ARRT Picks
Summer 2019
Smitten by the Brit
by Melonie Johnson

After her engagement comes to a bitter end, Bonnie Blythe accepts a teaching job at Cambridge where she falls in love with a man who, unbeknownst to her, has been hiding the truth about his identity.

"A light contemporary romp of a jilted american who falls in love with a British duke." - Melissa 
The Art of Gathering : How we meet and why it matters
by Priya Parker

A conflict resolution facilitator describes why most of the gatherings in our lives are boring and unproductive and uses examples ranging from conferences and meetings to courtrooms and flash mobs to demonstrate how simple, but specific changes can energize any gathering.

"Thought provoking and conversational book about how to plan parties and meetings that are meaningful." - Stacey 
The Paper Wasp : A Novel
by Lauren Acampora

A first novel by the award-winning author of The Wonder Garden traces the dark friendship of twisted ambition shared between a failed artist and a rising star in contemporary Hollywood.

"Creepy thriller with a surprising bait-and-switch around character personality and a horrifying ending." - Mary Kay
The Flatshare
by Beth O'Leary

Entering a flatshare arrangement with a man on an opposite work shift, a heartbroken woman begins exchanging notes with the roommate she has never met and becomes his best friend, and possibly soulmate, through their correspondence. 

"A perfect blend of delightfully quirky humor and loveable characters." - Jennifer
Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors : A Novel
by Sonali Dev

"A neurosurgeon from a politically ambitious immigrant family clashes with a talented dessert chef who would prove he is more than his pedigree. By the award-winning author of ""A Distant Heart""."

"A smart, well done re-telling of the Austen classic featuring people of color." - Margita
Long Bright River (forthcoming January 2020)
by Liz Moore

In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling. 

Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit--and her sister--before it's too late.

Alternating its present-day mystery with the story of the sisters' childhood and adolescence, Long Bright River is at once heart-pounding and heart-wrenching: a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction, and the formidable ties that persist between place, family, and fate.

"Powerful, moving and pulse pounding story of tow sisters who take very different paths on the mean streets of Philly." - Mike
We Were Liars
by E Lockhart

Spending the summers on her family's private island off the coast of Massachusetts with her cousins and a special boy named Gat, teenaged Cadence struggles to remember what happened during her fifteenth summer.

"A haunting suspense  story for teens and adults alike." - Elizabeth
The Song of the Jade Lily : A Novel
by Kirsty Manning

Returning to Australia to attend her grandfather's deathbed, a heartbroken woman learns the remarkable story of her grandmother, a Jewish refugee who forged a fateful friendship with a local in World War II Shanghai. 

"A fantastic historical read focusing on refugee's in Shanghai during WWII." - Emily B.
Mostly Dead Things : A Novel
by Kristen N. Arnett

Taking over her family's failing taxidermy shop in the wake of her father's suicide, a grief-stricken woman pursues less-than-legal ways of generating income while struggling to figure out her place among her eccentric loved ones.

"Funny, moving, dark and rooted in the ugliness and discomfort of life." - Emily V. 
HSomeone to honor : A Westcott Novel
by Mary Balogh

Abigail Westcott must contend with the infuriating charms of Gilbert Bennington, the lieutenant colonel and superior officer who has escorted her wounded brother, Harry, home from the wars with Napoleon. By the New York Times best-selling author of Someone to Care.

"Wonderful continuation of the Westcott serie. The story of Abigail, a Wescott daughter."- Debbie 
From A Certain Point of View
by Ben Acker

A collection of short stories and illustrations by some of today's best-selling authors and trend-setting artists commemorates the Star Wars franchise's 40th anniversary and includes contributions by such notables as Meg Cabot, John Jackson Miller and Nnedi Okorafor.

"This is an awesome collection looking at the events of Sat Wars from the background characters. While we always focus on the leads and the grand battles, meanwhile everyone is living their life and the center of their own epic story. Great storytelling and perspective." - Karen
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous : A Novel
by Ocean Vuong

A first novel by the award-winning author of Night Sky with Exit Wounds is written in the form of a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read about the impact of the Vietnam war on their family.

"Shattering and beautiful. A beautiful letter from a song to his Vietnamese mother and grandmother." - Megan
Violet (forthcoming September 2019)
by Scott Thomas

In the lineage of Peter Straub and Julia, Scott Thomas’ Violet is the disturbing tale of a woman haunted by her long-abandoned imaginary friend.

When Kris Parker was ten years old, her father brought her to their lake house to spend the last few weeks with her dying mother. It was one of the most difficult times of young Kris’ life. Luckily she had someone to help her through it: her imaginary friend, Violet.

After her mother’s death, Kris left the house. Now, twenty years later, Kris has returned to the lake house to recover from yet another family tragedy. With her is her eight-year-old daughter, Sadie. But what is supposed to be a summer of healing soon becomes an odyssey of unspeakable horror—for Violet has been waiting years to play with Kris again.
 

"Horror for fans of Jennifer McMahon and Sarah Pinborough.Character centered, creepy sense of place and slow tense burn." - Becky
Mrs. Everything : A Novel
by Jennifer Weiner

"A smart, thoughtful, and timely exploration of two sisters' lives from the 1950s to the present as they struggle to find their places--and be true to themselves--in a rapidly evolving world. Mrs. Everything is an ambitious, richly textured journey through history--and herstory--as these two sisters navigate a changing America over the course of their lives"

"Almost 20 years after Good In Bed, Jennifer Weiner has developed into one of the great observers of women's lives and bodies." - Nicole
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
by Becky Chambers

Joining the crew of the aging Wayfarer, a patched-up ship that has seen better days, loner Rosemary Harper must unexpectedly risk her life when they are offered the job of a lifetime, which teaches her valuable lessons about love and trust, and that having a family isn't the worst thing in the universe. 

"Follows a small crew on a long journey across space to a mysterious planet at the center of the galaxy. Character driven, funny, rich and world buidling." - Lizzie 
Fleishman Is In Trouble : A Novel
by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Divorcing his hostile wife when he concludes he could find genuine happiness elsewhere, a doctor is astonished when his ex abruptly disappears, making him unable to move on without acknowledging painful truths about his marriage.

"Smartly written  novel about a marriage in crisis, with social commentary about women's limitations in a man's world." - Sonia
The Bride Test
by Helen Hoang

"When his difficulties with processing emotions complicate the search for his bride, a Vietnamese-American on the autism spectrum is pursued by a hopelessly smitten girl from the Ho Chi Min City slums. By the author of ""The Kiss Quotient""."

"Great romantic comedy about an awkward couple who are thrown together." - Carrie
Full Throttle : Stories
by Joe Hill

In this masterful collection of short fiction, Joe Hill dissects timeless human struggles in thirteen relentless tales of supernatural suspense, including "In The Tall Grass," one of two stories co-written with Stephen King, basis for the terrifying feature film from Netflix.
 
"Dark, suspenseful stories, may of which feel like throwback Stephen King. Atmospheric and fantastic!" - Liz
Say Nothing : A true story of murder and memory in Northern Ireland
by Patrick Radden Keefe

Documents the notorious abduction and murder of Jean McConville in 1972 Belfast, exploring how the case reflected the brutal conflicts of Northern Ireland and their ongoing repercussions.

"Fascinating, thought-provoking and compelling nonfiction. A murder mystery is the crux of the book about the trouble in Northern Iceland." - Allyson
ADULT READING ROUND TABLE
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