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L.A. Women
by Ella Berman
In 1960s L.A., writer and Hollywood outsider Lane becomes envious when socialite and fellow writer Gala gains fame; 10 years later she betrays Gala by writing a successful book based on her life—her only problem is Gala's now been missing for months.
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A Promise to Arlette
by Serena Burdick
In an idyllic Massachusetts neighborhood, local boy Sidney and his British bride Ida haven't recovered from the war. They hide it well until 1952 when a neighbor shows off a Man Ray photo, leading Ida to steal it. She heads to California to confront the artist, knowing her beloved friend Arlette was actually the photographer. Set in England, France, and the United States before, during, and after World War II, this is an evocative, haunting novel. Try this next: Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey.
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The World's Fair Quilt : a Novel
by Jennifer Chiaverini
As fall paints the Pennsylvania countryside in flaming colors, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson is contemplating the future of her beloved Elm Creek Quilts. The Elm Creek Quilt Camp remains the most popular quilter's retreat in the country, but unexpected financial difficulties have beset them and the Bergstrom family's stately nineteenth-century manor. Now in her eighth decade, Sylvia is determined to maintain her family's legacy, but she needs new resources--financial and emotional. Summer Sullivan--a founding Elm Creek Quilter--arrives to discuss an antique quilt that she wants to display at the Waterford Historical Society's quilt exhibit. When Sylvia and her sister Claudia were teenagers, they had entered a quilt in the Sears National Quilt Contest for the1933 Century of Progress Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair. The Bergstrom sisters' quilt would be perfect for the Historical Society's exhibit, Summer explains. Sylvia is reluctant to lend out the quilt, which has been stored in the attic for decades, nearly forgotten. In keeping with the contest's 'Century of Progress' theme, the girls illustrated progress of values--scenes of the Emancipation Proclamation, woman's suffrage, and labor unions. But although it won ribbons, the quilt also drove a wedge between the sisters. As Sylvia reluctantly retraces her quilt's story for Summer, she makes an unexpected discovery--one that restores some of her faith in this unique work of art, and helps shine some light on a way forward for the Elm Creek Quilts community.
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The Country Under Heaven : a Novel
by Frederic S. Durbin
Set in the 1880s, the story follows Ovid Vesper, a former Union soldier who has been having enigmatic visions after surviving one of the Civil War's most gruesome battles, the Battle of Antietam. As he travels across the country following those visions, he finds himself in stranger and increasingly more dangerous encounters with other worlds hidden in the spaces of his own mind, not to mention the dangers of the Wild West. Ovid brings his steady calm and compassion as he helps the people of a broken country, rapidly changing but, like himself, still reeling and wounded from the war. He assists with matters of all sorts, from odd jobs around the house, to guiding children back to their own universe, to hunting down unnatural creatures that stalk the night--all the while seeking his own personal resolution and peace from his visions. Ovid's epic journey across the American West with a surprising cast of characters blends elements of the classic Western with historical fantasy in a way like no other.
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The Saint Laurent Muse : a Novel
by C. W. Gortner
In 1970s Paris, aristocrat-turned-muse Loulou de la Falaise becomes entwined in the glamorous yet ruthless fashion world, navigating her complex friendship with Yves Saint Laurent, rivalries with Karl Lagerfeld, and the intoxicating excesses of a scene where desire and betrayal collide.
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Daikon : a Novel
by Samuel Jay Hawley
In war-ravaged 1945 Tokyo, physicist Keizo Kan is forced to study a mysterious American uranium bomb in exchange for his imprisoned wife's freedom, facing harrowing moral choices as he's drawn into a desperate race to alter the course of history.
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The Library of Lost Dollhouses : a Novel
by Elise Hooper
A fresh new dual-timeline novel from beloved author Elise Hooper, about a young librarian who discovers historic dollhouses and embarks on a journey to uncover the hidden secrets behind the intricate miniatures, perfect for fans of Fiona Davis and Marie Benedict.
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Last Stop Union Station : a Novel
by Sarah James
Murder, movie stars, and mystery await those who climb aboard this cross-country train, inspired by the real-life history of the Hollywood Victory Caravan Hollywood, 1942. Jacqueline Love's acting career is flailing. Suddenly on the wrong side of 40, parts are drying up, directors are calling her "difficult," and Humphrey Bogart has definitely stopped taking her calls. Desperate to cling to stardom, Jackie takes the only gig that will have her: the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a train full of movie stars crossing the country to fundraise for the war effort. Jackie wouldn't call herself patriotic, but with her life's work on the line, she'll do anything. When a fellow star dies on board, everyone assumes the death was a tragic accident-but Jackie isn't so sure. Stuck in Chicago's Union Station, Jackie enlists the help of Grace, one of the few women in the police force, to investigate.
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People of Means : a Novel
by Nancy Johnson
Two women. Two pivotal moments. One dream for justice and equality. In the fall of 1959, Freda Gilroy arrives on the campus of Fisk University full of hope, carrying a suitcase and the voice of her father telling her she's part of a family legacy of greatness. Soon, the ugliness of the Jim Crow South intrudes, and she's thrust into a movement for social change. Freda is reluctant to get involved, torn between a soon-to-be doctor her parents approve of and an audacious young man willing to risk it all in the name of justice. Freda finds herself caught between two worlds, and two loves, and must decide how much she's willing to sacrifice for the advancement of her people.
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| Fonseca by Jessica Francis KaneMining a real 1952 trip to Mexico by Penelope Fitzgerald, this “masterful” (Publishers Weekly) novel follows the acclaimed English writer who's traveling with her six-year-old son while broke and pregnant. She’s come at the behest of the eccentric Delaney sisters, who’ve dangled an inheritance before her, but it turns out, she's not the only one. For fans of: Penelope Fitzgerald; witty stories starring real people. |
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The King's Messenger
by Susanna Kearsley
This book explores romance, court alliances, and the limits of one's duty in this rich story of an honorable man in service to a treacherous king, and the mission that brings him to love and his true calling.
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The Lost Baker of Vienna
by Sharon Kurtzman
Zoe Rosenzweig investigates her family's Holocaust history, uncovering the 1946 story of her ancestor Chana, a young Viennese baker torn between survival, family duty, and love in a fragile postwar world still shadowed by trauma.
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The Manor of Dreams : a Novel
by Christina Li
A haunting novel about the secrets that lie in wait in the crumbling mansion of a former Hollywood starlet, and the intertwined fates of the two Chinese-American families fighting to inherit it.
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These Heathens : a Novel
by Mia McKenzie
Seeking an abortion in 1960s Atlanta, seventeen-year-old Doris Steele is exposed to a world of activism, celebrity, and self-discovery, while questioning her own desires amid the influence of her favorite teacher, her childhood best friend, and a swirling cast of urbanites.
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The Amalfi Curse
by Sarah Penner
Haven Ambrose, a trailblazing nautical archaeologist, has come to the sun-soaked village of Positano to investigate the mysterious shipwrecks along the Amalfi Coast. But Haven is hoping to find more than old artifacts beneath the azure waters; she is secretly on a quest to locate a trove of priceless gemstones her late father spotted on his final dive. Upon Haven's arrival, strange maelstroms and misfortunes start plaguing the town. Is it nature or something more sinister at work?
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| The English Masterpiece by Katherine ReayAt London's Tate Modern Gallery, Lily Summers happily works as powerful curator Diana Gilden's assistant. But after viewing a painting Diana has authenticated at a 1973 Picasso exhibit, Lily blurts out that it's a fake, shocking the crowd and threatening her own career. Digging into the past, Lily tries to uncover the truth. Well-researched and evocative, this compelling novel has intrigue, memorable characters, and a bit of romance. For fans of: Kate Quinn; Fiona Davis. |
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| The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-RobinsonAfter her husband's violent murder, Hannah Cole still runs her confectionary shop in 1749 London, but money is tighter than ever. She gets a bit of help from a stranger who knew her husband, but Chief Magistrate Henry Fielding thinks she may have been involved in her husband's death, leading her to look for the killer. Read-alikes: Katharine Schellman's The Body in the Garden; Kate Saunders' The Secrets of Wishtide. |
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The Lawyer and the Laundress
by Christine Hill Suntz
Canada, 1837. Widower James Kinney knows his precocious daughter, Evie, needs more than his lessons on law and logic, but Toronto offers few options. Classes with the neighbor children seem ideal until James discovers Evie is secretly spending her time with Sara O’Connor, a kind and mysteriously educated servant. For propriety’s sake, James forbids their friendship. But then Evie falls victim to the illness ravaging the city, and James must call upon Sara’s medical knowledge and her special bond with Evie to save his daughter’s life. When Sara’s presence in his household threatens scandal, however, James offers an unexpected solution: become his wife, in name only, and help him raise Evie to be a proper young lady. If Sara can ignore the sparks she feels when they’re together, his logical proposal could keep her secret secure forever. But soon, the forces of rebellion unravel their tidy arrangement. When James is accused of treason, Sara must find the courage to face a past that could save her husband’s life.
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The Silver State : a Novel
by Gabriel Urza
When a public defender receives a letter from a client on death row, he is forced to reexamine his role in the murder case he cannot shake.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Centerville Library
111 W. Spring Valley Rd
Centerville, OH 45458
(937) 433-8091
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Woodbourne Library
6060 Far Hills Ave Centerville, OH 45459
(937) 435-3700
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Creativity Commons
895 Miamisburg Centerville Rd
Centerville, OH 45459
(937) 610-4425
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