Title: Doughnuts and Doom
Author: Balazs Lorinczi
Genre: Fantasy, Queer Fiction, Graphic Novel
Witches, snakes, and rock n' roll! This cute graphic novel is about a witch and a musician both having a bad day. Their bad days compound one another and leads to a new friendship....or something more!
- Gina
Check out Doughnuts and Doom by Balazs Lorinczi @ the library!
Title: Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them
Author: Dan Saladino
Genre: Nonfiction
This is an important, fascinating, readable, and enlightening book about the loss of so much diversity in the food we eat. Saladino travels around the world and talks about efforts to save some of the more unique and often ancient foods, ingredients, plants, animals, and seeds that are currently dying out. These varieties are often simply not as easily produced on mass scale and so are not compatible with industrial agriculture. Saladino does a great job of showing why this is a huge loss, not just for biodiversity but for cultural preservation and simply for keeping the world interesting and fascinating. I would recommend it to anyone interested in farming, food culture, history, conservation, gardening, or, honestly, eating delicious food and drinking delicious drinks! This issue will only become more pressing as climate change accelerates and Saladino leaves readers inspired to learn more and do what they can to preserve our incredible planet and the plants and animals we eat.
- Meagan
Check out Eating to Extinction by Dan Saladino @ the library!
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Title: The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams
Author: Mindy Thompson
Genre: Children's Fantasy
A bookshop is such a natural location for time travel! I know books have always been my favorite way to wander into different time periods. This story is a true examination of the balance that we all need to strive to find between doing things for our own benefit, and striving to do things for the good of all those around us that we don't know personally.
- Katrina
Check out The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams by Mindy Thompson @ the library!
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Title: Thirteen Storeys
Author: Jonathan Sims
Genre: Horror
Thirteen strangers are invited to dinner by an enigmatic billionaire. And by the end of the night, their host is dead, but despite there being thirteen witnesses, no one ever comes forward with the truth.
If you've heard of the podcast The Magnus Archives, then this author's name might be familiar to you. Jonathan Sims is an amazing storyteller, all of his characters are well fleshed out, as is the world they live in. Despite telling thirteen different stories, he somehow manages to make the plot flow well and it never becomes overwhelming despite the amount of characters introduced.
- Megan H.
Check out Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims @ the library!
Title: Dava Shastri's Last Day
Author: Kirthana Ramisetti
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Have you ever wondered what people will say about you after you have died? Billionaire Dava Shastri has decided to ensure that it is publicly announced that she has died on a specific day, but has arranged her own death to happen a short time afterward. She knows she is dying, but wants to know what people will share about her legacy and is used to the world conforming to her own desires. She invites her family to her island, and they all cope with the public news of her death - and learning of her impending death - in their own ways. Her grandchildren finally find a way to connect with her, and family secrets are discovered, but nothing quite works out the way that Dava planned! Maybe you can't orchestrate the big life and death events, but there are lots of moments that are worth reaching for in-between, as this book demonstrates.
- Katrina
Check out Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti @ the library!
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Title: Clark and Division
Author: Naomi Hirahara
Genre: Historical Fiction; Mystery
Light on mystery but rich in period details, this story follows Aki, who, along with her parents, were recently released from a concentration camp for Japanese Americans. Because they were not allowed to return to their home in California, they chose to settle in Chicago. Aki's older sister, Rose, was able to leave ahead of the other family members, and she found them a place to live. Shockingly, they find out when they arrive that Rose died in a subway accident ruled a suicide. Aki determines to find out exactly what happened to Rose in Chicago. Fans of historical fiction will appreciate this World War II era tale.
- Sarah
Check out Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara @ the library!
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Title: Eight Perfect Hours
Author: Lia Louis
Genre: Realistic Fiction
There is something about living through a strange, once-in-a-lifetime experience that bonds you to anyone you spend that time with. It is a unique bond, one made all the stronger when you know that you're never going to see this stranger again. This is what happens when Noelle and Sam spend eight hours stuck in their cars during a snowstorm that has brought traffic to a stand still. But then Sam flies back to the US. and Noelle continues home to take care of her ailing mother in England. That should have been all there was to their story, but the world seems to have other plans for them! What happens when two strangers get pushed into each other's lives time and time again, no matter how unlikely they all realize the situation to be?
This is a story about the magic of meeting someone who just seems to relate to you in an easier way than anyone else, of taking the cares of the world-or at least your family!-all on your own shoulders, and of realizing that, just possibly, the world has more in store for you than just surviving!
- Katrina
Check out Eight Perfect Hours by Lia Louis @ the library!
Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore
Genre: Fantasy
This YA novel will appeal to young readers and adults alike. There is excellent world building and the characters all feel very realistic. The basis of the story is that people are born with special talents, called a Grace, that emerge sometime in their life. They are marked by having a set of different colored eyes. There lead character is a strong willed woman named Katsa. She struggles with her Grace and what it entails. Follow her on her journey to self discovery and acceptance!
- Gina
Check out Graceling by Kristin Cashore @ the library!
Title: Counterfeit
Author: Kirstin Chen
Genre: Fiction
Ava's old college roommate, Winnie, reconnects with Ava seemingly out of the blue. Winnie charms Ava's difficult young son and endears herself to Ava in other ways. Then Winnie asks for a favor, which ensnares Ava in Winnie's high-end counterfeit purse business. Ava gets caught, but is she as innocent as she seems? A breezy read great for your next vacation, especially if you're a fashionista.
- Sarah
Check out Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen @ the library!
Title: The Love Story of Missy Carmichael
Author: Beth Morrey
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Maybe you've heard of the concept of "found family"? This is about "found community"; about a bunch of people who just refuse to let Missy Carmichael go! Missy is a private, self-conscious woman whose children have moved out and moved on with their lives, and she doesn't have many people whom she regularly interacts with, much less whom she could call friends. One day, she stumbles into a situation and embarrasses herself thoroughly, but discovers that she is suddenly surrounded by a group of people who simply won't let her excuse herself and disappear. This is a story for the times that you are convinced that you are unlovable, or have been left behind in your life, as it proves again and again that the best love stories just might be ones that help you to rediscover your love for yourself!
- Katrina
Check out The Love Story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey @ the library!
Title: Making Piece
Author: Beth M. Howard
Genre: Memoir; food memoir
When the author receives news that her husband has died, she decides to make and share pie as a way to deal with her grief. A journalist, she packs up her RV and, together with a filmmaker friend, interviews pie experts at various stops. Her journey eventually takes her to the American Gothic House, which she then rents and where she opens her very own pie stand. While this is another memoir born of economic privilege and the author can't resist overstuffing her story with pie metaphors and similes, you will root for her and appreciate her message of connecting through food. Several pie recipes are included.
- Sarah
Check out Making Piece by Beth M. Howard @ the library!
Title: Black Cake
Author: Charmaine Wilkerson
Genre: Fiction
Two estranged siblings must come together when their mother dies. She has left behind a recording that begins with the story of a Caribbean swimmer who flees the island under suspicion of murder. What the siblings learn from the recording will reshape how they think of their past and their family. And when it is all over, their mother asks that they share her famous black cake "when the time is right."
Following multiple timelines and voices, Black Cake is a journey through one family's history and how one woman's choices shape that family. As with most books with multiple voices, one storyline was more engaging than the others, but this was still a wonderful story of family and left me wanting to try the titular black cake.
- Beth
Check out Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson @ the library!
Title: Meet Me at the Museum
Author: Anne Youngson
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Have you ever had a pen pal? Most of the pen pals we hear about are children, but this story is about two adults who have never met, and is told through the letters that they exchange. They discuss their lives (they live in two separate countries), their jobs, their kids and grandkids and spouses. Their exchanged words help both of them take another look at events that they are living through, and to reconsider what they each want from their lives and the role they have chosen for themselves. This is a quick read but left me thinking about the story well after I finished!
- Katrina
Check out Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson @ the library!
Title: How to Become a Planet
Author: Nicole Melleby
Genre: Fiction, children's
Pluto doesn’t feel like herself anymore. She doesn’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning and she has lost interest in one of her favorite things – astronomy. Pluto’s mom, who runs a pizzeria on the Jersey Shore boardwalk, chose Pluto’s name because she loves space. Pluto and her mom have gone to the planetarium since Pluto was a young child, but Pluto doesn’t want to go.
Pluto meets Fallon, whose family opened a new business nearby. She connects with Fallon because Fallon doesn’t know her as the girl who was diagnosed with depression who stopped going to school a month before the end of seventh grade.
Pluto makes a list of things she wants to do during the summer to make her feel like Pluto again. The list includes visiting the planetarium with her mom and attending her friend Meredith’s birthday party. Pluto also needs to study with a tutor to enter eighth grade in the fall. Fallon has a checklist as well and the two teens connect because of their lists. The book realistically covers mental health in a way that is natural, not overbearing, and Pluto is likeable so Pluto’s struggles keep the reader interested.
- Elizabeth
Check out How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby @ the library!
Title: The Knitting Circle
Author: Ann Hood
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
I love stories that explore friendship and the strength women find within the bonds of their relationships with each other. The Knitting Circle is such a book....at its heart is Mary Baxter, writer, wife and mother. But now she is lost in despair at the sudden death of her young daughter. She's unable to find herself or any part of her previous life with her husband, Dylan, and the grief and sadness are swallowing her up. But then she learns to knit, and it saves her. More accurately, it's the people she meets at "Big Alice's" Sit and Knit that slowly, but surely, save her. Hood's writing is true and honest and she handles difficult, painful issues with sensitivity and humor. I've added this to the top of my "Fav's" list.
- Karen
Check out The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood @ the library!
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Title: The Plot
Author: Jean Hanff Korelitz
Genre: Mystery; Thriller; Literary Satire
Jacob Finch Bonner received modest recognition for his first novel but has failed to follow up on his initial success. As a teacher in a low-residency MFA program, he hears his student's "foolproof" plot that Bonner admits would make a hit. When the book isn't published a few years later, Bonner discovers that his student has died--and the plot is now available to him. The novel becomes a bestseller, but then Bonner gets a message: "You are a thief." Who is behind the mysterious note? And will he find out before it's too late? This book is addictive and suspenseful and sure to cure a reading rut.
- Sarah
Check out The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz @ the library!
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Title: New From Here
Author: Kelly Yang
Genre: Fiction, children's
Knox is a 10-year-old kid living in Hong Kong with his parents and two siblings. When the COVID-19 pandemic begins, Knox’s parents decide to move their family to America. Knox’s parents used to live in California before moving to Hong Kong before Knox was born. Unfortunately, Knox’s dad has to stay behind because he has to work. Knox has to rush to fit his most important belongings in a suitcase. Once they arrive in the U.S., Knox and his big brother, Bowen, are told they must share a bedroom in the house. Knox is used to having his own space and Bowen isn’t nice to Knox, telling Knox he gets only a little space in the room.
School is difficult for Knox because he has a tendency to “blurt things out” and not sit still in his chair at school. He is coming to recognize that he has ADHD. The story follows the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and Knox reacts to each news story about the virus. The book also touches on anti-Asian sentiments related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, the story focuses more on Knox’s daily challenges like keeping his brother from driving him nuts, finding friends at his new school, and learning more about ADHD. The book is a good pick for children or younger teens who enjoy realistic fiction. The story is based on the author’s real experiences in 2020!
- Elizabeth
Check out New From Here by Kelly Yang @ the library!
Title: The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy
Author: Anne Ursu
Genre: Juvenile Fantasy
When there is magic involved, it often highlights those people who are seeking power and who want to exploit it. But when the very magic is needed to protect the kingdom that one lives in, it is hard to be taken seriously if you start pointing out the problems with the magic that is woven all around you.
This book is about a school where girls are sent if they have done something to be classified as "troubled girls," and Mayra certainly fits the label. After causing enough mischief that her brother loses his chance at being a sorcerer, and getting his own estate, she receives a letter stating that she will be taken to this school (which no one seems to have heard of before) the following day. But when the troubles at the school continue to rise, and it seems like all of those that are meant to protect them are instead hiding important truths from them, it is up to these troubled girls to discover just what hidden strengths brought them all to the school in the first place!
- Katrina
Check out The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy by Anne Ursu @ the library!
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Title: A Walk In the Woods
Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Travel writing; non-fiction
I picked this up after visiting the Smoky Mountains and doing an incredibly brief two mile hike on the Appalachian Trail (it did not feel brief at the time). I cannot imagine the hundreds of miles and nights of camping that Bryson and Katz did on their journey. Bryson's writing has enough humor to keep you reading and wanting to know, do they make it? It almost leaves you thinking, if these two can hike that much, maybe I could too. Reader, I could not.
- Beth
Check out A Walk In the Woods by Bill Bryson @ the library!
Title: Leave Only Footprints
Author: Conor Knighton
Genre: Memoir; Travel Memoir; Nonfiction
After a breakup, the author decides to go on an adventure, visiting 59 national parks in a year. Rather than tell his story chronologically, the author groups his visits by theme. For example, "Canyons," "Caves" and "Mountains" as well as "Mystery," "Love" and "Forgiveness." He weaves in the history of various parks and stories of contemporary visitors and workers along with his personal journey. For instance, he describes the "conscience pile" of wood once stolen and then returned to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona as he contemplates forgiving his ex. This thoughtful and at times funny tale will have you planning your next visit to one of the national parks.
- Sarah
Check out Leave Only Footprints by Conor Knighton @ the library!