| Professor Chandra follows his bliss by Rajeev BalasubramanyamStarring: ambitious, internationally known economics professor P.R. Chandrasekhar (known to all as Chandra), who -- in a move that is wholly out of character -- decides to attend a meditation retreat.
What happens: An accumulation of tiny epiphanies ultimately challenges Chandra's perspective on his long-time prioritization of career over family.
Why you might like it: This is a complex book about an analytical man rethinking his choices, told with dry (and sometimes acerbic) humour. |
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| Boy swallows universe by Trent DaltonWhat it is: a clever and darkly humorous coming-of-age story set in 1980s Brisbane and inspired by the author's own life.
Starring: bright young Eli, whose closest companions are his brother, August (who communicates by writing in the air) and elderly former felon Slim (known for his once-frequent jail breaks).
Read it for: the one-of-a-kind, strongly bonded characters. |
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The spectator bird
by Wallace Earle Stegner
Joe Allston is a cantankerous, retired literary agent who is, in his own words, "just killing time until time gets around to killing me." His parents and his only son are long dead, leaving him with neither ancestors nor descendants, tradition nor ties. His job, trafficking the talent of others, has not been his choice. He has passed through life as a spectator, before retreating to the woods of California in the 1970s with only his wife, Ruth, by his side. When an unexpected postcard from a long-lost friend arrives, Allston returns to the journals of a trip he has taken years before, a journey to his mother's birthplace where he once sought a link with his past. Uncovering this history floods Allston with memories, both grotesque and poignant, and finally vindicates him of his past and lays bare that Joe Allston has never been quite spectator enough.
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Invitation to a bonfire: A novel
by Adrienne Celt
In the 1920s, Zoya Andropova, a young refugee from the Soviet Union, finds herself in the alien landscape of an elite all-girls New Jersey boarding school. Having lost her family, her home, and her sense of purpose, Zoya struggles to belong, a task made more difficult by the malice her peers heap on scholarship students and her new country's paranoia about Russian spies. When she meets the visiting writer and fellow Russian émigré Leo Orlov, whose books Zoya has privately obsessed over for years, her luck seems to have taken a turn for the better. But she soon discovers that Leo is not the solution to her loneliness: he's committed to his art and bound by the sinister orchestrations of his brilliant wife, Vera. As the reader unravels the mystery of Zoya, Lev, and Vera's fate, Zoya is faced with mounting pressure to figure out who she is and what kind of life she wants to build. Grappling with class distinctions, national allegiance, and ethical fidelity; not to mention the powerful magnetism of sex, Invitation to a Bonfire investigates how one's identity is formed, irrevocably, through a series of momentary decisions, including how to survive, who to love, and whether to pay the complicated price of happiness.
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Berta Isla
by Javier Marías
Berta and Tomás meet in Madrid and, though both young, they decide to spend their lives together. Eighteen and betrothed, Tomás leaves to study at Oxford. His talent for languages quickly catches the interest of a certain government agency, but Tomás resists their offers; until one day he makes a mistake that will affect the rest of his life, and that of his beloved Berta. After university he returns to marry her, knowing he won't be able to stay for long. Gripping and intricate, Berta Isla is about a relationship built on secrets and lies, and the equal forces of resentment and loyalty at its core.
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On earth we're briefly gorgeous: A novel
by Ocean Vuong
"Brilliant, heartbreaking, tender, and highly original - poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a sweeping and shattering portrait of a family, and a testament to the redemptive power of storytelling. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born--a history whose epicentre is rooted in Vietnam--and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity"
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| The Ash family by Molly DektarStarring: 19-year-old Berie, who, thanks to a chance encounter at a bus stop, decides to join a nature-oriented commune rather than go to college.
What happens: Isolated from her family and dependent on her new friends for everything, Berie struggles to adapt to the hard work and is slow to recognize increasing signs of danger.
Read it for: escalating tension; vivid descriptions of farm life and of nature. |
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| Lights all night long by Lydia FitzpatrickFeaturing: Russian exchange student Ilya, who's consumed with fear for Vladimir, the brother he left behind -- incarcerated for murders that Ilya does not believe he committed.
What happens: Overwhelmed by American excess, Ilya struggles to adjust, but with the help of his host family's daughter (who's got secrets of her own), he begins to uncover the path that led Vladimir to jail.
Reviewers say: "an absorbing tale imparted with tenderness and compassion" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| Lost and wanted by Nell FreudenbergerWhat it's about: Wealthy, stylish Charlie (who is black) and nerdy scholarship student Helen (who is white) were best friends and roommates in college despite their differences. Twenty years later, Charlie is dead...but Helen continues to receive texts from her.
Is it for you? This complex, leisurely paced novel is as much a character study of Helen, now a respected scientist, as it is a story of female friendship. Deep discussions of physics add an intriguing layer of appeal. |
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| Cheer up, Mr. Widdicombe by Evan JamesWhat it is: a comedy of manners skewering the idle rich and their pursuits -- among them tennis, watercolours, creating a showplace home, and following motivational gurus.
Why you might like it: Quirky (in some cases laughably dysfunctional) characters abound in this dry, wry debut set in the Pacific Northwest.
Read it for: the entertainment value -- if you enjoyed Maria Semple's Today Will Be Different, you'll likely enjoy Cheer Up Mr. Widdicombe. |
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| The other Americans by Laila LalamiWhat happens: A Moroccan immigrant living in California is killed in a hit and run. Was it an accident? Or was it murder?
Why you might like it: With a notably diverse cast and nine characters who share narrative duties, this complex novel draws an impressive portrait of an American community.
Reviewers say: "an eloquent reminder that frame of reference is everything when defining the 'other'" (Booklist). |
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One day in December
by Josie Silver
What 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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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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