|
|
| The Great Believers by Rebecca MakkaiDo you love entwined storylines and epic character driven, time-crossing novels? Give this generational story of the AIDS epidemic a try. Set in mid-1980s Chicago and modern-day Paris, this riveting novel is a powerful portrayal of loss, life, friendship, and family. You might like this title if you enjoyed the scope and subject matter of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, but want something more uplifting. |
|
| Bearskin by James A. McLaughlinObsessed with catching the poachers intruding on a private preserve, caretaker Rice Moore runs into trouble with vicious locals, a drug cartel, and U.S. law enforcement. With a flawed and damaged hero, bursts of violence, and an atmospheric setting in Virginia's Appalachian forests, this visceral, literary debut shows that it's not just nature that's red in tooth and claw. |
|
| There There by Tommy OrangeThere There is a wide-ranging, multifaceted set of vignettes of a complex and sometimes only tangentially connected community -- that of urban Native Americans, as they prepare for the upcoming Powwow in the Oakland Coliseum. Orange's debut has been widely praised, and many critics are singling him out as a writer to watch: "a new kind of American epic" (The New York Times); "white-hot" (The Washington Post); "kaleidoscopic" (Kirkus Reviews). |
|
| The Shepherd's Hut by Tim WintonAfter the sudden death of his violent father, teenager Jaxie Clackton takes off across the rough and dangerous landscape of Western Australia in hopes of reaching the girl he loves.
Jaxie's journey across the unforgiving wilderness; the compelling and gritty writing; and Jaxie himself -- as rough as his language, he's not always easy to feel sympathy for.
Be warned - there is a fair amount of blood and violence in this jarring read. |
|
|
Spanning the years of the first great settlement of the West, The Removes tells the intertwining stories of fifteen-year-old Anne Cummins, frontierswoman Libbie Custer, and Libbie's husband, the Civil War hero George Armstrong Custer. When Anne survives a surprise attack on her family's homestead, she is thrust into a difficult life she never anticipated--living among the Cheyenne as both a captive and, eventually, a member of the tribe. Libbie, too, is thrown into a brutal, unexpected life when she marries Custer.
|
|
|
How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia is a striking slice of contemporary life at a time of crushing upheaval. Romantic without being sentimental, political without being didactic, and spiritual without being religious, it brings an unflinching gaze to the violence and hope it depicts. The story of an unnamed poor boy and his quest to get rich and find love, as he builds his empire on the most valuable good: water. This novel takes its title and shape from self-help novels devoured by ambitious youths.
|
|
|
How to Be Both by Ali SmithThis inventive, genre-blending combination of historical and contemporary stories, in a highly unusual format -- chapters are arranged in a different order from copy to copy, so readers will experience the book differently depending on what they hold in their hands. So any plot summary we give you just won't do justice! Pick this one up for your art-inspired book club and compare your experience with other readers.
|
|
|
How to Build a Girl by Caitlin MoranMeet awkward 14-year-old misfit Johanna Morgan, whose family is on the dole. She reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde, a hard-charging partier who makes a name for herself as a hard-to-please rock critic.
Read this book for a vacation to England's music scene in the 1990s. The writing is clever, observant, and often hilarious, and you can enjoy it because your awkward teen years are comfortably far behind you.
|
|
| How to Behave in a Crowd by Camille Bordas11-year-old Isadore Mazal is the youngest and least obviously talented among six overachieving and gifted siblings. Isadore is a misfit who proves that while he may not have academic gifts nor musical talents, he has his own special way of seeing the world.
This dark comedy is a character-driven coming of age story, narrated by the baby of the family (and what a family it is). |
|
Read Along With Us! Book Clubs @ HPL
|
|
|
Classic Literature Book Club Central Library August 14, 12PM - 1 PM Do your reading tendencies lean towards the classics? Join us for our second discussion of Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens.
|
|
|
Eleven Blowout Books Central Library August 9, 12 PM - 1 PM Join us to learn more about green themes including the environmental, social and economic approaches to sustainability. Held the second Thursday of the month at noon; led by Steve Stelzer, Program Director, Houston Green Building Resource Center.
|
|
|
Heights Great Books Heights Neighborhood Library
|
|
|
Heights Library Reader's Group Heights Neighborhood Library August 6, 6:15 - 7:45 PM Join us for a lively book discussion on Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward.
|
|
|
Mystery on the Boulevard Heights Neighborhood Library July 21, 2 PM - 4 PM
|
|
|
Looscan Book Lovers Looscan Neighborhood Library August 16, 2 PM - 3:30 PM Join us for a lively discussion of Burial Rites by Hannah Kent.
|
|
|
Mystery Book Club Morris Frank Library August 16, 1 PM - 2 PM Join us for a lively book discussion with the Meyer Mystery Book Club (hosted by Frank Library). This month, we will be discussing Testimony by Scott Turow.
|
|
|
|
|
|