Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall “Gripping from the moment it begins…getting a well-deserved re-release to hit…post-Roe v. Wade. The story kicks off with a striking prologue: A letter informing Nancy that she was adopted is miss delivered, then misplaced. Years later, when Angela discovers it…she digs through generations of women in an effort to reunite the letter with its intended recipient.” apnews.com The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict “Between the World Wars, the six Mitford sisters - each more beautiful, brilliant, and eccentric than the next - dominate the English political, literary, and social scenes. Though they’ve weathered scandals before, the family falls into disarray when Diana divorces her wealthy husband to marry a fascist leader and Unity follows her sister’s lead all the way to Munich, inciting rumors that she’s become Hitler’s mistress. The Mitford Affair follows Nancy’s valiant efforts to stop the Nazis from taking over Great Britain, and the complicated choices she must make between the personal and the political.” Bookbrowse.com 
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The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen “Love and secrets collide in Venice during WWll in an enthralling novel of brief encounters and lasting romance…”. Goodreads.com Above the Bay of Angels by Rhys Bowen “A single twist of fate puts a servant girl to work in Queen Victoria’s royal kitchen, setting off a suspenseful, historical mystery…”. Goodreads.com Maame by Jessica George
“A fresh, often funny, always poignant take on the coming-of-age novel. With a light but firm touch, George illustrates the casual racism a young Black woman can face in the British (or American) workplace and how cultural barriers can stand in the way of aspects of contemporary life such as understanding and treating depression.” Kirkusreviews.com The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson “…a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.” By the author of The Yellow Wife. Goodreads.com The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards “Inspired by Picasso’s great masterpiece Guernica…Robards returns with a riveting story of love, intrigue, deception and bravery in the face of war… Masterfully rendered and vividly capturing one of the most notorious episodes in history…an unforgettable testament to the bonds of family and the courage of women in wartime.” Fantasticfiction.com The House Guest by Hank Philippi Ryan “…another diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller from Hank Philippi Ryan - but which character is the cat, and which character is the mouse?” Goodreads.com The World And All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon “With death the only escape from seemingly endless wars, a Bosnian refugee perseveres. Rafael Pinto is an outsider three times over - he’s Jewish, he’s homosexual, and he finds some respite from his meaningless life in drugs…until he makes the crucial connection of his life, to a handsome Muslim soldier…” Kirkusreviews.com |
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Small World by Laura Zigman
“…a heartfelt novel about two offbeat and newly divorced sisters who move in together as adults —- and finally reckon with their childhood.” Goodreads.com Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson “Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.” Goodreads.com The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman “…a heartwarming story of two extraordinary women from two different eras who defy expectations to utilize their unique gift of seeing soulmates in the most unexpected places…” Goodreads.com Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks “Winner of the 2021 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, an enchanting and thought-provoking debut about a Black woman doing whatever it takes to protect all she loves on Alabama soil.” Bookshop.org Sent from my iPad |
January, 2023
A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
“…set in Monterey, California, in 1851 during the Gold Rush. Two young prostitutes become uneasy when several women in their dangerous line of business disappear and neither the sheriff nor the local vigilantes seem to care. Risking further peril, they decide it’s up to them to solve the mystery.” From npr.org
The Choice by Nora Roberts
Book #3 in the Dragon Heart Legacy - “…the epic conclusion of the trilogy”
Chase Library will be receiving books #1 & #2 soon!
Red Winter by Tom Clancy and Marc Cameron
“As President of the United States, Jack Ryan wields unimaginable power, but there’s one foe he can’t hope to defeat: the shadows in his past. Now, one of them has resurfaced and threatens not just his presidency, but the security of the entire Western world.” From goodreads.com
A Dangerous Business by Jane Smiley
“…set in Monterey, California, in 1851 during the Gold Rush. Two young prostitutes become uneasy when several women in their dangerous line of business disappear and neither the sheriff nor the local vigilantes seem to care. Risking further peril, they decide it’s up to them to solve the mystery.” From npr.org
The Choice by Nora Roberts
Book #3 in the Dragon Heart Legacy - “…the epic conclusion of the trilogy”
Chase Library will be receiving books #1 & #2 soon!
Red Winter by Tom Clancy and Marc Cameron
“As President of the United States, Jack Ryan wields unimaginable power, but there’s one foe he can’t hope to defeat: the shadows in his past. Now, one of them has resurfaced and threatens not just his presidency, but the security of the entire Western world.” From goodreads.com
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The Seamstress of New Orleans by Diane C. McPhail
“Set against the backdrop of the first all-female Mardi Gras krewe at the turn-of-the-century, the acclaimed author’s mesmerizing historical novel tells of two strangers separated by background but bound by an unexpected secret - and of the strength and courage women draw from and inspire in each other.” From goodreads.com Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver The Colter Shaw series - “…a riveting thriller, as reward seeker Colter Shaw plunges into the woods and races the clock in a case where nothing is quite what it seems.” From fantasticfiction.com Next in Line by Jeffrey Archer Detective William Warwick #5 - London, 1988. Royal fever sweeps the nation as Britain falls in love with the ‘people’s princess’. Which means for Scotland Yard, the focus is on the Elite Protection Command, and its commanding officer. Entrusted with protecting the most famous family on earth, they quite simply have the be the best. A weak link could spell disaster.” From goodreads.com A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny “Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns…It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has.” From goodreads.com The Seamstress of New Orleans by Diane C. McPhail “Set against the backdrop of the first all-female Mardi Gras krewe at the turn-of-the-century, the acclaimed author’s mesmerizing historical novel tells of two strangers separated by background but bound by an unexpected secret - and of the strength and courage women draw from and inspire in each other.” From goodreads.com Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver The Colter Shaw series - “…a riveting thriller, as reward seeker Colter Shaw plunges into the woods and races the clock in a case where nothing is quite what it seems.” From fantasticfiction.com Next in Line by Jeffrey Archer Detective William Warwick #5 - London, 1988. Royal fever sweeps the nation as Britain falls in love with the ‘people’s princess’. Which means for Scotland Yard, the focus is on the Elite Protection Command, and its commanding officer. Entrusted with protecting the most famous family on earth, they quite simply have the be the best. A weak link could spell disaster.” From goodreads.com A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny “Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns…It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has.” From goodreads.com The Seamstress of New Orleans by Diane C. McPhail “Set against the backdrop of the first all-female Mardi Gras krewe at the turn-of-the-century, the acclaimed author’s mesmerizing historical novel tells of two strangers separated by background but bound by an unexpected secret - and of the strength and courage women draw from and inspire in each other.” From goodreads.com Hunting Time by Jeffery Deaver The Colter Shaw series - “…a riveting thriller, as reward seeker Colter Shaw plunges into the woods and races the clock in a case where nothing is quite what it seems.” From fantasticfiction.com Next in Line by Jeffrey Archer Detective William Warwick #5 - London, 1988. Royal fever sweeps the nation as Britain falls in love with the ‘people’s princess’. Which means for Scotland Yard, the focus is on the Elite Protection Command, and its commanding officer. Entrusted with protecting the most famous family on earth, they quite simply have the be the best. A weak link could spell disaster.” From goodreads.com A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny “Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns…It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But something has.” From goodreads.com |
Week of October 18:
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Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks
“…a poignant love story about risking everything for a dream - and whether it’s possible to leave the past behind.” goodreads.com Endless Summer by Elin Hilderbrand “The queen of beach reads presents nine captivating stories of summer on Nantucket - and days that last forever - to carry us through the off-season.” fantasticfiction.com December ‘41 by William Martin “…a WWII thriller as intense as The Day of the Jackal and as gripping as The Eye of the Needle…the ultimate manhunt, a desperate chase from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in the first weeks of the Second World War.” goodreads.com The Complicities by Stacey D’Erasmo “D’Erasmo introduces a woman who is rebuilding her life in the aftermath of her ex’s financial wrongdoings.…a tricky and absorbing tale about crime, punishment, and the lies we tell ourselves.” nytimes.com |
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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
“…two friends - often in love, but never lovers - come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.” goodreads.com Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen “Right off the coast of South Carolina, on Mallow Island, The Dellawisp sits - a stunning old cobblestone building shaped like a horseshoe, and named after the tiny turquoise birds who alongside its (sic) human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.” goodreads.com The Book of Goose by Yiyun Li “…a literary hoax devised by two teenagers closes the distance between fiction and reality.” nytimes.com |
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The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club #3) by Richard Osman
“The Thursday Murder Club gets into another spot of bother, this time involving some British television celebrities, a Russian former spy, and an international money launderer - among others.” *Chase Library has Book #1 and has ordered Book #2. This looks like a fun mystery series! Nights of Plague by Orhan Pamuk “From the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature: Part detective story, part historical epic - a bold and brilliant novel that imagines a plague ravaging a fictional island in the Ottoman Empire.” kirkusreviews.com Fox Creek by William Kent Krueger (Cork O’Connor #18) “The latest…Cork O’Connor Mystery Series follows Cork in a race against time to save his wife, a mysterious stranger, and an Ojibwa healer from bloodthirsty mercenaries.” goodreads.com |
Week of August 9:
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Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra
"Anthony Marra’s elegant new novel, “Mercury Pictures Presents,” [features] Artie Feldman, the improbably endearing vulgarian who runs the book’s titular studio — the sort of B-movie factory that flourished in the slipstream of Hollywood’s majors during the Golden Age 1930s and ’40s. It turns out the real protagonist isn’t so much Artie as it is Maria Lagana, the studio typist who has risen through the ranks to become Artie’s de facto right hand, and its real theater isn’t a soundstage in Gower Gulch, but rather San Lorenzo, Italy, where Maria’s father, Giuseppe, is serving out time in confino, the internal exile assigned to those who have run afoul of Mussolini’s government. It is impossible to do justice to Marra’s smooth, sweeping style in bits...but knit together, these pieces have striking command and authority." NYTimes.com Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen "Josie Banks...barely survives [the London Blitz]. After that she has nothing and no one. Nothing, that is, except her unvanquishable spirit. Upon recovering from her injuries, she is gathered into the evacuation program along with others bereft of homes, families, money, and belongings. They are spread around the countryside to government-arranged billets for who knows how long. The writing is so smooth and consistent, and the narrative unfolds so steadily, it’s hard to look up from.” NYJournalofBooks.com Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi "Shibata, 34, works at a paper core manufacturer [and] soon learns that as the only woman in her section, her responsibilities also include undertaking the traditionally feminine chores of cleaning up after everyone, making coffee, and serving snacks. Sick of it, Shibata invents a lie: she’s pregnant. The more she works to keep up the fake pregnancy, the more it begins to seem real to her. Absurdist, amusing and clever, the story brings subtlety and tact to its depiction of workplace discrimination—as well as a touch of magic. Readers will eagerly turn the pages all the way to the bold conclusion." PublishersWeekly.com |
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The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras
"When she was 23 and living in Chicago, Colombia native Rojas Contreras endured a bout of amnesia. As horrifying as that episode was, she was luckier than her mother: At age 8, Mami fell down a well... When she recovered eight months later, Mami had “the ability to see ghosts and hear disembodied voices,” a gift her curandero (Latinx healer) father, Nono, had also possessed. In this poetic memoir, Rojas Contreras writes of the return trip she and her mother took to Colombia in 2012 to disinter Nono’s bones and tell his story. A moving depiction of family and the power of healing." KirkusReviews.com The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley "In 1963, in a Siberian prison, former nuclear specialist...Valery's university mentor steps in and sweeps him from the frozen camp to a mysterious unnamed city. In City 40...he's expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals. But as Valery begins his work, he is struck by the questions his research raises. And if he keeps looking for answers, will he live to serve out his sentence? Based on real events in a surreal Soviet city, and told with bestselling author Natasha Pulley's inimitable style, THE HALF LIFE OF VALERY K is a sweeping new adventure." BookReporter.com |
Week of August 2:
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Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan "An audiobook narrator and former actress gets more than she bargained for when she performs a book with the audiobook world’s sexiest and most mysterious voice. A compulsively readable story about self-discovery with plenty of laughs and spice along the way." KirkusReviews.com Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare "Hare’s well-crafted second novel oozes glamour. It is set in 1936 aboard a luxury liner bound for New York. When a member of a wealthy American family is murdered, it feels horribly familiar to one Lena Aldridge, a young Soho nightclub singer who is bound for Broadway. Did someone mention Agatha Christie? Yes, but with the welcome bonus of subtle reflections on race and class." TheGuardian.com |
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The Tobacco Wives by Adele Meyers
"Maddie Sykes is a teenager dealing with two tragedies --- her father’s sudden demise in war and her mother’s inability to cope with the realities arising from that loss. Though it feels traumatic at the time, her mother’s abrupt desertion and her transferal to the care of her Aunt Etta in Bright Leaf, North Carolina, are factors that will guide her to grow up, embracing a new ethic and taking on an important crusade. In her debut novel, THE TOBACCO WIVES, Adele Myers has constructed a disturbing, realistic view of the once-mighty tobacco industry and its perfidies as observed by a feisty lady." BookReporter.com Sugar and Salt by Susan Wiggs "The New York Times bestselling author of The Lost and Found Bookshop returns to Perdita Street with a can't-miss tale of friendship, hardship, redemption, and love between Jerome, a San Francisco baker...and Margot, a barbecue master from Texas. Margot has a past that she wants to forget. But when she meets and gets to know Jerome, she knows she has to tell him about her past in order for them to move on. TheBashfulBookworm.com |
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The Saints of Swallow Hill by Donna Everhart
"Twenty-eight-year-old Dell Reese is run out of Sutton’s farm after making the tactical error of pursuing Sutton’s wife, and leaves the way he comes in. Young widow Rae Lynn Cobb, raised in a North Carolina orphanage, flees her home in disguise under threat of blackmail. A desperate, gritty story set against a backdrop of hard knocks and hard times, Donna Everhart’s historically researched The Saints of Swallow Hill is the triumphant story of unlikely bonds fatefully formed among the turpentine camps in the rural, Depression era South. NYJournalofBooks.com Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald "There is much to marvel about in Isaac Fitzgerald’s marvelous memoir-in-essays, DIRTBAG, MASSACHUSETTS. But among its most noteworthy aspects is the fact that its author survived some of the events he describes long enough to write about them. That he’s chosen to write about these experiences in such a revealing and compassionate way will make the many readers this book deserves happy that he’s still here." BookReporter.com |
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Week of July 26:
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Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva
"One-time assassin and legendary spymaster Gabriel Allon has finally retired. Of course, no one expects Gabriel to entirely withdraw from the field, and, sure enough, a call from his friend and occasional asset Julian Isherwood sends him racing around the globe on the trail of art forgers who are willing to kill to protect their extremely lucrative enterprise. Silva provides plenty of thrills and, as usual, offers a glimpse into the lifestyles of the outrageously wealthy. In the early books in this series, it was Gabriel’s work as an art restorer that set him apart from other action heroes, and his return to that world is the most rewarding part of this installment. A smart summer escape." KirkusReviews.com The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda "Megan Miranda knows how to land a twist, and her latest thriller demonstrates that to dizzying effect. Set in an isolated and hazardous pocket of the Appalachian Mountains, The Last to Vanish elegantly builds a near-gothic atmosphere as it tells the story of an inn with a troubled past and the locals who are keeping deadly secrets. A perfectly balanced cross between a cold-case mystery and a psychological thriller, The Last to Vanish‘s expert plotting and surprising twists will delight readers." Bookpage.com |
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Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini
“…a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I - the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military, smashed the workplace glass ceiling, and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.” Fantasticfiction.com Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark “The masterful story of a lifelong friendship between two very different women with shared histories and buried secrets, tested in the twilight of their lives, set across the arc of the 20th century” on a Maine peninsula. As one friend tries to save the Point by dissolving a generations-old partnership, the other is torn between friendship and what her family wants. Goodreads.com |
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The Retreat by Sarah Pearse
From the author of The Sanitorium, “…Detective Elin Warner uncovers the truth behind the suspicious deaths on a stunning island getaway.” Bookshop.org Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib “An English teacher is gaslit by his charismatic high school bully in this tense story of deception, manipulation, and murder. Set in a small town on the New England coast, Conner Habib’s debut introduces characters trapped in isolation by the expansive woods and the encroaching ocean, their violence an expression of repressed desire and the damage it can inflict.” Goodreads.com Confidence by Denise Mina “Deception. Theft. Murder. All you need is confidence. When Lisa Lee, a vulnerable young woman, vanishes from a pretty Scottish seaside town Anna and Fin find themselves at the centre of an internet frenzy to find her.” Goodreads.com |
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France: An Adventure History by Graham Robb
"Graham Robb, a prize-winning historian of France and biographer of Balzac, Victor Hugo and Rimabaud, cuts loose from desk-bound scholarship in this winningly eccentric tour through 2,000 years of French life. Many of the book’s chapters draw on cycling trips taken with his wife over the past two decades, in search of landmarks documented in centuries gone by. Not all Robb’s detours are easy to follow, yet his footloose narrative covers so much ground as to all but guarantee the reader’s interest." ProspectMagazine.co.uk Hell Town: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod by Casey Sherman "An immersive and captivating journey into the mind of a serial killer. Sherman relied in part on an unpublished manuscript written by ... Antone “Tony” Costa, a counterculture figure who was convicted of murdering two Providence, Rhode Island, women in 1969, and is suspected in at least two other slayings in the Massachusetts tourist hotspot." WGBH.org |
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An Immense World by Ed Yong
"Yong writes in a perfect balance of scientific rigor and personal awe as he invites readers to grasp something of how other animals experience the world. Yong brings into beautiful focus a host of other animal sensory worlds that co-exist with ours, and how we may protect them. He has synthesized and compellingly presented a spectacular amount of scientific information to do this, making it look easy along the way. But isn't easy at all. It's a magnificent achievement." NPR.org A Life in Light by Mary Pipher "Psychologist Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia and Women Rowing North, reflects on aging, loneliness, and happiness in a serene, gently told memoir. Since childhood, the author has been drawn to light—“my intoxicant of choice,” she writes—which has lifted her out of fear and depression. Sensitive meditations from a “solar-powered” writer." KirkusReviews.com |
Week of July 19:
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Acts of Violet by Margarita Montimore
"After a years long hiatus from performing following a disastrous Las Vegas show, Violet Volk—magician, self-help author, motivational speaker, and celebrity—stages a comeback in her hometown of Willow Glen, New Jersey. But during the big disappearing-act finale, the Flaming Angel, she fails to reappear as expected. [....] A winding tale of two sisters pulled together and pushed apart by fame, magic, and the cult of celebrity." KirkusReviews.com Queen of Our Times by Robert Hardman "Daily Mail journalist Hardman has drawn on interviews, confidential conversations, official and unofficial biographies, declassified Cabinet papers, and unpublished diaries, all of which give his account authority and heft.[....] More than his previous books, this one is structured as a detailed chronology, following Elizabeth on diplomatic voyages throughout the world and dutifully reporting on interactions domestic and foreign. He debunks critics and especially delights in exposing fictions perpetrated by The Crown. A boon for royal-watchers." KirkusReviews.com |
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Listening Still by Anne Griffin
"In this captivating successor to her much-lauded debut, WHEN ALL IS SAID, Anne Griffin portrays a young woman who is torn between duty, a comfortable marriage, a calling she both loves and hates, and her last chance to break free. LISTENING STILL is a heartachingly honest look at what we give up and what we gain when we choose to follow our heart." BookReporter.com The Novelist by Jordan Castro "The Novelist pulls off a rare feat....[it] uses what could be a tedious framework to unfurl a poignant backstory about a sensitive kid who struggled with addiction, got in trouble with the police, and got sober, while still struggling with the fundamental questions of how to live and be an artist." Gawker.com The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill "This thrilling excursion into metafiction from Australian author Gentill (Crossing the Lines) wittily examines the writing process itself. Australian mystery writer Winifred “Freddie” Kincaid has come to Boston after receiving a prestigious writers’ fellowship. While she’s seeking inspiration in the Boston Public Library, a woman’s scream breaks the silence. Freddie seizes on this incident as the ideal start for her new opus, which involves “a group of people united by a scream.” PublishersWeekly.com |
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The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci
"A complex, high-powered thriller that will keep the reader guessing. Former U.S. Army Ranger Travis Devine regularly takes the 6:20 commuter train to a job he hates... Then, one morning at work, Devine receives an anonymous, untraceable text saying, “She is dead.” Readers will suspect nearly everyone in this fast-moving whodunit. This is a winner from a pro." KirkusReviews.com The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston "Poston (Geekerella) makes her adult debut with a refreshing rom-com about love, loss, and hope. Florence Day’s life is organized around two major secrets: she’s the ghostwriter for a household name romance writer, and she can see ghosts. One secret is kept out of legal obligation, the other self-preservation. [....] The sparkling dialogue makes the characters come alive—even the dead ones. Readers won’t be able to put this down." PublishersWeekly.com Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin "Two college students [....] bump into each other at a train station. The pair haven’t spoken since childhood, when they met in the games room of a hospital – Sadie, visiting her sister; Sam, recovering from the car crash that killed his mother and broke his foot... This is a boy meets girl story that is never a romance – though it is romantic. Their relationship is a joining of minds and of worlds that is both purer and sweeter than any base physical attraction. [....] Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is an artfully balanced novel – charming but never saccharine. The world Zevin has created is textured, expansive and, just like those built by her characters, playful." TheGuardian.com |
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Week of July 12:
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Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
“A woman returns to her hometown of Calcasset, Maine, to clean out her recently deceased great-aunt’s house - but runs into a few surprises along the way. A charming and easygoing look at all kinds of love and the beauty of independence, featuring supremely likable characters.” Kirkusreviews.com The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz “…a witty novel about triplets who can’t stand each other.” Washingtonpost.com. It “takes on complicated family dynamics, infidelity, race, class, religion, guilt, art and real estate”. Nytimes.com The Midcoast by Adam White “An ambitious family’s rise and fall plays out in a small town on the Maine coast.” Kirkusreviews.com “A propulsive crime saga and the story of a family’s disintegration…”. Bookmarksreviews.com |
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Horse by Geraldine Brooks
“A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner tells a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history.” Fantasticfiction.com The Flag, The Cross, and the Station Wagon - A Graying American Looks Back at his Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened by Bill McKibben “A reasonable if perhaps quixotic plea for the boomers to rise from the couch and get back to work fixing their messes.” Kirkusreviews.com |
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It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler
“…a big-hearted novel about the secrets that bind - and push apart - the three adult daughters of Marti Geller, a woman with secrets of her own.” BookReporter.com The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark “…a compulsively readable thriller about a con artist and the reporter trying to expose her.” Goodreads.com The Scent of Burnt Flowers by Blitz Bazawule “A debut novel about an African American fugitive couple seeking refuge in Ghana. It’s 1966, and Bernadette and Melvin are in Accra, Ghana, far from their American home. They’re not there for pleasure - the couple are on the run.” Kirkusreviews.com The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager “The setup of Rear Window serves as the framework for this outstanding novel of suspense…”. Publishersweekly.com |
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Pig Years by Ellen Gaydos
“This captivating memoir is a ‘startling testimony to the glories and sorrows of raising and harvesting plants and animals’, as an itinerant farmhand chronicles the wonders hidden within the ever-blooming seasons of life, death, and rebirth.” -- Reviewed by Anthony Doerr (Author of All the Light We Cannot See) |
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Week of June 28:
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The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
“The beloved beach novelist’s 28th book is another tour de force, deploying all her usual tricks and tropes and clever points of view, again among them a character from the afterlife and the collective “we” of gossipy island residents. [....] Honestly, who needs Nantucket. It could hardly be more fun than this book." KirkusReviews.com Meant to Be by Emily Giffin “Giffin admits that she’s long been fascinated by the Kennedy family --- that unique combination of glamour, high-minded ideals and tragedy that has marked so many of their lives and deaths. In MEANT TO BE, she reimagines one of those tragic Kennedy stories but leaves the door open for a happily ever after....a chic, history-inspired summer read that you will want to take with you to the beach." BookReporter.com Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson “Thirteen-year-old Dietmar, returning home one day from playing with his friend in a tree house, stumbles upon his parents being interrogated and beaten by Nazi soldiers. Signaled to by his mother to run, he grabs his best friend, nine-year-old Brigitte, and the two flee to her house. [....] Dobson creates a labyrinth of intrigue, expertly weaving a World War II drama with a present-day mystery to create an unforgettable story." PublishersWeekly.com |
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Nightwork by Nora Roberts
“A lifelong thief needs to pull off one last job—while getting revenge and keeping the woman he loves safe. ... Roberts takes her time setting up Harry’s character and his motivations, making it easy for the reader to sympathize with a thief who has a code of honor and a deep love for his family. ... A thoughtful exploration of one thief’s motivations and relationships, featuring a healthy dose of romance and suspense." KirkusReviews.com Counterfeit by Kirsten Chen “Chen (Bury What We Cannot Take) spins a clever tale offering two sides of a story involving a complicated friendship and knockoff handbags. [....] The story is further deepened by the author’s sharp, convincing details of the fashion industry and its shadow market, which lends this tale of fakes the tang of authenticity. Readers will be left guessing at the truth until the last page." PublishersWeekly.com Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley “Based on a true crime in 2015 involving institutional exploitation, brutality and corruption in the Oakland police department, Nightcrawling gives voice to 17-year-old Kiara Johnson, who, after her father’s death and mother’s detention in a rehab facility, becomes a sex worker to pay for rent hikes.[....]Restlessly truth-seeking, Nightcrawling marks the dazzling arrival of a young writer with a voice and vision you won’t easily get out of your head." TheGuardian.com |
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Week of June 21:
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The Island by Adrian McKinty
“An American family’s trip to see koalas and Australian wildlife becomes a life-and-death situation after they kill an innocent woman in a car crash and her family seeks revenge. [....] McKinty has written an exciting thriller that follows Heather and the others as they seek to run, hide, and survive the elements until the police—whom they have no way of contacting—can arrive." KirkusReviews.com How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil "[Smil's] painstaking research on subjects too technical (or mundane) for most professional historians makes him an indispensable resource for understanding how the modern world came into being ... How the World Really Works represents the highly readable distillation of this lifetime of scholarship." WallStreetJournal.com |
Week of June 7:
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Metropolis by B. A. Shapiro
“Six people, six secrets, six different backgrounds. They would never have met if not for their connection to the Metropolis Storage Warehouse in Cambridge, Massachusetts. When someone falls down an elevator shaft at the facility, each becomes caught up in an intensifying chain of events.” Fantasticfiction.com Deep Water by Emma Bamford “The dark side of paradise is exposed when a terrified couple reveals their daunting experience on a remote island to their rescuers - only to realize they’re still in the grips of the island’s secrets - in this intense and startling debut in the tradition of Into the Jungle and The Ruins.” Goodreads.com Sparring Partners by John Grisham “…the acknowledged master of the legal thriller…In his first collection of novellas, law is a common thread, but America’s favorite storyteller has several surprises in store. By turns suspenseful, hilarious, powerful, and moving…” |
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Travels with George
In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick “…Philbrick argues for Washington’s unique contribution to the forging of America by retracing his journey (but with his wife and dog along on the trip) as a new president through all thirteen former colonies, which were now an unsure nation. [This] marks a new first-person voice for Philbrick, weaving history and personal reflection into a single narrative.” Goodreads.com |
Week of May 31:
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The Immortal King Rao by Vauhini Vara
“In an Indian village in the 1950s, a precocious child is born into a family of Dalit coconut farmers. King Rao will grow up to be the most accomplished tech CEO in the world and, eventually, the leader of a global, corporate-led government.” In future years, Rao’s daughter, Athena, “sets out to tell the truth to the world’s Shareholders…confronting how we arrived at the age of technological capitalism and where our actions might take us next.” The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White “…a novel of money and secrets set among the famous summer mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, spanning over a century from the Gilded Age to the present day…where the (Sprague mansion) begins to yield up the dark secrets the Spragues thought would stay hidden forever…”. fantasticfiction.com |
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Electra by Jennifer Saint
“The House of Atreus is cursed. A bloodline tainted by a generational cycle of violence and vengeance. This is the story of three women, their fates inextricably tied to this curse, and the fickle nature of men and gods.” Goodreads.com The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher “A fictional portrait of Sylvia Beach and her iconic Paris bookshop, Shakespeare and Company, form its founding in 1919 through 1936.” |
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All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
“Fuyuko Irie is a freelance copy editor in her mid-thirties. Working and living alone in a city…she stops one day on a Tokyo street and notices her reflection in a storefront window - she sees a drab, awkward, and spiritless woman who has lacked the strength to change her life and decides to do something about it.” Kirkusreviews.com The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian “A luxurious African safari turns deadly for a Hollywood starlet and her entourage in this riveting historical thriller…”. Goodreads.com The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray “A summer house party turns into a whodunit when Mr. Wickham, one of literature’s most notorious villains, meets a sudden and suspicious end in this mystery featuring Jane Austen’s leading literary characters.” |
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Week of May 24:
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Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
“Luli Wei is beautiful, talented, and desperate to be a star. Coming of age in pre-Code Hollywood, she knows how dangerous the movie business is and how limited the roles are for a Chinese-American girl… but she doesn’t care.” Goodreads.com The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michelle Richardson Sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek - “Picking up her mother’s old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia…looking to prove that she doesn’t need anyone telling her how to survive. But the route can be treacherous and some folks aren’t as keen to let a woman pave her own way.” bookbrowse.com |
River of the Gods by Candice Millard
“…a fast-paced tale of the absurdly dangerous quest by two friends turned enemies to solve the geographic riddle of their era…to find the source of the Nile.” nytimes.com
The Shores of Bohemia by John Taylor Williams
Set in Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown - “…records a great set of shifts in American culture and the ideas and arguments fueled by drink, infidelity, and competition that made for a fifty-year conversation among intellectual leaders and creative revolutionaries. Together they found a community as they created some of the great works of the American Century.”
“…a fast-paced tale of the absurdly dangerous quest by two friends turned enemies to solve the geographic riddle of their era…to find the source of the Nile.” nytimes.com
The Shores of Bohemia by John Taylor Williams
Set in Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown - “…records a great set of shifts in American culture and the ideas and arguments fueled by drink, infidelity, and competition that made for a fifty-year conversation among intellectual leaders and creative revolutionaries. Together they found a community as they created some of the great works of the American Century.”
Week of May 17:
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Vigil Harbor by Julia Glass
“An insular Massachusetts coastal town finds the world’s woes at its doorstep.... Provocative themes, strong characterizations, and propulsive storytelling combine for another great read from Glass.” KirkusReviews.com Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict “Marie Benedict...has gifted readers of historical fiction with her latest book about Rosalind Franklin, the brilliant scientist who unlocked the mystery of DNA and so scared the senior men in her lab that they resorted to stealing her scientific work.... These events may be fictionalized, but they make for a well-rounded character, and a very good read.” NYJournalofBooks.com |
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Sister Stardust by Jane Green
“Green (The Friends We Keep) delves in her shimmering latest into the short life of real-life Dutch socialite Talitha Getty.... Green convincingly describes the appeal of the music scene, as well as the allure of her beautiful characters, both famous and fictional. Green’s fans will be delighted by this story of glitter and tragedy.” PublishersWeekly.com Finding Me by Viola Davis “To read Davis’ elegantly written but sometimes harrowing memoir, Finding Me, is to understand just how hard this spectacular performer has worked to build the career and life she has today.” Time.com |
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The Other Mother by Rachel M. Harper
“Harper returns with a riveting exploration of an Afro-Cuban family’s secrets....capturing palpable emotions and the fissures running through their fraught relations, all the while handling themes of motherhood, race, and sexuality with aplomb. This adds up to a heartrending story.” PublishersWeekly.com The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra “Set in colonial India in 1921, this debut mystery, the first in a projected series, makes full use of the oppressive British rule of the time, matched by the oppressive treatment of women, to highlight the ingenuity and bravery of a young woman determined to solve a murder.” BooklistOnline.com Liarmouth: A Feel-Bad Romance by John Waters “This first novel by Waters (the iconic director of Hairspray and Female Trouble) is nothing short of stunningly outrageous—a nonstop smorgasbord of theft, deceit, and rancor fueled by an unrelenting, unabashedly sexualized comic genius. ” LibrarayJournal.com |
Week of May 10:
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The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner
“…another heartfelt and unputdownable novel of family, secrets, and the ties that bind.” goodreads.com The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews “…a summer beach delight.” goodreads.com Book Lovers by Emily Henry “One summer. Two rivals. A plot twist they didn’t see coming…” goodreads.com |
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Girls of Flight City by Lorraine Heath
“Inspired by true events, a breathtaking WWII historical novel about the brave American women who trained the British Royal Air Force…” Fantasticfiction.com Angels of the Pacific by Eloise Hooper “Inspired by the extraordinary true stories of World War II’s American Army nurses famously known as the Angels of Bataan and the unsung contributions of Filipinas of the resistance…”. Goodreads.com |
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Trust by Hernan Diaz
“A portrait, in four interconnected texts, of devious financier Andrew Bevel, who survives the Wall Street crash of 1929 and becomes of of New York City’s chief financial barons.” Bookmarks.reviews Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt “A debut novel about a woman who befriends an octopus is a charming, warmhearted read.” Kirkusreviews.com |
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I Cried to Dream Again by Sara Kruzan and Cori Thomas
“At once disturbing and empowering, the memoir of a courageous woman who was abused, groomed, and trafficked for sex from age eleven to age sixteen, who then killed her trafficker/father figure and was sentenced as a juvenile to life in prison without parole.” Goodreads.com The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight “…unspools the story of a British psychiatrist who tried to predict the future by mining people’s visions and dreams.” nytimes.com Fly Girl by Ann Hood “An entertaining and fascinating memoir of…Hood’s adventurous years as a TWA flight attendant.” Fantasticfiction.com |
Week of May 3:
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Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
"Being a woman in science is a hard, lonely road. Elizabeth becomes a national somebody not in the lab but as a kitchen savant on a local afternoon television show.... [Garmus has] created an indelible assemblage of stubborn, idiosyncratic characters. She's given us a comic novel at precisely the moment we need one." WashingtonPost.com Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett "Hartnett delivers a quirky ghost story set in present day Upper Valley, N.H., inspired by the legacy of naturalist Ernest Harold Baynes....Hartnett's clever prose and brisk pacing will carry readers through." PublishersWeekly.com |
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Search by Michelle Huneven
"Written in the form of a memoir, Search is told from the point of view of...a famous restaurant critic and memoirist, who is invited to join the search committee for [her church's] new minister.... This novel has plot, character, structure and a delicious, deeply human pettiness that I think most honest readers will relate to. And speaking of delicious, Huneven's descriptions of food are the best I've ever read..." NYTimes.com Wish It Lasted Forever by Dan Shaughnessy "Goofy and often funny, Shaughnessy’s book offers considerable insight into the making of a winning team in the hands of players whom some consider to be the greatest in the history of the game. A treat for fans of the old Boston Celtics and for roundball fans generally." KirkusReviews.com |
Week of April 26:
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The Investigator by John Sandford
"[An] original premise, coupled with Sandford’s rounded portrayal of Letty as more than just a stock action hero, add up to one of his best books in years." PublishersWeekly.com Dream Town by David Baldacci "The plot of Dream Town is as windy as the narrow curves of the Hollywood Hills that Archer navigates in his Delahaye. Baldacci captures the dark underbelly of Hollywood’s Golden Age by creating a mystery so chock full of juicy leads and supporting cast members that readers need a scorecard to keep them straight. But that is half of the fun." NYJournalofBooks.com City on Fire by Don Winslow "City on Fire is modern-day take on The Iliad, except the woman at the center doesn’t launch a thousand ships. Instead she’s the unwitting instigator of a bloody war between Irish and Italian gangsters in ‘80s and ‘90s Providence, Rhode Island....Winslow is a master plotter and shaper of characters. You don’t read City on Fire so much as you let it take you for a ride." USAToday.com |
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Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak
"With sharp observations on everything from D.C. insider politics to the mundane details of family life, Our American Friend is both an engaging feminist thriller and a meditation on the ways history often surprises even the people who make it." ShelfAwareness.com What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline "A pair of FBI agents knocks on the Bennetts’ door at 3 a.m. to tell them that John Milo, the escaped carjacker, has framed Jason for the murder of his accomplice...A high-octane thriller whose hero is tossed into one impossible situation after another." KirkusReviews.com The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb "The trouble begins when Ray starts making the auditioning rounds and considers upgrading his violin only to discover...it’s an 18th-century Stradivarius worth about $10 million. This novel, which will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page, is sure to be a favorite in 2022." WashingtonPost.com |
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An Unwritten Book by Samantha Hunt
"In books, Hunt finds her love of life, of simply being, reflected back at her in all manner of language, people, and ideas...a memoir and essay collection that finds beauty in impermanence." WashingtonPost.com Riverman by Ben McGrath "McGrath's dogged quest [is] a worthy addition to the literature of American restlessness...a tenacious, entertaining feat of narrative nonfiction." WallStreetJournal.com Six Walks: In The Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck "With its lovely illustrations and thoughtful insights about nature, love, and friendship, “Six Walks” celebrates taking time to see what really matters." ChristianScienceMonitor.com |
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Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes
"Readers of all levels of knowledge are certain to be enthralled with her analysis and find her humor and wit captivating...A fun and informative addition to the ongoing consideration of ancient mythology." KirkusReviews.com Benjamin Franklin's Last Bet by Michael Meyer "Enriched by vivid character sketches and lucid explanations of financial and policy matters, this is an entertaining examination of how a wise investment pays off." PublishersWeekly.com |
Week of April 19:
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The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
“…an electrifying, deeply moving novel about the quest for authenticity, privacy, and meaning in a world where our memories are no longer our own - featuring characters from A Visit From the Good Squad.” Goodreads.com The Lifeguards by Amanda Eyre Ward “The bonds between three picture-perfect - but viciously protective - mothers and their close-knit sons are tested during one unforgettable summer in a gripping novel…” Fantasticfiction.com Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson “…a thriller about a young singer/songwriter on the rise and run, and determined to do whatever it takes to survive.” Goodreads.com The Missing Sister by Lucinda Riley Book #7 in the series - “The six D’Apliese sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister?” Goodreads.com |
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The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth
“…domestic suspense about the tangled vines of family secrets.” Bookshop.org The Next Ship Home by Heather Webb ”…a novel of the dark secrets of Ellis Island, when entry to “the land of the free” promised a better life but often delivered something drastically different, and when immigrant strength and female friendship found ways to triumph even on the darkest days.” Fantasticfiction.com True Biz by Sara Novic “A transporting novel that follows a year of seismic romantic, political, and familial shifts for a teacher and her students at a boarding school for the deaf.” Goodreads.com |
Week of April 12:
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Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow
“A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter’s discovery that she has the power to change her family’s legacy.” Goodreads.com Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel “Characters living centuries apart all have the same brief, puzzling experience - what does this mean about the nature of time?” “Even more boldly imagined than Station Eleven. Exciting to read, relevant, and satisfying.” Kirkusreviews.com The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich A new series from Evanovich - Gabriela Rose is a recovery agent, helping individuals and companies find lost treasures, stolen heirlooms, or missing assets of any kind. Her latest job is to find the Ring of Solomon which will help her save her family’s hometown. |
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A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear
“…a series of possible attacks on British pilots leads beloved heroine Maisie Dobbs into a mystery involving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.” Goodreads.com The Match by Harlan Coben The 2nd book in the Wilde series - “…a gripping new thriller in which Wilde follows a tip that may finally reveal the truth behind his abandonment - only to end up in the sights of a ruthless killer.” Fantasticfiction.com Groundskeeping by Lee Cole “An indelible love story about two very different people navigating the entanglements of class and identity and coming of age in an America coming apart at the seams”. |
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Into the Forest - The Secret Language of Trees
by Susan Tyler Hitchcock “…National Geographic combines legendary photography with cutting-edge science to illuminate exactly how trees influence the life of planet Earth…” My Mother’s War by Eva Taylor “A daughter unearths her mother’s remarkable Holocaust story.” |
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The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn "Readers Looking for a new and unique viewpoint of World War II with a mystery to solve and a light touch of romance will dive deep into this story." Libraryjournal.com Tell Me Everything by Erika Krouse “A trult chilling thriller with a twist so quiet, you never heard it coming.” Kirkus Reviews |
Week of April 5:
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The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh
“…a love story wrapped in a mystery: an up-all-night page-turner with a dark secret at its core.” Goodreads.com The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley “…a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide.” Goodreads.com French Braid by Anne Tyler “…a funny, joyful, brilliantly perceptive journey deep into one Baltimore family’s foibles, from a boyfriend with a red Chevy in the 1950s up to a longed-for reunion with a grandchild in our pandemic present.” Bookbrowse.com The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James “…follows true crime blogger Shea Collins as she searches for answers to her hometown’s most violent mystery.” |
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How Civil Wars Start - and How to Stop Them
by Barbara F. Walter “A leading political scientist examines the dramatic rise in violent extremism around the globe and sounds the alarm on the increasing likelihood of a second civil war in the United States.” Bookshop.org Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi “…a guide to the power of literature in turbulent times, arming readers with a resistance reading list, ranging from James Baldwin to Zora Neale Hurston to Margaret Atwood.” Goodreads.com Seashore Sentinel - The Old Harbor Lifesaving Station on Cape Cod by Richard G. Ryder A gift from Mr. Ryder who recently spoke about the Pendleton Disaster of 1952. Local history and great photos! Strength to Strength - Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks “The roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age…”. Google books |
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The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft
An unabridged collection of the great horror author’s works: four novellas, fifty-three short stories, and the classic novel At The Mountains of Madness. The Club by Ellery Lloyd “…Island Home, a forgotten island transformed into the height of luxury - is billed as the celebrity event of the decade”, one locale of ultra-exclusive private members’ clubs. But as the first guests arrive, the weekend soon turns deadly…If your name’s on the list, you’re not getting out.” Fantasticfiction.com |
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Week of March 22:
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One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
“…a story about love, loss and that point in adulthood where we learn our parents are human, too, and not always perfect.” From apnews.com The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd “…highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret - one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure and to the truth about her family’s dark history.” From bookshop.org A Girl During the War by Anita Abriel “…a sweeping and evocative story of love and purpose in WWII Italy.” From goodreads.com |
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The Chase by Candice Fox
“…a modern The Fugitive… In response to a hostage situation, more than 600 inmates from the Pronghorn Correctional Facility, including everyone on Death Row, are released into the Nevada Desert.” One inmate works to avoid capture in order to prove his innocence in the death of his wife and son.” From goodreads.com The Wonders by Elena Medel “A series of interlocking narratives about Maria, Carmen, and Alicia - all working-class women who find themselves in [Madrid] for varied reasons…traces transformations in Spanish life, culture, and politics from the end of the Franco era to the 21st century”…as it traces the lives of the women and their constrained lives. From kirkusreviews.com Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett “The author of Pond returns with a novel about the interior life of [a] working-class English schoolgirl who scribbles stories in the back pages of her exercise book, intoxicated by the first sparks of her imagination. As she grows, everything and everyone she encounters become fuel for a burning talent.” From bookmarks.reviews.com |
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The Bald Eagle - The Improbable Journey of America’s Bird by Jack E. Davis
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Winter in Sokcho by Elisa Shua Dusapin
“…evokes the atmosphere of abandonment and isolation as well as the stark beauty of winter in a provincial South Koran seaside resort town near the North Korean border. Narrated by a sharply observant young French Korean resident, the story explores rifts of identity - personal, cultural, and national - and the fleeting kinship that is possible between solitary strangers.” From nationalbook.org The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka “…a slim, brilliant novel about the value and beauty of mundane routines that shape our days and identities; or maybe it’s a novel about the cracks that, inevitably, will one day appear to undermine our own bodies and minds…”. From npr.org Love and Saffron by Kim Fay “…witty and tender novel follows two women in 1960s America as they discover that food really does connect us all, and that friendship and laughter are the best medicine.” From goodreads.com |
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The Last Confessions of Sylvia P. by Lee Kravetz “Blending past and present, and told through three unique interwoven narratives that build on one another, a daring and brilliant debut novel that reimagines a chapter in the life of Sylvia Plath, telling the story behind the creation of her classic semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar.” From goodreads.com |
Week of March 8:
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The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont
“…a mystery centered around the sensational and scandalous chain of events that led to Agatha Christie’s disappearance for 11 days in 1926.” From goodreads.com Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson “…two estranged siblings must set aside their differences to deal with their mother’s death and her hidden past - a journey of discovery that takes them from the Caribbean to London to California and ends with her famous black cake.” From goodreads.com The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang “A Chinese American family reckons with its patriarch’s murder in this modern-day reboot of The Brothers Karamazov.” From kirkusreviews.com Sentence - Ten Years and a Thousand Books in Prison by Daniel Genis “This debut memoir follows translator and journalist Genis as he describes his prison experience in flashes of memory… [via] the 1046 books he read…”. From libraryjournal.com |
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Burning Questions - Essays and Occasional Pieces by Margaret Atwood
“This brilliant selection of essays - funny, erudite, endlessly curious, uncannily prescient - seeks answers to Burning Questions such as: Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories? How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating?…”. From goodreads.com Other People’s Clothes by Calla Henkel “A whirlwind of screwball comedy, murder and friendship that examines the cannabalisation of experience to feed social media.” From theguardian.com The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer The 2nd book in the Zig and Nola series, the follow-up to The Escape Artist. During an autopsy, mortician Zig “discovers something he was never meant to see…one of the government’s most intensely guarded secrets…”. From fantasticfiction.com |
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Tell Me An Ending by Jo Hardin
“Dystopian debut about a tech company that deletes unwanted memories, the consequences for those forced to contend with what they tried to forget, and the dissenting doctor who seeks to protect her patients from further harm.” From goodreads.com The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen From the author duo of The Wife Between Us. “The twisty tale of a therapist with unconventional methods trying to unlock the mystery of a “perfect” marriage.” From bookofthemonth.com The Greatest Invention - A History of the World in Nine Mysterious Scripts by Silvia Ferrara “…a code-cracking tour around the globe, sifting through our cultural and social behavior in search of the origins of our greatest invention - writing.” From goodreads.com Booth by Karen Joy Fowler "Fowler sets the stage in remarkable prose...the nuanced plot is both historically rigorous and richly imagined. This is a winner." From publishersweekly.com |
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Week of March 1:
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Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh
From goodreads.com: “…a tense, riveting story about the disparate lives that intersect at a women’s clinic in Boston…a story of the polarized American present.” The Cage by Bonnie Kistler “A tense, intricate legal thriller… A young, debt-burdened lawyer finds herself trapped in a legal battle when her boss tries to frame her for murder.” From kirkusreviews.com The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk From the 2019 Nobel Prize winner in Literature. “Set in the mid-18th century, The Books of Jacob is about a charismatic self-proclaimed messiah, Jacob Frank, a young Jew who travels through the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires, attracting and repelling crowds and authorities in equal measure.” From nytimes.com The Fifties - An Underground History by James R. Gaines “A bold and original argument that upends the myth of the Fifties as a decade of conformity to celebrate the solitary, brave, and stuff born individuals who pioneered the radical gay rights, feminist, civil rights, and environmental movements…” from bookshop.org |
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To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara
“…a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.” From goodreads.com Feral Creatures by Kira Jane Buxton “…follow-up to Hollow Kingdom, the animal kingdom’s “favorite apocalyptic hero” is back with a renewed sense of hope for humanity, ready to take on a world ravaged by a viral pandemic.” From kirajanebuxton.com Joan is Okay by Weike Wang “The loss of her father forces a young doctor to confront her past and present…as the child of immigrants, a career woman, and an Asian American. A novel as one of a kind as its memorable main character.” From kirkusreviews.com |
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Daylight by David Baldacci
The 3rd book in the Atlee Pine Series - “FBI Agent Atlee Pine’s search for her sister Mercy clashes with military investigator John Puller’s high-stakes case, leading them both deep into a global conspiracy - from which neither of them will escape unscathed.” From goodreads.com The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk Liesl Weiss’s first day as the head of the rare books department at a large university was not planned. It is also the day a rare bible is to arrive for viewing by wealthy donors. She must wrangle the staff and the donors - and keep her head above water while doing it. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover “A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story…”. From goodreads.com |
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We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live by Joan Didion
“From the best-selling, award-winning author of The Year of Magical Thinking and Let Me Tell You What I Mean, this collection includes seven books in one volume: the full texts of Slouching Towards Bethlehem; The White Album; Salvador; Miami; After Henry; Political Fictions; and Where I Was From.” From bookdepository.com Sensational - The Hidden History of America’s “Girl Stunt Reporters” by Kim Todd “A vivid social history that brings to light the “girl stunt reporters” of the Gilded Age who went undercover to expose corruption and abuse in America, and redefined what it meant to be a woman and a journalist - pioneers whose influence continues to be felt today. From bookshop.org |
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Week of February 8:
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Unthinkable by Jamie Raskin
“Raskin’s book opens in the depths of loss and despair [following his son’s suicide], followed days later by the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.” He blends his family’s loss with private conversations with {President] Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as he led arguments during the Senate impeachment trial of then-President Trump. from npr.org You Don’t Know Us Negroes by Zora Neale Hurston “Spanning more than 35 years of work, the first comprehensive collection of essays, criticism, and articles by the legendary author of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston, showcasing the evolution of her distinctive style as an archivist and author.” From goodreads.com Chasing History by Carl Bernstein “In this triumphant memoir, Carl Bernstein, the Pulitzer Prize-winning coauthor of All the President’s Men and pioneer of investigative journalism, recalls his beginnings as an audacious teenage newspaper reporter in the nation’s capital - a winning tale of scrapes, gumshoeing, and American bedlam.” From goodreads.com |
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The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
By the author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue, this is “a tantalizing novel about the secrets, betrayal, and murder within one of New York City’s most impressive Gilded Age mansions”, told by two women fifty years apart. From goodreads.com The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan “In her debut novel, Jessamine Chan imagines a future where parents (mostly women) get sent to government-run reform school. After making a questionable decision, a mother is sentenced to a yearlong program at a locked facility for unfit parents. Her relationship with her daughter hangs in the balance.” From the nytimes.com |
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Violeta by Isabel Allende
“In a rueful account written for her grandson, a 100-year-old South American woman recalls her tumultuous life.” From kirkusreviews.com West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge “Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, [this] explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.” From goodreads.com Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner “What appears to be a budding friendship between two moms-to-be brings more than its fair share of unpleasant surprises in this debut psychological thriller.” From kirkusreviews.com |
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Week of January 25:
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All That She Carried by Tiya Miles
Winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Non-Fiction! From nationalbook.org: “In 1850’s South Carolina, an enslaved woman named Rose faced a crisis, the imminent sale of her daughter Ashley. Thinking quickly, she packed a cotton bag with a few precious items as a token of love and to try to ensure Ashley’s survival”. This is “a poignant story of resilience and of love passed down through generations of women against steep odds.” Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keene “The highly anticipated portrait of three generations of the Sackler family… responsible for making and marketing OxyContin, a blockbuster painkiller that was a catalyst for the opioid crisis…a masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing, exhaustively documented and ferociously compelling.” From goodreads.com All About Me! By Mel Brooks “…never-before-told, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances from a master storyteller, filmmaker, and creator of all things funny.” Penguinrandomhouse.com |
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Hell of a Book by Jason Mott
Winner of the 2022 National Book Award for Fiction! “…an African-American author sets out on a cross-country book tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives [this novel] and is the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent: since his novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour.” From goodreads.com The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly “Relentless pursuit of justice is the iron rod that runs through every Connelly procedural, and [this] is no exception.” Another Ballard and Bosch novel. From nyjournalofbooks.com Seasonal Work by Laura Lippmann “In a suspenseful collection of stories featuring fierce women - including one never-before-published novella…[Lippman] is in top form in this collection of diverse and diabolically clever stories.” From goodreads.com |
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Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez
“Warm-hearted but tough-minded story of a sister and brother grappling with identity, family, and life goals in gentrifying Brooklyn.” “Atmospheric, intelligent, and well informed: an impressive debut.” From kirkusreviews.com The Final Case by David Guterson “A provocative new novel from the best-selling author of Snow Falling on Cedars - a moving father-son story that is also a taut courtroom drama and a bold examination of privilege, power, and how to live a meaningful life.” From goodreads.com |
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Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
“One pet crow fights to save humanity from an apocalypse in this uniquely hilarious debut from a genre-bending literary author.” From grandcentralpublishing.com Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge “A young Black woman travels from Brooklyn to Haiti in search of herself in this historical novel… Greenidge shows us aspects of history we seldom see in contemporary fiction.” From kirkusreviews.com |
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Week of January 18:
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The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
From goodreads.com: “In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years.” This book “offers a revealing vision of the American past and present.” Line of Sight by James Queally “The debut novel from award-winning crime reporter James Queally. All favors come with a cost, and after using what little favors he has in the Newark PD to get his private investigators license, former crime reporter Russell Avery finds himself paying.” From bookbrowse.com The Every by Dave Eggers “When the world’s largest search engine/social media company, the Circle, merges with the planet’s dominant e-commerce site, it creates the richest and most dangerous - and, oddly enough, most beloved - monopoly ever known: the Every.” From goodreads.com |
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Game On by Janet Evanovich
Goodreads.com: “…Stephanie Plum returns to hunt down a master cyber-criminal operating out of Trenton in the 28th book in the wildly popular series…” Betrayal by Jonathan Karl From the New York Times: “Betrayal is presented as an inside look at what happened in the last months of the Trump White House, beginning on Feb. 10, 2020.” |
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Moon and the Mars by Kia Corthron
“Historical fiction set in New York City’s Irish and Black communities before and during the Civil War.” From kirkusreviews.com The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker “…a dark and weighty retelling of the Iliad… Barker’s latest builds on her decades-long study of war and its impact on individual lives - and it is nothing short of magnificent.” |
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Mercy by David Baldacci
“FBI Agent Atlee Pine’s harrowing search for her long-lost sister Mercy reaches a boiling point in this breakneck thriller…”. Goodreads.com Fear No Evil by James Patterson “…the 29th Dr Alex Cross mystery…a fast-paced, twisty adventure with a rip-roaring ending. Fans will eat this up, but newcomers can be assured it can be read as a standalone.” Crimefictionlover.com No One Will Miss Her by Kay Rosenfield “A smart, witty, crackling novel of psychological suspense in which a girl from a hardscrabble small town meets a gorgeous Instagram influencer from the big city, with a murderous twist that will shock even the most savvy reader.” From goodreads.com Anthem by Noah Hawley “The young heir to a pharmaceutical fortune and his friends band together to bring down an evil billionaire in Hawley’s near-future thriller.” |
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Carnival of Snackery by David Sedaris
Goodreads.com says “There’s no right way to keep a diary, but if there’s an entertaining way, David Sedaris seems to have mastered it.” Being A Human by Charles Foster “A radically immersive exploration of three pivotal moments in the evolution of human consciousness, asking what kinds of creatures humans were, are, and might yet be.” From goodreads.com A Simple Murder by Linda Castillo “…set in Amish country…features six original short stories starring whip-smart chief of police, Kate Burkholder.” |
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Something to Hide by Elizabeth George
“Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Linley are back…[to] sort through the lies and the secret lives of people whose superficial cooperation masks the damage they do to one another.” From goodreads.com Small World by Jonathan Evison “A train accident reveals the connections among a host of people across race, class, history, and the country in this ambitious epic.” Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins “From the author of The Wife Upstairs..a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set on an isolated Pacific island with a dark history…” |
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The Moon Sister by Lucinda Riley
Book #5 in the Seven Sisters series - this one set in “the grandeur of the remote Scottish Highlands the gypsy caves of Granada…” from goodreads.com Repentance by Eloisa Diaz Set in Argentina, “Two moments in time, twenty years apart, one last chance at redemption.” “An accomplished, inventive detective novel thrumming with tension, family secrets, and the trauma of a violent military dictatorship…one man’s search to repair the past.” From fantasticfiction.com The Maid by Nita Prose A Good Morning America Book Club Pick - “A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit…explores what it means to bbe the same as everyone else, and yet entirely different - and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.” From goodreads.com A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham From libraryjournal.com: “…explores the post-traumatic stress disorder experienced by those left in the wake of a serial killer…a great addition to any mystery/psychological thriller collection, with an unforgettable character haunted by her past in an authentic Louisiana setting…” |
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A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
NPR says “Helen was “the face that launched a thousand ships”…that classic tale has been told and re-told for generations - and there’s now a version with a twist: The stories of the women are the focus, not the stories of the men.” The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley The third in the series, “‘soaked in glamour and romance’ and perfect for fans of Downton Abbey and the novels of Kate Morton.” |
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