| Twenty-One Truths about Love by Matthew DicksWhat it is: the story of a man's life -- career woes, a loving marriage, feelings of inadequacy -- told entirely through lists.
Why you might like it: The unusual format allows father-to-be Daniel Mayrock to express all his hopes and fears with humor and vulnerability.
Read these next: David Levithan's The Lover's Dictionary; Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. |
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| Meg and Jo by Virginia KantraWhat it is: a modern-day adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, in which independent Jo balances restaurant work and romance and Meg is a stay-at-home mom.
What remains the same: Though their challenges are contemporary, the sisters' core characteristics remain the same. Fans of the classic novel -- or of family-centric stories in general -- will enjoy this reboot.
Pick it up if: you enjoyed the recent movie version -- or missed it in theaters. |
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| Such a Fun Age by Kiley ReidStarring: Emira, a college-educated babysitter, who is black; her wealthy employer Alix, who is white.
What happens: An accusation of kidnapping shakes and terrifies Emira, shocks Alix, and leads to a complicated situation when well-meaning (but clueless) Alix proceeds to implement a "solution" for her own feelings of guilt -- regardless of what Emira wants.
Read it for: An upending of the white savior trope; a thought-provoking examination of contemporary race relations; nuanced characters; and even some humor. |
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| This Is Happiness by Niall WilliamsWhat it is: an old man's memories of falling in -- and out of -- love for the first time, at the same time that his tiny Irish hamlet finally adopts electricity and a newcomer provides his own tale to tell.
Why you might like it: A reflective, contemplative story with a strong sense of Ireland in the 1950s, This Is Happiness is narrated in a poetic, lyrical manner.
Reviewers say: "a lilting, magical homage to time and redemption, and a stirring, sentimental journey into the mysteries of love and the possibilities of friendship" (Booklist).
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Focus on: The Debuts of 2019
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| The Red Address Book by Sofia LundbergWhat it is: a lifetime's worth of stories, all prompted by a handwritten address book owned by 96-year-old Stockholm resident Doris.
Why you might like it: Spanning multiple historical settings from Paris in the 1930s to Stockholm today, this sweet and sentimental novel offers a tale of star-crossed lovers and a strong grandmother-granddaughter connection.
For fans of: the novels of Fredrik Backman or Nina George. |
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| We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos RuffinWhat happens: Tired of experiencing nearly constant racism in the near-future American South, the unnamed black narrator is desperate to protect his biracial son from the same fate: he's considering an experimental plastic surgery to make his son appear white.
Why you should read it: The seemingly absurd situations the narrator experiences highlight the structural racism of this dystopian future...which is simply a forecast of the world today.
Reviewers say: "rakishly funny and distressingly up-to-the-minute" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean VuongWhat it is: a novel framed as a letter from an adult son to his illiterate mother, exploring the legacy of the Vietnam War on their family and explaining his first doomed love with a boy two years older.
Reviewers say: "a raw and incandescently written foray into fiction by one of our most gifted poets" (Kirkus Reviews).
Want a taste? "Because freedom, I am told, is nothing but the distance between hunter and prey." |
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| The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara ZgheibStarring: French former ballerina Anna Roux, who enters an American treatment facility to get help for a life-threatening eating disorder.
Why you might like it: Poetically written, this moving debut captures the challenges of disordered eating as it depicts the friendships that form among the young women at 17 Swann Street.
About the author: Yara Zgheib is herself in recovery from anorexia. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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