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Early Morning Riser
by Katherine Heiny
What it's about: the ever-evolving relationship between second-grade teacher Jane and the local Casanova, Duncan. Over 17 years, they form an unconventional family that includes his ex-wife and a childlike coworker.
Why you might like it: Buzzing with humor and peopled with characters who are easy to root for, this engaging tale of quotidian small-town life is a heartwarming portrayal of community.
For fans of: Emma Straub's All Adults Here; Amy Poeppel's Musical Chairs.
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| The Guncle by Steven RowleyStarring: former TV star Patrick O'Hara, who reluctantly agrees to care for his young niece and nephew when their mother (Patrick's best friend) dies and their father (Patrick's brother) checks into rehab.
Why you might like it: Replete with likeable characters, witty writing, and a heartwarming story, this tale of "dear ol' GUP" (Gay Uncle Pat) and his charges is warm and charming despite the heartbreaking setup.
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Libertie : a novel by Kaitlyn GreenidgeComing of age as a free-born Black woman in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson struggles against her mother’s medical aspirations for her when she finds herself more drawn to a musical career that could compromise her autonomy.
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The music of bees : a novel
by Eileen Garvin
"Following three lonely strangers in a rural Oregon town, each working through grief and life's curveballs, who are brought together by happenstance on a local honeybee farm where they find surprising friendship, healing--and maybe even a second chance--just when they least expect it"
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Olympus, Texas
by Stacey Swann
Weaving elements of classical mythology into a thoroughly modern family drama, this novel follows the Briscoe family as prodigal son March returns home and with his arrival, marriages are upended and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. (general fiction). Simultaneous.
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| The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila HarrisWhat happens: As the sole Black employee at a small publishing company, 26-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is relieved when she learns that her new co-worker, Hazel, is also Black. Until, that is, a string of events has Nella wondering whether Hazel has her back after all.
Read it for: a slow-burn narrative that defies genre labels; a creeping sense of menace; well-written characters; smart dialogue; an insightful critique of the publishing industry. |
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| Secrets of Happiness by Joan SilberWhat happens: Ethan, a young lawyer in Manhattan, learns that his father, Gil, has a second, secret family.
The structure: seven intertwining stories, two of which are narrated by Ethan, explore a web of connections that stretches from Manhattan and Queens to Thailand and Nepal.
For fans of: multi-layered novels with ensemble casts seeking happiness (with various levels of success). |
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| Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny HostinWhat it is: the 1st in a trilogy, set in the affluent Black community of Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.
What happens: As influential Amelia Vaux Tanner nears the end of her life, she's decided to leave her Oak Bluffs home to one of her three goddaughters -- all successful professionals struggling with personal matters. But which one?
About the author: Sunny Hostin is the cohost of ABC's The View and the author of a memoir, I Am These Truths. |
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| Animal Farm: A Fairy Story by George OrwellWhat it is: George Orwell's classic pointed satire of totalitarianism in which farm animals overthrow their human owner and set up their own government.
Want a taste? "Man is the only creature that consumes without producing. He does not give milk, he does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits. Yet he is lord of all the animals."
Read this next: Robert Repino's Mort(e) or David Duchovny's Holy Cow. |
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| A Dog's Purpose: A Novel for Humans by W. Bruce CameronWhat it is: a dog's touching search for purpose over the course of multiple canine lives, as narrated by the dog.
What happens: Though his second life, as a golden retriever owned by eight-year-old Ethan, seems to be the pinnacle of a dog's existence, it's not until his rebirth as Buddy, a black Lab, that his true purpose becomes clear.
Reviewers say: This "tail-wagging three hanky boo-hooer" (Publishers Weekly) is sure to delight fans of Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain and Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie. |
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The finders
by Jeffrey B. Burton
After losing his beloved springer spaniel, Mace Reid, who specializes in human remains detection, adopts a new cadaver dog trainee, a rescue dog named Vira with a mysterious past, who helps him find a serial killer. 30,000 first printing.
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| Perestroika in Paris by Jane SmileyStarring: Perestroika, a French racehorse who sneaks out of her stall; Frida, a street-smart hunting dog; two mallards (Sid and Nancy); and a raven named Sir Raoul Corvus Corax. All of whom meet human child Etienne and a rat named Kurt.
Read it for: a sweet escape from reality.
Reviewers say: "a bright and hopeful story that gently shares our need to belong" (Library Journal). |
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| The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa; translated by Philip GabrielFeaturing: Satoru, who becomes the owner of a stray cat he names Nana, and Nana himself, who narrates this sweet, touching story.
Why the road trip? Five years on, Nana needs a new home (we won't say why), and so Satoru takes Nana on the road, visiting three of his old friends along the way.
Want a taste? "I yawned back. Sorry. Zero interest. Noriko just didn't get it. A wide box spoils all the fun; it offers none of the charms of being inside a box." |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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