A Book A Week

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” When I was four, I remember proudly answering that question with what I thought was a perfectly reasonable response: “I want to be a rodeo clown.” To me, there was no profession more noble. I had seen Texas legend Leon Coffee perform at my hometown rodeo and was in awe of how he always had a joke at the ready, right before throwing himself in front of raging bulls to protect fallen riders. It never occurred to me that this wasn’t an acceptable answer, and to my parents’ credit, they didn’t discourage the dream. As I grew, though, I came to understand the realities of being a clown, and my interests drifted elsewhere.

In her newest novel, Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before, Kristen Arnett introduces us to a woman who never outgrew that dream. She wants to be a clown, and her story is equal parts hilarious, raw, and compelling. 

Cherry is a clown, or at least, she’s trying to be. By day, she works a dead-end job at an aquarium supply store and hooks up with an older woman on the side (mommy issues, anyone?). But her real passion comes alive when she steps into character as Bunko, the rodeo clown with a fear of horses. The gigs aren’t glamorous (kids’ birthday parties, county fairs), but Cherry’s committed to the dream. She's chasing both a creative calling and the memory of her late brother, the one everyone remembered as the funniest person in the room.

When she meets Margot the Magician, an alluring, successful older woman with a flair for mixing commerce and art, Cherry thinks her luck is finally turning. The chemistry is electric, but it’s the promise of mentorship that sparks real hope. Margot might be the key to taking Cherry’s act from small-town oddity to something bigger. But as the lines between personal and professional blur, Cherry is forced to ask herself how much she’s willing to risk for Margot, for the act, and for the kind of woman she really wants to be beneath the greasepaint.

I was drawn to Kristen Arnett’s newest novel based on how much I enjoyed With Teeth, a raw and emotionally charged exploration of motherhood, queerness, and the pressure to be perceived as perfect. In Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One, Arnett brings her wit and singular perspective to a very different kind of character. She isn’t striving for perfection at all. In fact, Cherry knows she’s a screw-up, and she leans into it.

Caught between ambition, desire, and lingering trauma, Cherry is a messy, complex protagonist who often gets in her own way. She’s not easy to root for—much of her misery is self-inflicted—but Arnett’s sharp humor and deeply human writing kept me engaged. Unlike With Teeth, this novel doesn’t have a driving plot or sense of momentum. But that may be the point. Cherry is drifting, and the book serves as a lens into that aimlessness. It’s a character study above all else. I liked it, though I didn’t love it. And that’s perfectly okay. I still admire Arnett’s writing immensely and will be eager to see what she does next.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2025, 59)

As the year winds down, I’ve spent my days leisurely working through one final novel. My introduction to Alice McDermott’s reflective storytelling came last year with Absolution, and ever since, I’ve been eager to delve deeper into her work. Her 2017 novel, The Ninth Hour, was widely acclaimed upon its release and even garnered the prestigious National Book Award. This profoundly moving story spans the twentieth century, weaving the tale of a widow, her daughter, and the nuns dedicated to serving their Irish-American community in Brooklyn. I was utterly enthralled by the richly drawn characters, making it the perfect book to close out another year of reading.

The novel opens with a harrowing tragedy. Jim, a young Irish immigrant, has reached the end of his rope. Recently dismissed from his job in the subway system and unable to envision a future where he can support his pregnant wife, he makes a desperate choice. Opening the gas taps in their Brooklyn tenement, Jim's despair culminates in a fire that ends his life in a heartbreaking flash.

In the aftermath of this devastating loss, his widow, Annie, is left to face an uncertain future with an unborn child on the way. Seeking solace and direction, Annie turns to the church, the one place that offers a semblance of hope amid her grief. Enter Sister St. Savior, a beacon of compassion who provides Annie with work in the convent's basement laundry and, more importantly, a sense of purpose and stability. Sally, Annie's newborn daughter, grows up at her mother's side, peacefully resting in a basket as Annie toils in the steamy confines of the basement.

As the story unfolds, we are drawn into the lives of these richly crafted characters across generations. Through themes of love and sacrifice, guilt and forgiveness, hope and despair, The Ninth Hour offers a poignant exploration of human resilience. Alice McDermott’s prose brings a quiet urgency to even the most mundane moments, imbuing them with significance.

While I was already impressed by McDermott’s writing in Absolution, I found The Ninth Hour even more moving. The novel pulled me into the lives of its characters as they navigate the challenges handed to them, making the best of their circumstances with grace and determination. It’s a quietly powerful read that lingers long after the final page—a fitting way to close the book on 2024 and turn toward the promise of a new year.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2024, 95)

I've mused before about those books that it seems like everyone reads. It is rare, but every once in a while a novel comes along that seems to universally grab readers. I tend to be behind the curve with such titles, waiting for the hype to die down a bit before diving in. It should be no surprise then that it has taken me this long to read Celeste Ng's acclaimed Little Fires Everywhere. I was aware of the book when it was published in 2017, and I was reminded of it when the mini-series based on the novel was released in 2020. Still, it wasn't until last week that I decided to finally give it a read. As is often the case with these buzzy titles, I was left wondering why it took me so long to see what all the hype was about. 

Shaker Heights is the master-planned community that suburban dreams of being made of. Every last detail of this place is meticulously thought out, ensuring peace and happiness to all who call the area home. Perhaps no one aligns with the values of Shaker Heights quite like Elena Richardson. In her mind, her life represents the quintessential American dream. Mrs. Richardson has a loving husband whose law practice provides the family with a comfortable lifestyle. The Richardsons are parents to four perfect children, two boys and two girls. When she's not maintaining her home, Mrs. Richardson has a fulfilling career as a print journalist for the local newspaper. Yes, it is safe to say that Mrs. Richaradson's life perfectly aligns with the ideals of the community she calls home. At least, that's what it looks like from the outside. 

Mia Warren is about as different from Elena Richardson as you can get. A single mother, Mia travels from town to town, only staying long enough to complete her latest art project. She supplements the artist lifestyle with whatever part-time work she can wrangle up to fill in the financial gaps of her passions. This life isn't much, but it works for Mia and her daughter Pearl. The pair settle into Shaker Heights, renting in a duplex owned by Mrs. Richardson. The Richardson clan is instantly drawn to the free-spirited Warrens. Mia's go-with-the-flow approach to life directly contradicts the orderly nature of Mrs. Richardson and the larger Shaker Heights community. Mrs. Richardson can't shake the feeling that Mia is hiding something. She'll stop at nothing to discover Mia's secret past. In doing so, however, her perfect little life may just come crumbling down. 

Little Fires Everywhere sees Celeste Ng dismantle the picture-perfect facade of life through challenging scenarios that don't have exact answers. Despite our best efforts, life isn't perfect. In fact, it can often be downright messy. That seems to be the main thesis of the book. Ng sets her story in an idyllic community during the 90s, a time at the very beginning of the internet and predating social media. I was struck by the differences in the period from our present day. Life both seemed simpler but was nonetheless complex. The main characters here are both mothers who are doing the best they can in the situations they are in. Even when Ng focuses on the perspective of the children, the mother's influence on their lives is deeply felt. I was completely enthralled with the characters in the book, unable to put it down until I had finished it. I completely understand the hype around Little Fires Everywhere, and I only wish I hadn't waited so long to read it. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2023, 24)

 "Is there anything lucky about surviving a tragedy?"

What's a book that has been sitting on your shelf for years? We're all guilty of it. We buy the next must-read book and proceed to not read it. I've lost count of all the hyped books that I've purchased on a whim and subsequently ignored. Noah Hawley's Before the Fall is one such book. I spent a day last week cleaning my bookshelves and piles, sorting through each title that I own. I had simply run out of room to keep them all. As Hawley's book came up, I decided that if I was going to once again keep it, I would need to actually read it. 

Scott Burroughs is a down on his luck painter who is about to stumble into one of the most tragic events of his life. By sheer chance, he's recently befriended the wife of a wealthy media mogul, and she's invited him to travel on a private plane with her family and a few of their affluent friends. The short trip to New York from Martha's Vinyard is nothing out of the ordinary. Scott is thankful to have a way to travel to the city, especially as he has an important meeting with a gallery there the next day. Sixteen minutes into the flight the unthinkable happens. The plane nosedives directly into the ocean, killing everyone but Scott and the young son of the media mogul. 

In the aftermath of the disaster, Scott is hailed as a hero. He found the child floating in the ocean amongst the wreckage, and swam the countless miles, the boy in hand, to shore. The media frenzy begins. It seems as if every reporter and news camera in the world is trying to get Scott's side of the story. For his part, the painter elects to hide away, secluding himself from the hype. But then the questions begin. Why was Scott on the plane in the first place? Why did the plane go down? Is it a mere coincidence that an aircraft carrying so many influential people crashed into the sea?

After finally reading Noah Hawley's Before the Fall, I honestly regret having taken so long to get to it. His masterful novel tells the story of one man dealing with the guilt of surviving a tragedy. Simultaneously, Hawley dissects the lives of each of the other individuals on an ill-fated aircraft, showing the events that brought each character to the plane that day. He meticulously fills in each piece of the narrative puzzle, bringing readers closer and closer to the truth behind the tragedy. The survivor story that takes place after the crash highlights both the mental challenge of living through a tragic event and the way that the media can build up and break down people in the blink of an eye. If I had any complaint it would be that the ending of the novel seemed a bit simple for such a complex build-up. Still, Before the Fall is an intriguing story that manages to entertain while urging the reader into deeper contemplations. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2021, 47)

"Maybe I shouldn't tell you. Maybe I should just leave the past alone. Let it die with me."

The small seaside town of Neapolis is seeing more excitement than it is used to. Sure, there is a fair share of tourism as the summer crowds flock to the city's beautiful beaches, but this is something completely unprecedented. One of their own, a golden child of the community, has been accused of a heinous crime. As a collegiate swimming star destined for Olympic glory, Scott Blair was a beacon of pride for the local townspeople. The fact that his family is one of the wealthiest in the area was merely the cherry on top of their reverence for the young man. Now the notoriety that comes from being the hometown of a future Olympian has soured. Scott has been accused of rape. The alleged victim and her family, also residents of the city, are taking every legal action they can against Scott. With the trial set to being, a throng of national media has come to the town, bringing a shadow of negative attention to the normally sunny town.

Rachel Krall has arrived in Neapolis as just a small part of the massive press machine. A couple years ago she started a popular crime podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty. Her reporting helped a wrongly incarcerated man walk free and propelled her podcast to a huge following. Normally Rachel uses the show to take a deep dive into trials that have already happened. The luxury of hindsight often allows her to come to conclusions that the jury or prosecutors may have missed. For her latest season, however, Rachel has something completely different in mind. Rather than dissect the trials of the past, she will place her audience directly inside of an ongoing case. She chose the story of the rape in Neapolis because rape trials seem to be one of the few cases in the justice system where the victim faces as much scrutiny as the accused.

In transit to the trial, Rachel pauses at a rest stop. When she returns to her car, she sees a note tucked between her wiper blade and windshield. The letter is from someone named Hannah who states that she has reached out to Rachel several times asking for help. You see, Hannah's sister died many years ago, and her death was ruled an accidental drowning. Hannah thinks it was actually murder. She believes that if anyone can come to the truth surrounding her sister's death, it would be Rachel. Here's the problem though. Rachel purposefully doesn't do televised interviews or publish pictures of herself. Short of hearing her voice, no one would be able to identify Rachel. This makes Hannah's presence all the more troubling. How did she know who Rachel was and why has she latched onto Rachel as some sort of savior?

Last year I read Megan Goldin's The Escape Room, a novel that saw me gaining the new skill of multitasking walking while reading. This led to more trips and stumbles than I care to admit, so I quickly abandoned this foolish attempt to not miss out on any of the action in her book. Still, my enjoyment of that book had me ready to read whatever Goldin came up with next. That turned out to be The Night Swim, a decidedly different book that Goldin's publisher generously provided to me. This new novel is described by the publisher as "electrifying and propulsive" superlatives that are accurate, but not in the traditional thriller sense. Unlike her previous work, Goldin does not use a fast-moving plot to drive the momentum of her newest offering. Instead, she uses the development of her characters to provide the propulsion that her publisher promises. That's not to say that this character focus is a bad thing. In fact, I'd argue that the strong cast of this novel actually made me enjoy it more than The Escape Room.

"That's how trials work. It's medieval. It's not about getting to the truth. it's about who can put on a better show."

The trial setting gives The Night Swim echoes of those classic John Grisham thrillers. Like Grisham, Goldin peppers in a commentary on the justice system's questionable track record with sexual assault crimes and forces the reader to face the realities of our flawed legal structures. She doesn't hold back on the graphic descriptions of the crimes that were committed. These uncomfortable passages are difficult to read but vital in providing the context of each character's convictions. Beyond the questions surrounding the rape, the novel is haunted by the customs of small-town life. This is the kind of place where everybody knows everyone else. If one person has an opinion, it becomes a universal fact for the rest of the community. That small-town Americana permeates every page of The Night Swim adding another layer of depth to this already stellar novel. The Night Swim proves Goldin's versatility as a storyteller and marks another fantastic read from this masterful author.

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2020, 35)

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." -Robert Frost

Expectations can be a difficult thing to manage. After her breakout hit Everything You Want Me To Be, author Mindy Mejia found herself primed to release another hit novel. I really enjoyed her last effort, so I was eager to read Leave No Trace. Like any followup novel, expectations were high. Fortunately for us, Mejia more than rose to the occasion. I'm pleased to report that Mejia's latest not only met my high expectations but also presented a story that is decidedly different from her last book.

A decade ago, Josiah and his son Lucas Blackthorn hiked into the brutal terrain of the Boundary Waters and never returned. Search teams canvased the dense forests and glacial lakes. They finally found a campsite ravaged by what appeared to be bears. The Blackthorns were both assumed to have perished, and the family was forgotten.

Flash forward to the present day. Josiah has been found on the border of the Boundary Waters, ransacking an outfitter store. He won't speak and acts violently towards the police. He is quickly transferred to a psychiatric hospital where language therapist Maya Stark is tasked with getting Josiah to communicate. Maya has a history with the facility predating her time as an employee. She also was abandoned by her mother at a young age, so Maya attempts to find common ground with the silent Josiah. He refuses to budge. As she delves deeper into the psyche of her patient, Maya is forced to face the traumas of her own past, a trauma that could threaten both of their lives.

Immediately I was struck by how different Leave No Trace is when compared to Mindy Mejia's previous novel. The novel was advertised as a "suspenseful thriller", but I found it to be more of a slow-burning character study. The novel sees Mejia drop the alternating POV's of her previous work in favor of a more chronological timeline. By focusing mostly on Maya's perspective, Mejia lets the readers discover and grow with her characters. There is a mystery here, but it serves more to move the character's story than to lace the narrative with suspense. With Leave No Trace, Mindy Mejia cements herself as a versatile author who can enthrall readers through rich characters, riveting plots, and masterful prose.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2019, 15)

This year is shaping up to be the year with books about lies. After the success of books like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl, and The Girl on the Train, it seemed like every new thriller had the word "girl" in the title. I started this year with J.T. Ellison's Lie to Me, and it seems like a plethora of other thrillers have opted to include the word "lie" in their titles. I've yet to read enough of these "lie" books to know if this titling trend will have the same middling results as the majority of the "girl" books, but I'll definitely keep you posted!

In my quest to discover if these "lie" novels have any merit, I picked up a copy of Peter Swanson's latest All the Beautiful Lies. The novel sees Harry Ackerson dealing with the unexpected death of his father. The soon to be college grad hastily returns to the small town in Maine where his father shared a life with his stepmother Alice. The details surrounding his father's death leave more questions than answers. His father fell to his death during a run. Investigators are not convinced the death was an accident. Was his father suicidal or was he murdered?

At its core, All the Beautiful Lies is a character driven novel. Swanson gives plenty attention to pushing the mystery, but it is the characters and the revelations of their past that truly propel the novel. Harry has a strange relationship with his stepmother Alice. Alice has always been kind to him. Harry is is bit embarrassed by his own sexual attraction to her, not that he'd ever act on it. Still, there is something about the way that she treats him that makes him think the feelings may be mutual. When the police begin to ask Harry questions about Alice, he realizes how little he knows about the woman his father married.

Without pushing this review into spoiler territory, I think it is important to touch upon a few more details that anyone looking to read it should know. First, Swanson employs the technique of switching time periods by alternating the narrative from present day to flashbacks in each chapter. I do think the technique is overused by thriller writers, but I can't deny that it is very effective in this book. The flashbacks provide valuable insight into the characters' pasts and effectively wind the suspense as small revelations about the mystery are revealed. This also allows Swanson to make the story mainly about the development of the characters without losing the momentum of the plot.

Finally, there is a good deal of sexual content, disturbing violence, and extremely startling emotional turmoil and abuse. If you are sensitive to any of those topics, you should probably skip this novel. If you're one of those readers who doesn't mind the graphic content, this book is well worth a read. While many of the scenes where quite explicit, I never felt that Swanson included them for any reason other than to serve his characters. Go ahead and add this one to your summer reading list. All the Beautiful Lies deftly defies expectations by providing a strong depth of character and all the tension and twists of a top notch thriller, and that's no lie!

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.

(2018, 23)

Author Marisa de los Santos joins us today to give us insight into the conception of her latest novel I'll Be Your Blue Sky. 

Ever since my second novel Belong to Me came out, I've had readers ask me if I were going to write about the characters from that book and Love Walked In---Claire, Cornelia, Dev, and the rest---again. Some of them actually skipped the "if I were going" part and filed requests, all a little differently worded, but all amounting to the same thing: more, please. This made me happy. Very happy. Of course, it did. Who wouldn't want to write into being characters that people missed after they finished the book? "More, please" meant readers loved my people, the ones I'd felt lucky to live with for two books, the ones who felt entirely real to me, and whom I loved, too.

But the truth was, I didn't know if I'd get to write about them again. The Ideas for books have never felt generated by me; they have felt given to me, by whom or what I cannot say. So my answer to those kind of readers was always the same, "I would love that." Over time, I added this: "If I ever do write about those characters, I'll probably focus on the ones that are kids in the first two books: Clare and Dev." It sounds like maybe I knew that I'll Be Your Blue Sky would come into being or that I had a small seed of an Idea for this book taking root somewhere inside my imagination, even all those years ago.

I don't think so, though. I think saying that about Clare and Dev was not so much an inkling or prediction as it was a hope. I hoped---hard and for years---that I would get to write a book about  Clare and Dev. I would have been thrilled and honored to write more of Cornelia's story of of Teo's or even Lake's or Piper's (and maybe I still will; who knows?). If any of my adult characters had knocked on my door, I would have thrown it wide open. But while adult characters, no matter how old they are, have potential to change and grow and can be full of stories, child characters are pure potential. They are still mostly unformed, mostly mysteries. I wanted to know, there were moments when I was dying to know, who Clare and Dev would grow up to be.

As weird as it sounds, even though I didn't have a single detail, I felt that they were out there, living their days hour by hour, studying, forging relationships, riding bikes, laughing, singing in the car, getting bad haircuts, reading books, stumbling, making stupid mistakes, hurting people and getting hurt, having moments of brilliance and bravery and disappointment. Growing up.

And then, one day, there was Clare, with light on her brown hair, young but not a child anymore, herself but changed, looking a little bit like my daughter might look when she becomes an adult. Because this Clare who appeared was an adult. An adult tangled up in a mess---an extremely messy mess---of her own making. I didn't know much of her story, but I understood---in a great, glad, slightly vertiginous rush of understanding, like standing on a windy mountaintop---that I would know, eventually, and would spend my days inside of her days, with her, this girl I'd missed for so long.

It was the best felling, that anticipation, the knowledge that I would get to tell her story.

I can't wait for you to read it.

You can connect with Marisa on both Facebook and Twitter. 

"God, this must have been a difficult year for you."

It is hard to believe that it has been a year. One year of learning how to be a single parent to his daughter Olive. One year of quitting his job and writing a memoir. One year since he last saw his wife and his world changed forever. Even after a year to cope, Jonathan Flanagan still has more questions than answers. His wife Billie Flanagan went missing after embarking on a solo hike through the Desolation Wilderness. She vanished, never to be seen or heard from again. Now Jonathan is left to pick up the pieces.

"How many times can he write and rewrite the story of his life with Billie before he'll know what was really true?"

With no body and only minimal clues to definitively prove what happened to his wife, Jonathan is left in an emotional and financial limbo. Someone covertly recorded his eulogy at Billie's memorial service. His speech was uploaded to the Internet and quickly went viral. Jonathan was able to spin this moment of fame into a book deal that allowed him to quit his demanding job and spend more time with his daughter. As the money from his publishing deal dwindles away, Jonathan begins to question how well he knew his wife. How can he write a book about their life together if the life he knew was a lie?

"All memoirs are lies, even those that tell the truth."

Olive is facing a crisis of her own. Her close relationship with her mom was cut short by Billie's disappearance, and Jonathan's best efforts to fill that void are not working. A year later, Olive finds it hard to continue going to school and fit in with her friends. As she is walking to class, the world around her disappears and is replaced with the image of her mother, alive and well, beckoning her to look closer and trust in herself. At first, Olive attributes this vision to being a side effect of the anniversary of her mother missing. But Billie continues to visit Olive in these strange visions, and Olive gets the idea that Billie is trying to tell her something. For whatever reason, Billie wants Olive to look for her. Could her mom still be alive?

"You believe what you think you believe, until suddenly, you realize that you don't anymore."

Watch Me Disappear is a brilliant novel of family and suspense. Author Janelle Brown has written a poignant character study veiled by an engrossing mystery. At its heart, the novel is about a father and daughter dealing with the repercussions of losing a piece of their family. I was reminded of Maria Semple's Where'd You Go, Bernadette, in that the book focuses on a father and daughter searching for the truth behind a mother's disappearance. That being said, Brown's novel goes much deeper in creating a mature and nuanced depiction of the delicate intricacies of the character's relationship. While the mystery of Billie's vanishing is the impetus for the character development, it is the way Johnathan and Olive evolve throughout the story that drives the narrative. Watch Me Disappear is a thoughtful and emotionally moving novel that works as a solid mystery and even better family drama.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.

(2017, 30)

Writing a novella is a unique challenge. In a short number of pages, the author must create an intriguing story that features well-developed characters. In his debut novella, And the Soft Wind Blows, author Lance Umenhofer chooses to focus mainly on one character, allowing readers to delve into his psyche and really begin to understand his motivations.

The story itself balances on the edge of convention. The main character, Timmy, is a skinny, middle-age pharmacist who works at the local Walgreens. The opening portion of the story sets up the monotony that is the life of Timmy Enosh. Each day, he wakes up before dawn and heads out to pick up Alex, a high school student who tosses newspapers from Tim's truck. After their morning paper route is complete, he drops Alex off at the bus stop and proceeds to have breakfast at Roxie's, a small diner.

We learn of Tim's obese wife who seems to use him as a personal butler more than a husband. It is no wonder then that Tim finds himself attracted to Roxie, the owner of the diner where he eats his breakfast each morning. In his mind, Tim fantasizes about the life he could have with Roxie, but per routine, he doesn't act on these feelings. Instead, he goes to his job at Walgreens, continuing the monotony that is his life.

Soon this predictability becomes too much for Tim to handle. In a radical shift of self-discovery, he begins to do things that make him happy. He buys marijuana from his paper route partner, Alex, decides to act upon his feelings for Roxie, and moves back in with his overprotective mother. But is all this change for the good, or is it the early sign of Tim's slow descent into madness?

I was very impressed with this novella. By following the actions of one character, Umenhofer creates a story that maintains a strong focus, while still being engaging. The story follows Tim chronologically, broken down by each day. I was reminded a bit of the 2002 film, One Hour Photo, where Robin Williams plays a photo technician at a store, similar to Walgreens. In the movie, he too becomes disenchanted with the routine of his life and turns violent. In Umenhofer's tale, readers are guided into the mind of Tim the pharmacist and become so involved that it is hard to discern reality from fantasy. The story ends with a kind of twist ending that made me question every conclusion I had drawn to that point. With this novella, Umenhofer has proven his competency as a writer, and I look forward to seeing what he produces in the future.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.
To purchase the book, visit http://www.lanceumenhofer.com/buy-the-book.html

(2013: week 17, book 15)