|
|
|
|
| The Usual Desire to Kill by Camilla BarnesHelping her retired British parents at their ramshackle French country house, 40-something Miranda reports back to her sister that she has the “usual desire to kill" as she deals with their idiosyncrasies and plans for her mom's upcoming surgery. This witty, moving debut by an actor and playwright spotlights adult child-parent relationships, sibling rivalry, and marriage. Try this next: The Birdcatcher by Gayl Jones.
|
|
|
|
Atmosphere
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.
|
|
| The Bright Years by Sarah DamoffRyan and Lillian fall for each other in 1979 Fort Worth, Texas. Though both have secrets (Ryan's dad was an abusive alcoholic; teenage Lillian gave a baby up for adoption), they marry and have daughter Jet. But Ryan's own struggles with alcoholism lead to a troubled marriage. Narrated by the three of them, this poignant first novel explores loss and family over four generations and several decades. |
|
| The Correspondent by Virginia EvansIn 2012 Maryland, we meet 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp, a mother, grandmother, and retired lawyer, who spends time each week writing to family, friends, and authors she admires. Detailing her past, present, future, and favorite books, this moving epistolary tale and accomplished debut covers nearly a decade of an intriguing life. For fans of: Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge; Beth Morrey's The Love Story of Missy Carmichael. |
|
| All That Life Can Afford by Emily EverettStudying for her master's degree, broke American in London Anna finds herself enamored by the family of one of her wealthy test prep students. Swept into the world of the glamorous Wilders, she's torn between her ambition and identity, the allure of belonging, and two very different men. Already a Reese's Book Club pick, this lyrical coming-of-age story will please fans of Jane Green's novels and modern Jane Austen retellings. |
|
| Rabbit Moon by Jennifer HaighAfter a hit-and-run leaves 22-year-old American expat Lindsey in a coma in Shanghai, her divorced parents go to her, wondering why she isn't living in Beijing like she'd said. Meanwhile, Lindsey's adored 11-year-old sister, who was adopted from China, is at camp, puzzled that Lindsey isn't texting her back. With a strong sense of place, this thoughtful novel moves back and forth in time, examining fractured families and secrets. Try this next: Juli Min's Shanghailanders. |
|
| The Names by Florence KnappCora Atkin is off to register her baby's name when nine-year-old Maia suggests they call the baby Bear instead of Gordon, which her father has insisted upon. Cora's pick? Julian. Tracing the results of each choice over 35 years, this thought-provoking novel and Read with Jenna selection presents a complex story about fate, family, and abuse. Read-alike: The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas. |
|
|
|
The Phoenix Pencil Company
by Allison King
Combining the cross-generational family saga and epistolary form of A Tale for the Time Being with the uplifting, emotional magic of The Midnight Library, Allison King's stunning debut novel asks: who owns and inherits our stories? The answers and secrets that surface on the page may have the unerasable power to reconnect a family and restore a legacy.
|
|
|
|
The Retirement Plan
by Sue Hincenbergs
Three best friends turn to murder to collect on their husbands' life insurance policies, but the husbands have a plan of their own.
What follows is a high-stakes tale of cat and mouse that is both laugh-out-loud funny and unbearably tense and, ultimately, a big-hearted look at friendship, marriage, and middle age.
|
|
| The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean VuongIn a dying Connecticut town, 19-year-old Hai, who struggles with addiction, is on a bridge ready to end it all when Grazina, an elderly Lithuanian widow with dementia, yells at him. Becoming her caretaker in a rundown house by the river, Hai gets work at a fast food place and finds a home there too. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking, Ocean Vuong's lyrical second novel is an Oprah Book Club pick. Try these next: Joe Wilkins' The Entire Sky; Julie Otsuka's The Swimmers. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|