Fiction
Just last night : a novel
Mhairi McFarlane
FICTION Mcfarlan Mhairi
Fiction, Romance, Humor
Now in their thirties, Eve, Justin, Susie, and Ed have been friends since they were teenagers. Thursday night bar trivia is sacred, and Eve is still secretly in love with Ed. But then, in an instant, their lives are changed forever. As stunning secrets are revealed, Eve begins to wonder if she really knew her friends as well as she thought. And when someone from the past comes back into her life, Eve's future veers in a surprising new direction. -- adapted from back cover
The Sandman
Neil Gaiman
COMIC Sandman
Fiction, Graphic Novels
An attempt to summon and imprison Death, instead results in the capture of her brother, Morpheus, the Sandman, who after making his escape must regain the tools of his powers. Follow the King of Dreams, brother of the Endless, as he travels through a myriad of landscapes to meet with the gods, demons, and others who inhabit both Earth and the other realms.
I read Volume 1 after watching the Netflix series, it seems like the video series is fairly straightforward adaptation as far as the story structure goes. It was interesting to see where the art overlaps and diverges in the comic series. -Jason
Anxious people : a novel
Fredrik Backman
FICTION Backman Fredrik
Fiction
Taken hostage by a failed bank robber while attending an open house, eight anxiety-prone strangers--including a redemption-seeking bank director, two couples who would fix their marriages, and a plucky octogenarian--discover their unexpected common traits.
Never having read any of Backman's other books besides A Man Called Ove, I wasn't really sure what to expect with this one. As someone who enjoys looking through other people's windows at night on a dog walk (not in a creepy way, but rather just to watch from afar how their silhouettes eat dinner and mill around,) I like to speculate what their lives are like, so I was really drawn to this story. Backman meanders at times but creates strong, life-like characters with flaws and strengths we might find resonate in all of us. it is brutally honest at times and funny in other parts. I really enjoyed this read and it was a good reminder to always offer grace as we never know what life challenges other people have been through or are currently facing. -Victoria
The good left undone : a novel
Adriana Trigiani
FICTION Trigiani Adriana
Historical Fiction, Fiction
"From present day Viareggio to Glasgow during World War II, a multigenerational sweeping tale of love lost, family secrets, and reconciliation over decades from New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani"--
"The Good Left Undone" is sweeping--a story crossing three generations covering a century. Trigiani is at her best in this novel. She really cares for her characters and this love shines through. That doesn't mean there isn't heartbreak or cruelty or tragedy in this novel. There is plenty of it--it covers mid-20th Century Europe. But Trigiani allows growth and healing to take place. To spin a quote from Edna Ferber's "So Big" mentioned in this very novel, Trigiani shows her characters living. -Anne M
Siracusa
Delia Ephron
FICTION Ephron Delia
Fiction
"An electrifying novel about marriage and deceit from bestselling author Delia Ephron that follows two couples on vacation in Siracusa, a town on the coast of Sicily, where the secrets they have hidden from each other are exposed and relationships are unraveled. New Yorkers Michael, a famous writer, and Lizzie, a journalist, travel to Italy with their friends from Maine--Finn, his wife Taylor, and their daughter Snow."From the beginning," says Taylor, "it was a conspiracy for Lizzie and Finn to be together." Told Rashomon-style in alternating points of view, the characters expose and stumble upon lies and infidelities past and present. Snow, ten years old and precociously drawn into a far more adult drama, becomes the catalyst for catastrophe as the novel explores collusion and betrayal in marriage. With her inimitable psychological astuteness, and uncanny understanding of the human heart, Ephron delivers a powerful meditation on marriage, friendship, and the meaning of travel. Set on the sun-drenched coast of the Ionian Sea, Siracusa unfolds with the pacing of a psychological thriller and delivers an unexpected final act that none can see coming"--
I initially picked this book because it takes place in Italy, and partially, in a town on the island of Sicily--I love reading books that take place in areas that I want to travel to. The story itself captivated me pretty quickly, and I enjoyed it in its entirety. It's told in turn by each of the main characters, which makes for interesting character development--seeing the people and the events as described by everyone, who's interpretation differs and how--makes the telling pretty rich! -Candice
Shmutz : a novel
Felicia Berliner
FICTION Berliner Felicia
Fiction
"An arranged marriage is expected for Raizl, but she's not like the other young women in her Hasidic sect in Brooklyn. Raizl has a college scholarship to study accounting, a part-time job that supports her family, and a hidden computer making it all possible. That's where she finds the porn, through the slippery slope of an innocent Google search. As Raizl dives deeper into the world of porn at night, her daytime life begins to unravel. The porn is thrilling, cracking open a world of desire and experience that is becoming irresistible to Raizl-but it also threatens to tear her away from the family she loves. As the novel moves between Raizl's combative visits to the shrink she requested, arranged dates, and loving but complicated exchanges with her family, readers will be drawn to confront their own paradoxical sexuality and the trade-offs we all make for the sake of stability and familial love. A singular, compulsively readable debut, Shmutz explores what it means to be a fully-realized sexual and spiritual being amidst the contradictory messages of both the traditional and modern world"--
Raizl is a fascinating character with very complex feelings, and this is a different angle to view a religious community. It reminded me some of Deborah Feldman's memoir Unorthodox. -Amanda
Ramona Quimby, age 8
Beverly Cleary
jFICTION Cleary, Beverly
Fiction
The further adventures of the Quimby family as Ramona enters the third grade.
Summer Reading is here! This time of year always reminds me of Ramona, because I read this book for summer reading the summer before 3rd grade. My best friend was a higher reading level and zoomed through the book. I really struggled to get through it. But, it was a good book! It's still one of my favorites today. -Hanna
Hammer
Joe Mungo Reed
FICTION Reed Joe
Fiction
"An art auction house employee helps a Russian oligarch sell his prized collection, ensnaring himself in a dangerous romance and an even more treacherous political plot"--
If there can be a quiet, yet disquieting thriller, this is the book. Joe Mungo Reed's Hammer is a little like a slow burn. At first it is about the rich and powerful and about art, art appreciation, and its commodification. It's about Russian oligarchs and the precariousness of their positions in the world of Russian politics. This was a solid book that I enjoyed. And I found it surprising in a number of ways. -Anne M
Cress Watercress
Gregory Maguire
jFICTION Maguire Gregory
Fiction
"When Papa doesn't return from a nocturnal honey-gathering expedition, Cress holds out hope, but her mother assumes the worst. It's a dangerous world for rabbits, after all. Mama moves what's left of the Watercress family to the basement unit of the Broken Arms, a run-down apartment oak with a suspect owl landlord, a nosy mouse super, a rowdy family of squirrels, and a pair of songbirds who broadcast everyone's business. Can a dead tree full of annoying neighbors, and no Papa, ever be home?"--
This gentle, wise, funny, sad but ultimately hopeful animal story is paired with lush illustrations and is a great family read-aloud. Mama Rabbit is an inspirational figure who carries on despite obstacles and takes care of business. Meanwhile, Cress learns important life lessons, including about the power of community. -Anne W
Wildcat
Amelia Morris
FICTION Morris Amelia
Fiction
"Amelia Morris's Wildcat is an uproariously funny, surprisingly touching story of one woman's journey through motherhood and female friendship, in a society that plays fast and loose with information. New mother, aspiring writer, and former shopgirl Leanne has lost her way. As she struggles with both her grief and the haze of motherhood, it also becomes clear that her best friend, the default queen of East Side Los Angeles, Regina Mark, might not actually be a friend at all. As Leanne begins to investigate and undermine Regina, she also strikes up an unexpected friendship with the lauded writer Maxine Hunter. Feeling frustrated and invisible next to Regina's wealth and social standing, Leanne seeks security wherever she can find it, whether that's by researching whether she should vaccinate her son, in listening to the messages she thinks her father is sending from beyond the grave, or in holding her own against a petulant student in her creative writing class. Most of all, however, she looks for it within Maxine, who offers Leanne something new. With a keen eye for the trappings of privilege, class, and the performative nature of contemporary domestic life, Morris's tender and wicked debut shows us a woman who bucks against the narrative she's been fed, only to find power in herself and the truth that emerges"--
A quiet but funny and oh so relatable and timely book about parenting a young child, navigating the culture wars, distancing yourself from a toxic friendship, feeling out of place among the affluent, struggling to make career decisions, and reeling after the death of an imperfect parent. I found this to be wholly original with a swift pace and incisive writing. -Anne W
I absolutely loved this book. When I finished it, I had to listen to it again because it grabbed at my heart so much. It is not your average "everything is easy and lovely" romance. There's a lot of angst, self-doubt, longing, jealousy, revelations--so many emotions to get lost in. The characters are both likeable and loath-able--realistic and flawed characters that feel like they could be anyone you know. Oh. And the main characters are hilarious. The book starts out with an explosive reveal, which I don't want to spoil, but it could be triggering to some folks. The book's richness lies in the interwoven stories of the characters in the aftermath of the reveal, that the memories of the "before-times" lay the groundwork for. I read this book a while back and just thinking of it makes me want to pick it up again! (I listened to the audiobook version, which is available on both Libby and hoopla). -Melody