LibraryAware June 2025

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My Name Is Emilia del Valle
by Isabel Allende

In 1800s San Francisco, Emilia del Valle is raised by her former Irish nun mother and a loving stepdad, never knowing her Chilean aristocrat father. As a young journalist covering the Chilean Civil War, Emilia begins a romance and finally meets the man who abandoned her. Isabel Allende fans will relish reading about the del Valles, whose various members have often appeared in her work. Try this next: Kaitlyn Greenidge's Libertie.

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
by Kylie Lee Baker

Haunted by her sister Delilah's murder in the early days of COVID-19, 20-something Cora Zeng takes a job as a crime scene cleaner in New York City's Chinatown, where she soon discovers a serial killer may be targeting East Asian women. Is there a connection between her sister's murder and these crimes? For fans of: The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones.

When the Wolf Comes Home
by Nat Cassidy

When aspiring actress Jess finds a terrified five-year-old boy hiding outside her apartment complex, she takes him in, only to discover he's on the run from his father, a violent man with a wolf-like creature in tow. After they're attacked by the creature, the pair try to stay one step ahead of their beastly foe while new threats emerge. For fans of: The Twilight Zone.

Old School Indian
by Aaron John Curtis

Dealing with a mysterious illness, middle-aged Miami bookseller Abe Jacobs returns home to New York's Mohawk reservation. Looking for relief, he sees family, a native healer, and doctors, while pondering his past mental health issues and troubled marriage. Meanwhile, his poet alter ego serves up poems and witty thoughts. Fans of Morgan Talty's Fire Exit should try this "electrifying debut" (Publishers Weekly).

The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin
by Alison Goodman

In Regency England, 42-year-old twin sisters and amateur sleuths Augusta and Julia Colebrook have never married, each for their own reasons. Their compelling 2nd adventure combines mystery and romantic elements as the two try to clear an innocent man's name, hide a woman from her controlling brother, and push against the restrictions society places on women. Try this next: Katharine Schellman's Lily Adler mysteries; Vanessa Riley's Lady Worthing mysteries.

Hardly A Gentleman
by Eloisa James

In the 2nd witty Accidental Brides Regency romance, Clara Vetry, recently disgraced by the ton, disguises herself as a housekeeper and accepts a position at Castle CaerLaven in the Scottish Highlands, where she develops an instant attraction to the widowed Laird Caelan MacCrae. Try this next: A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch.

When the Tides Held the Moon
by Venessa Vida Kelley

In 1910 Coney Island, New York, orphaned blacksmith Benny Caldera is welcomed to the Luna Park carnival with open arms. When he's tasked with maintaining the tank of captive merman Rio, the pair develop a connection, forcing Benny to decide if he's ready to risk losing the only family he's ever known for love. This atmospheric illustrated fantasy will appeal to fans of the film The Shape of Water and The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson.

The Martha's Vineyard Beach and Book Club
by Martha Hall Kelly

Based on real events, this dual-timeline novel follows Mari Starwood in 2016 as she visits a reclusive Martha's Vineyard painter with a connection to her recently deceased mother. Back in 1942, with their brother at war, the teenage Smith sisters form a book club as they balance running their island farm with romance and fears of German U-boats and spies. For fans of: Madeline Martin's The Last Bookshop in London; Amy Lynn Green's The Blackout Book Club.

The Names
by Florence Knapp

Cora Atkin is off to register her baby's name when nine-year-old Maia suggests they call the baby Bear instead of Gordon, which her father has insisted upon. Cora's pick? Julian. Tracing the results of each choice over 35 years, this thought-provoking novel and Read with Jenna selection presents a complex story about abuse, fate, and family. Read-alike: The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas.

Desperate Deadly Widows
by Kimberly Belle, Layne Fargo, Cate Holahan, and Vanessa Lillie

The four widows return in this atmospheric and fast-paced sequel to Young Rich Widows. Entangled in scandal after the mayor of Providence dies from poisoning at one of their strip clubs, the women are forced to investigate. They uncover deep political rivalries and hidden motives, racing against time to prove their friend’s innocence.

Soma
by Fernando Llor; illustrated by Carles Dalmau

Comic artist Maya is in a creative rut when an alien crash-lands in her living room. The creature, Soma, warns Maya that she is the only one who can stop an oncoming alien invasion. Colorfully detailed and packed with action, this graphic novel will hit home for "new adult readers and millennials who are continually exhausted with living in unprecedented times" (Booklist).

Esperance
by Adam Oyebanji

Detective Ethan Krol needs to figure out how a man and his young son drowned in salt water in a Chicago high rise. Things get trickier when he learns of similar deaths in Nigeria and Rhode Island. Meanwhile, a women with strange powers appears in Bristol, England, asking about a slave ship from 1791. This novel will please fans of intricately plotted science fiction mysteries like Silvia Park's Luminous.

The Rainfall Market
by You Yeong-Gwang

They say that if you send a letter detailing your troubles to an abandoned house in Rainbow Town, you could receive a life-changing ticket to the Rainfall Market. Dissatisfied and lonely Serin, accompanied by a magical cat, must find her happiness at the market within one week or lose herself forever. For fans of: cozy and whimsical magical realism such as The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi and The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee.

Julie Chan Is Dead
by Liann Zhang

In this witty debut thriller, Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier, steps into her twin sister Chloe’s glamorous influencer life after Chloe’s mysterious death. As Julie uncovers dark secrets behind Chloe’s perfect facade, she finds herself caught in a dangerous world where she may become the next target.

Adult Nonfiction

Mark Twain
by Ron Chernow

In his well-researched latest, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow (Alexander Hamilton) offers a nuanced and richly detailed portrait of writer Mark Twain that's been deemed a "monumental achievement" (Booklist) and "essential reading" (Kirkus Reviews).

America, América: A New History of the New World
by Greg Grandin

Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize-winning historian Greg Gandin's sweeping history of North and South America examines five centuries of the continents' relationship to each other. "It's a monumental new view of the New World," raves Publishers Weekly. Try this next: El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America by Carrie Gibson.

Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America
by Michael Luo

New Yorker executive editor Michael Luo's intimate and richly detailed history chronicles Chinese immigration and exclusion in America from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. Further reading: Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad by Gordon H. Chang; America for Americans: A History of Xenophobia in the United States by Erika Lee.

Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools
by Mary Annette Pember

Ojibwe journalist Mary Annette Pember's well-researched debut examines the origins and evolution of Native American boarding schools in the United States, revealing how the impacts of her own mother's experiences at a Catholic-run school contributed to her family's generational trauma. Further reading: The Knowing by Tanya Talaga.

Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson
by Tourmaline

Award-winning filmmaker Tourmaline expands upon her 2017 documentary film Happy Birthday, Marsha! for this inspiring and incisive portrait of pioneering trans activist and drag queen Marsha P. Johnson, who played a key role during the Stonewall riots in 1969 and co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) in 1970. Further reading: Glitter and Concrete: A Cultural History of Drag in New York City by Elyssa Maxx Goodman.

Youth Fiction

J vs. K
by Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft

The friendly trash-talk between two Newbery Award-winning authors gets a funny, fictional twist in this story about cartoonist J and poet K, two fifth-graders battling to win their school’s storytelling contest. This graphic novel hybrid offers plenty of jokes alongside useful advice for young artists and authors. Read-alike: The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud.

The Corruption of Hollis Brown
by K. Ancrum

Hollis Brown believes he’s destined for a grim small-town life, until he meets Walt, a mysterious boy promising him a better future. Then Walt possesses Hollis, and even more unexpectedly, they start falling for each other. Read-alikes: Jimmy Cajoleas’ The Good Demon; Ryan Douglass’ The Taking of Jake Livingston.

Cranky, crabby crow (saves the world)
by Corey R. Tabor

"All the animals think Crow is just cranky, but there's more to his actions than meets the eye"

Youth Nonfiction

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown
by Candace Fleming

In 1978, cult leader Jim Jones led over 900 people to their deaths in a tragic massacre in Guyana. This richly detailed and thoughtful nonfiction account tracing the rise and fall of the Peoples Temple draws from survivors’ stories, including interviews author Candace Fleming conducted herself.

Contact your librarian for more great books!

Cardington-Lincoln Public Library