Fiction A to Z
June 2024
Recent Releases
The Song of Sourwood Mountain
by Ann H. Gabhart

The Appalachian mountains provide an atmospheric backdrop for this textured early 20th-century historical romance.

Mira Dean is reconciled to her life as a spinster schoolteacher until preacher Gordon Covington shows up in town with an audacious marriage proposal. Following him to the mountains takes courage, but Mira will see that doors she thought closed forever may be opening after all.
Women and Children First
by Alina Grabowski

A gripping literary puzzle that unwinds the private lives of ten women as they confront tragedy in a small Massachusetts town. 

Narrated by ten women and girls in a small Massachusetts town, this "craftily constructed and deeply moving debut" (Booklist) covers events before and after a house party where a high schooler dies following a suspicious fall. Read-alikes:  Ocean State by Stewart O'Nan.
The Sisters of Corinth
by Angela Elwell Hunt

The 2nd installment of The Emissaries series following The Woman from Lydia

Chief magistrate Narkis Ligus sees an opportunity to rise in power by marrying his stepdaughter to the new governor's son. Yet Mariana's faith in Yeshua makes her as reluctant to wed a man who worships Roman gods as her jealous and status-obsessed stepsister, Prima, is determined to wed him.
Blue Ruin
by Hari Kunzru

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK * From one of the sharpest voices in fiction today, a profound and enthralling novel about beauty and power, capital, art and those who devote their lives to creating it.

Years ago, Jay left the London art scene while on the cusp of stardom and is now an undocumented, unhoused delivery driver in upstate New York during COVID. After running into his artist ex-girlfriend (now married to his artist ex-best friend), he moves to their estate, where an art gallery owner has also taken refuge. This atmospheric, lyrical novel is for fans of Memory Piece by Lisa Ko and The Hundred Waters by Lauren Acampora.
Oye
by Melissa Mogollon

A coming-of-age comedy. A telenovela-worthy drama. A moving family saga. All in a phone call you won't want to hang up on.

Colombian American high school senior Luciana deals with school stress, Hurricane Irma, her eccentric grandmother's cancer diagnosis, family secrets, and more. Written as Luciana's one-sided phone calls to her sister away at college, this humorous and moving coming-of-age debut presents a unique voice. Read-alikes: Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochitl Gonzalez; An American Immigrant by Johanna Rojas Vann.
One Last Word
by Suzanne Park

A charming and compelling novel about an aspiring tech entrepreneur who goes on a rollercoaster journey of self-discovery.

Sara Chae has put everything into making One Last Word a success. But the app, which delivers personalized messages after someone's death, mistakenly sends out Sara's missives (written while drunk). She's left picking up the pieces while trying to get funding from a venture capitalist...who happens to be her crush and one of the message recipients. Read-alikes:  Better Left Unsent by Lia Louis.
Sweetness in the Skin
by Ishi Robinson

A funny and heartbreaking story about a young girl figuring out who she is, what she is capable of--and where she truly belongs.

In Kingston, Jamaica, 13-year-old Pumkin Patterson dreams of France. After her grandmother dies and her aunt moves to Paris, Pumkin lives with her neglectful mother and starts a baking business to earn money for French lessons. With authentic characters who sometimes speak in Jamaican dialect, this atmospheric first novel will please fans of If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery and Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.
The Guncle Abroad
by Steven Rowley

Fans of The Guncle will enjoy this, but anyone who appreciates funny, upbeat family stories will also be charmed.

Sitcom star Patrick O'Hara
 takes his 14-year-old niece and 11-year-old nephew traveling around Europe before heading to Lake Como, Italy, for their dad's wedding. But it's not all smooth sailing: the kids, whose mother died five years ago, oppose the marriage and Patrick is stressed about turning 50. 
I Hope This Finds You Well
by Natalie Sue

Recommended by the Today show, People, Elle, Good Housekeeping, Parade, Harper's Bazaar, and more!

Jolene deals with a soul-crushing job by venting about coworkers in white text at the end of her emails to them. After she's caught, HR makes her take a sensitivity class and restricts her communications...but she's also accidentally given access to coworkers' emails and DMs, with surprising results. If you'd like more smart, witty looks at workplaces, try Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman, or The Cleaner by Brandi Wells, 
The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County
by Claire Swinarski

Armed with a Crock-Pot and a pile of recipes, a grandmother, her granddaughter and a mysterious young man work to bring a community together.

Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the “funeral ladies,” she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed—it is her firm belief that there is very little a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can’t fix. But, after falling for an internet scam that puts her home at risk, the proud Larson family matriarch is the one in need of help these days..
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Dakota County Library
www.dakotacounty.us/library

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