The Front Porch prints book reviews by local librarians, rotating to a different library each month. June reviews are by Thane Benson, Monica Washenberger and Tara Bannon Williamson from Park Hill Branch Library.

Adult Non-Fiction
Post Secret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren
As a community art project, Frank Warren printed 3,000 blank post cards with three words of instruction printed in bold on the back: Share A Secret. Frank handed these cards out. He left them in stacks to be found. He even slipped some between the pages of library books. Slowly, the postcards started coming back to him. From all over the world they came—handmade post cards, each one a work of art. On every single card is a secret. Some are funny. Some are sad. Some are joyful. Some are disturbing. Some are endearing, and some will break your heart. Each secret is a glimpse into our shared humanity, and each one tells a story.

Adult Non-Fiction
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds by Carmine Gallo
Do you enjoy watching TED talks? If so, you would be in good company. TED conferences take place around the world and have generated more than one billion views online. More than just a book about public speaking, Talk Like TED celebrates the memorable stories and inspirational people who ignite passions and motivate change. Whether you are presenting to a large group in an auditorium or persuading your boss at work, the tips given will help you deliver your ideas and use your passion to sway your audience. While the nine “secrets” revealed are common to those familiar with public speaking standards, the book is well written and engaging.

Adult Fiction
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry: A Novel by Gabrielle Zevin
If you enjoyed the memorable characters in Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin will captivate you. This charmingly witty celebration of bookstores, books, and the people who love them, is packed with literary references and laugh-out-loud moments with bittersweet and moving moments. Sure to be popular with book clubs, the story of the transformation of a lonely and cranky bookseller as a result of friendship, community and love is an engrossing read guaranteed to delight even the most discerning reader.

Young Adult Fiction
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
Written in the lyrical magic realism style, this offbeat multi-generational tale will sweep you off your feet. For everyone who has ever been made a fool by love, rest assured the members of the Lavender family have had it worse. Plagued for generations with foolish or unlucky romances, the latest misfortune to befall the family was the birth of twins, Henry, selectively mute and uniquely talented, and Ava, an enchantingly normal girl born with the wings of a bird. A mystical coming-of-age tale spanning decades, readers will identify with this strange and beautiful exploration of the universal experience of feeling different than everyone else.

Young Adult Fiction
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
Leonard Peacock wants only two things for his eighteenth birthday, to kill Asher Beal and himself. In this provocative but short read, Matthew Quick explores the experience of a high school boy whose absent parents and lapsed friendships have led him to his final day. Told from Leonard’s perspective, Quick manages to capture the essence of what it means to be a struggling teenager. As Leonard prepares to say goodbye to his four closest friends with a gift for each, he receives more than he bargained for in this unpredictable novel that was impossible to put down until the very end.

Librarians interested in writing reviews please contact Madeline Schroeder at Madeline@FrontPorchStapleton.com.