June 2024 - Staff Reading Suggestions | |
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ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK
by Chris Whitaker
(releases June 25, 2024)
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A page turner for me! A beautifully written story about a young boy named Patch, who lives in rural Missouri, who saves a girl and falls in love. He becomes haunted by a series of abductions and tries to find the person who is responsible, which leads to consequences that change his life.
-Eleanor
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WEALTH OF SHADOWS
by Graham Moore
The newest novel from the author of "The Last Days of Night" is based on a true story--a thrilling account of an Average Joe trying to make a difference for his country at the threshold of WWII. In 1939, when the US had declared neutrality in the European conflict, a tax attorney from Minnesota, Ansel Luxford, was recruited to join a secret branch of the Treasury Department attempting to cripple the German economy. Moore's enthralling story is full of espionage, intrigue, lies and deceit. Can this group of economists, statisticians and attorneys stop the German war machine without firing a single gun?
-Laura
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SWIFT RIVER
by Essie Chambers
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"Swift River" is the story of sixteen-year-old Diamond Newberry in the summer of 1987; a biracial teen in a once sundowner town facing the aftermath of her father’s disappearance. Diamond’s story is one about family history, home, mothers and daughters, and what it means to seek out a life to call your own. Through the lenses of different decades and ancestors, clips of a larger narrative weave together to form one of humor, regret and healing. A stunning coming-of-age story that had me tearful and smiling in its final pages!
-Katie
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SAME AS IT EVER WAS
by Claire Lombardo
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Having absolutely loved Claire’s first novel “The Most Fun We Ever Had,” I was very excited to read “Same As It Ever Was.” A chance encounter at the grocery store with a friend from the past, coupled with a surprise announcement from her well-behaved son, throws Julia Ames into total emotional upheaval. The Ames’s are messy, complicated, loving and by the end of the book you feel as though they will be setting a place at their kitchen table for you, as you have come to know them so intimately. Lombardo has once again written characters with fascinating depth and relatability and shows why she deserves the title of “the literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler.”
-Morley
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HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN
by Joyce Maynard
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"How the Light Gets In" is the sequel to "Count the Ways." It follows Eleanor and her family through fifteen years (2009-2024) against the backdrop of climate change, the January 6th insurrection, school violence and Covid. The story begins with the death of Eleanor's ex-husband and follows her and her three grown children through rough, messy and treacherous times. Ultimately, the book is about family, love and finding your place in the world.
-Erin
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WHEN THE SEA CAME ALIVE: AN ORAL HISTORY OF D-DAY
By Garrett M. Graff
Historian Garrett M. Graff delivers a meticulously researched, yet deeply human narrative about the military campaign that changed the course of the world.
-Kathy
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MIDDLETIDE
by Sarah Crouch
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Set in the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, this atmospheric novel is equal parts mystery and love story. Elijah finds his way back to his hometown after an attempt at writing a novel. His book is panned, but someone in town has read it, acted on it, and created a nightmare for Elijah and the woman he loves. An engrossing read!
-Beth
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I'VE TRIED BEING NICE
By Ann Leary
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I want Ann Leary to be my new bestie! I have not read anything by Ann before, but I will surely pick up some of her fiction after reading "I’ve Tried Being Nice." This selection of personal essays are hilarious, poignant, and so genuine I feel as if we are besties if only in my mind! It is a must read for any 50+ year old woman who is simultaneously working on herself and quite content with her telling you all about her true non-Facebook self. I loved it!!!
-Martha
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THE COAST ROAD
By Alan Murrin
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I was shocked to learn that Ireland didn’t pass (and just barely) the law to legalize divorce until 1996. This debut novel explores the marriages of two women in a small village in Ireland as that law was due to be voted on. The limits on their freedom to make choices and the devastating results for these families makes for a thought provoking read. Fans of Claire Keegan will savor this one. Great for book clubs!
-Di
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SOLDIER SAILOR
By Claire Kilroy
Every mother will recognize this story, in both the overwhelming love of a new baby and the agonizing exhaustion of being a new parent. This particular mother soldiers on with her little sailor, not always with help or grace. It reads as if it could be a memoir, with a captivating writing style and heartfelt content.
-Beth and Missy
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THIS STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY
by Claire Messud
Over seven decades, the Cassars live in an itinerant state—separated in the chaos of World War II, running from a colonial homeland, and, after Algerian independence, without a homeland at all. "This Strange Eventful History," told with historical sweep, is a family story: of patriarch Gaston and his wife Lucienne, whose myth of perfect love sustains them; of François and Denise, devoted siblings connected by their family’s strangeness; of Chloe, the result of that union, who believes that telling these buried stories will bring them all peace.
-Kathy
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HUSBANDS & LOVERS
by Beatriz Williams
(releases June 25, 2024)
"Husbands and Lovers" by Beatriz Williams is a captivating historical novel that delves into the intricate lives of its characters, set against the backdrop of significant events and time periods. Known for her ability to weave rich historical detail with compelling narratives, Williams once again delivers a tale that intertwines romance, drama and suspense. A perfect summer read!
-Morley
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LONG TIME GONE
by Charlie Donlea
Sloan Hastings has just started her forensic pathology training and has been assigned the area of Forensic genealogy. To learn more about this field she tests her own DNA only to learn she is the infamous Baby Charlotte, who went missing along with her parents three decades earlier. The discovery of Charlotte reignites the media frenzy around the case as Sloan/Charlotte travels back to the town where it all began and into the arms of the wealthy Margolis family she was born into, to find out the truth about what happened thirty years ago and where her birth parents are now.
-Kirsten
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CAST, CATCH, RELEASE
By Marina Gibson
You don’t need to be a fishing fan to enjoy Marina Gibson’s memoir. From her early days fishing the river alongside her mother to her dogged pursuit for purpose in her life-both personal and professional, she takes us fishing in some of the most amazing places, all the while sharing with us her quest to turn her passion into a career. Chapters alternate between Marina’s story and the life cycle of the salmon. Her tale is an easy, enjoyable read for anyone who loves stories of personal struggle, the great outdoors, dogs and, of course, happy endings. Favorite quote: “The tug is the drug.”
-Anne
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LULA DEAN'S LITTLE LIBRARY OF BANNED BOOKS
By Kirsten Miller
(releases June 18, 2024)
This provocative book is a great conversation starter for your next book club This book is funny, charming, raunchy, and empowering all at once. Readers who agree that “those who seek to ban books are never on the right side of history” will love this novel! A wonderful summer read.
-Martha
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BEAR
By Julia Phillips
(releases June 25, 2024)
Elena and Sam are sisters, caregivers for their ailing mom, and best friends. They live in their dilapidated family home in the woods of the San Juan Islands, working long hours on the ferry and local restaurant to try to make ends meet. It’s rare when a bear swims the channel and comes to the island, but when it happens, this novel takes on an almost fairy tale quality as the bear plays an ever increasing role in the sisters lives. The sisters thought they wanted the same things in life, but the bear changes everything. An unusual read that I can’t stop thinking about!
-Beth
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JUVENILLE FICTION SUGGESTIONS | |
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TELEPHONE OF THE TREE
By Alison McGhee
Ten year old Ayla has been best friends with Kiri since they were babies. They both shared a love of trees that began when their parents planted each of them a tree when they were born. But after an accident Kiri has gone away and Ayla sits in her tree waiting for her to return. One day Ayla wakes to find an old-fashioned phone in her tree. Suddenly people are stopping by her tree to use the phone to talk to people that have passed. A small, beautiful story with some big ideas on friendship, family, community, life and grief. A story not to be missed that will touch everyone who reads it.
-Kirsten
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