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| What's Mine and Yours by Naima CosterWhat it is: a multi-generational family drama set in the Piedmont area of North Carolina between 1992 and 2018.
Read it for: a racially diverse cast of well-developed characters whose lives intersect over 30 years; a sweeping tale of two families grappling with race and racism.
For fans of: Mary Beth Keane's Ask Again, Yes, Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, and Therese Fowler's A Good Neighborhood. |
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| Raft of Stars by Andrew J. GraffWhat it is: an atmospheric and suspenseful coming-of-age story with shades of the film Stand By Me.
What happens: Thinking that they've killed a man, ten-year-old Fish and his best friend Bread flee into the deep Wisconsin forest and are tracked by four adults desperate to save them and each seeking answers of their own.
Reviewers say: debut author Andrew Graff "depicts the harsh Northwoods setting and his misfit characters’ inner lives with equal skill" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Are We There Yet? by Kathleen WestWhat it is: a funny, often-relatable tale of motherhood and adolescent angst narrated by a handful of mothers, children, and grandparents.
The crux of the matter: Alice's life is not going well at home or at work, and the combination of 7th-grade drama and poor decision-making on social media throws her friendships with other mothers into a tailspin.
For fans of: the comedic takes on suburban angst in Laurie Gelman's Class Mom. |
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The charmed wife
by Olga Grushin
What it's about: Thirteen years after marrying Prince Charming and having two children, a dissatisfied Cinderella sneaks out to obtain the services of a witch known to provide love potions to disgruntled housewives, but instead of rekindled romance, she wants her husband dead.
Reviews say: "Surprising revelations and some snark provide the finishing touch in this richly imagined, genre-bending retelling of, at its heart, a tale-as-old-as-time." (Booklist)
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The rib king : a novel
by Ladee Hubbard
What it's about: Exploited by the white family that took him in as a servant fifteen years earlier, groundskeeper August Sitwell becomes tragically enraged by how his employers mindlessly profit from the talents of a hired Black cook.
Have you heard? The Rib King is one of the most anticipated books of 2021 by Lit Hub, Book Riot, Good Morning America, Vulture, Glamour, Bustle, the Chicago Review of Books and more.
Reviews say: "Ultimately the reason to read The Rib King is not its timeliness or its insight into politics or Black culture, but because it accomplishes what the best fiction sets out to do: It drops you into a world you could not otherwise visit and makes you care deeply about what happens there." (BookPage)
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In the garden of spite : a novel of the black widow of La Porte
by Camilla Bruce
What it's about: Rendered desperate and ruthless by men who forced her to endure brutal suffering, a calculating woman becomes the most prolific female serial killer in American history in her determination to survive and claim a life on her own terms.
Inspired by: Real-life 19th century serial killer Belle Gunness.
Why you might like it: "Despite her prowess with a meat cleaver, Belle has a soft spot for children, and this complexity in her character adds to the interest of this grisly historical thriller." (Booklist)
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A house at the bottom of the lake
by Josh Malerman
What it's about: Discovering an extraordinary house at the bottom of a lake in their Michigan community, two teens fall passionately in love while struggling to choose between the property’s ethereal freedoms and the safety of the world above.
Author alert: Malerman wrote the bestselling Bird Box.
Reviews say: "Malerman masterfully builds tension, balancing the exuberance of first love with the foreboding mystery of the house. The uncanny elements and strange, evocative setting will keep readers flipping pages..." (PW Reviews)
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The narrowboat summer
by Anne Youngson
What it's about: Abandoning their previous lives, two friends agree to drive a third friend’s narrowboat through the canals of England while she awaits a life-saving operation, drawing them all together to forge a new path forward.
Is it for you? Fans of Jane Smiley and Hannah Mary McKinnon will enjoy Youngson’s immersive, lyrical account of the women's narrowboat summer, especially the colorful characters they meet along their journey. (Booklist)
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My year abroad
by Chang-rae Lee
What it's about: Everyday American college student Tiller finds his life transformed by Chinese-American businessman Pong, who unexpectedly takes him under his wing on a series of whimsical, heartbreaking and darkly shocking adventures throughout Asia.
Reviews say: "Lee is masterful from passage to passage, and Tiller is a winningly self-interrogating narrator; his relationships...provoke smart riffs on ethnicity (he's one-eighth Asian), accomplishment, love, and family. A sage study in how readily we're undone by our appetites." (KIrkus Reviews)
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Winfield, IL 60190
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