 Supporting COMMUNITY. Inspiring DISCOVERY. Promoting LITERACY. |
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Fiction A to Z September 2026 |
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Precious Ugly
by Rae Cline
In Precious Ugly, Rae Cline draws us into the story of a thirteen-year-old girl seeking to escape her abusive, alcoholic, charismatic father and desperate to protect her mother. Set in 1985 in Harpers Ferry and Jolo, West Virginia, it's a story anchored in the promise of Reagan, the fear of AIDS, the songs of Patti Smith, Cyndi Lauper, and Tina Turner heard through a Walkman, and other signs of its time and place. It's also a universal and ongoing story about poverty, addiction, religious charlatans, sexual predators, and how children are made to suffer for the sins of their parents. As told through the eyes of its remarkable young heroine, Precious Ugly is ultimately a story about the everyday marvels of tenacity and resourcefulness, the kindness of strangers, and the possibility of breaking the cycle of domestic violence and generational trauma.
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| The Devoted by Catherine ChoThe children of a Dragon Head (a Chinese organized crime boss), Eunha and her brother are raised by their Korean grandmother in a quiet Hong Kong village. Their only authorized friend is a boy named Kai, whom Eunha falls in love with. Later, she marries into a respectable family, but when her young son is kidnapped, she's pulled back into the criminal world, where her brother and Kai are now Dragon Heads. For fans of: sweeping, slow-burn literary stories; character-driven debut novels about crime, family, and fate. |
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| Make Nice by Ryan EffgenThree months after their mother's death, the dysfunctional Pickfords return to the quaint, kitschy Lake Michigan island where they once spent summers. But their problems come with them: sister Viv has recently learned her husband is gay, professor brother Pete has work concerns, irresponsible brother Corey is trying to sell stolen cocaine, Viv's surly teenager Ash has friend issues, and patriarch Harold holds big secrets. Read-alike: Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith. |
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| Chosen Family by Madeleine GrayIn Sydney, Australia, Nell and Eve meet at a posh all-girls high school, leading to a relationship that lasts 18 years, moving from friendship to something more to something else entirely. Partially told via a letter Eve writes after Nell abruptly leaves her and their seven-year-old daughter, this witty story features complex, flawed characters. Try this next: Erin O. White's Like Family. |
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A Tender Age
by Chang-Rae Lee
Growing up in 1970s New York State, Korean American Jeon-Gi and the other kids around his apartment complex are left to their own devices. His working-class immigrant parents dote on him, but an encounter with bullies finds him in trouble when he's ten. Sent to a Christian summer camp, he must adapt once again. As an adult looking back, Jeon-Gi ponders identity, choices, and childhood in this pensive, thought-provoking novel. Try this next: Edward Burns' A Kid from Marlboro Road.
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| Beginning Middle End by Valeria LuiselliWhile on a European book tour, our narrator, who's gone through a long divorce, and her 12-year-old daughter spend time in Sicily, staying at a place near old ruins. The narrator's grandmother once worked at the archeological site there before she moved to Mexico, secretly taking an ancient mosaic tile that's become a family heirloom. Mixing mythology and history, this "masterpiece" (Publishers Weekly) by the author of Lost Children Archive digs into family, heritage, memory, and migration. |
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| It Will Come Back to You: Collected Stories by Sigrid NunezThis "masterful" (Publishers Weekly) collection of 13 short stories by a National Book Award winner serves up a variety of tales. Peopled with complex and memorable characters, the stories star a woman stuck at an airport, a brother and sister whose mom has dementia, and a man contemplating murder. For more lyrical short stories, try Rachel Khong's My Dear You or Lauren Groff's Brawler. |
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The Witches of Cambridge
by Alice Hoffman
The brand-new series from the bestselling author of Practical Magic, following two brilliant young women in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts, as they become immersed in a mysterious secret group of witches at Radcliffe known as the Lilith Society.
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| The New People by Andrea UptmorAmid the Great Recession, newlyweds Emma and Rachel leave Chicago for a charming foreclosed-upon house in an Indiana town. While successful Rachel has a new tenure-track job and a bestselling book, Emma works as an adjunct while struggling with jealousy, their relocation, and a recent miscarriage. Meanwhile, desperate ex-homeowners Charlotte and Dirk secretly live in the attic, and when no one is home, resentful Charlotte moves items around the house. For fans of: character-driven debut novels exploring family relationships. |
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| Etna by Paul YoonAfter Etna is selected from his farm by Soojin, who can communicate with animals, he becomes a United States military dog, sniffing out bombs and more, amid an unnamed war in an unnamed country. The conflict ends after four years, and Etna quietly leaves one evening to try to find his way back home. Traveling a desolate land, he encounters others, human and animal, trying to restart their lives. For fans of: The Odyssey; thought-provoking stories narrated by animals. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Mary Riley Styles Public Library
120 N. Virginia Ave, Falls Church, Virginia 22046 703-248-5030 (TTY 711) mrspl.org
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