The Cold Dish

The Cold Dish is by Craig Johnson. The first book in the Longmire Mystery series. Set in remote Absaroka County, Wyoming, this series features Sheriff Walt Longmire and the inhabitants of his small remote county and the neighboring Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Two years after four high school boys rape a local Cheyenne girl, the least repentant of the four is found shot to death. Walt, the widowed sheriff, must discover who the killer is before all four boys are killed. This book is filled with humor and suspense and a host of fantastically well-written characters. It avoids being kitschy, while at the same time being an action packed read and really making the Wyoming territory, and those who live there, come to life. I got a free version from Kindle and decided to read it over Fall Break. I was not expecting to enjoy it, but couldn't put it down; I will be paying for Book 2. I am sorely tempted to watch the Netflix series - and with my aversion to TV that's saying something. 

Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content). 

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is by Tom Stoppard. This satirical historical fiction drama is based on Shakespeare's Hamlet from the point of view of the ill-fated Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. It is probably better to watch it performed than read it, but it is a classic play nonetheless.

Ratings: 11th grade - 6 out of 10. 

The Night Gardener

The Night Gardener is by Jonathan Auxier. An amazingly creepy fantasy novel! Molly and Kip are orphans; their parents were killed as they tried to flee the Great Famine and were drowned at sea when their ship sinks in a storm. Instead of going to an orphanage, Molly uses her ability to "tell stories" to get them a job as servants with the Windsor family. The family lives on an island in the middle of a river, in an ancient house surrounded by a creepy forest. Once Molly and her brother arrive they realize right away that something is not right in the Windsor house. When they are confronted with the mysterious "Night Gardener" they must fight for their own lives even as they try to save the Windsor family as well. A wonderfully creepy, yet powerful story about love, friendship, courage and truth. 

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10.