Eighteen Books That You Should Be Reading with Your Book Club! |
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| A Spell of Good Things by Ayobami AdébáyoMeet: Eniolá, a teen embittered by poverty and his parents' favoritism toward his sisters; and Wúràolá, a doctor from a wealthy family who becomes engaged to the son of a local power broker.
What happens: Wealth, power, political corruption, and gender inequality in modern-day Nigeria set the protagonists on a collision course for violence and tragedy.
Try this next: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. |
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Stay with Me
by Ayobami Adebayo
Despite cultural pressures for her husband to take a second wife, Yejide knows that Akin would never do so. Until, after four years of failing to conceive a child, he does. Mimicking Nigeria's unstable political system, their marriage falters. Under the intense pressure to provide a child, both husband and wife keep secrets from the other in their efforts to save their relationship. Told in alternating chapters from both characters' perspectives, and taking place in the late 1980s and 2008, this is an "emotionally powerful first novel" (Library Journal) that captures both the agony of infertility and the turmoil of life in Nigeria.
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| The Unfortunates by J. K.ChukwuWhat happens: Queer, Black, and supremely self-aware Sahara melts down during her sophomore year at Elite University. Why? Institutional racism, body issues, an unrequited crush, lack of family support -- oh, and the "unfortunate" fate of several Black peers (murder, suicide, disappearance).
Read it for: a zingy coming-of-age story creatively structured as imaginary thesis chapters (labelled "tracks" like a musical album) with chats, emails, and the occasional black and white illustrations thrown in. |
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Black Candle Women: A Novel
by Diane Marie Brown
Follows four generations of the Montrose family, who have been living with a curse that leaves any person they fall in love with dead, stemming back to a Voodoo sorceress in 1950s New Orleans' French Quarter. 150,000 first printing.
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| The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan ChurchWhat happens: Impoverished and fatherless in 1930s rural North Carolina,14-year-old Leah is whisked away to Charlotte by a well-off family. The state's recently established eugenics board deems her "feeble minded" when she is less than docile.
Is it for you? The eugenics movement -- driven by negative biases about race, gender, and class -- forced medical procedures upon thousands of vulnerable individuals until the 1970s. Due to its subject matter, this novel packs emotional wallop akin to Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, alth |
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Beyond That, the Sea
by Laura Spence-Ash
A young girl is sent from London to live in America during World War II and fits in so seamlessly with her new family that she is hesitant to return to post-war England when she is called home.
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| At Sea by Emma FedorWhat happens: A young woman's romance with a former soldier, who claims he was trained to breathe underwater, leads to marriage, a child -- and devastation when he disappears with their son.
Read it for: a genre-defying debut with mesmerizing characters, whose experiences of love, loss, and personal evolution are narrated across past and present.
For fans of: Diane Chamberlain and Sally Hepworth. |
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I Will Find You
by Harlan Coben
Receiving evidence that his son might still be alive, an innocent father convicted of murdering his own child breaks out of prison to uncover the truth, in the new novel by the best-selling author of The Stranger. 750,000 first printing.
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| Your Driver is Waiting by Priya GunsWhat it's about: Damani, gig driver for an unnamed ride-share company, spends her free time at a hangout for artists and activists. A meet-cute moment sparks a romance with a wealthy white woman (not Damani's usual type) who seems to share the same social justice values...at first.
Read it for: "rich commentary on gig work, race, and white privilege" (Publishers Weekly); a kick-ass protagonist with a "ferocious heart" who is "a lover and a fighter, start to finish" (Booklist). |
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The Arrangement
by Robyn Harding
Natalie, a young art student in New York City, sees her life take a dark turn when she becomes obsessed after being jilted by her sugar daddy. 100,000 first printing.
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| American Mermaid by Julia LangbeinWhat happens: Penny goes to Hollywood after her best-selling feminist novel -- in which a woman falls into the ocean and discovers she's a mermaid -- is slated for a splashy film adaptation.
Reeled in: Studio execs turn Penny's asexual mermaid protagonist into a super-sexy action goddess. Penny becomes increasingly unsure of where she stands (or swims) when events in the script start happening in real life.
Read it for: a witty, metafictional satire of publishing and filmmaking. |
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The Mermaid of Black Conch
by Monique Roffey
Starring: Aycayia, a young Taíno woman cursed to live as a mermaid; and David, a gentle musician who rescues her from greedy fishermen in the late 1970s.
Reviewers call it: "A feminist re-telling of an old Taíno myth... amplified by a condemnation of colonization in the Carribean" (Library Journal).
What to read next: Helen Oyeyemi's novel Boy, Snow, Bird; or The Rock Eaters, a short story collection by Brenda Peynado.
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| The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzieBuckle up: Penny Rush has had a rough few years. Her parents disappeared in the Australian Outback. Her marriage failed. Her gun-toting granny nearly landed in protective custody. Next thing you know, Penny's on the road with an accountant and his Pomeranian, Kweecoats.
Reviewers say: "This whirlwind tale has heart to spare" (Publishers Weekly).
For fans of: un-put-downable stories about imminently likeable, offbeat characters on madcap adventures. |
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The Portable Veblen
by Elizabeth McKenzie
Introducing: independent, over-analytical Veblen Amundsen-Hovda, who's just accepted a marriage proposal from ambitious neuroscientist Paul Vreeland, who she's known for three months. Their differences loom large as they start planning their lives together.
Why you might like it: With complicated characters, thoughtful ruminations on everything from marriage to consumerism, this quirky, offbeat read also features a very persistent squirrel.
What reviewers say: This "funny, lively, addictive novel is sure to be a standout" (Publishers Weekly).
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| The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen OakleyRoad trip! A sweet little old lady and a disgraced college athlete wind up on the lam together in this surprisingly suspenseful, funny, and heartwarming story of intergenerational friendship.
Plot twist: One of them is a jewel thief who pulled off a major heist (hint: it happened in 1975).
Looking for: other amusingly mismatched road buddies? Try The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan or Lost & Found by Brooke Davis.
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The Summer Seekers
by Sarah Morgan
Answering an advert for a driver and companion to take an epic road trip across America, Martha meets 80-year-old Kathleen who craves adventure and together these women embark on the journey of a lifetime. Simultaneous. 100,000 first printing.
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| Stars in an Italian Sky by Jill SantopoloGenoa, 1948: Star-crossed lovers -- a tailor's daughter and a duke's son -- are caught up in political events that alter Italy's history.
New York, 2017: Lovebirds Luca and Cassandra discover long-buried secrets connecting their families and the consequences could derail their perfect wedding plans forever.
Read it for: "A romantic, sweeping story that's satisfying and heartbreaking at the same time" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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The Light we Lost
by Jill Santopolo
A New York career woman faces a life-altering choice a year after agreeing with a fellow Columbia graduate that they will pursue meaningful lives through each other before he is assigned to do photojournalism in the Middle East, launching a 13-year journey of dreams, betrayals and love. A first novel.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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