by Kristin A. Oakley | May 17, 2026 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
It’s been a while since I’ve read one of Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole/Joe Pike books, and I’d forgotten how much I love them—the humor, the smart, competent characters, the twists. His latest novel, The Big Empty, doesn’t disappoint. Ex-con...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Apr 19, 2026 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter
For this month’s Writer’s Book Club, I’m reviewing the young adult mystery One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus. In the novel, a teacher sends five high schoolers to detention for having phones—phones they claim aren’t theirs. When one...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Mar 22, 2026 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
For this month’s Writer’s Book Club, I’m tackling the spooky thriller We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook (expertly read by Jeremy Carlisle Parker and Corey Brill). In We Used to Live Here, Eve and her...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Feb 22, 2026 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
I picked up this month’s novel, Detour, at the independent bookstore Arcadia Books in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and couldn’t wait to get to it. Jeff Rake, creator of Netflix’s Manifest, and bestselling author Rob Hart, wrote the tale of six people...
by Kristin A. Oakley | Jan 25, 2026 | Books and Movies, For Readers, For Writers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
To start this year’s Writer’s Book Club, I’ve selected Stephen King’s novella The Life of Chuck. At only 109 pages, $20 seems pricey for the slim, small hardcover, but it includes images in the lower-right-hand corner of a man dancing....
by Kristin A. Oakley | Dec 7, 2025 | Books and Movies, For Readers, Newsletter
Here are eight fantastic books and two outstanding games I highly recommend just in time for holiday shopping. Enjoy! Three Children’s Picture Books The Cow Buzzed by Andrea Zimmerman and Paul Meisel – a bee visits a farm and sneezes, spreading his cold...
