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Fiction A to Z August 2019
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| The Gone Dead by Chanelle BenzWhat happens: Billie James has just inherited a ramshackle home in the Mississippi Delta from her father, a respected (if underrated) African American poet who died when she was four. When she visits, she learns of the mysteries surrounding the night of his death.
Why you might like it: Starring a biracial protagonist coming to terms with her complicated family history and distinguished by a strong sense of place and memorable dialogue, this slow-burning debut novel is steeped in Southern Gothic atmosphere. |
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| You've Been Volunteered: A Class Mom Novel by Laurie GelmanStarring: sassy, sarcastic, relatable Jen Dixon, who is once again class mom (this time for her son's 3rd-grade class) -- and now is apparently in charge of the safety patrol.
For fans of: Class Mom, in which Jen took on kindergarten as a third-time parent, as well as other irreverent tales of harried parenthood like Maria Semple's Today Will Be Different or Bunmi Laditan's Confessions of a Domestic Failure. |
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| The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire LombardoWhat it is: a sweeping family drama that follows Marilyn and David Sorenson and their four adult daughters over one challenging year. Alternating chapters illuminate the previous 30 years in the Sorenson home.
What kind of challenges? A teenage son given up for adoption at birth reappears, but there's also an unexpected pregnancy, the normal disappointments of early adulthood, and -- of course -- the friction inherent in any loving, close-knit family. |
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| The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan StradalFeaturing: sisters Helen and Edith, who haven't spoken since an inheritance came between them, and Edith's granddaughter Diana, who brings them back together.
What it's about: beer and beer-making, though you could be a teetotaler and still enjoy this heartwarming story and its complicated, relatable female protagonists.
For fans of: sweeping family sagas like Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread or food-friendly tales like Viola Shipman's The Recipe Box. |
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| Heroes of the Frontier by Dave EggersStarring: newly single mom Josie, who is leaving her failing Ohio dental practice behind and taking the kids on a not particularly well-thought-out trip to Alaska, where she rents an RV and plans, ultimately, to stay.
Why you might like it: lots of things go wrong along the way, but Josie's quest to start afresh is full of humor. While this shaggy dog story won't be for everyone, those who want to float along for the adventures of three complex characters will enjoy the vivid writing.
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| The Reminders by Val EmmichWhat happens: After the sudden death of his partner, Sydney, Gavin sets fire to everything that reminds him of his devastating loss and flees to friends in New Jersey. There, his hosts' ten-year-old daughter -- who remembers everything that has ever happened to her -- convinces him to help her write the perfect song in exchange for her memories of Sydney.
Read it for: the heartwarming friendship between two quirky characters.
About the author: Actor Val Emmich is the author of Dear Evan Hansen, the novelization of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. |
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| Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel KhongWhat happens: After a broken engagement, untethered Ruth agrees to move back in with her parents for a year as her father's memory problems turn to dementia and worse.
The structure: Alternately sad and funny, the book is organized in short vignettes, much like a diary, as Ruth takes care of her parents and takes small steps towards building a future for herself.
Want a taste? "Today a man found Dad's pants in a tree lit with Christmas lights.'" |
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| I Almost Forgot About You by Terry McMillanWhat it's about: Though she's a successful optometrist and has a full life with her daughters and friends, Georgia Young still feels stuck. So she's decided to visit all of her former flames to tell them what they meant to her, and to get some perspective on why those relationships failed.
Why you might like it: Engaging, humorous, and with wonderfully realistic characters, this is a heartwarming tale of a woman finding her way. |
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Saving a Century of Progress: Rebirth of the Homes
Saturday, August 24, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Robin Carlascio and Theresa Badovich will present a program on the storied beginnings and rebirth of the Century of Progress Homes along the Dunes National Lakeshore. Take a journey with the 1933 World’s Fair homes and the lessees who restored them. Call it great fortune, serendipity, and maybe destiny, the five homes owe their survival to complicated, seemingly unrelated circumstances that saved them not once, but many times.
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Film Showing: On the Basis of Sex
Friday, August 30, 2:00 pm
Library Meeting Room
Join us for a summer movie. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a struggling attorney and new mother who faces adversity and numerous obstacles in her fight for equal rights. When Ruth takes on a groundbreaking tax case with her husband, attorney Martin Ginsburg, she knows it could change the direction of her career and the way the courts view gender discrimination. Rated PG-13.
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Friends of the Library Book Sale
Friday, September 6, 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
Library
The Friends of the Library are holding a First Friday book sale in the library outdoor plaza. In the event of bad weather, the sale will be inside the library. Donations are welcome! Please call 219-873-3049 to arrange book pickup.
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Axis 360 eBooks
Find popular fiction, non-fiction, and picture e-books and e-audiobooks for children, teens, and adults! It's simple--just download the app on your device, search for "Michigan City Public Library", and log in with your library card number and PIN.
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NoveList Plus
Looking for more books by your favorite author, or want to find similar authors? On hold for the newest bestseller and need something to read while you wait? Not sure of the next book in the series you’re reading? Found a book you love and want more books like it? Then try NoveList Plus, the online readers’ resource that helps you uncover your next great read, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction. Log in with your library card number.
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Contemporary Authors Online
Find biographical information on more than 130,000 modern novelists, poets, playwrights, nonfiction writers, journalists and scriptwriters. Sketches typically include personal information, contact information, career history, writings, biographical and critical sources, authors' comments, and informative essays about their lives and work. Login with your library card number.
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Library Catalog
Look up books and other materials, place items on hold, and more.
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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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