| American Spirits by Russell BanksThe last book by the late great Russell Banks offers three gritty, character-driven tales set in rural Sam Dent, New York, where his acclaimed novel The Sweet Hereafter took place. The elegiac stories explore a kidnapping, the loss of family land, and problems with new neighbors. Read-alikes: Richard Russo's novels; Mariana Enriquez's Things We Lost in the Fire. |
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| Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó CrucetIn Miami, 20-year-old Cuban American narrator Ismael "Izzy" Reyes is ordered to stop impersonating rapper Pitbull at parties, so he has a new goal: becoming his own version of Scarface's Tony Montana. Also narrating this creative, compelling novel is Lolita, a captive orca with a mental connection to Izzy. Read-alike: Sea Change by Gina Chung. |
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| The Adversary by Michael CrummeyIn an early 19th-century coastal Newfoundland town, Abe Strapp's grand plan to marry well and combine two businesses is sabotaged by his smarter widowed sister. Furious, Abe seeks revenge, which divides loyalties and causes devastating consequences in this "enthralling masterpiece" (Kirkus Reviews). Read-alikes: Macbeth by Jo Nesbo; Chenneville by Paulette Jiles. |
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| Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia FordThis sweet debut follows 77-year-old Jenny Quinn as she applies for and competes on a British baking show, where making old recipes has her recalling events from the past, including a 60-year-old secret she's never shared with her beloved husband. Read-alikes: Hazel Prior's How the Penguins Saved Veronica; Bonnie Garmus' Lessons in Chemistry. |
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| Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl GonzalezIn the 1980s, up-and-coming artist Anita de Monte is married to Jack, an established white artist, when she dies after a suspicious fall. In the 1990s, Brown University student Raquel Toro researches a project on Jack while starting her own relationship with a wealthy white man. This Reese's Book Club pick presents a witty, thought-provoking look at art, race, class, and gender. Read-alike: Hernan Diaz's Trust. |
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| The Other Valley by Scott Alexander HowardTeenage Odile lives in a remote valley that's bordered by itself -- 20 years earlier on one side and 20 years later on the other -- and travel between them is rarely allowed. One day while in the woods with a friend, Odile sees something she shouldn't in this buzzy, thought-provoking debut novel and inspiration for an upcoming TV series. Read-alikes: Kazuo Ishiguro's novels; This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. |
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| The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai; translated by Jesse KirkwoodIn an unmarked Kyoto restaurant, a father and daughter work to recreate special dishes from a person's past. They help a widower who wants a dish like one his wife used to make, a student requesting one of her grandmother's meals, and more in this charming Japanese bestseller. For fans of: Michiko Aoyama's What You Are Looking for Is in the Library; Toshikazu Kawaguchi's Before the Coffee Gets Cold. |
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| How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. OrdoricaIn 2011-2012, nerdy first-generation college student Daniel de La Luna meets and grows ever closer to his freshman roommate, soccer star Sam Morris. But Sam's sudden death the following summer leaves Daniel trying to make sense of it all while visiting his family in Mexico. For fans of: powerful and moving first novels; Bryan Washington's Family Meal. |
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| Dixon, Descending by Karen OutenFormerly an Olympic hopeful, Dixon Bryant is now a devoted school psychologist with a daughter in college. Still, he wants something more, and agrees to climb Mount Everest with his brother in an attempt to become the first Black American men to summit. But things don't go as planned in this engrossing, evocative debut. For fans of: vivid adventure stories with fascinating, well-drawn characters. |
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| Greta & Valdin by Rebecca K. ReillyIn Auckland, New Zealand, queer 20-something siblings Greta and Valdin navigate adulthood, explore their Russian and Māori family history, and long for love in this witty first novel that also includes a sojourn in Argentina when Valdin meets up with his ex. "Say hello to your new favorite fictional family" (Kirkus Reviews). For fans of: The Guncle by Steven Rowley; Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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