has infiltrated the jury, who may be the real killer....

This was an exciting thriller with several surprises. I will look for more by this author; this is apparently #3 in the Eddie Flynn series.

The House of My Mother

 Nonfiction by Shari Franke

https://www.audible.com

Family vlogger Ruby Franke was big news a couple of years ago when she and her best friend Jodi Hildebrand were convicted of neglecting and abusing Ruby's four minor children. No charges were brought up concerning the two oldest kids, Shari and Chad, because the two of them had already left home.

In this story Shari tells her own story of how Ruby's abuse of her children started long before she met up with Jodi, and how the support and validation Jodi gave her escalated everything exponentially.

This was an honest memoir and very interesting, but it was also extremely sad.

Don't Tell Me How to Die

 Fiction by Marshall Karp

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Maggie Dunn is at the top of her game at forty-three years old. She's happily married to a doctor, the mother of teenaged twins, a successful lawyer, AND the mayor of her small town. But then she receives the news that she only has a few months left to live...

This was an amazingly good story with several surprises!

Small Fry

 Nonfiction by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Lisa is the daughter of Steve Jobs and his high school girlfriend Chrisann Brennan, but she was raised in her early years exclusively by her mother. Steve Jobs refused to acknowledge paternity, until the state of California sued him for back child support (to reimburse them for the food stamps and welfare Chrisann had been forced to apply for in order to support his daughter.) 

Even after DNA test had proven that he was indeed Lisa's father, Steve continued to deny her for many years. He gave her little scraps of attention as she longed for his approval. At the same time, her mother loved her, but was emotionally unstable and chronically poor.

This was a very interesting memoir; it gives the reader a clear picture of Lisa and her parents. I didn't love it, since everyone was kind of unpleasant...

Once was Willem

 Fiction by M.R. Carey

https://www.audible.com

This was a very interesting story, set in a 12th century England where magic is real. It’s imaginative and has great characters.

I also read recently by this author: The Boy on the Bridge

Pay it Forward

 Fiction by Catherine Ryan Hyde

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

This is THE Catherine Ryan Hyde book, the one she is famous for. I thought I had read it before, but it turns out I had just heard the concept or watched the movie or something, because if I had read THIS book before I would have remembered.

This is a lovely story.

I also read recently by this author: Seven Perfect Things

Restart

 Fiction by Gordon Korman

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Middle schooler Chase Ambrose wakes up in the hospital after falling off a roof, and he doesn't remember anything about his life. When he begins to find out about himself, he learns some things he doesn't really like: it seems like he was a real jerk before his accident. Can he become the person he wants to be, or is he stuck being the guy everyone remembers that he was before?

This was a great story for young people!