This Bird Has Flown by Susanna Hoffs

Title: This Bird Has Flown

Author: Susanna Hoffs

Genre: Romantic Comedy; Romance; Fiction

This romantic comedy filled with fun music references follows Jane, a one-hit wonder who is struggling to match her early success. A recent breakup leaves her bereft, and her agent/best friend offers to let her stay in her London apartment for a change of scenery. On the plane ride, Jane hits it off with a charming Oxford literature professor. When she visits him in Oxford, they spend a lot of time together, and she does little songwriting. But their budding romance hits a snag when past relationships catch up with them. Written by a co-founder of The Bangles, this breezy novel is perfect for the warmer weather ahead.

- Sarah

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Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Title: Scythe

Author: Neal Shusterman

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult 

In a world where people have overcome death through mastery of resurrecting people no matter how they may have died, the world changes in many ways. Age becomes a number. They develop a way to "reset" people so that they can look the age that they want to, even hundreds of years in. Family structure is different, as parents can have generations of their own children. But this also leads to a population explosion, so society realizes that death is still necessary, even if they know how to over come it. Scythes are chosen who are given the task of killing people according to the statistics of how often people died in past societies. Can you imagine being chosen, as a teen, to be the one to kill people for the rest of your life? Even worse, in this story, two teens are chosen to be trained for a singular position, forcing them to compete for a job neither of them are convinced they want! But when death is what your are training in, and death awaits the loser, it is pretty good motivation to excel no matter the cost.

- Katrina

Check out Scythe by Neal Shusterman @ the library!

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Title: What Moves the Dead

Author: T. Kingfisher

Genre: Gothic, light sci-fi, horror 

An interesting and engaging update to Edgar Allen Poe's Fall of the House of Usher. While the overall plot doesn't stray too far from the original the fresh, or more accurately mouldy, additions to the story only add to the atmosphere. The protagonist Alex Easton is highly likeable thanks to a good sense of humor and common sense to spare. Kingfisher (pen name for accomplished writer Ursula Vernon) paints a vivid and uncomfortable picture of the Usher house and it's inhabitants. Something is affecting everything from the walls, to the pond, to the local hare population (oh boy, those hares). The physically unwell Madeline and her equally as mentally unwell brother Roderick are clearly doomed from the start. While the culprit is really no secret, there is one final revolting twist that will leave you squirming in your seat. Following along with the mini language lesson in the beginning only serves to make the reveal even worse.It's an easy read in the sense that it's under 200 pages, but the overall grimy vibes may have you pausing to wash your hands or do a little deep cleaning...

- Kate 

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Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Title: Where She Went

Author: Gayle Forman

Genre: Young Adult; Contemporary Fiction

This  book is a sequel to If I Stay. I try to refrain from recommending a book that is a sequel, but there is something incredibly special about this book that both brings me back to read it again, and to tell others about it. Where She Went is about meeting someone who once was the very center of your existence after they have faded out of your life for an extended period of time. Adam and Mia were high school sweethearts, and depended on each other to get through every hardship that life threw their way - and these hardships were considerable! 

Inexplicably, as both teens move on into life after high school, Mia slowly cuts off all communication with Adam. Adam is left to pursue his dreams of musical stardom without Mia by his side, and he is still able to find fame and share his art, but his own dreams seem to stutter and falter.  

One night, by pure coincidence, Adam discovers himself outside of a concert hall where Mia is currently performing. He can't resist strolling in - but what happens when you go looking for the answers that someone else is so reluctant to provide? This story is an incredible exploration of love, and grief, and family, and just what it means to include someone else when building your own life's purpose.

- Katrina

Check out Where She Went  by Gayle Forman @ the library!