Fiction

Ask again yes : a novel book cover

Ask again yes : a novel

Mary Beth Keane

FICTION Keane Mary
Fiction

"A family saga about two Irish American families in a New York suburb, the love between two of their children, and the tragedies that threaten to tear them apart and destroy their futures"--

Mari's picture

A story of two families that journeys through generations. Two NYC police officers, one Irish, the other married to an Irish woman, end up living next door to each other in the suburbs. A truly terrible incident occurs which changes the lives of everyone in both families. Despite this tragedy, the families are tied together forever through an undeniable bond since childhood. I really found the realistic portrayal of characters that must deal with the effects of mental illness, alcoholism, parental abandonment and PTSD to be memorable. -Mari

Circe : a novel book cover

Circe : a novel

Madeline Miller

FICTION Miller Madeline
Fiction

Follows Circe, the banished witch daughter of Helios, as she hones her powers and interacts with famous mythological beings before a conflict with one of the most vengeful Olympians forces her to choose between the worlds of the gods and mortals.

Becky's picture

A great read for those who enjoy Greek mythology, complex heroines, magic, and adventure! Miller is an intelligent and skillful writer, which made the telling of "Circe" an enjoyable and engaging tale for me! -Becky

Red at the bone book cover

Red at the bone

Jacqueline Woodson

FICTION Woodson, Jacqueline
Fiction

"Two familes from different social classes are joined together by an unexpected pregnancy and the child that it produces. As the book opens in 2001, it is the evening of sixteen-year-old Melody's coming of age ceremony in her grandparents' Brooklyn brownstone. Watched lovingly by her relatives and friends, making her entrance to the music of Prince, she wears a special custom-made dress. But the event is not without poignancy. Sixteen years earlier, that very dress was measured and sewn for a different wearer: Melody's mother, for her own ceremony-- a celebration that ultimately never took place"--Adapted from jacket.

Becky's picture

Jacqueline Woodson writes in such a beautiful, poetic narrative. Red at the Bone is a story about choices and consequences. It examines how individuals within two families view and handle the circumstances that they are dealt by weaving together fragmented memories and moments experienced by these individuals. -Becky

Shrill Dusk book cover

Shrill Dusk

Harper, Helen

eAUDIO
Fiction, Fantasy

Charley is a cleaner by day and a professional gambler by night. She might be haunted by her tragic past but she's never thought of herself as anything or anyone special. Until, that is, things start to go terribly wrong all across the city of Manchester. Between plagues of rats, firestorms and the gleaming blue eyes of a sexy Scottish werewolf, she might just have landed herself in the middle of a magical apocalypse. She might also be the only person who has the ability to bring order to an utterly chaotic new world

Melody's picture

I was thrilled to see another Helen Harper audiobook on Libby. I love that our heroine for the series is a gambler, which means she is going to take calculated risks. This is Book 1 of the City of Magic series. The setting is an apocalyptic Manchester--think: rats, plagues, storms. The series is a spin-off of the Fractured Faery series from 2018. I recommend them both! -Melody

Freedom fire book cover

Freedom fire

Daniel José Older

jFICTION Older Daniel
Kids, Fiction, Fantasy, Early Chapter Books

Magdalys Roca and her friends from the Colored Orphan Asylum are heading southwest on the back of Stella, the giant pteranodon, to find Montez, her brother, wounded during the siege of Vicksburg; now they are heading into the heart of the fighting, depending on Magdalys' ability to communicate telepathically with dinosaurs--but one of the companions is not quite what she seems, and Magdalys's talent could make her a target for both sides.

Angie's picture

Fans of the acclaimed first Dactyl Hill chapter book will rejoice for the thrilling second book in the series! Background notes elaborate on the story’s elements. Intelligent, rousing, and abundantly diverse, this is every bit as satisfying as the first installment. Ages 8–12. -Angie

Feldy's girl book cover

Feldy's girl

Joseph Dobrian


Fiction

"Feldy’s Girl is an historical novel set in the late 1960s. It addresses topics that are as relevant in today’s inflamed political and social landscape as they were when the story took place. Expertly blending controversial and thought-provoking themes such as racial tensions, the Vietnam War, a sexual and academic revolution, internal conflict with faith, and a sordid murder case - this book is both riveting and inspiring. Feldy’s Girl will leave you yearning for more." (Amazon Summary)

Becky's picture

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House of stone : a novel book cover

House of stone : a novel

Novuyo Rosa Tshuma

FICTION Tshuma Novuyo
Fiction

In the chronic turmoil of modern Zimbabwe, Abednego and Agnes Mlambo's teenage son, Bukhosi, has gone missing, and the Mlambos fear the worst. Their enigmatic lodger, Zamani, seems too helpful in the search, ingratiating himself into their lives, knowing that the one who controls the narrative inherits the future.

Becky's picture

Added by Becky

The professor of immortality : A Novel book cover

The professor of immortality : A Novel

Eileen Pollack

eBOOK
Fiction

"Professor Maxine Sayers once found her personal and professional life so fulfilling that she founded the Institute of Future Studies, a program dedicated to studying the effects of technology on our culture and finding ways to prolong human life. But when her beloved husband dies, she is so devastated she can barely get out of bed. To make matters worse, her son, Zach, has abruptly quit his job in Silicon Valley and been out of contact for seven months. Maxine is jolted from her grief by her sudden suspicion that a favorite former student (and a former close friend of her son) might be a terrorist called the Technobomber and that Zach might either be involved in or become a victim of this extremist’s bombing. Deserting her teaching responsibilities, her ailing mother, and an appealing suitor, Maxine feels compelled to set out and search for her son in order to warn and protect him, even as she knows she should report her suspicions to the FBI to prevent greater carnage." (Amazon Summary)

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After the flood : a novel book cover

After the flood : a novel

Kassandra Montag

FICTION Montag Kassandr
Fiction

A little more than a century from now, our world has been utterly transformed. After years of slowly overtaking the continent, rising floodwaters have obliterated America's great coastal cities and then its heartland, leaving nothing but an archipelago of mountaintop colonies surrounded by a deep expanse of open water. Stubbornly independent Myra and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, fish from their small boat, the Bird, visiting dry land only to trade for supplies and information in the few remaining outposts of civilization. For seven years, Myra has grieved the loss of her oldest daughter, Row, who was stolen by her father after a monstrous deluge overtook their home in Nebraska. Then, in a violent confrontation with a stranger, Myra suddenly discovers that Row was last seen in a far-off encampment near the Artic Circle. Throwing aside her usual caution, Myra and Pearl embark on a perilous voyage into the icy northern seas, hoping against hope that Row will still be there.

Becky's picture

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The death of Mrs. Westaway book cover

The death of Mrs. Westaway

Ruth Ware

FICTION Ware Ruth
Fiction, Suspense, Mystery

"On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person--but also that the cold-reading skills she's honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money. Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased...where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it."--

Becky's picture

I ended up listening to the audio book version of this story (read brilliantly by Imogen Church) and had a hard time setting it aside! Ruth Ware does a fantastic job with pulling in mysterious and suspenseful elements, leaving you anxious to fit together the clues and themes that are woven in throughout the narrative. The Death of Mrs. Westaway was such an engaging story and I would highly recommend the audio book version (available through the Libby App). -Becky