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Fiction A to Z December 2018
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| Evening in Paradise: More Stories by Lucia BerlinAbout the author: Lucia Berlin died in 2004 at age 68; it wasn't until her first posthumous collection was published in 2015 (A Manual for Cleaning Women) that she became known to a wider audience.
The collection: could be considered semi-autobiographical, given some similarities in locations (Lucia lived all over the American Southwest and in Latin America) and themes (homesickness, for one).
Reviewers say: "No dead author is more alive on the page than Berlin: funny, dark, and so in love with the world" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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The Christmas Key: A Twilight, Texas Novel
by Lori Wilde
Haunted by guilt, Marine Mark Shepherd arrives in Twilight, Texas to keep a solemn promise to his late best friend and, due to a case of mistaken identity, plays Santa to his buddy’s orphan son while falling hard for his buddy’s sister Naomi, the one woman he cannot have.
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| A Ladder to the Sky by John BoyneStarring: ruthless, manipulative Maurice Swift, who furthers his own literary career at the considerable expense of others.
Read it for: a fast-paced story, an insider's dark view of the publishing world, completely unsavory characters, and layers upon layers of plotting.
For fans of: the classic film All About Eve or Patricia Highsmith's popular novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. |
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A Monsoon of Music by Mitra PhukanA bright young student, a globetrotting star, and a highly respected married couple—each deeply immersed in the tradition of Hindustani classical music. A Monsoon of Music tells the story of these four musicians whose lives intersect in the small mofussil town of Tamulbari on the banks of the Brahmaputra. Against the backdrop of musical heritage and haunting ragas, Mitra Phukan sweeps us into the lives of her characters: the ambitious sitarist, Kaushik Kashyap, who tours the world with his beautiful Italian student; Nomita, the shy small-town vocalist whom Kaushik's parents have chosen for him; the beautifully serene Sandhya Senapati and her husband, the handsome Tridib Barua, who seems to be hiding dark secrets; and the well-known industrialist Deepak Rathod. As the eventful monsoon months give way to autumn, they each come to deeper understandings of themselves even as their lives change dramatically. By turns serious, deeply moving, and utterly irreverent, Phukan's eye for detail, her immense knowledge of Hindustani classical music, and her profound understanding of human nature come together in this remarkable novel.
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A Christmas Revelation: A Novel
by Anne Perry
"In this intriguing, uplifting holiday mystery from bestselling author Anne Perry, an orphan boy investigates a woman's kidnapping--and discovers there's more at stake than a disappearance. When Worm, a young orphan boy who works at the local clinic, sees Eloise being kidnapped by two men in the days leading up to Christmas, he immediately recruits Squeaky Robinson to help rescue her. But as they track Eloise down, they're surprised to hear that she does not, in fact, wish to be rescued. Instead, Eloise intends to bring the kidnappers, who drew her father into their shady business deals and then murdered him, to justice. The kidnappers are skilled illusionists, and after they try their tricks on Worm and Squeaky, the friends are determined to help Eloisewith her plan--and they might just be able to use the kidnappers' tricks against them."
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| My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan BraithwaiteStarring: hardworking, practical Korede, and her beautiful sister Ayoola, who seems to have made a habit of killing her boyfriends.
What it's about: Korede is the one who ends up having to dispose of the bodies and keep her sister out of jail. But when the handsome doctor who Korede has fallen in love with notices Ayoola and asks for her number, Korede faces a dilemma.
Why you might like it: This darkly funny debut captures complex family relationships and the crowded streets of Lagos, Nigeria, with equal skill. |
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| One Day in December by Josie SilverWhat it's about: A fleeting encounter at a London bus stop has Laurie pining for a stranger -- who, a year later, shows up on the arm of her best friend.
What happens next: It's a case of terrible timing, and for ten years, Laurie and Jack repress their feelings for each other. While there's eventually a happy ending, the journey there is far from smooth.
For fans of: Love Actually, When Harry Met Sally, and other charming romantic comedies. |
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| Family Trust by Kathy WangFeaturing: terminally ill patriarch Stanley Huang, and his prospective heirs, who wonder how much he's really worth while considering their own failures and successes as second-generation Taiwanese Americans.
What it's about: While debut author Kathy Wang pokes fun at Silicon Valley culture, this is a novel about family relationships, aging, and class privilege.
Is it for you? Fans of Cynthia D'aprix Sweeney's The Nest will find much to appreciate. |
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Sea of Greed: A Novel From the Numa Files by Clive Cussler The world's oil supply is vanishing, the stock market is plummeting, and the key to saving the future seems to be a baffling historical mystery. Can the NUMA crew crack it in time? Sea of Greed is the suspenseful new NUMA Files novels from the #1 New York Times-bestselling grand master of adventure. After an explosion in the Gulf of Mexico destroys three oil rigs trying to revive a dying field, Kurt Austin and the NUMA Special Projects Team are tapped by the President of the United States to find out what's gone wrong. The trail leads them to a brilliant billionaire in the alternative energy field. Her goal is the end of the oil age; her company has spent billions developing the worlds' most advanced fuel-cell systems. But is she an environmental hero...or a rogue genetic engineer? The NUMA crew discovers that the oil fields are infected with bacteria that are consuming the oil before it can be pumped out of the earth--a bacteria originally lost decades ago when two submarines vanished in the Mediterranean. With hired killers on his trail, can Kurt Austin locate a submarine that's remained hidden for more than fifty years? And even if he can, can the biological terror that's been unleashed be stopped?
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The Kingfisher Secret: A Novel by Anonymous "Her codename is Kingfisher. Her mission: to seduce and marry a man of wealth and political influence. Now she must protect a terrifying secret. Who owns the most powerful man in the world? October 2016: In America, the election is a few weeks away. Journalist Grace Elliott has just landed a scoop that she believes will make her career. A porn star is willing to talk about her affair with the man some hope and many fear will become the next president of the United States. But no one will touch it. Not even Graces's boss, the right-wing publisher of America's leading tabloid. Instead Grace is sent to Europe where she discovers a story so big, so explosive that it could decide the American election and launch a new Cold War. As long as she can stay alive long enough to tell it. Spies, murder, and one of the biggest conspiracies of our time set the stage for this immersive thriller."
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Focus on: Unreliable Narrators
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| Three Things About Elsie by Joanna CannonStarring: 84-year-old Florence Claybourne, who, after a fall, awaits rescue at the Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly.
What happens: While she waits, Florence reflects on the passage of time, on her longtime friend Elsie and the secret they share, and on a man Florence thought was dead -- the murderer of Elsie's sister -- who seems to have joined Cherry Tree. But how is that possible?
Read it for: stubborn Florence, a fair bit of suspense, and the friendships that develop between residents at the home. |
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| The Headmaster's Wife by Thomas Christopher GreeneHow it begins: After respected headmaster Arthur Winthrop is found wandering Manhattan's Central Park -- naked -- he explains how he got there...and then confesses that he's murdered one of his students.
What happens: Well, that's complicated, and we can't say much without giving it all away. Just know that what starts out as seemingly the story of a mid-life crisis soon turns much, much more complicated.
Reviewers say: "one of the most convincingly drawn unreliable narrators that readers may ever meet" (Library Journal). |
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| Nutshell by Ian McEwanIn a nutshell (sorry, couldn't resist!): Imagine a crime of passion based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, narrated by a fetus. Yup, you read that right -- Whitbread Award-winning Ian McEwan has written an interpretation of the classic tragedy with a wholly unique narrator.
Disaster looms: How can an unborn baby prevent the murder of his father at the hands of his mother and uncle?
Read it for: the moments of wit (our narrator has paid attention as his mother listens to her educational podcasts). |
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| The Reason You're Alive by Matthew QuickStarring: Vietnam veteran David Granger, who believes his brain tumor was caused by Agent Orange, no matter what the doctors say.
What happens: A widower with an estranged son, cranky and suspicious David relates the story of his life, and attempts to right a long-ago wrong.
Is it for you? David's indelicate opinions and strong language won't be for everyone, but this cantankerous old man's honesty and introspection is unforgettable. |
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| Loner by Teddy WayneStarring: utterly unmemorable David Federman, who wants to make a name for himself in his first semester at Harvard, and sets his sights on beautiful Veronica.
What happens: David's self-absorbed attempts move from pathetic to disconcerting to downright creepy, and we're left wondering exactly what is going on.
Is it for you? Fans of novels that cause psychological discomfort (think Sebastian Faulks' Engleby) will relish the increasingly unsettling nature of David's actions. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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