Fiction
Other words for home
Jasmine Warga
jFICTION Warga Jasmine
Fiction, Kids
Sent with her mother to the safety of a relative's home in Cincinnati when her Syrian hometown is overshadowed by violence, Jude worries for the family members who were left behind as she adjusts to a new life with unexpected surprises.
The secrets we kept
Lara Prescott
FICTION Prescott Lara
Historical Fiction, Fiction
At the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime. Their mission: to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR, where no one dare publish it, and help Pasternak's magnum opus make its way into print around the world. Glamorous and sophisticated Sally Forrester is a seasoned spy who has honed her gift for deceit all over the world--using her magnetism and charm to pry secrets out of powerful men. Irina is a complete novice, and under Sally's tutelage quickly learns how to blend in, make drops, and invisibly ferry classified documents.
Oh, you need to read this book. Follow members of the CIA's "typing pool" picked to assist in the mission to get the novel Doctor Zhivago published and distributed in the Soviet Union. Their story is intertwined with Olga's, the mistress of Boris Pasternak, as she deals with the consequences of the novel's existence--it was not a favorite of the Kremlin, by any means. It is a page-turner. Also, you DO NOT need to read Doctor Zhivago to enjoy this book. However, it is a great read as well! -Anne M
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"--
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
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.
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
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.
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
Harper, Helen
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
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
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.
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
Joseph Dobrian
"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)
Added by Becky
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.
Added by Becky
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)
Added by Becky
A beautiful, timely book in verse that will help you understand the Syrian refugee crisis. -Anne W