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Celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May
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The Fourth Daughter by Lyn Liao ButlerChef Liv Kuo's star is on the rise--until a traumatic incident leaves her emotionally unable to venture outside her Manhattan apartment. But an unexpected reason to break free comes from Ah-Ma, Liv's beloved grandmother in Taiwan. Ah-Ma needs Liv's help in finding her fourth daughter, taken from her when the girl was an infant. After all these years, it seems impossible. And it's a quest that turns up both a precious old cookbook and a tale of fatal betrayal that shakes everything Liv believed about her family--revelations that could also give her the courage to face the trauma she left behind-- Try this next: Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim.
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Midnight Timetable: A Novel in Ghost Stories by Bora ChungAn employee on the night shift at the Institute soon learns why some employees don't last long at the center. The handkerchief in Room 302 once belonged to the late mother of two sons, whose rivalry imbues the handkerchief with undue power and unravels the lives of those who seek to possess it. Meanwhile a live-streaming, ghost-chasing employee steals a cursed sneaker down the hall, but later finds he can't escape its tread. The cat in Room 206 begins to reveal the crimes of its former family, wanting to understand its own path to the Institute's dimly lit halls. Equal parts bone-chilling, wryly funny, and deeply political, Midnight timetable is a masterful work of literary horror from one of our time's greatest imaginations. Read-alike: Strange Beasts of China by Yan Ge.
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Intemperance by Sonora JhaA woman who has left two husbands announces she will celebrate her 55th birthday by holding a swayamvar. Drawn from an ancient custom in her Indian culture, this is an event in which suitors line up to compete in a feat of wills and strength to win a beautiful princess’s hand in marriage. The woman, a renowned and respected intellectual in an American town who had once declared she was "past such petty matters as love" is setting herself up for widespread societal ridicule. But her self-esteem and sexual libido are off the charts even as her body withers from disability, fading beauty, and an appetite for cake. Read-alike: The Deceptions by Jill Bialosky. |
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My Grandfather, the Master Detective by Masateru KonishiHe's not your average Grandpa. As a lover of classic crime stories, it's no surprise that schoolteacher Kaede encounters everyday mysteries more often than your typical twenty-seven-year-old. Solving them is another matter, though. For that, she turns to her beloved grandfather, who retains a keen sharpness of mind despite his dementia, and who was once a key member of The Waseda Mystery Club. From impossible locked room murders to confounding missing persons cases, the grandfather-granddaughter duo weave stories to get to the bottom of every mystery. But all the while, an insidious shadow from Kaede's past slowly closes in on her... For fans of: The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji.
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The Villa, Once Beloved by Victor ManiboVilla Sepulveda is a storied relic of the Philippines' past: a Spanish colonial manor, its moldering stonework filled with centuries-old heirlooms, nestled in a remote coconut plantation. When their patriarch dies mysteriously, his far-flung family returns to their ancestral home. Filipino-American student Adrian Sepulveda invites his college girlfriend, Sophie, a transracial adoptee who knows little about her own Filipino heritage, to the funeral of a man who was entwined with the history of the country itself. When a landslide traps them all in the villa, secrets begin to emerge, revealing sins both intimately personal and unthinkably public. For fans of: La Tercera by Gina Apostol.
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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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| The Calico Cat at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takahashi; translated by Cat AndersonThe mysterious Chibineko Kitchen lets customers enjoy a meal with someone who's died. In this 2nd standalone novel in a bestselling Japanese series, a man wants his mom to know he's okay, a divorced couple want to see their son, a terminally ill young woman needs advice from her mother, and a septuagenarian wants to meet a specific singer. Recipes are included. For fans of: Hisashi Kashiwai's The Kamogawa Food Detectives; Nagi Shimeno's Messenger Cat Café. |
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Superfan by Jenny Tinghui ZhangFreshman Minnie is adrift at college in Austin, Texas, when she discovers a boy band called HOURglass and the online forums that worship them. She especially loves Halo, whose sharp edges feel somehow familiar. After a brief romance goes painfully awry, Minnie pours everything into her new fandom, clinging to each livestream and bonding with other fans online. But when a scandal threatens to expose Halo to harm, Minnie decides that she is the only one who can save him. Try this next: The Band by Christine Ma-Kellams.
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| Belgrave Road by Manish ChauhanNewly arrived in Leicester, England from India, Mira finds her arranged marriage and new life isn't what she'd hoped. But away from her husband and in-laws, she works at a sweet shop and meets another newcomer, Somalian refugee Tahliil. Though they are drawn to each other, many things stand in their way in this powerful debut exploring love, family, and home. For fans of: Kiran Desai's The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny; Aube Rey Lescure's River East, River West. |
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The Old Fire by Elisa Shua DusapinTranslated from French, this "delicate and elegant novel" (Kirkus Reviews) explores the knotty relationship between two sisters as 30-year-old New York screenwriter Agathe visits rural France to help 27-year-old Vera clean out their childhood home within nine days. But the task causes them to revisit their troubled early years, when their mother left and Vera stopped speaking. Try these next: The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes; Bear by Julia Phillips.
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| The Secret of Snow by Tina HarneskAs she and her husband both have memory problems, 85-year-old Máriddja doesn't tell him she's dying from cancer, even as she tries to find someone to care for him once she's gone. Meanwhile, Kaj and his girlfriend arrive in the small village, where he unexpectedly finds a box of Sámi handicrafts among his recently deceased mother's belongings. This heartwarming debut novel is translated from Swedish. For fans of: Fredrik Backman; Lisa Ridzen's When the Cranes Fly South. |
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| The End of Romance by Lily MeyerHaving left her emotionally abusive husband, Sylvie Broder attends graduate school to study philosophy. She heals and ponders if straight women can only be happy once romance is eliminated as she enjoys no-strings-attached sex with a variety of men. But then she meets warm, kind Robbie and disarming, dynamic Abie, and falls for both. For fans of: spicy literary novels with philosophical musings and flawed characters. |
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Good Intentions by Marisa WalzCady has worked hard to have a good life. She has a thriving luxury event-planning business, the man she’s loved since she was seventeen, and a social calendar she can barely keep up with. She also has Dana, her identical twin, her beyond best friend, her most trusted confidante. When Cady gets a call that Dana has been in a serious accident and arrives moments too late to say goodbye, her world falls apart. But to Cady’s family’s growing concern and confusion, it’s not Dana’s death that consumes her. It’s Morgan, a grieving mother Cady encountered in the hospital waiting room, the day her sister died. Cady doesn't believe in coincidences. Instead, she is convinced that she must help this stranger overcome her tragedy, in order to come to terms with her own. Read-alike: The Couple in the Photo by Helen Cooper. |
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| The Future Saints by Ashley WinsteadTight-knit California band the Future Saints are flailing and playing to empty clubs after the death of their beloved manager, who was lead singer Hannah's sister. They all feel the loss, but Hannah starts to self-destruct, even as she channels her pain into a stunning new song that goes viral. Music executive Theo is sent to get the band on track, which isn't going to be easy, especially when he falls for Hannah. For fans of: Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid; Deep Cuts by Holly Brickely. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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