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Klara and the Sun: A novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. Reminiscent
of his highly praised Never Let Me Go in both tone and
intention, Ishiguro is exploring near-futures again in this
sci-fi-tinged literary novel. Klara is an Artificial Friend,
a solar-powered, artificially intelligent, humanlike
robot designed to accompany a child as they grow up.
Klara is observant, noticing patterns around her and
expressing them eloquently if uniquely; she's tender,
empathetic, and optimistic, but the family she is sold
to has complexities beyond the familiarities of the shop.
The daughter is excited but the mother is hesitant, and
there's much more to their purchase than first meets the eye. As this quasidystopian
world opens up through Klara's narrow perspective, Ishiguro
reveals just how many layers are hiding beneath the surface. I was taken
aback by the plausibility of this future, and by the generosity and humanity
Ishiguro continually gives his characters—even when that character is a robot. ~ Joe Michon-HuneauNONFICTION
HARDCOVER
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life by George Saunders. A literal Master class on
literature and writing. Saunders earnestly,
yet playfully, dissects 19th Century Russian
short stories to discover how they exude life
to this very day, while highlighting methods
any aspiring writer can employ. And the
huge added bonus: reading the wondrous
stories themselves, and experiencing
Tolstoy's authority, Chekhov's humanity,
and the joy and glory of Gogol. ~ Mike Hare
The Oak Papers by James Cotton. An exquisitely beautiful, poetic book that
explores the connection between humans
and nature: In this case, the ancient oak tree.
Canton asks what it is that makes our bond
with the ancient woodland such a special one.
Is it the history they are imbued with? Is it
being in counsel with an ancient being, or
the hormonal response to being with the tree
that naturally calms us, or all of those things?
Keep this one by your bedside to dip in and out of. ~ Becky Doherty FANTASY
Vita Nostra: A Novel by Sergey and Marina Dyachenko. A dark, compelling
Russian fantasy with obvious
comparisons to the Harry Potter or The
Magicians books except that it takes its
own gritty approach to this territory.
Sasha and her classmates are chosen,
willing or not, to attend the Institute of
Special Technologies and failure has its own dire consequences
for their friends and family. I found myself drawn in by the
original magic system; leave your wands and your reality at
home. ~ Ben ParkerYOUNG ADULT
Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury. In a small town in the
Scottish Highlands, Alva is convinced she
lives with a murderer—her father. But
this story isn’t about what he did to her
mother. It’s about redemption, truth, first
love (and last), and the terrifying secrets
that live in the dark tunnels under the mountain by the loch
that Alva and her father take care of. This novel is edge-ofthe-
seat dark fantasy horror that quickly spirals out of control,
with an ending so bittersweet I cried. ~ Angela TuronPAPERBACK
The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird by Joshua Hammer. By the author of the best-selling Bad-Ass
Librarians of Timbuktu, this fabulous true
tale follows the incredible decades-long
story of one of the world’s most notorious
smugglers of endangered raptors and the
dedicated British detective determined to
stop him. Woven into the story is the history
of rare egg collecting and Arab high-stakes
falcon racing. Fascinating, eye-opening,
and thrilling from the opening page. A thoroughly enjoyable
mix of history, nature, international adventure, and true crime.
- Tambra Johnson Reap ~ Tambra Johnson Reap
Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit by Eliese Colette Goldbach. "What comes out
of Cleveland?" Goldbach gives an honest and
nuanced answer to that question in her heartfelt
memoir. She vividly describes the inner workings
of the steel mill where she works while grappling
with her feelings about her upbringing and her
hometown. A confident, fascinating memoir
from a strong writer. ~ Stan Hynds
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg. The brutal killing of two
young women on their way to a festival in West
Virginia called the Rainbow Gathering haunted
the mountains and hollows of Pocahontas
County for decades. Most people thought the
murders had been committed by a bunch of
raucous local men. Even as the months dragged
into years, a police officer and a local lawyer
were determined to break through the wall of
silence and fear and find justice for the two victims. The author lived
in West Virginia, where she helped to bring literacy and guidance
into one of the most poverty stricken states in the country. She
acquired a unique perspective into its insular social structure. This
is a taut true crime story with a surprising resolution. ~ Alden Graves
The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson. From brains to blood vessels,
hearts to hormones, and everything in between,
this whirlwind romp through the body and its
organ systems is both informative and highly
entertaining. Bryson’s musing digressions
abound in this book, be it about murder or
vitamins or how much a human would cost
to build (hint: less than a house, more than a
fridge). The Body will almost certainly leave you
highly satisfied and with a passionate love for a random, very specific
organ. Mine’s the liver. Man, that thing is cool. ~ Patrick Molluso FICTION
Sorrow and Bliss: A Novel by Meg Mason. Martha is smart, clever, and talented. People
are initially drawn to her. But she's been
plagued by an unnamed mental illness that
struck her when she turned 17 and has left
her struggling to maintain a normal life. The
physical and emotional pain has damaged
all of her relationships and causes her to
become hostile and cruel. With two failed
marriages under her belt and an estranged
sister, she ultimately moves back home with her "nutty" parents to
delve into her past and attempt to figure out a way to change her
trajectory, and hopefully redeem her life. ~ Jen Grigsby
A Crooked Tree: A Novel by Una Mannion. After her frustration reaches the boiling
point, a woman orders her 12-year-old
daughter out of the car, telling her to walk
the five miles home as darkness is beginning
to fall. The terribly misguided decision
ultimately impacts the lives of the rest of
her children. A sense of dread settles over
them like mist that weaves its way through
the woods surrounding their mountain
home. This is an astute exploration of the fears—both real and
imagined--that can linger in young minds and their limitless
capacity to persevere and forgive. ~ Alden Graves
All Girls: A Novel by Emily Layden. A
strong debut novel that covers many important
modern day topics while executing a multinarrative,
coming-of-age story for teens and
adults alike. Set during the beginning years of
the #MeToo movement, we follow a handful of
girls attending an elite boarding school that is in
the grips of a sexual assault scandal and lawsuit.
Each has their own trials and tribulations to
deal with. Layden addresses the problems
when private institutions deal with issues such as sexual assault and
how quickly they work to silence these girls instead of appraising and
protecting them. Highly, highly recommended. ~ Kirstin Swartz
The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen. In this sequel to The Sympathizer,
which won the 2016 Pulitzer, the man
with two minds is released from the reeducation
camp in Vietnam and travels to
Paris, where he lives with the communist
"aunt" with whom he once traded coded
letters with. He and his friend, Bon, fall in
with an opium ring, work in the restaurant
that serves as a front for the business, and
unavoidably embroil themselves in violence, prostitution, and
politics as they struggle to square their previous identities with
their immigrant selves. A fascinating portrayal of the colonizercolonized
relationship between the French and Vietnamese,
written in a style best described as lurid (and I mean that as a
compliment!) ~ Nadja Tiktinsky
Detransition, Baby: A Novel by Torrey Peters. What a funny, tender, whip-smart
novel! Peters's book follows three main
characters: a trans woman named Reese,
Reese's ex Ames, who has detransitioned
since they were married and now lives as a
man, and Katrina, the woman whom Ames
has impregnated. Desiring parenthood but
uncomfortable with the expectations of
being a father, Ames offers an alternative
solution: involve Reese, who craves motherhood, and raise the
child together. The wildly compelling story that follows explores
gender, queerness, family, and desire, and has characters whose
voices will stay in your head long after you finish! ~ Cathy Taylor
The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O'Donnell. This mystery is nothing short
of a champion's performance in Gothic storytelling.
Set in the seamy streets of 19th century London,
a collective of eccentric investigators try to crack
the mystery of a sinister string of deaths. This is a
shimmering, dark caper marked by hilarious banter
creating an irresistible story of intrigue and a unique
contrast between the dark and the light. Such fun!
Such wit! Great style! ~ Nancy Scheemaker PAPERBACK
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel. Rose Gold spent the first 18 years of her
life believing she was seriously ill, but it was all a
lie. Her mother was sent to prison for five years
for crimes against her daughter. When she is
released, she tries to reconcile their differences,
but Rose is not the broken child she left behind.
This is fast-paced suspense filled with twists, turns, and crazies. If
you're looking for a fast read with intriguing, unreliable narrators,
this is the mystery for you! ~ Kirstin Swartz
Deacon King Kong: A Novel by James McBride. This book has a little bit of everything: love,
loss, violence, religion, politics, baseball,
addiction, romance, and above all, the power
of community. It will entertain you with
side-splitting slapstick physical comedy in
one passage, then tear your heart out with the
next. McBride is a master. ~ Nolan Rabine 
Greenwood: A Novel by Michael Christie. Two
boys, mistakenly thought to be brothers,
were discovered in the wreckage of two
passenger trains. Though the bond between
them was not instilled by blood, their
impact upon each other would reverberate
throughout their lives. Harris used his
business acumen to become a prominent
lumber baron in Canada while Everett led
a shiftless, nomadic life until he came upon
a baby left in a vast forest by her dying mother. The decline of
Harris Greenwood's fortune is counterpointed by the growing
awareness in the world of the irreplaceable value of our natural
resources. In this rousing, engrossing saga of a dynamic family,
the author has quietly woven a warning to us all. ~ Alden Graves 
Writers & Lovers by Lily King. This
is a love story for cynics. Except you don't
really notice that you are reading somewhat
of a romance, because Casey Peabody is a
strong, complex character, with so many
other things happening in her young life.
It's all framed around survival—living in
Boston, writing her book, riding her bike to
her waitressing jobs, broke and grief-stricken
by the loss of her mother. And of course the
men in her life. I didn't even mind that this novel had a happy
ending. ~ Nancy Scheemaker 
Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks. I was
impressed with the scientific reality brought
to bear by Brooks on this unprecedented
display of Bigfoot aggression chronicled in a
firsthand journal form. Very astutely, he brings
existing knowledge and observations from
the fields of zoology and, most specifically,
primatology into sharp focus in analyzing
this post-volcanic Bigfoot ape attack on the
ultra-ecoconscious mountain community of
Green Loop. Did you think that big hairy ape was our friend?
Think again. And if you do come across a Sasquatch in the woods
and must take a video, do it while running for your life. ~ Jon Fine