Ola Frank Frank itibaren Chak Miāna, Pakistan itibaren Chak Miāna, Pakistan

Aaron Stevens is the less than happy son of town magnate Derek and let’s just say it isn’t like ‘The Waltons’ in the Stevens household. When $5 million is stolen from the Pineville Bank, Aaron wants to recover the money. While his friends dream of fantastic cars, elaborate lifestyles etc, Aaron wants to do the right thing and return the money to its rightful owners: the town and - despite their turbulent relationship - his father. Easier said than done though because first Aaron has to actually retrieve the money and with armed robbers running around looking to kill off those blocking their getaway this is a school day that Aaron will never forget. The Pineville Heist was adapted from a screenplay and it does have all the elements of a great madcap comedy. There’s some enjoyable tongue in cheek humour throughout the book, which moves at a fast pace but with a steady rhythm. The characters are larger than life, almost like caricatures but not quite. When I was reading The Pineville Heist, the thing that kept springing to my mind was ‘Scooby Doo meets Fargo’. It’s a good, fun, fast read that’s bound to make you smile and, best of all, it’s not without a twist a two to keep you guessing all the way to the end! Please note, I received this book as a review copy from the author. All opinions are my own.

This gorgeous story of love and grief made me want to become a nomad and live on a Tibetan plateau!

If you know anything about Connecticut, you know that its cities are among the poorest in the nation and its suburbs are the richest. If you know anything about education and social justice, you can imagine the achievement gap that exists in Connecticut. This book looks at the landmark Sheff v. O'Neill school desegregation case, in which the plaintiffs argued that their children were being provided with a "separate and unequal" education and that Connecticut has not lived up to the requirements of Brown v. Board. It's an interesting way to look at education reform - perhaps, instead of trying to improve our essentially segregated schools, we should not take for granted that brown children almost always go to different schools than white children. Perhaps everyone - including white kids - deserves an integrated education.