|
Fiction A to Z January 2019
|
|
|
|
📖 = Book; 📱 = eBook, 🎧 = eAudiobook |
|
| The Dakota Winters by Tom BarbashWhat happens: 23-year-old Anton Winter comes of age, with a little help from his friends.
What it includes: father-son dynamics, television talk shows, John Lennon, Manhattan in the 1980s, and Ted Kennedy's presidential campaign.
Why you might like it: Chock-full of '80s culture and sprinkled with celebrities (both real and imagined), this engaging and imaginative novel casts a nostalgic spell.
đź“– |
|
| The Adults by Caroline HulseStarring: Matt (and his girlfriend, Alex), Claire (and her boyfriend, Patrick), and Matt and Claire's seven-year-old daughter, Scarlett, all of whom are spending Christmas together at a family amusement park.
What happens: As the cover image suggests, it doesn't go well. Someone is shot with a bow and arrow, but before we get to that point in this entertaining debut, tension and jealousy abound.
Read it for: the police interviews and fun-park brochures that are interspersed with scenes of the quickly deteriorating situation; the astringent, dry wit; plenty of British slang; and a giant invisible rabbit named Posey.
đź“– |
|
|
Putney : a novel
by Sofka Zinovieff
An inappropriate bond between the preadolescent daughter of a famous novelist and a rising 1970s London composer 20 years her senior intensifies into a predatory affair, in an explosive tale told from three perspectives.
📖🎧
|
|
|
Boy Swallows Universe
by Trent Dalton
Set in Brisbane's violent working class suburban fringe. 1985: A lost father, a mute brother, a junkie mum, a heroin dealer for a stepfather and a notorious crim for a babysitter. It's not as if Eli's life isn't complicated enough already. He's just trying to follow his heart, learning what it takes to be a good man, but life just keeps throwing obstacles in the way - not least of which is Tytus Broz, legendary Brisbane drug dealer. But if Eli's life is about to get a whole lot more serious. He's about to meet the father he doesn't remember, break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day to rescue his mum, come face to face with the criminals who tore his world apart, and fall in love with the girl of his dreams. A story of brotherhood, true love and the most unlikely of friendships.
📖📱🎧
|
|
| The Museum of Modern Love by Heather RoseWhat it's about: the many people who find themselves drawn to performance artist Marina Abramovic, who stages herself at Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art for hours, waiting to gaze into the eyes of anyone who chooses to seat themselves at her table.
Why you might like it: Abramovic's performance (which actually did take place in 2010) elicits strong responses in the audience, as returning observers connect with each other, reflect on their losses, and interact with the artist. The result is a thought-provoking exploration not just of art but of love and desire as well.
📖📱🎧 |
|
| Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. LeeWhat it's about: the relationship between responsible Miranda and her irrepressible younger sister Lucia, which is severely tested by Lucia's wild behavioral swings and cycles of depression and delusion.
Read if for: an astute, compassionate picture of what it's like to struggle with mental illness or to love someone who does; vividly described settings, including New York City in the 1990s and several locations in Ecuador; the complex intermingling of cultures.
Reviewers say: "powerfully hopeful" (Bust Magazine).
📖📱🎧 |
|
|
Mary B : a novel
by Katherine Chen
In her delightfully Austenian debut, Katherine J. Chen shines the spotlight on the often forgotten Mary Bennett. No longer merely the middle sister and often forgotten secondary character of Pride and Prejudice, Mary at last takes center stage in Chen’s reinvisoning of Austen’s beloved classic. Throughout the novel, readers follow Mary as she unabashedly embraces her identity despite the pressure of social conventions. Through Chen’s luminous characterization and enveloping prose, readers are finally given the opportunity to delve deep into the psyche of one of Austen’s most underrated heroines. Mary B is an homage to the freedom that can be found by being true to yourself, of living without “gentleman’s approval” or “fear of reprobation.” A satiating novel whether you’re a fan of Austen or not, Mary B is an inventive extension of a timeless story.
đź“–
|
|
|
Vox
by Christina Dalcher
Set in a future where women’s use of language is limited to 100 words a day (and where anyone who breeches that limit receives a painful electric shock via a government mandated wristband), Vox follows a cognitive linguist named Jean McClellan as she attempts to circumnavigate the suppressive laws passed by a conservative friendly chauvinist’s presidency. When the president’s brother falls ill and his ability to communicate is weakened, McClellan’s skills give her the opportunity to find a way to dismantle the grip of the administration’s misogyny and its detrimental impact on American citizens. In the spirit of Margaret Atwood’s classic The Handmaids's Tale, Dalcher’s Vox is a suspenseful cautionary tale filled with Black Mirror-esque moments of terror and insight.
📖📱
|
|
| Severance by Ling MaWhat it is: a mixture of apocalyptic world-building (a plague has ravaged New York and the rest of the world), anti-capitalist satire, and...the coming-of-age of a millennial blogger?
What happens: Shen Fever hits, turning regular people into routine-driven automatons; at first, professionally unfulfilled Candace doesn't notice, but soon she's one of the few survivors of this curious pandemic, and joins an odd little band headed west.
Read if for: an engaging and entertaining story that illuminates the hypocrisy and flaws of capitalism.
📖📱 |
|
| Cherry by Nico WalkerStarring: an unnamed Army medic who turns to heroin to cope with PTSD, and takes to robbing banks to support his addiction.
Is it for you? Raw, brutal writing depicts the horrors of war and the harrowing traumas of addiction.
About the author: Like his main character, debut author Nico Walker is an Army veteran, recovering heroin addict, and is currently in prison for bank robbery.
đź“– |
|
| Meet Me at the Museum by Anne YoungsonFeaturing: a disenchanted farmer's wife in England and a widowed museum curator in Denmark.
What's inside: a series of thoughtful, reflective letters, through which the lonely pair begins to build an unexpected yet meaningful connection.
Why you might like it: This leisurely paced debut is both hopeful and calming, and may best be enjoyed in a cozy spot on a rainy afternoon.
📖📱 |
|
|
Read and Win! The Summer Reading Challenge for Adults is back. Have fun, relax with some good books, and stretch yourself in your reading this summer. You can pick up a challenge card at Rangiora, Kaiapoi or Oxford Library during opening hours. For more information on how it works, and handy resources to help you find books to complete challenges, see the Summer Reading Challenge for Adults page
|
Visit the library website for news, information and more great reads! |
|
|
|
|
|