| 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. |
|
| 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 |
|
|
|
Lake Effect
by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
When Nina Larkin is given a copy of The Joy of Sex by her newly divorced friend, she can no longer dismiss the nearly nonexistent intimacy of her marriage. Just as her oldest child, Clara, is falling in love for the first time, Nina finds herself longing for the forbidden: a midlife awakening. An intoxicating fling with a prominent neighbor brings Nina a freedom she never thought possible--but also risks the reputations of both families and unravels Clara's world, just as she stands on the threshold of adulthood. Read-alikes: Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere; Mary Beth Keane's Ask Again, Yes.
|
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
| 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. |
|
|
|
Under Water
by Tara Menon
After Marissa loses her mother at six, her marine biologist father, determined to channel his grief into completing his wife's research, whisks her across the globe to Thailand. There she meets Arielle, and a fairytale friendship takes hold. Together they learn to swim their way out of danger. But then comes a wave Arielle can't outpace, leaving Marissa gutted with loss. Years later, Marissa is back in New York, adrift and haunted by the memory of her friend. For fans of: The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|