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A Baker's Dozen of Staff Picks April 2018
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Check out what our staff is recommending this month!
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If you enjoy this newsletter and would like to subscribe to our bimonthly issue, you may do so by visiting Avon Lake Public Library homepage and clicking on Find New Books to Read under the Quick Links section. Simply place a check next to A Baker's Dozen of Staff Picks or any other newsletter you might be interested in receiving.
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Sing, Unburied, Sing : a novel by Jesmyn WardA searing and profound Southern odyssey by National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward. In Jesmyn Ward's first novel since her National Book Award-winning Salvage the Bones, this singular American writer brings the archetypal road novel into rural twenty-first-century America. Drawing on Morrison and Faulkner, The Odyssey and the Old Testament, Ward gives us an epochal story, a journey through Mississippi's past and present that is both an intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle. Ward is a major American writer, multiply awarded and universally lauded, and in Sing, Unburied, Sing she is at the height of her powers. Karen: Adult Services "A novel that is as beautifully choreographed as a Broadway hit show. The pages cover a wide range of emotions, the greatest of which is love."
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Watch Me Disappear by Janelle BrownWhen a woman goes missing during a hike in California's Desolation Wilderness, her devastated family is forced to come to terms with her secretive nature. By the best-selling author of All We Ever Wanted Was Everything. Laura: Adult Services "This suspense novel about a family and their secrets kept me reading, as well as guessing along with the main character Billie's husband, Jonathan, and teen daughter, Olivia, about what happened to Billie after she fails to return from a solo hiking trip. The more Jonathan and Olivia investigate her disappearance, the more questions, rather than answers, they uncover, and the more they wonder: How well do we really know the people we're closest to?"
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The Trespasser by Tana FrenchWhile Detective Antoinette Conway and her partner Stephen Moran work a seemingly routine investigation of a lovers' quarrel gone bad, they discover the case isn't as by-the-numbers as they thought.
Liese: Substitute Librarian
"If you are not familiar with Irish fiction then you will want to brush up on colloquial expressions like gaff, gaffer, and bollix. The Irish are great story tellers and Tana French is no exception having won multiple awards for mystery fiction. When you pick up this book, clear your calendar because you won’t want to put it down until it’s done."
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The Girl Who Was Taken by Charlie DonleaA year after one of two missing girls becomes famous for escaping from a mysterious abductor, the recovered girl's forensic pathologist older sister discovers clues that may reveal the fate of other missing teens. Nicole: Children's Department "This fast-paced page-turner tells the story of two abducted girls- one who returns and one who doesn't. The suspense continues until the very end, with lots of twists and surprises along the way."
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Sunburn by Laura LippmanA pair of travelers, one of whom may be playing a dangerous psychological game with the other, embark on a steamy summertime affair that is thrown into chaos by dark secrets and a suspicious death, in a story inspired by the classics of James M. Cain. By the New York Times best-selling author of And When She Was Good.
Jess: Adult Services "A book filled with secrets that are exposed one by one."
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The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodOffred, a Handmaid, describes life in what was once the United States, now the Republic of Gilead, a shockingly repressive and intolerant monotheocracy, in a satirical tour de force set in the near future, in a classic work that is soon to be a 10-part Hulu series. An Arthur C. Clarke Award winner and Booker Prize nominee. Nadge: Adult Services "In this well written futuristic narrative, the rise and steep fall of women's rights vacillates between the past and the present."
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The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi LeeTwo friends on a Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe stumble across a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt shaped by pirates, highwaymen and their growing attraction to one another. Gina: Young Adult Librarian
"This is a historical fiction book that manages to tell a very modern story -- one of a young man finding his voice among an oppressive, confining culture even though he seemingly has privilege. Not to mention it's absolutely hilarious!" |
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Maureen: Fiscal Officer Assistant " I was looking for an inspirational read and this book fit the bill."
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East of Eden by John SteinbeckThe biblical account of Cain and Abel is echoed in the history of two generations of the Trask Family in California. Sybil: Children's Department "Yes, it's a "classic." Yes, it's over 600 pages. You should have read it in high school or maybe college. But you didn't. Pick it up now. The characters are so realistic; you'll swear that Steinbeck knew your brother (or your sister). The settings are thoughtfully described; the sentence construction and word choices are top notch. The conflicts are universal--almost biblical one could say. There's a reason you should have read it. Just do it."
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A Small-Town Bride by Hope RamsayTired of being the Poor Little Rich Girl of Shenandoah Falls, Amy Lyndon, after standing up to her family, is cut off from the family fortune and finds work with Dusty McNeil’s landscaping crew, proving to everyone—especially Dusty—that she is more than willing to get her hands dirty. Virginia: Librarian Substitute
"A heartwarming romance story about a rich girl who decides to stand on her own to avoid marriage to the man chosen by her family." |
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Lilac Girls : a novel by Martha Hall KellyThe lives of three women converge at the Ravensbrück concentration camp as one resolves to help from her post at the French consulate, one becomes a courier in the Polish resistance, and one takes a German government medical position. Julie: Children's Department "A story based on historical data. A riveting tale that I will not soon forget."
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The Atomic City Girls by Janet BeardA novel inspired by the stories of everyday women who contributed to the Manhattan Project during World War II follows the experiences of 18-year-old June, who, in 1944, travels to a city that does not officially exist to work alongside hundreds of other young women operating massive secret machines in support of the war effort. Ann: Adult Page "I learned about the Manhattan Project during World War II which was new to me. The woman working had no idea what they were creating."
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The Late Show by Michael ConnellyAssigned to the night shift after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a supervisor, detective Renée Ballard disobeys orders by continuing to investigate an assault on a prostitute and the death of a woman in a nightclub shooting Dan: Page Supervisor
"Connelly has created a new lead character, Renee Ballard. Ballard is a young detective who works the night shift in Hollywood - aka The Late Show. She's there because she was forced there by a previous supervisor, but also because she has her own set of standards to live by. This was the first book with Renee's character and there is a lot of room for Connelly to show her character development. It will be fun to watch her grow in this new series." |
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Avon Lake Public Library 32649 Electric Blvd. Avon Lake, Ohio 44012 440-933-8128alpl.org |
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