| The Abstainer by Ian McGuireWhat it is: the compelling and intricately plotted story of an Irish American Civil War veteran’s 1867 arrival in Manchester, England, where he gets involved with an underground Irish independence organization that puts him on the radar of a troubled local constable determined to take the movement down.
Reviewers say: "This well-told, suspenseful tale will appeal to fans of Deadwood and Cormac McCarthy" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Devil and the dark water by Stuart TurtonWhat it is: a dramatic and intricately plotted historical mystery set during the 17th century, on a long sea voyage from the Dutch East Indies back to Amsterdam.
All aboard! Just before the ship sets sail, a man ravaged by leprosy tries to warn the passengers and crew that the voyage is doomed -- moments before he spontaneously combusts.
Passengers include: Imprisoned British spy Samuel Phipps; colonial Governor General Jan Haan, on his way to a cushy promotion; and if sailor superstitions are to be believed, a demon named Old Tom on whom they blame a series of violent deaths. |
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The sea gate
by Jane Johnson
Following the death of her mother, Becky begins the sad task of sorting through her empty flat. Starting with the letters piling up on the doormat, she finds an envelope post-marked from Cornwall. In it is a letter that will change her life forever. A desperate plea from her mother's elderly cousin, Olivia, to help save her beloved home. Becky arrives at Chynalls to find the beautiful old house crumbling into the ground, and Olivia stuck in hospital with no hope of being discharged until her home is made habitable. Though daunted by the enormity of the task, Becky sets to work. But as she peels back the layers of paint, plaster and grime, she uncovers secrets buried for more than seventy years. Secrets from a time when Olivia was young, the Second World War was raging, and danger and romance lurked round every corner.
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The library of legends: A novel
by Janie Chang
China, 1937: When Japanese bombs begin falling on the city of Nanking, nineteen-year-old Hu Lian and her classmates at Minghua University are ordered to flee. Lian and a convoy of more than a hundred students, faculty, and staff must walk a thousand miles to the safety of China's western provinces, a journey marred by hunger, cold, and the constant threat of aerial attack. And it is not just the student refugees who are at risk: Lian and her classmates have been entrusted with a priceless treasure, a 500-year-old collection of myths and folklore known as the Library of Legends.
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Book of the little axe: A novel
by Lauren Francis-Sharma
In 1796 Trinidad, young Rosa Rendón quietly but purposefully rebels against the life others expect her to lead. Bright, competitive, and opinionated, Rosa sees no reason she should learn to cook and keep house, for it is obvious her talents lie in running the farm she, alone, views as her birthright. But when her homeland changes from Spanish to British rule, it becomes increasingly unclear whether its free black property owners-Rosa's family among them-will be allowed to keep their assets, their land, and ultimately, their freedom. By 1830, Rosa is living among the Crow Nation in Bighorn, Montana, with her children and her husband, Edward Rose, a Crow chief. Her son Victor is of the age where he must seek his vision and become a man. But his path forward is blocked by secrets Rosa has kept from him. So Rosa must take him to where his story began and, in turn, retrace her own roots.
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Lilies, lies and love
by Jackie French
As the King of England wavers between duty and love, Sophie knows that she must choose duty. The year is 1936 and the new King Edward VIII wishes to marry American divorcee, and suspected German agent, Wallis Simpson. Top-secret documents that the king must read and sign are being neglected for weeks, and some are even turning up in Berlin. And as Germany grows its military might with many thousands of new fighter planes every year, Britain and its empire are under increasing threat. Can Miss Lily's most successful protégé, Sophie Vaile, the Countess of Shillings, seduce the new king, prevent his marriage to Wallis Simpson, and turn him from fascism? And if a man can sacrifice his life for his country, should a woman hesitate to sacrifice her honour? Based on new correspondence found in German archives, Lilies, Love and Lies is a work of fiction. Or is it?
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The color of air
by Gail Tsukiyama
Hawaii, 1935: On the Big Island, the town of Hilo is home to a tight-knit community of Japanese immigrants and their families, eking out an existence in the shadow of sugarcane plantations. Also in the background: the volcano Mauna Loa, which is on the verge of its biggest eruption in years.
Featuring: Daniel Abe, a medical student whose return to Hilo coincides with the volcanic disaster; Daniel's estranged father Kenji, who is deep in mourning for Daniel's recently deceased mother Mariko; Maile, Daniel's high school sweetheart who is also back in Hilo after a brush with racist violence in Honolulu.
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Shifting currents
by Joanna Orwin
It is 1853. Widowed Lydia Boulcott has remarried, hoping to escape her shameful past. An isolated new life in the kauri forests of New Zealand's Far North offers the chance of a respectable future for her and her five-year-old daughter, Hannah. To her dismay, Lydia discovers that one of her few neighbours is none other than ambitious Eliza Noakes - someone from her past who has the power to reveal her guilty secrets to the world. But, despite Lydia's best efforts, fate constantly throws them together. Inspired by the intertwined lives of two real women, and set against the fast-changing and challenging world of remote pioneer New Zealand, award-winning writer Joanna Orwin's superbly written new novel tells a gripping and touching story of struggle, love and unlikely friendship.
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| The adventures of John Carson in several quarters of the World by Brian DoyleWhat it's about: the parallel narratives of author Robert Louis Stevenson as he tries to get his writing career off the ground and John Carson, the globe-trotting husband of Stevenson’s landlady who recounts his remarkable life story to the author as the two stroll around San Francisco.
Reviewers say: This “irresistible” novel “practically begs to be read aloud” (Booklist). |
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| Gun Island by Amitav GhoshWhat it is: Steeped in Bengali folklore, this is a thought-provoking and stylistically complex story of displacement, identity, and the life of the mind.
Starring: Dinanath 'Deen" Datta, a rare book dealer whose trip to Calcutta gets derailed after he learns of a local legend involving a gun merchant, a mangrove jungle, and the Hindu goddess Manasa Devi.
Why you might like it: Deen’s curiosity and deep knowledge of literature and mythology help to ground some of the novel’s more mystical elements and lend it a contemplative tone. |
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| The mermaid and Mrs. Hancock by Imogen Hermes GowarWhat it's about: When London merchant Jonah Hancock becomes the owner of a mummified "mermaid" specimen, his decision to display it publicly results in some colourful new acquaintances, including brothel madam Mrs. Chappell and beguiling courtesan Angelica Neal.
Read it for: well-developed characters; witty, period-appropriate dialogue; and a vividly drawn setting that captures the sights, sounds, and smells of 18th-century London.
For fans of: the panoramic view of British society in Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White. |
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| Carrying Albert home: The somewhat true story of a man, his wife, and her alligator by Homer HickamStarring: Homer Hickam Sr. (the man), a coal miner based on the author’s father; Elsie Lavender (the woman), an aspiring writer based on the author’s mother; and Albert (the alligator), their pet whose dislike of West Virginia sends the couple on an unforgettable road trip to return him to Florida.
About the author: Former NASA engineer Homer Hickam writes fiction and nonfiction, and his memoir Rocket Boys was the basis for the film October Sky. |
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| Graffiti Palace by A.G. LombardoWhat it is: a dramatic and character-driven reimagining of The Odyssey, set in Los Angeles during the 1965 Watts Riots.
Read it for: main character Americo Monk’s anthropologist-like insights into the complexities and contradictions that make up the city.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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