SEPTEMBER 2019 - STAFF READING SUGGESTIONS

THE TESTAMENTS
by Margaret Atwood

The Testaments by Margaret Atwood is the widely anticipated sequel to The Handmaid's Tale.
-Staff Pick
THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW
by Alice Hoffman
(Releases September 24, 2019)

In this tale of a young German Jewish girl under the protection of a "golem," Alice Hoffman uses her unique storytelling skills to express the agony of the Holocaust.  With a large cast of supporting human characters Hoffman paints a portrait of what it means to be human in an inhuman world and reminds us that love is everywhere.  I loved this and it has become my favorite Alice Hoffman book.  Another must read!
-Kathy Petray
THE DUTCH HOUSE
by Ann Patchett
(Releases September 24, 2019)

One of our favorite authors has created another brilliant novel focused on a brother/sister relationship. Narrated by the brother, Danny, Patchett takes us on a family's journey of almost five decades--one that is centered on a mother's abandonment and the 1920s mansion that is a lightening rod for this family. Danny and his sister, Maeve, are marvelously complex and interesting characters and Patchett has surrounded them with an outstanding supporting cast: their father, stepmother, stepsisters and a loyal household staff. The Dutch House is a wonderful exploration of family and obsession--what do we hold tight to and what do we give away.  Not to be missed.
-Laura Skinner
RUBY & ROLAND
by Faith Sullivan

I found myself lost in this beautiful love song of a novel.  We follow orphaned Ruby Drake as she searches for her place in the world, never forgetting her parents and their love for books.  Ruby finds a home and community in Harvester, MN, where she is sent to help on a farm. She unexpectedly falls in love with her married neighbor Roland, who has an invalid wife that Ruby ends up as caregiver to. This novel is an intimate look into the world of a compassionate young woman trying to live her best life.
-Maxwell Gregory
RED AT THE BONE
by Jacqueline Woodson
(Releases September 17, 2019)

No stranger to awards, Woodson has been awarded the Newbery, Caldecott, and National Book Award just to name a few. Set primarily in Brooklyn, the story opens in 2001 with a celebration of young Melody's 16-year-old coming of age party in her grandparent's home. As her parents and grandparents look on, we get the backstory to how they all made it through some tough times to get to this point. This is a novel about community, class, race, dreams and so much more. The writing is, of course, beautiful and I fell in love with all of the characters and their stories. I wonder which accolades this Woodson winner will garner?
-Molly Forlow
WE ARE THE WEATHER: SAVING THE PLANET BEGINS AT BREAKFAST
by Jonathan Safran Foer
(Releases September 17, 2019)

Foer makes the strong and convincing case that animal agriculture is the dominant cause of climate change in this intensely personal, moving and powerful short treatise. In his outstanding and well written message, Foer forces readers to rethink their commitment to combating "the greatest crisis humankind has ever faced." A must read and a call for meaningful action.
-Kathy Petray
DEARLY BELOVED
by Cara Wall

This beautifully written debut follows the lives of two couples from their respective courtships in the 1950's, throughout their adult lives in the turbulent 60's, to their mature years. All 4 individuals are exquisitely crafted; each one molded by their childhoods and crucial moments in their lives. The theme of belief in God and an individual's faith binds the entire story in a thoughtful and poignant manner. Wall's prose is both precise and lyrical. I loved this!
-Laura Skinner
A BETTER MAN
by Louise Penny

Never disappointing, the new Inspector Gamache mystery begins as he returns to the Surete after a nine month suspension. When a local woman is found dead in a swollen river during a spring flood, Gamache and his team build a case of mostly circumstantial evidence against her unlikable and abusive husband. A shocking twist and a dark family secret finally turn them in the proper direction as a nasty and brutal social media campaign is being waged against them. Weaving side stories on the impending move to Paris of his daughter and Jean-Guy Beauvoir and the famous local artist Clara's disastrous exhibition, Louise Penny is a master of describing the "subtle demons of life and thought."  She explores with her lovely writing the depths of human love and emotion and like her previous books, I loved A Better Man.
-Lisa Dietrich
PRETTY GUILTY WOMEN
by Gina LaManna

Three college friends, one grande dame, one single mother, and one dead man. Why do four of these women confess to being the murderer while attending an over the top wedding at the exclusive Serenity Spa and Resort?  That's what Detective Ramone wants to know!  This mystery will have you laughing out loud, but leave you wondering.  A thoroughly enjoyable page turner!
-Katha Plack
THE BEEKEEPER OF ALEPPO
by  Christy Lefteri  

Nuri and Afra have a beautiful life with their son in the Syrian city of Aleppo.  Nuri is happiest when tending to his beloved bees.  Life is turned upside down when the war tears through Syria and they are forced to flee.  This is the story of their harrowing journey through Turkey and Greece and ultimately Britain.  Are they able to continue to love and support one another in spite of the horrors they must endure?  A beautiful and realistic story.
-Laura Capstick
AKIN
by Emma Donoghue

The new novel from the author of Room is part coming of age story, part travelogue, part historical fiction and part family drama.  80-yr-old Noah, a retired New York professor, finds his life turned upside down.  He is back in Nice, France for the first time in 75 years in hopes of uncovering the truth of his mother's life in the 1940's.  What Noah didn't expect is to be accompanied by his late nephew's sulky, foul-mouthed 13-yr-old son, Michael. This very unlikely couple tries to tolerate each other as they tour Nice and attempt to answer the nagging question--could Noah's mother have been a Nazi sympathizer?
-Laura Skinner
THIS TENDER LAND
by William Kent Krueger

This Tender Land is storytelling at its finest. Reminiscent of the American classic Huckleberry Finn, we follow the narrator, 12-year-old Odie on the adventure of a lifetime, as he, his older brother, a mute Indian classmate and a young girl they have sworn to keep safe, journey on the Gilead River looking for freedom, safety and home, as they escape from the horrors of the Lincoln Indian Training School they left behind. The stunning and unforgettable descriptions of America in the 1930's in the midst of the Great Depression is heartbreaking, yet the four orphaned vagabonds witness the good, along with the bad on their travels.  Like his namesake Odysseus, young Odie's journey is a pivotal turning point in his life, full of memorable and well-crafted characters.  This is a novel that seeps into your heart and soul and leaves a lasting imprint.
-Maxwell Gregory
NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK
BURNING DOWN THE HAUS: PUNK ROCK, REVOLUTION AND THE FALL OF THE BERLIN WALL
by Tim Mohr
FASHION CLIMBING: A MEMOIR
by Bill Cunningham
RISING OUT OF HATRED: THE AWAKENING OF A FORMER WHITE NATIONALIST
by Eli Saslow
THE GOLDEN STATE
by Lydia Kiesling
THE HUSBAND HUNTER: AMERICAN HEIRESSES WHO MARRIED INTO THE BRITISH ARISTOCRACY
by Anne De Courcy
THE PARIS ORPHAN
by Natasha Lester
THE RED ADDRESS BOOK
by Sofia Lundberg
MIDDLE SCHOOL & YOUNG ADULT SUGGESTIONS
JUVENILE FICTION:

GUTS
by Raina Telgemeier

Finally, something new from one of our favorite authors! Guts is a graphic memoir. 10-yr-old Raina suffers from stomach pains from time to time, which makes her very anxious and embarrassed. Telgemeier addresses stress, anxiety and panic attacks in a very approachable, non-judgmental and reassuring manner. Her graphics truly capture a young girl's fears as she navigates her friends, family and school. It is fun to watch young Raina find drawing and writing comic books as a wonderful outlet for her anxieties.  Raina nails middle school angst perfectly in this marvelous book.
-Maxwell Gregory
JUVENILE FICTION:

WILDFIRE
by Rodman Philbrick

A fast-paced survival story set in the present day but inspired by The Great Fire in Maine in 1947, when the wildfires burned from the mountains to the sea.  Sam and Delphy are at separate summer camps on the same lake when wildfires threaten and they must evacuate; both are left behind and must fend for themselves.  Luckily they stumble across each other in the woods and decide to stick together. What follows is their suspense-filled adventure as they try to get to safety using the survival skills taught to Sam by his late father.  Lots of great information to be gleaned about the power and destruction of wildfires.
-Di Grumhaus
YOUNG ADULTS:

FRANKLY IN LOVE
by David Yoon

Frank Li's sister has been disowned for dating a non-Korean boy, so he knows that his parents expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl.  This is a problem because the girl of his dreams is definitely not Korean.   He hatches a plan with a family friend, Joy Song, who is in a similar bind, to "fake date" each other to placate their parents. I absolutely loved this coming-of-age story; funny, touching and entertaining as it gives readers a glimpse into the lives of first-generation Korean-Americans as they navigate family and friendship.
-Di Grumhaus
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