LibraryAware November 2022

Recent Releases

The Book Haters' Book Club
by Gretchen Anthony

Meet: Indie bookstore owner Irma. Disheartened by the death of the store's beloved co-owner Elliot, Irma plans to close up shop for good.

Plot twist! Neither Elliot's romantic partner Thom nor Irma's two daughters are willing to let the dream die. They plot to save the store and boost Irma's spirits (with a little ghostly help from Elliot himself).

Read on: The book-loving author sprinkles this heartwarming novel with reading recommendations, from her own favorites to those provided by family, friends, and librarians.

Less is Lost
by Andrew Sean Greer

What it's about: An old lover's death plunges modestly successful novelist Arthur Less into emotional and financial distress. A madcap tour of paid speaking gigs quickly descends into hilarious chaos.

Ever wonder... how one might (accidentally, of course) flood a commune? If it's that terrifying to ride a donkey down into a steep canyon? Less is Lost holds the answers you didn't know you needed.

Series alert: Narrated by Arthur's witty boyfriend Freddy, this is the 2nd in the Arthur Less novels. If you want more, start with the 1st: Less (2017).

The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks
by Shauna Robinson

Banned from selling anything written this century, bookstore manager Maggie Banks, to keep the business afloat, starts an underground book club that unexpectedly unearths a town secret that could upend everything, forcing her to choose between the books that formed a small town's history or the stories poised to change it all.

Reviewers say: This richly-plotted romance from is full of charming characters and will appeal to fans of Jenny Colgan, Abbi Waxman, and Katarina Bivald. Library Journal

Jacqueline in Paris
by Ann Mah

Before Jackie O: Vassar college girl Jacqueline Bouvier spent a year abroad in post-WWII Paris, mingling with aristocratic French families and communist student activists alike.

Read it for: a vividly rendered portrait of the savvy future First Lady, and of European citizens struggling to rebuild trust among one another.

Try this next: Louis Bayard's Jackie & Me.

The Hero of this Book
by Elizabeth McCracken

An unnamed narrator pays homage to her late mother: a woman of formidable intellect, famed as the beloved editor at a prestigious Boston publication, and ruthless in her demand for privacy.

For fans of: writers, the purpose of writing, and the stories of highly intelligent, demanding, difficult -- that's code for "confident" -- women who write.

Reviewers say: "Transcending categories, McCracken's novel-as-eulogy...is mischievous, funny, canny, and deeply affecting" (Booklist).

The Furrows
by Namwali Serpell

What it's about: At age 12, Cee witnesses her little brother Wayne's drowning; his body is never found. As Cee grows to adulthood, she imagines seeing him in everyday places and eventually meets a mysterious, strangely familiar man...named Wayne.

Read it for: an imaginative own voices story of loss and grief, with unexpected plot twists that will leave readers thinking.

What to read next: Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli.

Best of Friends
by Kamila Shamsie

BFFs(?) As childhood friends in 1980s Karachi, Maryam Khan and Zahra Ali get into a stranger's car with another classmate. What happens next changes their lives.

Still friends: In 2019 and living in London, the two remain close. Secrets of the past emerge, evoking memories of the political upheaval they escaped and what Maryam and Zahra faced on that fateful night.

Try this next: Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho.

Daughters of the New Year
by E. M. Tran

New Orleans, 2016: Former Vietnamese refugee Xuan Trung tells her three Americanized adult daughters' fortunes, a practice which they find embarrassingly archaic.

Time and again: Harkening back to Xuan's escape during fall of Saigon, the novel moves ever backward in time to explore recurring themes of hope, identity, and generational trauma.

For fans of: Min Jin Lee's Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing.

Contact your librarian for more great books!