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Fiction A to Z January 2020
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| Twenty-One Truths about Love by Matthew DicksWhat it is: the story of a man's life -- career woes, a loving marriage, feelings of inadequacy -- told entirely through lists.
Why you might like it: The unusual format allows father-to-be Daniel Mayrock to express all his hopes and fears with humor and vulnerability.
Read these next: David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary; Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. |
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| Meg and Jo by Virginia KantraWhat it is: a modern-day adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, in which independent Jo balances restaurant work and romance and Meg is a stay-at-home mom.
What remains the same: Though their challenges are contemporary, the sisters' core characteristics remain the same. Fans of the classic novel -- or of family-centric stories in general -- will enjoy this reboot.
Pick it up if: you enjoyed the recent movie version -- or missed it in theaters. |
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| Such a Fun Age by Kiley ReidStarring: Emira, a college-educated babysitter, who is black; her wealthy employer Alix, who is white.
What happens: An accusation of kidnapping shakes and terrifies Emira, shocks Alix, and leads to a complicated situation when well-meaning (but clueless) Alix proceeds to implement a "solution" for her own feelings of guilt -- regardless of what Emira wants.
Read it for: An upending of the white savior trope; a thought-provoking examination of contemporary race relations; nuanced characters; and even some humor. |
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Recipe For a Perfect Wife
by Karma Brown
In a dual-narrative novel, a modern-day woman finds inspiration in hidden notes left by her home’s previous owner, a quintessential 1950s housewife, causing her to question the foundation of her relationship with her husband.
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| This Is Happiness by Niall WilliamsWhat it is: an old man's memories of falling in -- and out of -- love for the first time, at the same time that his tiny Irish hamlet finally adopts electricity and a newcomer provides his own tale to tell.
Why you might like it: A reflective, contemplative story with a strong sense of Ireland in the 1950s, This Is Happiness is narrated in a poetic, lyrical manner.
Reviewers say: "a lilting, magical homage to time and redemption, and a stirring, sentimental journey into the mysteries of love and the possibilities of friendship" (Booklist). |
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Focus on: The Debuts of 2019
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| The Red Address Book by Sofia LundbergWhat it is: a lifetime's worth of stories, all prompted by a handwritten address book owned by 96-year-old Stockholm resident Doris.
Why you might like it: Spanning multiple historical settings from Paris in the 1930s to Stockholm today, this sweet and sentimental novel offers a tale of star-crossed lovers and a strong grandmother-granddaughter connection.
For fans of: the novels of Fredrik Backman or Nina George. |
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| On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean VuongWhat it is: a novel framed as a letter from an adult son to his illiterate mother, exploring the legacy of the Vietnam War on their family and explaining his first doomed love with a boy two years older.
Reviewers say: "a raw and incandescently written foray into fiction by one of our most gifted poets" (Kirkus Reviews).
Want a taste? "Because freedom, I am told, is nothing but the distance between hunter and prey." |
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The Silent Patient
by Alex Michaelides
A therapist becomes dangerously obsessed with uncovering the truth about what prompted his client, an artist who refuses to speak, to murder her husband in a way that triggers mass public speculation..
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| The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara ZgheibStarring: French former ballerina Anna Roux, who enters an American treatment facility to get help for a life-threatening eating disorder.
Why you might like it: Poetically written, this moving debut captures the challenges of disordered eating as it depicts the friendships that form among the young women at 17 Swann Street.
About the author: Yara Zgheib is herself in recovery from anorexia. |
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The Doll Factory
by Elizabeth Macneal
The greatest spectacle London has ever seen is being erected in Hyde Park and, among the crowd watching, two people meet. For Iris, an aspiring artist of unique beauty, it is the encounter of a moment--forgotten seconds later--but for Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by the strange and beautiful, the meeting marks a new beginning. When Iris is asked to model for Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint, and suddenly her world expands beyond anything she ever dreamed of. But she has no idea that evil stalks her. Silas, it seems, has thought of only one thing since that chance meeting, and his obsession is darkening by the day....
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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