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Jessica

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Prodigal summer

by Kingsolver, Barbara.

FICTION Kingsolver, Barbara
Fiction

"From her outpost in an isolated mountain cabin, Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist, watches a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. She is caught off-guard by a young hunter who invades her most private spaces and confounds her self-assured, solitary life. On a farm several miles down the mountain, Lusa Maluf Landowski, a bookish city girl turned farmer's wife, finds herself unexpectedly marooned in a strange place where she must declare or lose her attachment to the land that has become her own. And a few more miles down the road, a pair of elderly feuding neighbors tend their respective farms and wrangle about God, pesticides, and the possibilities of a future neither of them expected. Over the course of one humid summer, these characters find their connections to one another and to the flora and fauna with whom they share a place." Source: Goodreads

Added by Jessica

The vegetarian : a novel

by Kang Han

FICTION Han Kang
Horror, Literary Fiction

"Before the nightmares began, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary, controlled life. But the dreams—invasive images of blood and brutality—torture her, driving Yeong-hye to purge her mind and renounce eating meat altogether. It’s a small act of independence, but it interrupts her marriage and sets into motion an increasingly grotesque chain of events at home. As her husband, her brother-in-law and sister each fight to reassert their control, Yeong-hye obsessively defends the choice that’s become sacred to her. Soon their attempts turn desperate, subjecting first her mind, and then her body, to ever more intrusive and perverse violations, sending Yeong-hye spiraling into a dangerous, bizarre estrangement, not only from those closest to her, but also from herself." Source: Goodreads

Added by Jessica

When women were dragons : a novel

by Kelly Regan Barnhill

FICTION Barnhill Kelly
Fiction

"Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours. But this version of 1950's America is characterized by a significant event: The Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales and talons, left a trail of fiery destruction in their path, and took to the skies. Was it their choice? What will become of those left behind? Why did Alex's beloved Aunt Marla transform but her mother did not? Alex doesn't know. It's taboo to speak of. Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this disturbing event: a mother more protective than ever; a father growing increasingly distant; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and helping to raise a beloved younger girl obsessed with dragons far beyond propriety. In this timely and timeless speculative novel, award-winning author Kelly Barnhill boldly explores rage, memory, and the forced limitations of girlhood. When Women Were Dragons exposes a world that wants to keep women small-their lives and their prospects-and examines what happens when they rise en masse and take up the space they deserve"--

Added by Jessica

Supper club : a novel

by Lara (Writer of Treats) Williams

FICTION Williams Lara
Fiction

Almost thirty, Roberta is stuck in a mindless job and reluctant to pursue her passion for food. When she meets Stevie, a spirited and effervescent artist, their intense friendship sparks a change in Roberta, a shift in her desire for more. Together, they invent the Supper Club, a collective of women who gather to celebrate, rather than admonish, their hungers. They gather after dark and feast until they are sick; they break into private buildings and leave carnage in their wake; they embrace their changing bodies; they stop apologizing. The club is a way to explore, discover, and push the boundaries of the space they take up in the world. But as it grows both in size and rebellion, Roberta is forced to reconcile herself to the desire and vulnerabilities of the body-- and the past she has worked so hard to repress. -- adapted from jacket.

Added by Jessica

The case of the bizarre bouquets : an Enola Holmes mystery

by Nancy. Springer

jFICTION Springer Nancy
Mystery, Kids

Fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes, disguised as a beautiful woman, finds clues in floral bouquets as she searches for the missing Dr. Watson, a companion of her famous older brother, Sherlock.--CIP.

Added by Jessica

Enola Holmes and the elegant escapade

by Nancy Springer

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Springer Nancy
Mystery

Enola Holmes, Sherlock Holmes's younger sister and self-declared finder of lost persons and things, is determined to find her friend, Lacy Cecily, a confused young Baronet's daughter on the run from her father's devious schemes.

Added by Jessica

Enola Holmes and the black barouche

by Nancy Springer

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Springer Nancy
Mystery

When professional typist Letitia Glover is desperate to learn more about the fate of her twin sister Flossie, Enola enlists the help of her brother Sherlock and her friend Tewky to investigate Flossie's husband, the sudden death of his first wife, and the mysterious appearance of a black barouche.

Added by Jessica

The bone spindle

by Leslie Vedder

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Vedder Leslie
Young Adult

Fi is a bookish treasure hunter with a knack for ruins and riddles, who definitely doesn't believe in true love. Shane is a tough-as-dirt girl warrior from the north who likes cracking skulls, pretty girls, and doing things her own way. Briar Rose is a prince under a sleeping curse, who's been waiting a hundred years for the kiss that will wake him. Cursed princes are nothing but ancient history to Fi--until she pricks her finger on a bone spindle while exploring a long-lost ruin. Now she's stuck with the spirit of Briar Rose until she and Shane can break the century-old curse on his kingdom. Dark magic, Witch Hunters, and bad exes all stand in her way--not to mention a mysterious witch who might wind up stealing Shane's heart, along with whatever else she's after. But nothing scares Fi more than the possibility of falling in love with Briar Rose.

Added by Jessica

The nightingale

by Kristin. Hannah

FICTION Hannah Kristin
Historical Fiction

"Viann and Isabelle have always been close despite their differences. Younger, bolder sister Isabelle lives in Paris while Viann lives a quiet and content life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their daughter. When World War II strikes and Antoine is sent off to fight, Viann and Isabelle's father sends Isabelle to help her older sister cope. As the war progresses, it's not only the sisters' relationship that is tested, but also their strength and their individual senses of right and wrong. With life as they know it changing in unbelievably horrific ways, Viann and Isabelle will find themselves facing frightening situations and responding in ways they never thought possible as bravery and resistance take different forms in each of their actions. Vivid and exquiste in its illumination of a time and place that was filled with great monstrosities, but also great humanity and strength, Kristin Hannah's novel will provoke thought and discussion that will have readers talking long after they turn the last page"--

Added by Jessica

Dead Mountain : the untold true story of the Dyatlov Pass incident

by Donnie Eichar

796.522 /Eichar
Nonfiction, History, True Crime

In 1959, a group of Russian students died tragically on a winter hiking trip to the northern Ural Mountains. The circumstances surrounding their deaths at Dyatlov Pass seemed bizarre, and with very little physical evidence left behind, dozens of competing theories cropped up to explain what had happened. Half a century later, American author Donny Eichar was determined to find out the truth, and his obsession took him across the world to retrace their journey in search of answers.

I recommend it if you like to read survival stories, mountaineering adventures, true crime, or are interested in Soviet Era history. -Jessica

Wrong : how media, politics, and identity drive our appetite for misinformation

by Dannagal Goldthwaite Young

305 /Young
Nonfiction, Political

"In this book, the author offers a new model that identifies social and cultural identity-who we are and who we want to be-as the most important factor driving the American phenomena of being wrong"--

Added by Jessica

A ruse of shadows

by Sherry (Sherry M.) Thomas

MYSTERY Thomas Sherry
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

"Charlotte's success on the RMS Provence has afforded her a certain measure of time and assurance. Taking advantage of that, she has been busy, plotting to prise the man her sister loves from Moriarty's iron grip. Disruption, however, comes from an unexpected quarter. Lord Bancroft Ashburton, disgraced and imprisoned as a result of Charlotte's prior investigations, nevertheless manages to press Charlotte into service: Underwood, his most loyal henchman, is missing and Lord Bancroft wants Charlotte to find Underwood, dead or alive. But then Lord Bancroft himself turns up dead and Charlotte, more than anyone else, meets the trifecta criteria of motive, means, and opportunity. Never mind rescuing anyone else, with the law breathing down her neck, can Charlotte save herself from prosecution for murder?"--

Added by Jessica

A tempest at sea

by Sherry (Sherry M.) Thomas

MYSTERY Thomas Sherry
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

"Charlotte Holmes's brilliant mind and deductive skills are pulled into a dangerous investigation at sea in this new mystery of the bestselling Lady Sherlock series. After feigning her own death in Cornwall to escape from Moriarty's perilous attention, Charlotte Holmes goes into hiding. But then she receives a tempting offer: Find a dossier the crown is desperately seeking to recover, and she might be able to return to a normal life. Her search leads her aboard the RMS Provence, sailing from Southampton for the eastern hemisphere. But on the night Charlotte makes her move to retrieve the dossier, in the midst of a terrifying storm in the Bay of Biscay, a brutal murder also takes place on the ship. Instead of solving the crime, as she is accustomed to doing, Charlotte must take care not to be embroiled in this investigation, lest it become known to those who harbor ill intentions that Sherlock Holmes is still abroad and still very much alive"--

Added by Jessica

Miss Moriarty, I presume?

by Sherry (Sherry M.) Thomas

MYSTERY Thomas Sherry
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

"Charlotte Holmes comes face-to-face with her enemy when Moriarty turns to her in his hour of need in the USA Today bestselling series set in Victorian England. A most unexpected client shows up at Charlotte Holmes's doorstep: Moriarty himself. Moriarty fears that tragedy has befallen his daughter and wants Charlotte to find out the truth. Charlotte and Mrs. Watson travel to a remote community of occult practitioners where Moriarty's daughter was last seen, a place full of lies and liars. Meanwhile, Charlotte's sister Livia tries to make sense of a mysterious message from her beau, Mr. Marbleton. And Charlotte's longtime friend and ally Lord Ingram at last turns his seductive prowess on Charlotte-or is it the other way around? But the more secrets Charlotte unravels about Miss Moriarty's disappearance, the more she wonders why Moriarty has entrusted this delicate matter to her of all people. Is it merely to test Charlotte's skills as an investigator, or has the man of shadows trapped her in a nest of vipers?"--

Added by Jessica

Murder on Cold Street

by Sherry (Sherry M.) Thomas

MYSTERY Thomas Sherry
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

"Inspector Treadles, Charlotte Holmes's friend and collaborator, has been found locked in a room with two dead men, both of whom worked with his wife at the great manufacturing enterprise she has recently inherited. Rumors fly. Had Inspector Treadles killed the men because they had opposed his wife's initiatives at every turn? Had he killed in a fit of jealous rage, because he suspected Mrs. Treadles of harboring romantic feelings for one of the men? To make matters worse, he refuses to speak on his own behalf, despite the overwhelming evidence against him. Charlotte finds herself in a case strewn with lies and secrets. But which lies are to cover up small sins, and which secrets would flay open a past better left forgotten? Not to mention, how can she concentrate on these murders when Lord Ingram, her oldest friend and sometime lover, at last dangles before her the one thing she has always wanted?"--Provided by publisher.

Added by Jessica

The art of theft

by Sherry (Sherry M.) Thomas

MYSTERY Thomas Sherry
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

"As "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," Charlotte Holmes has solved murders and found missing individuals. But she has never stolen a priceless artwork--or rather, made away with the secrets hidden behind a much-coveted canvas. But Mrs. Watson is desperate to help her old friend recover those secrets and Charlotte finds herself involved in a fever-paced scheme to infiltrate a glamorous Yuletide ball where the painting is one handshake away from being sold and the secrets a bare breath from exposure. Her dear friend Lord Ingram, her sister Livia, Livia's admirer Stephen Marbleton--everyone pitches in to help and everyone has a grand time. But nothing about this adventure is what it seems and disaster is biding time on the grounds of a glittering French chateau, waiting only for Charlotte to make a single mistake."--

Added by Jessica

The hollow of fear

by Sherry (Sherry M.) Thomas

MYSTERY Thomas Sherry
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

"Under the cover of "Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective," Charlotte Holmes puts her extraordinary powers of deduction to good use. Aided by the capable Mrs. Watson, Charlotte draws those in need to her and makes it her business to know what other people don't. When the estranged wife of her dear friend Lord Ingram is discovered dead on his estate, all signs point to him as the murderer. With Scotland Yard closing in, Charlotte goes under disguise to find out the truth"--

Added by Jessica

A conspiracy in Belgravia

by Sherry (Sherry M.) Thomas

MYSTERY Thomas Sherry
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Lady Ingram, wife of Charlotte's dear friend and benefactor, wants Sherlock Holmes to find her first love, who failed to show up at their annual rendezvous. Matters of loyalty and discretion aside, the case becomes even more personal for Charlotte as the missing man is none other than Myron Finch, her illegitimate half brother.

Added by Jessica

A study in scarlet women

by Sherry (Sherry M.) Thomas

MYSTERY Thomas Sherry
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery

"USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas turns the story of the renowned Sherlock Holmes upside down... With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London. When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She'll have help from friends new and old--a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her. But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society's expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind"--

Added by Jessica

Educated : a memoir

by Tara Westover

BIOGRAPHY Westover, Tara
Nonfiction, Memoir

"Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her "head-for-the-hills bag." In the summer she stewed herbs for her mother, a midwife and healer, and in the winter she salvaged in her father's junkyard. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent. As a way out, Tara began to educate herself, learning enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University. Her quest for knowledge would transform her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Tara Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes, and the will to change it."--Provided by publisher.

Added by Jessica

Interests: Young Adult, Romance, Classics, Cookbooks, Biographies, Dystopian, Kids, Fiction, History, Memoir

About Me

I work in Adult Services as an Information Page. Come see me on the 2nd floor for help using computers, printers, scanners, and other library resources. Born and raised in Illinois, I spent almost two decades in Colorado before returning to the Midwest last year with my family. Iowa City quickly felt like our home, and the warm welcome I've received at ICPL is a big part of that.

What do you like to read?
I switch it up! I read a wide assortment of fiction genres but tend to prefer novels that feature the voices and experiences of women. I also rotate through a variety of of nonfiction topics including cooking, parenting, memoirs, history, and social issues.

What is something unexpected about you?
I have a long list of favorite podcasts from comedy and history to news and current events. Let me know if you want to swap recommendations!

Do you have pets?
I live in the house ruled by my tuxedo cat, Mr. Whiskers! We also have a dog named Rocket, a super mutt who loves to run.

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Jessica

My Shelf

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