|
|
|
|
| Alan Opts Out by Courtney MaumAdvertising exec Alan Anderson lives the good life in suburban Connecticut with his wife and two girls. But after he messes up a big presentation, he has an epiphany and decides to opt out of capitalism. His wife wants a pool and isn't happy when Alan moves into their backyard playhouse to live off the land. But instead of shocking the neighbors, Alan's lifestyle might catch on. Try this next: Gabriel Bump's The New Naturals. |
|
|
|
Country People
by Daniel Mason
A year in the life of a family as they strike out into the unknown (aka Vermont), leaving all the comforts of home behind--a rollicking, lyrical novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason, the bestselling author of North Woods and one of America's greatest living writers Miles Krzelewski is a devoted husband, a doting father beloved for his outlandish bedtime stories, and the proud owner of a truffle-hunting dog in a land with no truffles. He is also a bit lost, twelve years late with his PhD on Russian folktales and increasingly haunted by a sense that he's become a disappointment to his family. So when his wife, Kate, accepts a visiting professorship at a prestigious college in the faraway forests of Vermont, he decides that this will be the year to finally move forward with his life. But Miles is a man of many enthusiasms, one who possesses, in Kate's words, a great capacity to fall in with anyone, anywhere. And no sooner does he arrive than he finds himself entangled with a cast of characters as colorful as those of any of his folktales, from a ghostly tree surgeon to a scythe-mad biochemist, from a Shakespearean temptress to a photographer of snowflakes obsessed with chronicling, on thousands of index cards, the world's delusions in an Inventory of Wrong Ideas. The new friends, the enchanted woods, the histories: sure, no PhD, but all good fun. Until Miles stumbles upon a bizarre--perhaps ridiculous--local legend, which, he soon suspects, might not be just a legend after all. Joyous, absurd, and life-affirming, Country People is a luminous exploration of marriage and parenthood, the nature of belief and the power of stories, and the ways in which we find connection in an increasingly fragmented world.
|
|
| Ghalen by Walter MosleyIn 1999, when Jamilah, an advanced medical genetics student, meets Robert, a neurodivergent chef at a vegan restaurant, they fall for each other, marry, and have son Ghalen. But Jamilah gets cancer, leaving the two on their own. Ghalen grows up, becoming a high school valedictorian at 15, but faces hurdles, including racism. For fans of: moving, thought-provoking coming-of-age novels, like Jacqueline Woodson's Red at the Bone and Barbara Kingsolver's Demon Copperhead. |
|
| Homebound by Portia ElanWhat do two genius programmers in 1980s Ohio, a Berkeley scientist in 2086, a sentient robot she creates, and a sea captain in the 2500s all have in common? Homebound, a video game created after a teenager finished the coding started by her beloved late uncle, which goes on to influence humanity for epochs. This buzzy, intricately plotted debut explores grief, love, and loneliness. For fans of: Anthony Doerr's Cloud Cuckoo Land; Jennifer Egan's The Candy House. |
|
|
|
Man Overboard!
by Kathleen Rooney
From the nationally bestselling author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, comes a funny and moving novel in which a former college swimmer falls off a cruise ship and must keep treading water as memories and regrets wash over him--perfect for fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette; Florence Adler Swims Forever; and The Wedding People. Man Overboard is destined to be the best book of the summer. --Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The View From Lake Como Patrick Kick Kilpatrick hates the ocean. Has always been terrified of it. And now he's in a real pickle. Drifting alone in the sea after falling (or jumping? He can't remember as the all-inclusive drinks on the cruise he was taking with his extended family were, well, inclusive) Kick must survive. Breath by breath, hour by hour in the lonely sea. As the waves crash over him, so too do the thoughts and memories of just how he got there. A Thanksgiving cruise with an obnoxious brother-in-law he has to bite his tongue to keep from screaming at. A father who gives the Great Santini a run for his money. And a mother, who already left the family boat, so to speak, a long time ago. His family may be complicated, and the pains of life may seem unbearable--infuriating enough to leap from the deck--but maybe the will to survive is stronger. Man Overboard is an inventive, slyly hilarious, and inspiring novel about what it means to be alive, stay alive, and what keeps us going no matter how choppy the waves of our journey become. Hold on for dear life
|
|
|
|
A tale of love, loss, and finding your way home, all set over the course of one life-changing week in Paris as an unforgettable group of Americans in Paris must find their way to their own version of happily ever after in the City of Light. |
|
|
|
Meeting New People
by Daniel M. Lavery
Meeting New People is absolutely brilliant ... I found myself nearly crying with the desire to hold onto this book as long as I could.--Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Run for the HillsFrom the author of the national bestseller Women's Hotel, the irresistible and wildly entertaining story of one woman contending with age and friendship--a narrative that reads like an homage to Nora Ephron's Heartburn.Fiftysomething, twice-divorced Barbara is at a crossroads. In the midst of her emotional uncertainty, she looks back on the dissolution of the nine best friendships of her life, in hopes of figuring out how to optimize finding her tenth, and hopefully last, best friend. Barbara is acerbic, opinionated, and wrong about many things, but she also doesn't shy away when she's at fault. The turning point of her predicament comes from Barbara's choice, in friends, between (too-young) Caitlyn and the (unsuitable) Other Barbara. Will she repeat the exciting mistakes of the past, or will she try a new kind of mistake for a change? She feels like an out-of-season Scrooge who is unexpectedly, and all at once, surprised and entirely transformed by the possibility of joy.For readers who loved Bobby Finger's The Old Place and Elif Batuman's Either/Or, Meeting New People will feel like a long-lost companion--Lavery at the height of his storytelling powers. It is an unforgettable novel from one of our most inventive and brilliant writers.
|
|
| The Radiant Dark by Alexandra OlivaIn 1980, young new mom Carol Girard struggles in her Adirondacks hometown. But when a flickering light in the sky is believed to be intelligent life communicating from star Ross 128, humanity adapts, and the Girards change too. Carol, fascinated with the discovery, finds like-minded people, while her husband raises their kids alone. This slow-burn novel covers decades, later following Carol's daughter Ro, who becomes an interstellar communication expert. Read-alikes: Meg Charlton's Voyagers; Eliana Ramage's To the Moon and Back. |
|
|
|
Rules for Aging and Larceny
by Julia London
Ocean's Eleven meets the Golden Girls when an all-female group of chaotic, elderly thieves come out of retirement for one last heist against a young Crypto-loving DudeBro-type... while trying to repair their fractured friendship along the way. For fans of Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age and Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth. Frances Deluca has always been a force of nature. Active and agile into her 70s, she can handle anything--except perhaps the stretch of empty days looming ahead. Widowed, with a grown son living far away and her own mortality suddenly in view, Frances longs to feel busy again. What she really wants is the familiar rush of a well-crafted plan coming together. It's been a while, decades in fact--since Frances and her friends pulled off a heist . . . Frances, Joan, Edie, and Irene were a girl gang before such things even existed, joining forces in their 20s for a one-time job that revealed a remarkable affinity for crime. They developed a code of honor, taking only from those who deserved it--until misunderstandings and pride drove them apart. Now, one by one, Frances manages to convince her old friends to put aside their grudges and reunite. And where better for a reunion tour than Las Vegas? Their target: Rocco Vitali, a mobster's grandson who's developed a high-tech shakedown. Rocco is a Crypto-loving scam artist, and Edie's beloved granddaughter just lost everything to him, including her self-respect. But the women intend to take it all back--with interest. Risks will be taken. Fractured relationships will be mended. And four badass seniors will discover how formidable a whole lot of experience can be . . .
|
|
| Villa Coco by Andrew Sean GreerA 21-year-old American college grad snags a job cataloging the papers and artifacts of Coco, a vibrant 92-year-old Baronessa, at her rural Italian villa. But it's soon clear that he's really an all-purpose assistant and part of an eccentric, chaotic community, including boar hunters, nuns, a princess, and a handsome guest. Full of warmth and humor, this latest from Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer is a charming summer read. Try this next: Paul Rudnick's What Is Wrong with You? |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|