|
Must-Read Books October 2022
|
|
|
|
| Kismet: A Thriller by Amina AkhtarWhat it is: one part character-driven thriller, one part biting send-up of New Age culture and its affluent devotees.
Where it's set: the glamorous Kismet retreat center, which draws clients in with scenic Sedona vistas and an endless array of wellness services.
Who it stars: new arrival Ronnie Khan, who jumped at the chance to leave her controlling family in New York; Ronnie's friend Marley Dewhurst, a volatile wannabe wellness guru; a large, mysterious flock of ravens that always seem to be lurking around town. |
|
| The Rising Tide by Ann CleevesReunited: As part of a 50-year tradition, old friends gather for their twice-a-decade meetup on a holy island off the northern coast of England.
What happens: When one of them is found hanged, prickly Northumberland police detective Vera Stanhope and her team investigate, and wonder what the friends are hiding and whether the drowning of one of their group years ago is linked to the current murder.
Read this next: For other intricately plotted mysteries starring complex female detectives, try Anne Holt's Hanne Wilhelmsen's novels or Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway mysteries. |
|
| The Disinvited Guest by Carol GoodmanWhat it is: a creepy and menacing gothic quarantine story about unprocessed trauma and the lessons we fail to learn from history.
How it begins: Ten years after the initial COVID pandemic, Lucy Harper, her husband Reed, and a small group of their friends and family travel to Maine to isolate themselves from a new, even deadlier virus, only to discover they're not safe from each other either.
Reviewers say: The Disinvited Guest is a "smooth cocktail of refreshingly chilly suspense" (Publishers Weekly). |
|
| The Devil Takes You Home: A Barrio Noir by Gabino IglesiasThe premise: Down-on-his-luck hitman Mario agrees to "one last job" to help make ends meet. His assignment? Rob a Mexican drug cartel.
What happens next: En route to Mexico, Mario grapples with disturbing and unexplained phenomena that make him question his aptitude for the job -- and his chances of coming home alive.
Is it for you? Rising author Gabino Iglesias' nail-biting latest offers an unflinching blend of paranormal thriller and barrio noir that doesn't shy away from the violence and brutality its characters face. |
|
| Murder in Westminster by Vanessa RileyIntroducing: Lady Abigail Worthing, a multiracial 22-year-old in 1806 London whose older husband is always away exploring; and her fastidious Naval hero neighbor, Stapleton Henderson, whose wife has many lovers.
Alibis for all: One evening, while Abbie and Stapleton are arguing in her garden, they find the body of Stapleton's wife. Since each has concerns about the police blaming them, they cover for each other and team up to find the truth...but Abbie's not so sure she can trust Stapleton.
For fans of: Netflix's Bridgerton; Regency-era mysteries such as Katharine Schellman's Lily Adler mysteries. |
|
| Life on the Mississippi: An Epic American Adventure by Rinker BuckWhat it is: a fascinating combination of history and travelogue by Rinker Buck, who built a 19th-century-style wooden flatboat and sailed it from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, with the help a small, entertaining crew.
Want a taste? "The inland rivers -- not the wagon ruts crossing from Missouri to Oregon -- were American's first western frontier."
Read this next: the author's The Oregon Trail, Tony Horwitz's Spying on the South, Imani Perry's South to America, or Peter Fox's Northland. |
|
| California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival by Keith CorbinWhat it is: an engaging memoir from former Crips member and revered Alta Adams chef Keith Corbin, who perfected his culinary skills while serving a ten-year stretch in prison.
Read it for: a no-holds-barred account of perseverance and redemption.
Don't miss: Corbin's tributes to the Watts neighborhood where he grew up and the grandmother who inspired him to become a chef. |
|
| Formidable: American Women and the Fight for Equality: 1920-2020 by Elisabeth GriffithWhat it is: an inclusive look at a century of American women's achievements and setbacks since the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.
Don't miss: profiles of women whose contributions to the fight for equality have been forgotten or overlooked, including Dakota activist Zitkala-Sa and Mexican American labor organizer Dolores Huerta.
Reviewers say: "an impassioned and inspiring introduction to how far the women's movement has come, and where it still needs to go" (Publishers Weekly). |
|
| The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves by Alexandra HorowitzWhat it is: a week-by-week, pup's-eye-view of a dog's first year, from birth through adolescence.
Starring: Quiddity ("Quid" for short), the lively mixed-breed puppy that author and canine behavior expert Alexandra Horowitz and her family adopted during the pandemic.
About the author: Cognitive scientist Alexandra Horowitz, head of Barnard College's Dog Cognition Lab, also wrote the bestselling Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know. |
|
| Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women who Programmed the World's First... by Kathy KleimanWhat it is: a collective biography of the women mathematicians who worked on ENIAC, the first programmable electronic general purpose computer, during World War II.
Why you might like it: Internet governance scholar Kathy Kleiman, founder of the ENIAC Programmers Project, draws on extensive research and interviews with the women to reveal their contributions to computer science, as well as their post-ENIAC careers.
For fans of: Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures, Liza Mundy's Code Girls, or Nathalia Holt's Rise of the Rocket Girls. |
|
| Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America's Overdose Crisis by Beth MacyWhat it is: journalist and Carnegie Medal finalist Beth Macy's sobering and richly detailed follow-up to her award-winning Dopesick.
What sets it apart: Raising Lazarus focuses on frontline workers and communities tirelessly fighting to help those afflicted by opioid addiction.
Food for thought: "They say we're going to lose a generation if we don't do something. I say we've already lost that generation." |
|
| The Other: How to Own Your Power at Work as a Woman of Color by Daniela Pierre-BravoWhat it is: an accessible, thought-provoking look at the uphill battle that women of color face in the workplace and how to face these challenges head-on.
Topics include: how to set boundaries; the importance of asking for what you're worth; learning to live (and work) beyond survival mode.
Who it's for: women of color looking for validation of their difficult experiences at work; employers and managers looking to make substantive change with their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. |
|
| Farmhouse by Sophie BlackallWhat it's about: Over the years, a family of fourteen fills their beloved clapboard farmhouse with life and personal touches. Eventually, they all move on, leaving the house ramshackle with neglect...until the author rediscovers it.
Art alert: Two-time Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall uses materials found inside the real-life farmhouse (documented in a fascinating author's note) to add texture and dimension to the book's detail-rich, mixed-media illustrations. |
|
| Moonflower by Kacen CallenderStarring: nonspeaking 12-year-old Moon, filled with a sadness that nothing in this world can shake. Their only comfort is visiting the celestial beings in the spirit realm.
What happens: A threat from the world's Keeper sends Moon on a mission that could open them up to new possibilities for love and understanding, in both the spirit realm and in our reality.
How it's told: from Moon's first-person point-of-view, pulling you into hurt and hope right along with them. |
|
| The Secret Letters by Margaret Peterson HaddixWhat it's about: Although Colin's mom runs a decluttering business and Nevaeh's dad owns a rival junk removal company, the two middle schoolers team up when they each discover intriguing old letters pointing toward a long-buried mystery.
Read it for: a page-turning puzzle mystery that weaves together the past and the present.
Series alert: This is the 1st in the Mysteries of Trash and Treasure series from beloved author Margaret Peterson Haddix. |
|
| The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. JacksonWhat it is: a reimagining of Stephen King's Carrie inspired by a Georgia school that segregated its prom until 2014.
Meet: Madison Washington, a light-skinned biracial girl who passes as white until a rainy day reveals her hair's natural texture. The bullying Madison suffers awakens her telekinetic powers. On prom night, revenge will be hers.
Is it for you? This bone-chilling, fast-paced horror novel is for readers prepared for intense depictions of child abuse, racism, colorism, gore, and police brutality. |
|
| Destination Unknown by Bill KonigsbergWelcome to: New York City, 1987. Sheltered Micah Strauss spots CJ Gorman wearing a plexiglass bra in a nightclub bathroom and is instantly enraptured.
What happens: The two boys forge a friendship that brings Micah into the queer community, where he experiences both wonder and fear as the AIDS epidemic looms large.
Read it for: the nuanced snapshot of a tumultuous and exhilarating time, the loveable cast of characters, and the '80s music references. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|