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Fiction A to Z February 2020
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| Followers by Megan AngeloWhat happens: Two storylines unfold, one set in 2016, and one in 2051. Separating the two is a catastrophic data hack.
Why you might like it: Exploring the pitfalls of social media, this debut novel takes contemporary interest in celebrity culture to its logical extreme.
For fans of: Dave Eggers' The Circle; Courtney Maum's Touch, or Connie Willis' Crosstalk -- all of which touch on different aspects of the trouble with technology and social media. |
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On Swift Horses by Shannon PufahlWhat it is: a debut of astonishing power: a story of love and luck, of two people trying to find their place in a country that is coming apart even as it promises them everything. What it's about: A lonely newlywed immerses herself in postwar Los Angeles’ horseracing circuit to navigate her mother’s loss, while her Las Vegas casino worker brother searches for a beloved young card cheat who has been run out of town. Praise for the author: "Pufahl's prose carries hints of other writers who combine the bleak and the hopeful, such as Annie Proulx, Wallace Stegner and Kent Haruf. . . . a novelist to watch." --BookPage
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Small Days and Nights by Tishani DoshiWhat it is: A captivating and clear-eyed story of two sisters caught in a moment of transformation, set against the vivid backdrop of modern India. What it's about: Grace Marisola has returned to Pondicherry from the United States to cremate her mother. Once there, she receives an inheritance she could not have expected-a property on the beaches of Madras-and discovers a sister she never knew she had: Lucia, who was born with Down Syndrome and has spent her life in a residential facility.
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| You Were There Too by Colleen OakleyHow's this for weird: For years, Mia Graydon has had a recurring character appear in her dreams; when she meets him in real life, she's shocked to find out she's been appearing in his.
What happens: Mia, whose marriage has faltered under the weight of infertility problems, has to figure out which man is the one for her. Expect to need tissues in this relationship-driven book.
For fans of: Kristin Hannah's The Life Intended; Taylor Jenkins Reid's One True Loves. |
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The Book of Science and Antiquities by Thomas KeneallyWhat it is: the bestselling author of The Daughters of Mars and Schindler's List , returns with an exquisite exploration of community and country, love and morality, taking place in both prehistoric and modern Australia. What it's about: Obsessively researching prehistoric remains believed to represent a link between Africa and ancient Australia, an award-winning documentary filmmaker uncovers the complex world of a peaceful, 40,000-year-old tribal human.
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Reviewers say: "Fans and scholars of Hurston's work and the uninitiated alike will find many delights in these complex, thoughtful and wickedly funny portraits of black lives and communities... [ Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick] is a significant testament to the enduring resonance of black women's writing."--Washington Post
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| Hunter's Moon: A Novel in Stories by Philip CaputoWhat it is: several interconnected stories set in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that address the toll violence takes on men and their relationships.
Read it for: the strongly depicted characters; the bonds between men; nature's beauty.
Reviewers say: "Expertly blending plot and character, each of these taut, propulsive tales possesses novelistic depth" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Growing Things and Other Stories by Paul TremblayWhat it is: An anthology of psychological suspense tales by the award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts includes such entries as "The Teacher," "The Getaway" and "Swim Wants to Know If It's as Bad as Swim Thinks." What you will find: From global catastrophe to the demons inside our heads, he illuminates our primal fears and tormented nightmares in startlingly original fiction that leaves us unmoored. As he lowers the sky and yanks the ground from beneath our feet, we are compelled to contemplate the darkness inside our own hearts and minds.
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What it is: In these very short stories, narrators step out of themselves to explain their lives to us, sometimes defensively, sometimes regretfully, other times deceitfully.
What's inside: Voices include those of the impulsive first-time murderer, the depressed pet sitter, the assistant of Patsy Cline, the anxiety-riddled new mother, the aged rock-and-roller and many others. Why you should read it: Crossing time, states, class, and religions, McGraw's stories are on the edge, causing you to wince even as you laugh.
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Sing To It: New Stories by Amy HempelWhat it is: Finely tuned and brilliantly written, a heartbreaking new collection of 15 stories introduces characters, lonely and adrift, searching for connection. Just a sample: In 'A Full-Service Shelter', a volunteer at a dog shelter tirelessly, devotedly cares for dogs on a list to be euthanized. In 'Greed,' a spurned wife examines her husband's affair with a glamorous, older married woman. And in 'Cloudland,' the longest story in the collection, a woman reckons with the choice she made as a teenager to give up her newborn infant.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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