|
|
|
The Lost Book of Adana Moreau : A Novel
by Michael Zapata
What it is:Thought-provoking literary fiction told from multiple perspectives by a cast of well-developed characters.
What happens: Decades after a 1929 Dominican immigrant writer passes away believing her final manuscript was destroyed, a Chicago lawyer discovers the book and endeavors to learn the woman’s remarkable story against the backdrop of Hurricane Katrina.
Read it if: You love books about books and appreciate a large web of connections between characters.
|
|
|
Little Family
by Ishmael Beah
The premise: Struggling to replace the homes they have lost in their conflict-scarred homeland, five young people improvise a home together in an abandoned airplane before an irresistible opportunity tests their bond.
Want a taste?: "The ears of nature seemed to be listening, waiting for something to snap. Gradually the footfalls of survival and calamity passed, and faded into the distance."
For fans of: Jhumpa Lahiri, Michael Ondaatje, and Zadie Smith
|
|
|
The Jetsetters
by Amanda Eyre Ward
The situation: Winning the grand prize in an essay contest, a single mother reunites her estranged adult children on a 10-day cruise while confronting long-buried secrets from their dysfunctional shared past.
Reviewers say: “Dysfunctional family goes away together on a Mediterranean cruise: What’s not to love? This novel fell squarely in my wheelhouse and I was delighted anew in every port. The Jetsetters is fun, sexy, and engrossing." (Elin Hilderbrand)
New York Times Bestseller Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine Book Pick New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
|
|
|
Simon the Fiddler
by Paulette Jiles
Plot summary: Conscripted into the Confederate Army after nearly escaping the American Civil War, an itinerant fiddle player joins a ragtag regimental band playing for both sides of the conflict before falling in love with an indentured Irish governess.
Read it for: The love story, lyrical writing, the splashes of humor, and the strong sense of place.
By the author of: News of the World and The Color of Lightning
|
|
|
The Regrets
by Amy Bonnaffons
Starring: recently deceased Thomas, who must remain on Earth for 90 days due to a bureaucratic error; Rachel, still alive but perpetually unlucky in love.
What happens: Despite being forbidden from interacting with the living, Thomas falls in love with Rachel, and the feeling is mutual.
Why you might like it: The surreal set-up creates a humorous, one-of-a-kind romantic comedy.
|
|
|
The Mercies : A Novel
by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
What happens: In Finnmark, Norway, 1617, after 40 fishermen are drowned in the sea, the women of the tiny Arctic town of Vardo must fend for themselves especially when a sinister figure arrives, bringing with him a mighty evil that threatens their very existence.
Reviewers say: "A novel for our times with artistry and skill. Maren's story is powerful, at turns, it is disturbing, and ultimately illuminating. You will ponder it long after you finish this magnificent work." (Adriana Trigiani)
"In clean, gripping sentences the author is wonderfully tuned to the ways and gestures of a seemingly taciturn people...This chilling tale of religious persecution is served up with a feminist bite." (Kirkus Reviews)
|
|
| LaRose by Louise ErdrichWhat happens: In North Dakota, Landreaux Iron has accidentally killed his friend's five-year-old son. In accordance with Ojibwe tradition, he gives up his own son, LaRose, to his friend's family.
Why you might like it: Tying together Ojibwe beliefs and Catholicism, deep grief and history, this powerful novel centers on LaRose, named after generations of healers and thrust into that role himself. |
|
| Don't Send Flowers by Martín SolaresStarring: Carlos Treviño, an ex-cop who was run out of his Mexican town four years ago for daring to do his job.
Why he's back: A powerful business magnate has hired Carlos to track down his teenage daughter, who has disappeared without a trace.
Why you might like it: This literary noir has a non-traditional narrative structure, telling the first half of the story from Carlos' perspective and the second half from that of the crooked local police chief who will do anything to destroy him. |
|
| Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins ReidWhat it is: The oral narrative of the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of the hottest (fictional) rock band of the 1970s -- Daisy Jones & The Six.
Behind the scenes: Though they had chemistry on stage, off stage the members of the band clashed; their interviews years later are candid, direct, sometimes pained, and sometimes funny.
Read it if: You loved the '70s or its music; tell-all biographies are your jam; you plan on watching the TV show that Reese Witherspoon is producing for Amazon (featuring Elvis' granddaughter, Riley Keogh). |
|
| Lily and the Octopus by Steven RowleyStarring: Lily, a short, happy 12-year-old who loves mint chocolate chip ice cream; Ted, a 40-ish writer who's been in therapy since he split with his last boyfriend.
What happens: Ted loves Lily -- his dachshund -- and is unable to bear the brain tumor that is stealing her sight and will eventually take her life.
Why you might like it: By turns heartbreaking and hilarious (Lily's contributions to the conversation are priceless), this debut is both funny and deeply moving in its accounting of the love between humans and their pets. Have tissues handy. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|