The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Shaughnessy

The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O'Shaughnessy

Maybelle Lane uses a tape recorder as a journal. She records quiet sounds that other people don't notice, sounds that say a lot to Maybelle. Maybelle's momma is a musician and is about to go away on tour for one long month. Mrs. Boggs, a neighbor in the trailer park, will be watching Maybelle while her mother's away. But Mrs. Boggs doesn't realize that Maybelle has plans to travel from Louisiana to Nashville.

There's a singing contest in Nashville, and Maybelle not only entered but is determined to win. She hasn't sung for a long time, but she wants to impress the judges. One of them is her father, a man she's never met. A man she only recognizes by his laugh, which she heard on the radio one day, just by chance.

Maybelle's momma told her not to go looking for her dad because she'd only end up getting her heart broken. But when Maybelle listens to him on the radio, he sounds kind, and Maybelle already has a lot in common with him. She knows if she can make it to Nashville and meet him, he'll want to be involved in her life.

Mrs. Boggs is surprisingly eager to take Maybelle on a road trip. The trip is full of trouble and adventure, and even a stowaway! Maybelle learns a lot about herself and her travel companions along the way, but she can't stop worrying about what's at stake when she gets to Nashville.

This book was beautifully written and very touching. The details about sounds Maybelle noticed and recorded inspired me to start listening more than I typically do. I love the idea of keeping a journal of sounds, and I love the library activities this brings to mind! This book is great for middle grade readers and up, and I think it would be an excellent book club pick for small groups in classes.

This Is Not the Jess Show by Anna Carey

Thanks to Quirk Books for sending me an ARC of this book! It will be released on February 2, 2021, and you won't want to miss it. 

“At once thought-provoking and hilarious, This Is Not the Jess Show is a timely, incisive book so masterfully-plotted you won't want to put it down.”—Tahereh Mafi, New York Times best-selling author of the Shatter Me series and A Very Large Expanse of Sea

I have a love/hate relationship with social media (as I’m sure most of us do), and I love taking a step back to try and understand how it affects everyone in different ways. For example, I cannot WAIT for the wave of memoirs written by influencer kids that is sure to come in 10-15 years! Until then, this book is as close as you can get, and I’ll take it!

Jess starts noticing things that are slightly off in her world, but no one else seems to see. Actually, others seem to see the problems, but they try to redirect Jess when she brings it up, so she starts to feel crazy. But when Jess realizes that her whole life has been faked for a TV show, she doesn’t know how to feel or what to believe. Now her mom making sure she always looks great makes total sense, and she sees how a bunch of drama in her life was created just for ratings. But this life is all Jess has ever known - can she escape? Does she even want to?

Whether you scoff at seeing moms on Instagram pose their kids in a pumpkin patch just for pics, or you think the kids are really getting something out of the experience, this book will make you think critically about reality vs social media. 

This book is billed as a “thriller”, which I don’t really agree with, but then again I read a lot of adult thrillers, so maybe I’m biased. It’s also described as having a hint of Black Mirror, which I totally agree with. It’s twisted in the best way, and the 90s references make me think readers in their 30s and 40s will love this just as much as the young adult audience it’s intended for!