Russo's Books

05/29/2026

'The Divorce' by Freida McFadden - https://russosbooks.com/book/9781464249631

What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a family…

Then—he kicks her out, hires the city's best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It's a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband's new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsession—and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn't it worth it?

05/29/2026

I saw this book and was immediately taken back to high school. I won this book from a Christian radio station in Columbia, SC (89.7 WMHK) and I absolutely LOVED it! Nostalgia is a good and wonderful thing.

'The Hiding Place' by Corrie Ten Boom - https://russosbooks.com/book/9780800794057

In darkness God's truth shines most clear.

Corrie ten Boom was the first licensed female watchmaker in the Netherlands who became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and one of the most remarkable ministers of hope in the twentieth century.

In World War II she and her family risked their lives to help Jews and underground workers escape from the N***s. In 1944 their lives were forever altered when they were betrayed, arrested, and thrown into the infamous N**i death camps. Only Corrie among her family survived.

This is her incredible true story--and ultimately the story of how faith, hope, and forgiveness triumphed over unthinkable evil. For 35 years millions have seen that there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still. Now The Hiding Place, repackaged for a new generation of readers, continues to declare that God's love will overcome, heal, and restore.

05/29/2026

I love a beautiful book cover. I love walking down the isles and having a book jump out and grab me because the cover is so eye catching.

What the last book that you purchased based soley on the cover?

05/27/2026

Someone brought us snacks! 😋😋😋

'The Japanese Lover' by Isabel Allende - https://russosbooks.com/book/9781501116995

In 1939, as Poland falls under the shadow of the N***s, young Alma Belasco’s parents send her away to live in safety with an aunt and uncle in their opulent mansion in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family’s Japanese gardener. Unnoticed by those around them, a tender love affair begins to blossom. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the two are cruelly pulled apart as Ichimei and his family—like thousands of other Japanese Americans—are declared enemies and forcibly relocated to internment camps run by the United States government. Throughout their lifetimes, Alma and Ichimei reunite again and again, but theirs is a love that they are forever forced to hide from the world.

Decades later, Alma is nearing the end of her long and eventful life. Irina Bazili, a care worker struggling to come to terms with her own troubled past, meets the elderly woman and her grandson, Seth, at San Francisco’s charmingly eccentric Lark House nursing home. As Irina and Seth forge a friendship, they become intrigued by a series of mysterious gifts and letters sent to Alma, eventually learning about Ichimei and this extraordinary secret passion that has endured for nearly seventy years.

Sweeping through time and spanning generations and continents, The Japanese Lover is written with the same keen understanding of her characters that Isabel Allende has been known for since her landmark first novel The House of the Spirits. The Japanese Lover is a moving tribute to the constancy of the human heart in a world of unceasing change.

05/27/2026

'It Was the Way She Said It' by Terry McMillan - https://russosbooks.com/book/9780593357149

Before Terry McMillan found success as a novelist in the early 1990s, she published provocative, boundary-pushing short stories, capturing the struggles and triumphs of Black life in America with vitality and honesty, from the workaday factory man’s malaise in “The End” to the cast-aside lover’s resolve in “Touching” to the elderly woman’s wiles in “Ma’Dear.” McMillan’s inimitable voice bravely explores the dark corners of human relationships with compassion, humor, and nuance. This collection also features five unpublished stories that reveal how she wrestled with controversial topics rarely addressed in short fiction, from domestic abuse in “Mama, Take Another Step” to extreme poverty in “Can’t Close My Eyes to It.”

Whether she’s revealing life lessons, pontificating about aging, recalling her sources of inspiration, or laying bare the beginnings of her life as a writer, McMillan approaches every piece with enduring candor, wit, and fearlessness.

05/27/2026

'Healing Herbal Teas' by Sarah Farr - https://russosbooks.com/book/9781612125749

Discover how easy and fun it can be to create flavorful, customized teas for enjoyment and health year-round—using these recipes featuring insights into the medicinal qualities of each herb.

Freshly blended herbal teas offer more healing power than do pre-packaged tea bags. In Healing Herbal Teas, master herbalist and author Sarah Farr serves up 101 original recipes that not only offer health advantages but also taste great. Formulations to benefit each body system and promote well-being include Daily Adrenal Support, Inflammation Reduction, and Digestive Tonic.

Additional recipes that address seasonal needs such as allergy relief or immune support will attune you to the cycles of nature, while instruction on the art of tea blending will teach you how to develop your own signature mixtures to give your body exactly what it needs. This book is an enchanting and delectable guide to blending and brewing power-packed herbal teas at home.

05/27/2026

'Pope Leo XIV' by Elise Ann Allen - https://russosbooks.com/book/9798217155705

On May 8, 2025, the whole world watched with great anticipation as white smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, and the new pope who emerged to greet us from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica was a surprise to all. He was a man no one expected, a “dark horse candidate,” as the media came to call him, and the first-ever American to be elected—Robert Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV.

But why him? What did the other cardinals see in Robert Prevost? Who is Leo XIV? How did his path lead him to the Holy See, and what can we expect from him?

Elise Ann Allen offers here the only biography of Pope Leo XIV, featuring the Holy Father’s very first interview after his election. She gives readers an intimate and detailed account of the life of Robert Prevost, from his birth in Chicago and his first years as a priest in the Augustinian order to his years as a missionary in Peru and the vital role he came to play in the Vatican as head of bishops. The result is an inspiring picture of a man of profound character, spiritual leadership, integrity, warmth, and citizenship in the world.

This biography is replete with revealing stories and reflections from those who know Leo XIV personally, details of his pastoral ministry over the years, and analysis of his global perspective as a dual citizen of the United States and Peru.

Pope Leo XIV is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the Church’s pastor—his priorities, convictions, and vision for the future of faith.

05/25/2026

05/22/2026

Just a reminder…

05/22/2026

What is an unpopular bookish opinion that you have? I'll start...

A lot of the "classics" are just downright dull. - Jason