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"Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes." ~Author Unknown
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New and Recently Released!
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| Bedrock Faith by Eric Charles MayAfter 14 years in prison, Gerald "Stew Pot" Reeves has returned home to Parkland, a close-knit, middle-class African American neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. His return terrifies his neighbors, whom he regularly terrorized as a teen. But Stew Pot has changed -- he's still disruptive, but this time his religious fanaticism and judgmental behavior turn out to be just as troublesome as his violence had once been. Told from the perspectives of multiple community members as they try to deal with this new threat to the status quo, this debut creates a strong sense of Parkland as a neighborhood, incorporating both increasing suspense and exquisitely detailed characters and settings. |
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| Bark: Stories by Lorrie MooreThough the characters in the eight short stories in this collection may be struggling through troubled lives -- whether dealing with divorce or failed careers or mental illness -- they do so with humor, intelligence, and a robust sense of irony. Their situations are realistic and perceptively depicted, sometimes uncomfortably so. The stories vary in length; some are set around distinct political events in the recent past (the invasion of Iraq, President Obama's election), but through them all author Lorrie Moore "brilliantly observes the dead-on sorrow and hilarity of our day-to-day" (MORE magazine). |
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| The Divorce Papers: A Novel by Susan RiegerIn this epistolary novel (told not only through letters but also emails, transcripts, office memos, and articles), law associate Sophie Diehl specializes in criminal law, not liking the hand-holding and face-to-face contact required by family law. But when she's the only one available to do an interview in a divorce case, she gets stuck with the entire thing once the client takes a liking to her. Sophie's got to learn some new skills, while also juggling her own romantic life, office politics, and memories of her parents' divorce when she was a child. Combining sharp humor with intriguing and charmingly real characters, this debut is sure to please, though non legal-eagles may feel compelled to skip some of the legal documentation. |
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| The Spinning Heart by Donal RyanNarrated by unforgettably distinct characters -- one chapter per character -- who relay some of the same events, this dialect-rich novel follows a small Irish town in the aftermath of the country's financial collapse. Their own major employer, a construction company, has folded, bringing about rising tensions and violence as resources become increasingly hard to come by. The narrators, who share their own experiences, also build a picture of one Bobby Mahon, who enjoys a reputation as an upstanding citizen but may not entirely deserve it. Though necessarily bleak and grey, this engaging and occasionally humorous debut won the Guardian First Book Award and may appeal to fans of Tana French's Broken Harbor, which depicts a murder investigation in a similarly stricken Ireland. |
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| Garden Spells by Sarah Addison AllenIn the small North Carolina town of Bascom there stands a house -- and a magical garden -- that has been home to generations of gifted Waverley women. Living there now is successful caterer Claire, who uses edible flowers to create unusual recipes that "affect the eater in curious ways." Her peaceful routine is about to be transformed by the return of her younger sister Sydney, who ran away ten years ago at the age of 18, and by Tyler, the new neighbor next door. A charming read, this book is sure to cast a delightful spell, especially if you enjoy Southern fiction with a touch of magical realism. |
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| The Care and Handling of Roses with Thorns by Margaret DillowayIn her rose garden, prickly, private biology teacher Gal Garner blooms, tending her competition roses -- especially the one she's trying to breed -- with patience and care. On dialysis since she was a child, Gal is an expert at pushing others away, but her solitary and regimented ways come to an abrupt end when her niece, Riley, arrives after her mother takes off for Hong Kong. Though it isn't an easy process, Gal and Riley eventually establish a relationship, and Riley helps Gal learn to connect with and reach out to others. As in Ramsey Hootman's Courting Greta, this exercise in compassion leads to reconciling with family members, participating in community life, and embracing new experiences. |
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| The Savage Garden by Mark MillsIn 1958, young Cambridge scholar Adam Strickland is spending his summer in Tuscany researching a famous 16th-century memorial garden. But the more Adam learns about its elaborate landscapes, the more he believes that it hides secrets -- such as the truth behind the death of the woman it memorializes, and possibly clues to a more recent murder. While the family that owns the garden is intrigued by the former theory, Adam's interest in the latter is not met warmly. For a similarly atmospheric tale in which gardens hold the answers to old mysteries, try Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden. |
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| The French Gardener by Santa MontefioreMiranda, David, and their children have left crowded London for a beautiful if slightly shambolic country estate. But with David spending his weeks in London, their relationship is under even more strain (the kids, too, are struggling). Balancing house, estate, kids (one of whom is terrorizing the neighborhood), career, and a failing marriage, Miranda is delighted when a charming, gentle Frenchman offers to return their gardens to their former glory. As their garden transforms, so too does the family. And there's an intriguing parallel story as well, one that Miranda finds in the diary of the estate's former owner. Readers who truly love the results of hard work in the garden will appreciate both the depictions of Hartington House's gardens and the connections between nature, love, and healing. |
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| The Garden of Happy Endings: A Novel by Barbara O'NealThe Reverend Elsa Montgomery has just moved home to Pueblo, CO, after her third crisis of faith following the murder of a teen in her congregation. Her sister, Tamsin, whose husband is being investigated for his involvement in a Ponzi scheme, moves in with her after her own home is seized by police. Both at loose ends and needing to feel useful, they find purpose in their work at a community garden. Led by Father Jack, Elsa's best friend and former fiancé, the garden also attracts the interest of a very good-looking landscaping expert, whose arrival highlights unresolved feelings between Elsa and Jack. Romance readers will feel right at home in this charming tale of the healing power of hard work, fresh air, and nature. |
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| The Barbarian Nurseries by Hector TobarScott and Maureen Torres-Thompson live with their two children in a fancy Orange County home, though financial troubles exacerbated by Maureen's wild spending on a garden renovation have forced them to let go of much of their staff. Araceli, the undocumented housekeeper, must now care for the kids. But when both mom and dad disappear for days (taking "breaks" they neglect to tell each other or Araceli about), Araceli attempts to do the right thing by bringing the kids to their grandfather, who lives somewhere in L.A. When Scott and Maureen return to an empty house, they panic and call the cops, provoking a media circus that assumes the Mexican housekeeper has kidnapped the kids. Readers interested in social issues and the disconnect between wealthy Americans and the workers they hire will not want to miss The Barbarian Nurseries. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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