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Fiction A to Z February 2026 |
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| Departure(s) by Julian BarnesStarring a 70-something Booker Prize winner with a fatal illness, Departure(s) is the planned final novel by author Julian Barnes, who shares a name and many similarities with his main character. Exploring art, life, death, and memory while covering the fictional Julian's two matchmaking attempts for the same couple -- once in college and once decades later -- this short but powerful tale is candid and witty. Read-alikes: Paul Auster's Baumgartner; Joshua Ferris' A Calling for Charlie Barnes. |
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If I Ruled the World
by Amy DuBois Barnett
It's 1999, and Nikki Rose is the only Black editor on the staff of a prestigious fashion magazine she once thought would be her ticket to becoming a respected editor-in-chief. But after being told one too many times by her boss that 'Black girls don't sell magazines,' she walks away to take over Sugar, a struggling hip-hop music and lifestyle magazine with untapped potential. Thrown into an entirely new world of wealth, decadence, and debauchery, Nikki has just six months to save Sugar--and her own dreams. As she pulls all-nighters at the office and parties with the era's most influential bad boys, Nikki must prove she has what it takes to lead.
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Twelve Months
by Jim Butcher
One year. 365 days. Twelve months. Harry Dresden has been through a lot, and so has his city. After Harry and his allies narrowly managed to save Chicago from being razed to the ground, everything is different--and it's not just the current lack of electricity. In the battle, Harry lost people he cared about. And that's the kind of loss that takes a toll. Harry being Harry, he's doing his level best to help the city and his friends recover and rebuild. But it's a heavy load, and he needs time. But time is one thing Harry doesn't have. Ghouls are prowling Chicago and taking out innocent civilians. Harry's brother is dying, and Harry doesn't know how to help him. And last but certainly not least, the Winter Queen of the Fae has allied with the White Court of vampires--and Harry's been betrothed to the seductive, deadly vampire Lara Raith to seal the deal. It's been a tough year. More than ever, the city needs Harry Dresden the wizard--but after loss and grief, is there enough left of Harry Dresden the man to rise to the challenge?
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| Scavengers by Kathleen BolandAfter losing her New York finance job, lonely Bea Macon visits her estranged free-spirited mom, Christy, who's a member of an internet forum devoted to finding a hidden treasure. With an online boyfriend and a plan, Christy heads to the desert and Bea tags along. This character-driven debut novel explores mother-daughter relationships and has an evocative Utah setting and romantic elements. For a more romance-forward treasure hunting tale, try Christina Lauren's Something Wilder. |
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Needle Lake
by Justine Champine
Fourteen-year-old Ida was born with a hole in her heart. Forbidden from most physical activities and considered strange by her teachers and peers, she prefers spending time alone, memorizing countries and capitals on her globe and imagining the world outside the tiny logging town of Mineral, Washington. One afternoon, in walks her cousin Elna, here to stay for a few weeks. Ida hasn't seen Elna since they were young, and she's immediately drawn to her older cousin, who's everything Ida is not: confident, glamorous, charismatic, and daring. Elna lives in San Francisco, a city Ida's only seen as a dot on her globe. She doesn't treat Ida like she's a fragile kid whose heart might give out at any moment. She isn't scared off by Ida's quirks and fixations. Ida is enraptured. Then, on Christmas Eve, a man dies out in the woods near Mineral, and the two cousins suddenly share a secret beyond the scope of anything Ida has dealt with before. Fear begins to mix in with the reverence Ida feels towards her cousin, especially when she discovers Elna is hiding more than she ever suspected.
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| The Hitch by Sara LevineOpinionated Rose Cutler is excited to watch her six-year-old nephew Nathan and feed him vegan food while his parents vacation in Mexico. But things go bad when Rose's Newfoundland dog kills a corgi at the park, leading Nathan to proclaim the corgi is actually alive, its soul melded to his own. As Nathan acts strangely, Rose wonders if he might be right in this darkly humorous, offbeat tale. For fans of: the author's Treasure Island!!! |
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Fun City Heist
by Michael Kardos
Mo Melnick used to be a drummer in rock band Sunshine Apocalypse. He used to be someone. These days he rents beach umbrellas on the Jersey Shore. The last thing he expects is for Johnny Clay, his old bandmate turned enemy, to ask him a favor. Johnny's dying, and before he passes he wants Sunshine Apocalypse to reunite for one last gig at Fun City, the beachfront amusement park where their musical journey began. Mo's in--reluctantly. But then Johnny reveals his real plan: He doesn't just want to play at Fun City on the fourth of July. He wants to rob it. The plan is crazy. It has more holes than a golf course. But Mo's sick of barely keeping his head above water, so he and his gang of middle-aged has-beens dive into what will be the most outrageous heist New Jersey's ever seen--if, that is, they can pull it off alive.
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White Wolf: An Evan Ryder Novel
by Eric Van Lustbader
In this cutting-edge installment of the acclaimed thriller series, New York Times bestselling author Eric Van Lustbader thrusts readers into a world where power is being redefined by a revolutionary communication program that renders modern encryption obsolete, one that will topple global power structures and give rise to technology-driven totalitarian states. Evan Ryder races against time in a landscape where secrets can no longer hide behind digital walls. Ilona Shokova, the elusive, deadly assassin White Wolf, holds the key to mastering this unhackable method. Two powerful, deadly women, one quest. Will either one of them survive? In this pulse-pounding thriller, the future isn't just written in code - it's locked behind it. Strap in for Lustbader's next explosive novel in the Evan Ryder series; an action-packed rollercoaster that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
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The Poet Empress
by Shen Tao
Wei Yin is desperate. After the fifth death of a sibling, with her family and village on the brink of starvation, she will do anything to save those she loves. Even offer herself as concubine to the cruel, dissolute heir of the blood-gutted Azalea House--where poetry magic is power, but women are forbidden to read. But in a twist of fate, the palace now stands on the knife-edge of civil war, with Wei trapped in its center--with a violent prince. To save herself and the nation, she must survive the dangers of court, learn to read in secret, and compose the most powerful spell of all.
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The Seven Daughters of Dupree
by Nikesha Elise Williams
It's 1995, and fourteen-year-old Tati is determined to uncover the identity of her father. But her mother, Nadia, keeps her secrets close, while her grandmother Gladys remains silent about the family's past, including why she left Land's End, Alabama, in 1953. As Tati digs deeper, she uncovers a legacy of family secrets, where every generation of Dupree women has posed more questions than answers. From Jubi in 1917, whose attempt to pass for white ends when she gives birth to Ruby; to Ruby's fiery lust for Sampson in 1934 that leads to a baby of her own; to the night in 1980 that changed Nadia's future forever, the Dupree women carry the weight of their heritage. Bound by a mysterious malediction that means they will only give birth to daughters, the Dupree women confront a legacy of pain, resilience, and survival that began with an enslaved ancestor who risked everything for freedom.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Michigan City Public Library
100 E. 4th Street
Michigan City, Indiana 46360
219-873-3044mclib.org/ |
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