Meredith

What was mine : a novel

by Helen Klein Ross

FICTION Ross Helen
Suspense

"Simply told but deeply affecting, this urgent novel unravels the heartrending yet unsentimental tale of a woman who kidnaps a baby in a superstore--and gets away with it for twenty-one years"--

Twenty-one years ago, Lucy did the unthinkable. She took a baby that was not hers and raised the baby as her own. The baby, Mia, had a great childhood. But what about the family she was taken from? What about their lives? Lucy’s actions affected more than her, they affected her more than Mia, and this book tells their stories. I could not stop reading! -Meredith

Final girls : a novel

by Riley Sager

FICTION Sager Riley
Suspense

Emerging as the lone survivor of a serial killer's massacre a decade earlier, Quincy Carpenter struggles to ignore traumatic memories and move on as one of a group of other survivors who look to her for answers when one of them is found dead in a suspicious suicide.

This was one of those book that grabbed me from the beginning and never let go. Every time I thought I had things figured out, there was a twist and my plan to stop reading and do something else would be tossed aside “for just one more chapter." -Meredith

What you don't know about Charlie Outlaw

by Leah Stewart

FICTION Stewart Leah
Fiction

After a series of missteps in the face of his newfound fame, actor Charlie Outlaw flees to a remote island in search of anonymity and a chance to reevaluate his recent breakup with his girlfriend, actress Josie Lamar. But soon after his arrival on the peaceful island, his solitary hike into the jungle takes him into danger he never anticipated.

This book successfully weaves together the stories of two actors -- one up-and-coming who is trying to hide from the world after a disastrous Vanity Fair interview and the other, his ex-girlfriend (thanks to said disastrous interview), who is on the downside of fame. He has taken off for the middle of nowhere while she remains in California, booking small roles on TV as she preps for the 20th anniversary of the show that made her famous. Something happens -- I won't ruin it by saying what -- and the story goes back and forth between Charlie and Josie during the same time period. At the same time, we get an idea of what fame is like for those who have it, those who seek it, and those who wish they never got what they wanted. It's a good commentary on our obsession with celebrities. -Meredith

So you've been publicly shamed

by Jon Ronson

152.44 /Ronson
Nonfiction

"This is the perfect time for a modern-day Scarlet Letter--a radically empathetic book about public shaming, and about shaming as a form of social control. It has become such a big part of our lives it has begun to feel weird and empty when there isn't anyone to be furious about. Whole careers are being ruined by one mistake. A transgression is revealed. Our collective outrage at it has the force of a hurricane. Then we all quickly forget about it and move on to the next one, and it doesn't cross our minds to wonder if the shamed person is okay or in ruins. What's it doing to them? What's it doing to us?"--

When I picked up this book, I was thinking of public shaming from a humorous point, like the people who post pictures of their pets with signs that say "I blamed my accident on the other dog." I didn't think of REAL public shaming, like the Internet going after a person for making a poor joke on Twitter, effectively ruining their lives. It's happened. Not only is this book is full of examples, we've seen it happen in real time, too -- on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc. It's scary, people. It's a scary, scary world. Are the people Jon Ronson interviews in his book innocent? No, though one would argue there's levels of guilt. And what about the people who put their misdeeds out there for the world to see and judge? Are they guilty of taking it too far, letting the world be judge and jury? Again, some might say yes and others might say no. This is was fascinating read on a subject that's very much a part of our daily lives. I'm going to be thinking about it for awhile. -Meredith

The Nowhere Girls

by Amy Lynn Reed

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Reed Amy
Young Adult

"Three misfit girls come together to avenge the rape of a girl none of them knew and in the process start a movement that transforms the lives of everyone around them"--

I am in love with this book. It made me sad. It made me angry. It frustrated me so much at times, but when I read the last few pages, it gave me hope. As Amy Reed writes, "But maybe things are changing." -Meredith

Still missing

by Chevy Stevens

FICTION Stevens, Chevy
Suspense

When I started this book, I tweeted that I might not accomplish anything else because I heard it was that good. I was right. I finished this book in less than 24 hours. Worth it! This book had a twist I did NOT see coming! -Meredith

Roomies

by Christina Lauren

FICTION Lauren Christin
Romance

"From subway to Broadway to happily ever after. Modern love in all its thrill, hilarity, and uncertainty has never been so compulsively readable as in New York Times and #1 international bestselling author Christina Lauren's (Beautiful Bastard, Dating You / Hating You) new romance. Marriages of convenience are so ... inconvenient. Rescued by Calvin McLoughlin from a would-be subway attacker, Holland Bakker pays the brilliant musician back by pulling some of her errand-girl strings and getting him an audition with a bigtime musical director. When the tryout goes better than even Holland could have imagined, Calvin is set for a great entry into Broadway--until he admits his student visa has expired and he's in the country illegally. Holland impulsively offers to wed the Irishman to keep him in New York, her growing infatuation a secret only to him. As their relationship evolves from awkward roommates to besotted lovers, Calvin becomes the darling of Broadway. In the middle of the theatrics and the acting-not-acting, what will it take for Holland and Calvin to realize that they both stopped pretending a long time ago?"--

A fun and easy read about a marriage of convenience that might not be as convenient as Holland and Calvin thought. -Meredith

The Belles

by Dhonielle Clayton

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Clayton Dhoniel
Young Adult

"In a world where Beauty is a commodity only a few control, one Belle will learn the dark secrets behind her powers, and rise up to change the world"--

Beauty is skin deep. It's what's below the surface that's frightening. -Meredith

A princess in theory

by Alyssa Cole

FICTION Cole Alyssa
Romance

Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can't resist the chance to experience life--and love--without the burden of his crown.

A cute modern-day take on a fairy tale live story, complete with betrayal, a villain and happily ever after. -Meredith

Beartown : a novel

by Fredrik Backman

FICTION Backman Fredrik
Fiction

"From the New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry, and Britt-Marie Was Here, comes a poignant, charming novel about a forgotten town fractured by scandal, and the amateur hockey team that might just change everything. Winning a junior ice hockey championship might not mean a lot to the average person, but it means everything to the residents of Beartown, a community slowly being eaten alive by unemployment and the surrounding wilderness. A victory like this would draw national attention to the ailing town: it could attract government funding and an influx of talented athletes who would choose Beartown over the big nearby cities. A victory like this would certainly mean everything to Amat, a short, scrawny teenager who is treated like an outcast everywhere but on the ice; to Kevin, a star player just on the cusp of securing his golden future in the NHL; and to Peter, their dedicated general manager whose own professional hockey career ended in tragedy. At first, it seems like the team might have a shot at fulfilling the dreams of their entire town. But one night at a drunken celebration following a key win, something happens between Kevin and the general manager's daughter--and the next day everything seems to have changed. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected. With so much riding on the success of the team, the line between loyalty and betrayal becomes difficult to discern. At last, it falls to one young man to find the courage to speak the truth that it seems no one else wants to hear. Fredrik Backman knows that we are forever shaped by the places we call home, and in this emotionally powerful, sweetly insightful story, he explores what can happen when we carry the heavy weight of other people's dreams on our shoulders"--

This is the first book I’ve read by Fredrik Backman, so I went into it without any expectations based on his previous work. I’m glad because I’d hate to have read this amazing story and feel let down because it lacked the lightness people expected. Beartown is a hockey town and the sport affects everyone, but this isn’t a hockey story. It’s about the people and their actions. Hockey constantly surrounds them, it’s grip strangling at times, but it’s what the characters do off the ice that show their true colors. There’s violence and heartbreak, secrets and lies. You know what’s going to happen — everyone does — but even when it plays out exactly how you expect, you can’t stop reading. Even when I was frustrated, I was captivated. A reviewer on Amazon compared Backman to Dickens and I agree. My heart hurts, but I’m a better person for having read this story. -Meredith

The big book of breakfasts : serious comfort food for any time of the day

by Maryana Vollstedt

641.52 /Vollstedt
Cookbooks

The latest in the best-selling Big Book series, The Big Book of Breakfasts starts the day right with over 280 recipes for every kind of breakfast food imaginable. Its classic Maryana Vollstedt: every delicious dish is so easy to make you can hit the snooze button again and again. From classic blue-plate specials of Corned Beef Hash and Eggs to an innovative brunch of Spicy Orange Pancakes, here are frittatas and omelets, quiches and stratas, casseroles and skillet entrees, sandwiches and wraps, French toast and pancakes, waffles and cereals, meats and potatoes, breads and fruits plus a bevy of beverages and the basic how-to. Breakfast-its not just for breakfast anymore.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and this cookbook gave me more than 200 new reasons to love it! -Meredith

Before we were yours

by Lisa Wingate

FICTION Wingate Lisa
Historical Fiction

"Memphis, Tennessee, 1936. The five Foss children find their lives changed forever when their parents leave them alone on the family shantyboat one stormy night. Rill Foss, just twelve years old, must protect her four younger siblings as they are wrenched from their home on the Mississippi and thrown into the care of the infamous Georgia Tann, director of the Tennessee Children's Home Society. South Carolina, Present Day. Avery Stafford has lived a charmed life. Loving daughter to her father, a U.S. Senator, she has a promising career as an assistant D.A. in Baltimore and is engaged to her best friend. But when Avery comes home to help her father weather a health crisis and a political attack, a chance encounter with a stranger leaves her deeply shaken. Avery's decision to learn more about the woman's life will take her on a journey through her family's long-hidden history"--

A buzzy book that lives up to the hype! It will break your heart at times, but don’t let that scare you. -Meredith

You are a badass : how to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life

by Jen Sincero

158.1 /Sincero
Self Help

Offers a blunt and irreverent guide to achieving the money, relationships, career, and happiness that one desires through recognizing and doing away with self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviors.

While there wasn’t a lot of new information in this book, it was written in a way that energizes and excites the reader. Be open to the possibilities! -Meredith

Eliza and her monsters

by Francesca Zappia

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Zappia Francesc
Young Adult

When the teen creator of "Monstrous Sea," a popular webcomic, is tempted by a school newcomer to pursue real-world relationships, everything she has worked so hard to build crumbles in the wake of their highly publicized romance.

This is a great book for people who create or want to create. For followers of fandoms. For people who find what they need online. For parents who want to better understand introverted teens. For anyone who has a story to tell. -Meredith

Goodbye, things : the new Japanese minimalism

by Fumio Sasaki

158.1 /Sasaki
Nonfiction, Memoir

This may sound similar to “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” but while Marie Kondo is an organizing guru, Fumio Sasaki is an ordinary guy who decided enough was enough. He got rid of everything he didn’t need and discovered a new way to live. -Meredith

Attachments

by Rainbow Rowell

FICTION Rowell, Rainbow
Fiction

Beth and Jennifer know their company monitors their office e-mail, but they still spend all day sending each other messages, gossiping about their coworkers at the newspaper and baring their personal lives like an open book. When Lincoln applied to be an Internet security officer, he hardly imagined he'd be sifting through other people's inboxes like some sort of electronic Peeping Tom. Lincoln is supposed to turn people in for misusing company e-mail, but he can't bring himself to crack down on Beth and Jennifer. He can't help but be entertained and captivated by their stories. But by the time Lincoln realizes he's falling for Beth, it's way too late for him to ever introduce himself. After a series of close encounters and missed connections, Lincoln decides it's time to muster the courage to follow his heart, even if he can't see exactly where it's leading him.

A romantic comedy via e-mail thanks to company policy that gives Lincoln O’Neill the right to monitor the hilarious e-mails between Beth Fremont and Jennifer Scribner-Snyder. -Meredith

The breakdown

by B. A. Paris

FICTION Paris B. A.
Fiction, Thriller, Suspense

"Named One of the Most Anticipated Thriller Novels Of 2017 by Bustle! THE NEW CHILLING, PROPULSIVE NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust? Cass is having a hard time since the night she saw the car in the woods, on the winding rural road, in the middle of a downpour, with the woman sitting inside--the woman who was killed. She's been trying to put the crime out of her mind; what could she have done, really? It's a dangerous road to be on in the middle of a storm. Her husband would be furious if he knew she'd broken her promise not to take that shortcut home. And she probably would only have been hurt herself if she'd stopped. But since then, she's been forgetting every little thing: where she left the car, if she took her pills, the alarm code, why she ordered a pram when she doesn't have a baby. The only thing she can't forget is that woman, the woman she might have saved, and the terrible nagging guilt. Or the silent calls she's receiving, or the feeling that someone's watching her ... You won't be able to put down B.A. Paris's The Breakdown, the next chilling, propulsive novel from the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors"--

A strong start to a story in which the reader knows something isn't right, but can't quite put their finger on why. -Meredith

Friendship bread

by Darien Gee

FICTION Gee, Darien
Fiction

Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia Evarts remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life until she receives an anonymous gift of Amish Friendship Bread with instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.

An unexpected gift -- a loaf of friendship bread -- sets off a chain of events that heal and help. The ending made me smile for days. -Meredith

When Dimple met Rishi

by Sandhya Menon

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Menon Sandhya
Young Adult

When Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Stanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with "marriage prospects" but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting an arranged marriage with him.

Super cute, super fun, super adorable. Sometimes the thing you don't want is exactly what you need. -Meredith

I will always write back : how one letter changed two lives

by Caitlin Alifirenka

305.235 /Alifirenka
Nonfiction, Memoir

It started as an assignment. Everyone in Caitlin's class wrote to an unknown student somewhere in a distant place. All the other kids picked countries like France or Germany, but when Caitlin saw Zimbabwe written on the board, it sounded like the most exotic place she had ever heard of -- so she chose it. Martin was lucky to even receive a pen pal letter. There were only ten letters, and forty kids in his class. But he was the top student, so he got the first one. That letter was the beginning of a correspondence that spanned six years and changed two lives.

It's so easy to focus on what we don't have; this book is a reminder to remember and be grateful for all that we do have. -Meredith

And every morning the way home gets longer and longer : a novella

by Fredrik Backman

FICTION Backman Fredrik
Fiction

A lovely story. It will make you cry, but it's worth it. -Meredith

Love, Rosie

by Cecelia Ahern

FICTION Ahern, Cecelia
Fiction

The relationship between Rosie and Alex evolves from childhood best friends into something more as separation, an unexpected pregnancy, and other romances turn their lives upside down.

Follow the friendship between Rosie and Alex through the notes they pass in class, instant messages, and letters. -Meredith

Everything you want me to be : a novel

by Mindy Mejia

FICTION Mejia Mindy
Fiction, Suspense

I don't really know what I can say without being all spoil-ey, but I started this as an audio and had to check out the actual book because it wasn't being read fast enough. -Meredith

Run like a girl : how strong women make happy lives

by Mina Samuels

796.0194 /Samuels
Nonfiction, Health

Looking for some motivation? Read this book! -Meredith