"And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days." ~ James Russel Lowell (1819-1891), American poet
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New and Recently Released!
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Young skins
by Colin Barrett
A collection of darkly humorous, gritty tales by an award-winning writer from Ireland follows the experiences of hard-living young adults in the pubs and nightclubs of rural Gandbeigh.
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| The Well by Catherine ChanterSometime in the nearish future, when the U.K. is mired in drought, Ruth Ardingly and her family flee London for a country farm. As the drought worsens and their neighbours' crops wither, water continues to flow freely on their property (called the Well) - it even rains daily. This of course engenders both suspicion in their neighbours and adoration from those who believe both the Well and Ruth are Chosen. A "provocative, tantalizing triumph" (Booklist), this dystopian debut novel combines personal tragedies with religious fanaticism and environmental disaster. |
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Sweetland: a novel
by Michael Crummey
Refusing to leave when the few remaining citizens of his Canadian island shore community are offered resettlement packages, enigmatic Moses Sweetland recalls the town's rugged history and colorful characters. By the award-winning author of Galore.
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The reader on the 6.27
by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent
Guylain Vignolles lives on the edge of existence. Working at a book pulping factory in a job he hates, he has but one pleasure in life. Sitting on the 6.27 train each day, Guylain recites aloud from pages he has saved from the jaws of his monstrous pulping machine. And it's this release of words into the world that starts our hero on a journey that will finally bring meaning into his life. For one morning, Guylain discovers the diary of a lonely young woman: Julie. A woman who feels as lost in the world as he does. As he reads from these pages to a rapt audience, Guylain finds himself falling hopelessly in love with their enchanting author.
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| Girl in the moonlight: a novel by Charles DubowWylie Rose is only nine or ten when he meets the girl who will obsess him for decades. Their feverish teenage affair ends with the first of many broken hearts for Wylie; Cesca continues to walk in and out of his life at whim, destroying his other relationships throughout their adult lives. Narrated by Wylie, who becomes an artist, this lavishly descriptive novel name-drops famous painters, references the AIDS epidemic, and offers a glamorous portrait of old-money families during the last half of the 20th century. |
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Preparation for the next life
by Atticus Lish
Focuses on the relationship between an illegal Chinese immigrant and a wayward Iraqi war veteran as they navigate their way through the underbelly of New York
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Morning sea
by Margaret Mazzantini
Libya, 2010. As Gaddafi clings desperately to power, and chaos and violence flood the streets of Tripoli, Farid and his mother, Jamila, face two stark choices: flee to the border and risk capture by mercenaries, or trek to the coast and chance their luck on the hazardous crossing to Sicily. A timely tale given what is happening in Africa and Europe.
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Girl at war: a novel
by Sara Nović
When her happy life in 1991 Croatia is shattered by civil war, 10-year-old Ana Juric is embroiled in a world of guerilla warfare and child soldiers before making a daring escape to America, where years later she struggles to hide her past.
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The book of Aron
by Jim Shepard
Aron and a handful of boys and girls in the Warsaw Ghetto smuggle and trade things through the "quarantine walls" to keep their people alive until he is rescued by a Jewish-Polish doctor and advocate of children's rights who instills within him the importance of letting the world know the atrocities they have all suffered at the hands of the enemy.
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| Boo by Neil SmithNicknamed for his ghostly white skin and pale hair, 13-year-old Boo does not fit in at school. The victim of a school shooting, Boo lands in an afterlife filled exclusively with other 13-year-olds (they theorise that there's a "Town" for every age group) where he finds the kinds of friendships that eluded him in life, including with another boy from his hometown. Boo has a unique, memorable voice, and Town itself is extremely detailed. With themes of bullying and forgiveness leavened by a bit of humour, this smart and unusual coming-of-age story has appeal for both adults and teens; it's been frequently compared to Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. |
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| Tell the wolves I'm home: a novel by Carol Rifka BruntSet in 1987, this is the story of 15-year-old June, whose much-loved uncle Finn has just died of AIDS. Her sister, Greta, jealous of the time Finn and June had spent together, treats her cruelly, and June is bereft. When Toby, Finn's lover, starts contacting June secretly, it's the beginning of a new and touching friendship, but one that is also at risk. This emotionally wrenching novel won an Alex Award in 2013 and is a "beautifully bittersweet mix of heartbreak and hope" (Booklist). |
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| Centuries of June by Keith DonohueAfter a bad fall in his bathroom one night in June, narrator Jack awakens to find that he's been joined by the ghost of Samuel Beckett (or maybe it's his whiskey-soaked dad) while eight naked women are asleep in the adjoining bedroom. The eight women, who come from different eras, each take a turn literally trying to attack him before explaining why Jack, who stands in for all men and specifically for the men who betrayed them, deserves punishment. Full of literary allusions and plenty of surrealism (Jack's cat can talk), Centuries of June is a "puzzling and greatly satisfying trip" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Fourth of July Creek: a novel by Smith HendersonWith his own home life in shambles (he's separated from his wife and daughter and estranged from his father), Pete Snow pours his energies into his job as a social worker in poverty-stricken rural Montana. But his latest charge, a nearly feral 11-year-old who appears to be the son of a disturbed survivalist, is different. Not only does Pete find it hard to help the boy, the case gets him involved in a manhunt after the F.B.I. shows interest in his father. Dramatic and gritty, with strong descriptions of the rough Montana landscape, this debut novel will appeal to fans of Peter Heller. |
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| Goodnight June: a novel by Sarah JioWhen she inherited her great-aunt's Seattle bookstore, the last thing that financier June Anderson (who specializes in shutting down failing businesses and selling their assets) expected was to keep it. Already planning on selling to a developer, June instead reconnects with her childhood through her aunt's possessions, including letters between her aunt and well-known children's author Margaret Wise Brown, of Goodnight Moon fame. When she gets a notice of imminent foreclosure, June decides to leave her career behind in favour of saving the store. Optimistic and imaginative, this will have great appeal for fans of children's literature - and second chances. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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