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Narrow the Road
by James Wade
With his father missing and his mother gravely ill, William Carter is struggling to keep his family's cotton farm afloat in the face of drought and foreclosure. As his options wane, William receives a mysterious letter that claims to know his father's whereabouts. Together with his best friend Ollie, a mortician in training, William sets out to find his father and bring him home to set things right.
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L.A. Women
by Ella Berman
In 1960s L.A., writer and Hollywood outsider Lane becomes envious when socialite and fellow writer Gala gains fame; 10 years later she betrays Gala by writing a successful book based on her life—her only problem is Gala's now been missing for months.
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The Book of Lost Hours
by Hayley Gelfuso
In 1938, 11-year-old Lisavet Levy becomes trapped in a mysterious library of memory called the time space, where her path intertwines with American timekeeper Ernest Duquesne, whose 1965 death compels his niece Amelia to uncover buried truths amid shifting histories and shadowy CIA intrigue.
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Buckeye
by Patrick Ryan
In postwar Ohio, a stolen moment between Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt reverberates through generations, as a small town's buried secrets and a wife's spiritual gift expose the longing for love and goodness.
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| Fonseca by Jessica Francis KaneMining a real 1952 trip to Mexico by Penelope Fitzgerald, this “masterful” (Publishers Weekly) novel follows the acclaimed English writer who's traveling with her six-year-old son while broke and pregnant. She’s come at the behest of the eccentric Delaney sisters, who’ve dangled an inheritance before her, but it turns out, she's not the only one. For fans of: Penelope Fitzgerald; witty stories starring real people. |
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| The Harvey Girls by Juliette FayIn 1926, two new Harvey Girls (waitresses who must be single and between the ages of 18 and 30) are hired on the same day. But both have lied: Charlotte is married to an abusive college professor and Billie is only 15 but needs money to send home. The two secretive roommates are at odds but grow close while completing their extensive training in Kansas and working at the Grand Canyon's El Tovar hotel. For fans of: atmospheric, well-researched novels that center female friendship. |
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| A Promise to Arlette by Serena BurdickIn an idyllic Massachusetts neighborhood, local boy Sidney and his British bride Ida haven't recovered from the war. They hide it well until 1952 when a neighbor shows off a Man Ray photo, leading Ida to steal it. She heads to California to confront the artist, knowing her beloved friend Arlette was actually the photographer. Set in England, France, and the United States before, during, and after World War II, this is an evocative, haunting novel. Try this next: Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey. |
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| When Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei YinSet during the Japanese invasion and occupation of Hong Kong in 1941, this moving debut follows three women: a Chinese wife who was unable to birth the son her wealthy husband desired; her maid, who's been like a sister to her for decades; and her beloved daughter. Navigating a new world, each will resist in her own way. Read-alikes: Andrew X. Pham's Twilight Territory; Eve J. Chung's Daughters of Shandong. |
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| The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-RobinsonAfter her husband's violent murder, Hannah Cole still runs her confectionary shop in 1749 London, but money is tighter than ever. She gets a bit of help from a stranger who knew her husband, but Chief Magistrate Henry Fielding thinks she may have been involved in her husband's death, leading her to look for the killer. Read-alikes: Katharine Schellman's The Body in the Garden; Kate Saunders' The Secrets of Wishtide. |
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A Long Petal of the Sea
by Isabel Allende
"When General Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee...Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life irreversibly intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. In order to survive, the two must unite in a marriage...Over the course of their lives, they will face test after test. But they will also find joy as they wait patiently for a day when they are exiles no more"
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The Hacienda
by Isabel Cañas
In the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence and the execution of her father, Beatriz accepts Don Rodolfo Solórzano's proposal of marriage and is whisked away to his remote country estate where she is faced with a malevolent presence linked to his first wife's death.
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The Bullet Swallower
by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
In 1964, when Jaime Sonoro, Mexico's most renowned actor and singer, discovers a book telling of the horrific crimes committed by his ancestors, he must pay for their crimes unless he can uncover the truth about his grandfather, the legendary bandido El Tragabalas, The Bullet Swallower.
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The Seventh Veil of Salome
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
In 1950s Hollywood, when an unknown Mexican ingenue is cast as Salome, a star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary heroine, she becomes the object of envy of Nancy Hartley, a bit player who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.
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Our next discussion:
Tuesday, October 21, 6:30 pm
Library Meeting Room on Lower Level
If you're a regular reader of contemporary and historical fiction, consider joining our Fiction Book Club! The club usually meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30, but we do recommend confirming details on our events calendar in case of changes. Copies of our next book are on reserve at the Circulation Desk. We hope to see you there!
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Horse
by Geraldine Brooks
A scientist from Australia and a Nigerian-American art historian become connected by their shared interest in a 19th century race horse, one studying its remains, the other uncovering the history of the Black horsemen who were critical to its success.
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Our next discussion:
Tuesday, September 30, 6:30 pm
Library Conference Room on the Lower Level
If you're a history buff and enjoy reading non-fiction, you might enjoy our new History Book Club! The club plans to meet on the last Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm, but we do recommend confirming details on our events calendar in case of changes. Copies of our next book are on reserve at the Circulation Desk. We hope to see you there!
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The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914
by David G. McCullough
The National Book Award-winning epic chronicle of the creation of the Panama Canal, a first-rate drama of the bold and brilliant engineering feat that transformed global trade routes and shaped modern American history, as told by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and master historian David McCullough. A national bestseller and testament to human determination, The Path Between the Seas tells the stories of the men and women who fought against all odds to fulfill the 400-year-old dream of constructing a maritime passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
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