Author: Daniel O'Malley
Rating: 4 Stars
Review By: Shana

If you are in the market for a seriously fun fantasy novel, you could do far worse than The Rook.  Think super-secret organization designed to protect Britain from paranormal threats. O'Malley writes with great humor and heart, keeping the reader fully engaged.

Author: Niall Ferguson
Rating: 3 Stars
Review By: Shana

Ferguson, well-known historian, takes a look at the last 500 years as he examines Western prevalence in world affairs. I must admit that I struggled mightily in deciding whether this is three or four stars. The book is eminently readable, and Ferguson is passionate, humorous, and fast-paced in his writing. He also offers some very interesting ideas (not all of which are novel, but are nonetheless packaged well and deployed with verve) to frame the last 500 years of Western dominance in the world. 

Author: Josh Malerman
Rating: 5 Stars
Review By: Shana

Malerman's debut novel certainly does not come across as a rookie endeavor. Instead, it is an excellent blend of SF and horror, playing on uncertainty and fear of the unknown and unseen. Our main character is a young woman named Mallory, and from the first chapter we know she is facing some unfathomable danger in a world both familiar and dissonant to our own, where venturing outside requires blindfolds, and a trip on a river holds both promise and dread.

Author: Rachel Herz
Rating: 3 Stars
Review By: Shana

Herz has written an interesting and immensely entertaining (though not for the faint of stomach) exploration of disgust. The book is fast moving, very readable, and is pretty close to un-put-downable. That said, this book falls solidly into the pop science camp and, unlike the best pop science, Herz does not fully back up her conclusions. 

Author: Oliver Sacks
Rating: 4 Stars
Review By: Shana

This is a wonderful set of case studies by the late Dr. Oliver Sacks, which allow his humanity and story-telling skill to shine through.  

Author: Adam Alter
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Review By: Shana

Alter's book packed a particular gut punch for me. Like many, I sometimes joke about being attached to my wireless devices, and I can point to many times I stayed up later, failed to run errands, or put off important chores because I was engrossed (or mindlessly scrolling) in the internet, social media, or a game. But as Alter explained the history of addiction and behavioral addiction, how it is defined, how it works in the brain, and then how our brains specifically interact with technology, I started to see myself and my relationship with my devices in a different way.

Author: Robert Charles Wilson
Rating: 4 Stars
Review By: Shana

Wilson has a fascinating premise, but be forewarned that the ending is melancholy, almost heartbreaking. This soft SF novel takes place in a near future and builds itself around the realities of social networking, taking them to the next level by taking such networking into the real world. In this future, a test exists that can group people into affinity groups. In such groups you find like-minded people with whom you are neurologically predisposed to mesh well. 

Author: Louise Penny
Rating: 3 Stars
Review By: Shana

I tend to be a fairly picky mystery reader, but I am always open to trying out a series (especially a lengthy one), in hopes that I will find a detective that I enjoy spending time with. Many people swear by Louise Penny and there are many who love her Chief Inspector Gamache. For me, the jury is still out.

Author: Wayne Gladstone
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Review By: Shana

Imagine it: one day, the internet mysteriously winks out. What would you do? In this brief novel, Gladstone attempts to answer the question with mixed results.  

Author: Richard H. Thaler
Rating: 5 Stars
Review By: Shana

Thaler is an absolute gem, and if this book is any guide, he must be a fantastic professor. Misbehaving manages to be insightful, humorous, educational, and eye-opening as it introduces the reader to behavioral economics. Having read this excellent book, it is not surprising that Thaler won the 2017 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.