“Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground and start over. After the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way.” ~From Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere
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Julia recommends: What It Is: A murder mystery nested within a mystery in 1950’s London and an English village which gives homage to Agatha Christie. Featuring: The famous mystery writer, Alan Conway, has published eight murder mysteries starring detective Atticus Pϋnd, who just happens to share many traits with his creator. This is just one example of the mise en abyme reflection and intertwining of the two mysteries. Readalikes: Agatha Christie murder mysteries.
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Astrid recommends: What it's about: Eleanor works at an office job, has no friends, no social skills, spends weekends at home with two bottles of vodka, and has the mother from hell. Then she meets the new IT guy and they develop a kind of friendship. Eleanor starts to come out of her shell and begins working on her profound loneliness. Eleanor is incredibly sad but at the same time also incredibly hilarious.The book’s joyful message: It’s never too late! Is it for you? If you like awkward, quirky characters and a character-driven storyline, this book is for you. Want a taste? “LOL could go and take a running jump. I wasn’t made for illiteracy; it simply didn’t come naturally.”
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Stacey recommends: Little Fires Everywhere: A Novelby Celeste NgWhat it's about: We know from the outset that the daughter of a picture-perfect family in an upscale Cleveland suburb set the family’s house on fire. The rest of the story lays out how things reached that point. In this quietly suspenseful domestic drama, the worlds of two very different families collide. A woman in a well-to-do family rents an apartment to a single mother with a daughter, and their teenage children become friends. Then we begin to discover the secrets being kept by the teenagers… and by their mothers. Why you might like it: It's a fascinating look at friendship, family, and the inner lives of teens.If you're looking for some great literary fiction for your book club to discuss, this one’s a winner.
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Laura recommends: What it's about: In this gripping police procedural, Det. Antoinette Conway and her partner Steve Moran have been assigned another routine case: investigating the death of a young woman, the apparent victim of domestic violence. It should be a slam-dunk, but Antoinette’s work is being impeded by someone on the murder squad—or is it just her paranoia, developed after months of fighting prejudice on the squad? The murder is more complex than a lovers’ quarrel gone wrong: Antoinette has seen the victim before, and the victim’s best friend is hinting that the victim may have had a secret, dangerous relationship. Is the pressure Conway and Moran are receiving to arrest the victim’s boyfriend a result of greater experience of the other team members, or part of the effort to force Conway off the squad? Why you might like it: French crafts character-driven crime fiction at its most compelling. Her tightly written mysteries about the Dublin Murder Squad can be read as stand-alones, but for full impact of the character development, read them in order to see how each member of the squad changes when viewed through another's eyes.
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Meagan recommends: The Education of Margot Sanchezby Lilliam Rivera What it’s about: In South Bronx, where changing neighborhoods meet cultural tradition, Margot Sanchez is forced to work for her family’s grocery store after stealing her parents’ credit card and going on a shopping spree. Spending her time stocking shelves was not the summer she had planned, and neither was meeting the handsome activist guy who insists on setting up his table on the store sidewalk. Why it’s Significant: The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera is a wonderful story of growth and transforming, exploring the intricate world of teenage pressures and neighborhood gentrification.
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Misty recommends: Who it's for: I think this is a must read for people thinking of reaching out to children from broken homes, and opening up their hearts and their homes to them. While reading this I could feel the pain and fear this little boy was feeling. Dave Pelzer has so much courage to tell his story, and he does it so well.
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Lee recommends The Electrifying Fall of Rainbow City: Spectacle and Assassination at the 1901 World's Fairby Margaret S. CreightonWhat it's about: In 1901, Buffalo, New York decided to try to top Chicago’s White City with a rainbow of Edison’s colored lights at the Pan American Exposition. In financial trouble, they were counting on the exposition to put them back on their feet. Geronimo headlined one of the many acts, as did The Smallest Woman in the World (who was actually being kept prisoner by her promoter,) and Jumbo the Elephant. Taking advantage of the publicity, several people tried going over nearby Niagara Falls in barrels. Why it's interesting: Much of the action was pretty appalling to modern eyes, but they were doing fairly well until President McKinley was assassinated at the fair, and everything fell apart. A fascinating history.
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Christine recommends: Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novelby Mariah Marsden What it's about: Orphan Anne comes to live with somber siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Anne’s flaming red hair, overactive imagination and constant chatter intrude into the serene landscape and brighten the static lives of everyone in Avonlea as she grows up.The glorious, shimmering green lines of the illustrations of life on Prince Edward Island make readers fall in love with the place just as Anne did. Of Note: Confession, I am not a big fan of Anne of Green Gables. I haven’t seen much of the television show, and I haven’t read the series by L. M. Montgomery. Yet I may have to correct that after reading this graphic novel adaptation. (However, if you are not a fan of spoilers, you might want to savor this book after reading the original series or seeing the show.)
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Roseanne recommends: What it is: A collection of humorous and reflective essays about the authors' lives and each other. Lisa writes from her home in the Philadelphia suburbs about her mother, her dogs, writing, home improvements and her love life while Francesca writes about her single life living in New York City with her dog and cat. The stories are relatable and enjoyable. Highly recommended on audio because the authors narrate their own witty, wise and heartwarming essays. You might also like: This is the seventh book co-written by author Lisa Scottoline and her daughter Francesca Serritella. If you like this title you’ll enjoy reading or listening to the other six collections in the series. A new book was released in 2017 entitled I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere But the Pool.
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For More Reading Pleasure...
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Check out our Readers' Corner:
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BPL Contemporary Literature Book Discussion:
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Come join us on the second Tuesday of the month. We meet in the Conference room at 7:30 pm. No registration required (and we serve cookies). Here are the next dates and titles: There are extra copies available behind the circulation desk that can be checked out by Batavia Public Library cardholders.
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