Recent Releases
Will There Ever Be Another You
by Patricia Lockwood

As a global pandemic takes hold, a woman falls ill, leading to brain fog, confusion, and obsessions (with Anna Karenina, a particular song, and more). Then she becomes the caregiver when her husband needs emergency surgery. For fans of: unique, introspective, and darkly humorous character-driven novels with non-linear timelines; Claire-Louise Bennett’s Big Kiss, Bye-Bye.
 
Available as an eBook or Audiobook on Libby
Fallen City by Adrienne Young
Fallen City
by Adrienne Young

Luca Matius has one purpose: to carry on the family name, maintaining its presence in the Forum once his powerful and cruel uncle dies. But his noviceship with the city's Philosopher places him in the middle of a catastrophe that will alter the destiny of his people. Maris Casperia was raised amidst the strategic maneuvers of the Citadel's inner workings, and she knows what her future holds--a lifetime of service to a corrupt city. But her years of serving as a novice to the last Priestess who possesses the stolen magic of the Old War has made her envision a different kind of future for the city. When she meets Luca, a fated chain of events is set into motion that will divinely entangle their lives. As a secret comes to light and throws the city into chaos, Luca and Maris hatch a plot to create a calculated alliance that could tip the scales of power.
 
The Widow by John Grisham
The Widow
by John Grisham

Simon Latch is a lawyer in rural Virginia, making just enough to pay his bills while his marriage slowly falls apart. Then into his office walks Eleanor Barnett, an elderly widow in need of a new will. Apparently, her husband left her a small fortune, and no one knows about it. Once he hooks the richest client of his career, Simon works quietly to keep her wealth under the radar. But soon her story begins to crack. When she is hospitalized after a car accident, Simon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and he finds himself on trial for a crime he swears he didn't commit: murder. Simon knows he's innocent. But he also knows the circumstantial evidence is against him, and he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save himself, he must find the real killer--Provided by publisher.
 
Also available as an eBook or Audiobook on Libby
Hotel Melikov by Jonathan Payne
Hotel Melikov
by Jonathan Payne

Short Summary: An unnamed, mountainous kingdom in central Europe at the end of the Great War. When tensions between the government and revolutionaries erupt into civil war, a simple fishmonger finds that the future of the nation is in his hands.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Ace Atkins
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
by Ace Atkins

It's 1985, what will soon become known as 'The Year of the Spy,' and fourteen-year-old Peter Bennett is convinced his mom's new boyfriend is a Russian agent. 'Gary' isn't in the phone book, has an unidentifiable European accent, and keeps a gun in the glove box of his convertible Porsche. Peter thinks Gary only wants to get close to his mom because she works at Scientific Atlanta, a lab with big government contracts. But who is going to believe him? He's just a kid into BMX and MTV. But after another woman who works at the lab is killed, Peter recruits an unlikely pair of allies--a has-been pulp writer and muckraker named Dennis Hotchner and his drag performer buddy and heavy, Jackie Demure. Both soon become the target of an unhinged Russian hitman (Is it Gary? Maybe!) with a serious Phil Collins obsession
The Christmas Ring: A Holiday Romance by Karen Kingsbury
The Christmas Ring
by Karen Kingsbury

While searching for her family's long-lost heirloom ring, military widow Vanessa Mayfield meets handsome antique dealer Ben Miller. The two are drawn to each other and forge a friendship that soon becomes a deep and breathtaking romance. But neither are sure that what they've found can last.
 
Also available as an Audiobook on Libby
Tom's Crossing by Mark Z. Danielewski
Tom's Crossing
by Mark Z. Danielewski

A magisterial, page-turning epic about a young boy and girl and their journey through the icy mountains of Utah to lead two horses to freedom.
Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino
Best Offer Wins
by Marisa Kashino

How far would you go for the house of your dreams? Eighteen months and 11 lost bidding wars into house-hunting in the overheated Washington, DC suburbs, 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake gets a tip about the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, slated to come up for sale in one month. Desperate to escape the cramped apartment she shares with her husband Ian -- and in turn, get their marriage, plan to have a baby, and whole life back on track -- Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house before it's publicly listed and the masses descend (with unbeatable, all-cash offers in hand). A little stalking? Harmless. A bit of trespassing? Necessary. As Margo infiltrates the homeowners' lives, her tactics grow increasingly unhinged--but just when she thinks she's won them over, she hits a snag in her plan. Undeterred, Margo will prove again and again that there's no boundary she won't cross to seize the dream life she's been chasing.
Newly Added on Libby
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
These Summer Storms
by Sarah MacLean

After their billionaire patriarch's death, the Storms come together at their New England island. There, they are introduced to Jack, their father's right-hand man and daughter Alice's recent one-night-stand, who says they must all complete individual tasks or no one inherits anything. Bestselling historical romance author Sarah MacLean delivers a fun contemporary family novel that will please fans of HBO's Succession.
 
Available as an eBook on Libby
Brimstone (Standard Edition) by Callie Hart
Brimstone (Standard Edition)
by Callie Hart

Duty. Blood. Honor. Power. Saeris Fane doesn't want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court's lips, but now that she's been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she's discovering that a queen's life is not her own. A heavy weight rests upon her shoulders. Her ward--and her brother--need her back in her homeland...but the changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. Born under blazing suns, Saeris will surely die if she makes her way home through the Quicksilver. Which means that, once again, she must send someone else in her stead... Keep your mouth shut. Stick to the shadows. And for the love of all seven Gods, do NOT crack any jokes. Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors, but traveling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up. Hidden dangers await them down the narrow alleyways of the Silver City. Unfolding secrets pose impossible threats. Fisher must wrangle the smuggler and accomplish his goals quickly if he wants to see his mate again. A darkness falls across Yvelia. The realm and their friends are in danger. Together, Saeris and Fisher will pass through fire and brimstone to save them.
 
Available as an eBook or Audiobook on Libby
The Strength of the Few by James Islington
The Strength of the Few
by James Islington

This highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Many-one of 2023's most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels-follows Vis as he grapples with a dangerous secret that could unravel history across alternate dimensions--
 
Available as an eBook on Libby
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree
Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes
by Travis Baldree

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success -- not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won't be able to go it alone. But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed. Take a break from epic battles and saving the world. Legends & Lattes is a low-stakes fantasy that delivers exactly what's advertised: a wholesome, cozy novel that feels like a warm hug.
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
Lily and the Octopus
by Steven Rowley

Starring: Lily, a short, happy 12-year-old who loves mint chocolate chip ice cream; Ted, a 40-ish writer who's been in therapy since he split with his last boyfriend.

What happens: Ted loves Lily -- his dachshund -- and is unable to bear the brain tumor that is stealing her sight and will eventually take her life.

Why you might like it: By turns heartbreaking and hilarious (Lily's contributions to the conversation are priceless), this debut is both funny and deeply moving in its accounting of the love between humans and their pets. Have tissues handy.
 
Available as an eBook or Audiobook on Libby
Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz
Automatic Noodle
by Annalee Newitz

You don't have to eat food to know the way to a city's heart is through its stomach. So when a group of deactivated robots come back online in an abandoned ghost kitchen, they decide to make their own way doing what they know: making food--the tastiest hand-pulled noodles around--for the humans of San Francisco, who are recovering from a devastating war. But when their robot-run business starts causing a stir, a targeted wave of one-star reviews threatens to boil over into a crisis. To keep their doors open, they'll have to call on their customers, their community, and each other--and find a way to survive and thrive in a world that wasn't built for them.
 
Available as an Audiobook on Libby
The Burning Library by Gilly MacMillan
The Burning Library
by Gilly MacMillan

A deadly rivalry. A chilling secret. One woman who can decipher the truth. On a frigid, windswept day in Scotland's Western Isles, Eleanor Bruton's body is discovered on the shore. To her family Eleanor was an ordinary middle-aged woman. She did flower arrangements and plumped kneeler cushions at church. Little did they know she was harboring a dark and all-consuming secret. A scrap of fraying embroidery that seems worthless at first glance. For over a century, two rival organizations of women have gone to deadly lengths to secure the valuable artifact in the hopes of finding the original medieval manuscript from which it was torn. The Order of St. Katherine: devoted to the belief that women must pull strings in the shadows to exercise control. And the Fellowship of the Larks, determined to amass as many overt positions of power for women as possible...so long as their methods of doing so never come to light. When Dr. Anya Brown garners international attention for her translation of the cryptic Folio 9, she is handpicked by Diana Cornish, a professor and high-ranking member of the Fellowship, to join the exclusive Institute of Manuscript Studies in St. Andrews. Unbeknownst to Anya she's been recruited at great personal danger to translate ancient texts that the Fellowship believes critical to their mission. Meanwhile at Scotland Yard, Detective Constable Clio Spicer begins a private investigation into the death of Eleanor Bruton. As all the women grow further entangled in this ancient web, circumstances spin wildly out of control and their lives may be in grave danger.
 
Available as an Audiobook on Libby
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Handley Regional Library System
100 W Piccadilly St
Winchester, VA 22601
(540) 662-9041

https://www.handleyregional.org/
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