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Check out our reviews and recommendations:
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Stacey recommends: My Sister, the Serial Killer: A Novel by Oyinkan Braithwaite What it’s about: Imagine you’re a responsible, upstanding, well-respected nurse. Now imagine your younger sister has a tendency to kill the men she’s dating… and guess who gets to help her deal with the aftermath. And now your murderous sister has begun flirting with the doctor you’re secretly in love with. Welcome to Korede’s world… Why you might like it: If you like inventive stories with a first-person narrator who keeps upping the suspense, pick up this book. What sets it apart: While the subject matter is a bit grisly, the tone is light. For readers who enjoy reading suspense novels bursting with grim humor.
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Lee recommends: The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths Starring: Magician Max Mephisto and his daughter Ruby, Christmas 1953 at the Brighton Hippodrome! What it’s about: Girls linked to the Living Statues act which shares the bill are being found dead, elaborately posed in historical tableaux, and Max, Ruby, and the police all find their lives upended as they search for the killer. Series alert: Fourth in the Magic Men mystery series.
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Roseanne recommends: Something in the Water: A Novel by Catherine Steadman About the author: Catherine Steadman is an actress and writer. She is best known in the United States for her role as Mabel Lane Fox in Downton Abbey. Something in the Water is her first novel. Reviewers say: “With unreliable characters, wry voices, exquisite pacing, and a twisting plot, Steadman potently draws upon her acting chops. . . . A darkly glittering gem of a thriller from a new writer to watch” (Kirkus, starred review).
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Rachel recommends: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon What it’s about: In a land divided by religions that either worship dragons or fear and condemn them, the two sides must come together to defeat the ultimate source of evil, putting aside their differences and coming to terms with the truth about their long-held beliefs in the process. Why you might like it: If you like action-packed high fantasy but have been searching for more representation of people of color and LGBTQA+ characters, this is the book for you. For fans of: High fantasy series’ such as A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), or readers who enjoyed Eragon (the Inheritance series) and are looking for dragon-centered books for adults.
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Laura recommends: The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock: A History in Three Volumes by Imogen Hermes Gowar What it’s about: Jonah Hancock, a widowed merchant, is shocked to learn one of his ship captains has traded the vessel for a “mermaid,” a shriveled wizened thing that is more horrifying than it is lovely. To make the best of this loss, Hancock agrees to show it for a fee; it becomes a sensation, throwing him from a quiet existence to the opulent heights and rowdy depths of Georgian London society, where he is smitten by the charming and compelling Angela Neal, a shrewd and accomplished courtesan. Why you might like it: If you are looking for witty, leisurely-paced, and sumptuous historical fiction with a dash of fantasy, this is it. You’ll be enchanted by the delightful relationship and unlikely partnership that develops between Jonah Hancock, the merchant, and Angela Neal, the prostitute who becomes Mrs. Hancock. And you’ll be dazzled by the language—for example, the robust Mrs. Chapell, the proprietor of the brothel, is “built like an armchair, more upholstered than clothed.”
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Astrid recommends: The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel What it’s about: In 1986, 20yr old Christopher Knight drives his Subaru deep into the Maine woods, abandons it and starts walking. He ends up staying in the Woods for 27 years, living off food and other items he steals from a summer camp and local homes during a thousand plus break-ins. The installation of new Homeland Security equipment finally aids in his apprehension. Want a taste? “Knight said that when he ran out of toilet paper, he sometimes tore pages from John Grisham novels. He mentioned that he didn't like Jack Kerouac either, but this wasn't quite true. ‘I don't like people who like Jack Kerouac,’ he clarified.” Of note: A National Geographic Best Book of the Year.
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Christine recommends: Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabel QuinteroWhat it’s about: Haunting. Universal. Mystical. Stark. Cryptic. Monumental. Intimate. Graciela Iturbide’s photographs capture many sides of Mexican life. This graphic novel examines her professional life through the stories around some of her iconic photographs. Some of the startling images include a girl dressed in a white First Communion dress and a skull mask, a self-portrait of Iturbide holding dead birds up to her eyes, a woman wearing iguanas on her head like a gorgon, and shots from Freida Kahlo’s newly reopened bathroom (50 years after her death) showing the harnesses and other equipment she used to deal with her pain.
Why you should read it: The graphic novel gives Iturbide’s reminiscences as well as commentary about her works, accompanied by the photographs as well as drawn interpretations of her work. I did not know Iturbide’s work before, but this book inspired me to seek out her website and find out more.
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Misty recommends: Christ and the Cutter : A Christian Guide to Understanding Self Harm and How to Help Healing Today by Aaron Mamuyac What is it? This is a Christian Guide on Self Harm. It’s meant to help you approach the subject of Self-Harm from a Christian worldview, learn why someone cuts, and gain a deeper understanding to addiction. It also provides insight into identifying the early signs for self-harming behavior. In addition, the book offers helpful guidance in determining what your role is, how you can help, and offers a step-by-step action plan to healing. Key insight: I really valued that the workbook not only gave a lot of helpful information and advice about depression, PTSD, sleep, nutrition and wellbeing, but how it also gave the reader activities in the form of assessment quizzes and writing exercises to help with the process of recovery.
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