LibraryAware April 2024

Adult Fiction

American Spirits
by Russell Banks

The last book by the late great Russell Banks offers three gritty, character-driven tales set in rural Sam Dent, New York, where his acclaimed novel The Sweet Hereafter took place. The elegiac stories explore a kidnapping, the loss of family land, and problems with new neighbors. Read-alikes: Richard Russo's novels; Mariana Enriquez's Things We Lost in the Fire.

Paper Cage
by Tom Baragwanath

Lorraine Henry, a white policeman's widow, works as a police records clerk in a small New Zealand town rife with drugs and racial tension. When a part-Māori relative is one of three Indigenous children who go missing and the cops aren't all that concerned, Lorraine investigates. First published in New Zealand in 2022, this gritty, suspenseful debut novel has "a truly crackling mystery" (Publishers Weekly).

Anita de Monte Laughs Last
by Xochitl Gonzalez

In the 1980s, up-and-coming artist Anita de Monte is married to Jack, an established white artist, when she dies after a suspicious fall. In the 1990s, Brown University student Raquel Toro researches a project on Jack while starting her own relationship with a wealthy white man. This Reese's Book Club pick presents a witty, thought-provoking look at art, race, class, and gender. Read-alike: Hernan Diaz's Trust.

The Haunting of Velkwood
by Gwendolyn Kiste

Twenty years after surviving a cosmic event that turned everyone in her hometown into ghosts, Talitha Velkwood returns to the site of the haunting to confront past traumas and reckon with horrors both real and supernatural in this character-driven latest from the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens. Try this next: The Wonder State by Sara Flannery Murphy.

The Murder of Mr. Ma
by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan

In 1924 London, unexpected events lead quiet academic lecturer Lao She to team up with larger-than-life Judge Dee Ren Jie to figure out who's killing Chinese immigrants who served in France during the Great War. For fans of: Sherlock Holmes; intricately plotted mysteries with a strong sense of place.

Adult Nonfiction

There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension
by Hanif Abdurraqib

In his lyrical and engaging latest, MacArthur Fellow and Carnegie Medal winner Hanif Abdurraqib (A Little Devil in America) explores his relationship to basketball and the role it has played throughout his life -- including having a front-row seat to the rise of LeBron James. For fans of: Basketball (and Other Things): A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated by Shea Serrano.

Latinoland: A Portrait of America's Largest and Least Understood Minority
by Marie Arana

National Book Award finalist and inaugural Literary Director of the Library of Congress Marie Arana (Silver, Sword, and Stone) explores the history and politics of Latine identity in the United States in her incisive and accessible latest. Further reading: Finding Latinx: In Search of the Voices Redefining Latino Identity by Paola Ramos; Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism by Laura E. Gomez.

Grief Is For People
by Sloane Crosley

Novelist and essayist Sloane Crosley's (Cult Classic) moving and darkly humorous memoir chronicles how she navigated the grief of losing her best friend to suicide in 2019. Try this next: Molly by Blake Butler.

Youth Fiction

A Tempest of Tea
by Hafsah Faizal

Despite humble beginnings, Arthie Casimir gained power collecting the secrets of influential humans and vampires frequenting her teahouse. Arthie's scheme to infiltrate vampire society and overthrow the colonizing monarchy will thrill fans of heist novels and found family. This fast-paced fantasy opens a duology.

You're Going to Love This Book!
by Jory John; illustrated by Olivier Tallec

Unabashed verve overflows from this picture book as it announces its supposed appeals: Bedtimes! Dentists! Brussels sprouts! Plus chores -- ah yeahhh! With exuberant artwork, enthusiastic interjections, and a twist ending, this book is sure to elicit heaps of giggles. YEAHHH!

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines
by Mo Netz

Shortly after they move to Windy Pines, Georgia, 11-year-old Jerry’s mom disappears. Determined to find her, Jerry -- along with new friend Chapel and Yiddish-speaking imaginary dragon Paul -- ventures into the eerie woods, discovering her mom’s secrets (and the advantages to demon-slaying in a wheelchair).

Contact your librarian for more great books!