Fiction
Circe : a novel
Madeline Miller
eAUDIO
Fiction, Literary Fiction, Fantasy
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.
Dominicana
Angie Cruz
eAUDIO
Fiction
Fifteen-year-old Ana Canción never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year's Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by César, Juan's free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay. As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family's assets, leaving César to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with César, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.
Added by Brian
Dominicana
Angie Cruz
eBOOK
Fiction
Fifteen-year-old Ana Canción never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year's Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by César, Juan's free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay. As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family's assets, leaving César to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with César, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.
Added by Brian
The dearly beloved : a novel
Cara Wall
eBOOK
Fiction
"Set in the years 1950-1970 in a changing America and London, follow[s] two married couples - ministers and academics - whose intricate bonds of faith and friendship, jealousy and understanding, are tested by the birth of an autistic child"--
Set in Civil Rights Era New York State, follows two couples through decades of love and friendship, jealousy and understanding, forgiveness and faith. James and Charles, two young ministers and their wives Nan and Lily, deal with their separate struggles in different ways, and at all times questioning their faith. The surprising friendship between the wives, one a devout, the other an atheist is challenged through their paths toward motherhood, and the birth of an autistic child at a time when little was known about autism. A slow read that really carefully examines the meaning of faith and hardship, that I ended up really enjoying. -Mari
Such a fun age : a novel
Kiley Reid
eBOOK
Fiction
Alix Chamberlain is a woman who gets what she wants and has made a living, with her confidence-driven brand, showing other women how to do the same. So she is shocked when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains' toddler one night, walking the aisles of their local high-end supermarket. The store's security guard, seeing a young black woman out late with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping two-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right. But Emira herself is aimless, broke, and wary of Alix's desire to help. At twenty-five, she is about to lose her health insurance and has no idea what to do with her life. When the video of Emira unearths someone from Alix's past, both women find themselves on a crash course that will upend everything they think they know about themselves, and each other. With empathy and piercing social commentary, Such a Fun Age explores the stickiness of transactional relationships, what it means to make someone "family," the complicated reality of being a grown up, and the consequences of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.
I quickly devoured this book, Reid’s writing is light and conversational and her keen observations of the world shine though. A white mother, Alix, is mortified when her babysitter, Emira, who happens to be black, is accused of kidnapping her toddler at a yuppie grocery store. We see through the two characters’s experiences a dark but funny exploration of privilege and the problematic nature of the white savior. -Mari
Less : a novel
Andrew Sean Greer
Receiving an invitation to his ex-boyfriend's wedding, Arthur, a failed novelist on the eve of his fiftieth birthday, embarks on an international journey that finds him falling in love, risking his life, reinventing himself, and making connections with the past.
Comedic quest novel of sorts, only here the protagonist is running away from love and trips into it. Full of dry wit, I found many well crafted sentences that I would skip back to reread. -Jason
Midnight riot
Ben Aaronovitch
Probationary constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London's Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he'll face is a paper cut. But Peter's prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter's ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.
The first time I heard about Ben Aaronovitch was from seeing his name on what we call our "high holds" list. That's the list librarians use to buy extra copies of our most popular books. I would never have picked this book based on its cover. It's a solid detective series with an urban fantasy backdrop. And we have the audiobook! Good strong narration that keeps your attention. -Melody
Stardust
Neil Gaiman
SCIENCE FICTION Gaiman, Neil
Fiction, Classics, Fantasy, Romance
Hard to believe that Stardust has been around for just over 20 years! One of, if not the, first book by modern magician, Neil Gaiman, that I read many years ago. Although written with simplistic prose reminiscent of Grimm, and Andersen fairytales, this is a work that is definitely NOT for children. I can hardly wait to cross the wall and seek a fallen star in Faerie again. -Casey
American royals
Katharine McGee
YOUNG ADULT FICTION McGee, Katharine
Fiction, Young Adult
In an alternate America, princesses Beatrice and Samantha Washington and the two girls wooing their brother, Prince Jeffrey, become embroiled in high drama in the most glorious court in the world.
What if George Washington had accepted a crown instead of the Presidency? And then, what would that monarchy look like in the modern day? The book covers the adventures of four women: Beatrice, the first to-be-queen to reign America on her own; Samantha, her spunky younger sister; Nina, Sam’s loyal best friend; and Daphne, ambitious ex-girlfriend of Sam’s twin brother, Jeff. It does bop between their differing POVs, but it isn’t confusing or jarring. This was a fun YA read with many things that I love - royalty, romance, really well-written female characters. My expectations were high, and they were definitely met! -Angie
Lanny : a novel
Max Porter
FICTION Porter Max
Fiction
"Not far from London, there is a village. This village belongs to the people who live in it and to those who lived in it hundreds of years ago. It belongs to England's mysterious past and its confounding present. It belongs to Mad Pete, the grizzled artist. To ancient Peggy, gossiping at her gate. To families dead for generations, and to those who have only recently moved here. But it also belongs to Dead Papa Toothwort who has woken from his slumber in the woods. Dead Papa Toothwort, who is listening to them all. Chimerical, audacious, strange and wonderful - a song to difference and imagination, to friendship, youth and love, Lanny is the globally anticipated new novel from Max Porter."--Publisher's description.
Added by Jason
I'm so glad I took the time to listen to Circe. Madeline Miller's writing is lofty yet accessible and her characters highly realized, I loved everything about this title. Look for Circeon my rereads shelf soon! -Casey