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| The Age of Calamities: Stories by Senaa AhmadThese inventive, absurdist short stories explore historical figures in various times and guises (Joan of Arc's ghost in the 1920s, for instance) as odd events occur (such as Anne Boleyn's inability to die, despite Henry VIII's best efforts). Stories include: "Let's Play Dead," "The Napoleons Are Multiplying," and "Choose Your Own Apocalypse." For fans of: offbeat alternate histories; innovative debut story collections. |
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Cursed Daughters: A Read with Jenna Pick
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
A young woman must shake off a family curse and the widely held belief that she is the reincarnation of her dead cousin in this wickedly funny, brilliantly perceptive novel about love, female rivalry, and superstition from the author of the smash hit My Sister, the Serial Killer (A bombshell of a book... Sharp, explosive, hilarious'--New York Times) When Ebun gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi, on the day they bury her cousin Monife, there is no denying the startling resemblance between the child and the dead woman. So begins the belief, fostered and fanned by the entire family, that Eniiyi is the actual reincarnation of Monife, fated to follow in her footsteps in all ways, including that tragic end. There is also the matter of the family curse: No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace... which has been handed down from generation to generation, breaking hearts and causing three generations of abandoned Falodun women to live under the same roof. When Eniiyi falls in love with the handsome boy she saves from drowning, she can no longer run from her family's history. As several women in her family have done before, she ill-advisedly seeks answers in older, darker spiritual corners of Lagos, demanding solutions. Is she destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak? Or can she break the pattern once and for all, not only avoiding the spiral that led Monife to her lonely death, but liberating herself from all the family secrets and unspoken traumas that have dogged her steps since before she could remember? Cursed Daughters is a brilliant cocktail of modernity and superstition, vibrant humor and hard-won wisdom, romantic love and familial obligation. With it's unforgettable cast of characters, it asks us what it means to be given a second chance and how to live both wisely and well with what we've been given.
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| Lost Lambs by Madeline CashA suburban family is in trouble in this buzzy, funny first novel. Bud and Catherine's relationship is sputtering, while their three girls have their own issues: Abigail, 17, is dating a security guard nicknamed "War Crimes Wes," Louise, 15, has an online boyfriend who encourages her to make bombs, and super-smart Harper, 13, investigates a sketchy local billionaire, who is her dad's employer. Read-alikes: Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang; Paul Murray's The Bee Sting |
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| Family Drama by Rebecca FallonAs actress Susan Bliss finds stardom on a soap opera in the 1980s and '90s, she commutes from Massachusetts, where her college professor husband works, to filming in California. This continues even after she becomes a mother, causing tension, and then when her twins are seven, she dies. As they grow into adulthood, artist Sebastian clings to his mother's memory while Viola ignores it, until she falls for her mom's former costar. Try this next: The Dazzling Truth by Helen Cullen. |
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| So Old, So Young by Grant GinderOver the course of 20 years, six college friends find jobs, partners, and challenges as they move in and out of each other's lives. Organized around five get-togethers, the first on New Year's Eve in 2007 New York and the last at a funeral, this character-driven latest from Grant Ginder (The People We Hate at the Wedding) explores change, friendship, and growing older. Read-alikes: Steven Rowley's The Celebrants; Angela Flournoy's The Wilderness. |
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| This Is Not about Us by Allegra GoodmanThis "unsparingly frank, wryly funny" (Kirkus Reviews) linked story collection is narrated by three generations of the Rubenstein family as they navigate 74-year-old Jeanne's death, a feud between her older sisters over apple cake, and various other gatherings for holidays, divorces, a bat mitzvah, and more. Read-alikes: The Family Izquierdo by Ruben Degollado; Underburn by Bill Gaythwaite. |
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| This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby PageWhen her new husband Joe dies of cancer, grief-stricken London book editor Tilly learns from their local bookseller that Joe has arranged for her to receive a book -- along with a note -- every month for a year. As the weeks pass, Tilly becomes friends with struggling bookstore owner Alfie and tries new things with Joe's literary encouragement in this charming read. For fans of: Mikki Brammer's The Collected Regrets of Clover. |
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| Discipline by Larissa PhamOn a cross-country book tour for her autofictional novel that's based on her bad relationship with her college art professor, Christine ponders life and creativity while talking with strangers and people from her past. Then she hears from the professor, leading her to visit his island home in Maine. Reflective and suspenseful, this debut novel thoughtfully examines art, ambition, and relationships. Try this next: A Big Kiss, Bye-Bye by Claire-Louise Bennett. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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