Fiction
Ordinary people : a novel
Diana Evans
FICTION Evans Diana
Fiction
Hailed as "one of the most thrilling writers at work today" (Huffington Post), Diana Evans reaches new heights with her searing depiction of two couples struggling through a year of marital crisis. In a crooked house in South London, Melissa feels increasingly that she's defined solely by motherhood, while Michael mourns the former thrill of their romance. In the suburbs, Stephanie's aspirations for bliss on the commuter belt, coupled with her white middle-class upbringing, compound Damian's itch for a bigger life catalyzed by the death of his activist father. Longtime friends from the years when passion seemed permanent, the couples have stayed in touch, gathering for births and anniversaries, bonding over discussions of politics, race, and art. But as bonds fray, the lines once clearly marked by wedding bands aren't so simply defined. Ordinary People is a moving examination of identity and parenthood, sex and grief, and the fragile architecture of love.
Milkman : a novel
Anna Burns
FICTION Burns Anna
Fiction
In Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the 1970s, an unnamed narrator finds herself targeted by a high-ranking dissident known as Milkman.
Added by Jason
My sister, the serial killer : a novel
Oyinkan Braithwaite
FICTION Braithwaite, Oyinkan
Fiction
"Slasher meets satire, in this darkly comic novel set in Nigeria about a woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends"--
Added by Jason
The silence of the girls : a novel
Pat Barker
FICTION Barker Pat
Fiction
The Iliad, as experienced by the captured women living in the Greek camp in the final weeks of the Trojan War.
Added by Jason
The heavens : a novel
Sandra Newman
FICTION Newman Sandra
Fiction
"A young man, Ben, meets a young woman, Kate--and they begin to fall in love. From their first meeting, Ben knows Kate is unworldly and fanciful, so at first he isn't that concerned when she tells him about the recurring dream she's had since childhood. In the dream, she's transported to the past, where she lives a second life as Emilia, the mistress of a nobleman in Elizabethan England. But for Kate, the dream becomes increasingly real and compelling until it threatens to overwhelm her life."--
Can a single person change history? Fundamentally change the world? Sandra Newman explores this in "The Heavens." Living in New York at the beginning of the 21st century, Kate often dreams of another time--Elizabethan England--where she becomes acquainted with Lord Southampton and a relatively unknown Will Shakespeare. When she wakes up from the dream, her knowledge and understanding of the world in 2001 strays from how her circle of friends perceive it. Her dreams become more steady than her reality. This back and forth makes the narrative engaging, yet foggy and unclear. Is Kate a time-traveler? Are the choices she is making in her dreams changing the future? Or is it all in her head? -Anne M
Consumed
I haven't read a ton of J.R. Ward, but I'm now putting this author on my to-watch list. The set-up of a smoldering romance between two firefighters pulled me in, and the heat kept coming. No damsels in distress here! Only strong characters figuring out their messes. I really enjoyed this story, and the audiobook version has multiple narrators to enhance the performance. -Melody
Once upon a river : a novel
Diane Setterfield
FICTION Setterfield, Diane
Fiction, Suspense, Historical Fiction
On a dark midwinter's night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, a wounded stranger carries in the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later the girl stirs, and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Magic? As the days pass the child remains mute and unable to answer questions. Three families are keen to claim her: the wealthy mother of a kidnapped daughter missing for two years; a farming family sure it is their son's secret daughter; a parson's housekeeper, reminded of her younger sister. Each family has secrets, must be revealed before the girl's identity can be known. -- adapted from jacket
I loved this book! It has everything I want in a good read: great writing, a crescendo of narrative, interesting characters with intertwined lives, a sense of place, and an absorbing mystery--all wrapped up in historical fiction. This is a story about storytelling--the characters tell stories, the narrator tells stories, so if you like feeling very much the reader--feeling like you are listening to someone tell you a story, this is a good pick for you. It will get you through the last few weeks of winter. -Anne M
Codename Villanelle
Luke Jennings
FICTION Jennings Luke
Fiction, Suspense
Villanelle (a codename, of course) is one of the world's most skilled assassins. A catlike psychopath whose love for the creature comforts of her luxurious lifestyle is second only to her love of the game, she specializes in murdering the world's richest and most powerful. But when she murders an influential Russian politician, she draws a relentless foe to her tail.
Season 2 of Killing Eve returns this April to BBC America, based on Luke Jennings' "Codename Villanelle" novel about the complex cat-and-mouse relationship between assassin Oxana Vorontsova and former British MI5 agent Eve Polastri. -Jason
Pet sematary
Stephen King
FICTION King, Stephen
Fiction, Horror
A new adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel about a pet cemetery that reanimates the dead comes to theaters in April. My coworkers were scared just watching the trailer. -Jason
A discovery of witches
Deborah E. Harkness
SCIENCE FICTION Harkness, Deborah E.
Fiction, Fantasy
Witch and Yale historian Diana Bishop discovers an enchanted manuscript, attracting the attention of 1,500-year-old vampire Matthew Clairmont. The orphaned daughter of two powerful witches, Bishop prefers intellect, but relies on magic when her discovery of a palimpsest documenting the origin of supernatural species releases an assortment of undead who threaten, stalk, and harass her.
AMC will run season 1 of this adaptation of Deborah Harkness’s bestselling fantasy book series in April. -Jason
Added by Jason