Horror

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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There are many exciting new book releases coming and you don’t want to miss it…

THE MAID’S SECRET

Head maid Molly Gray’s discovery of a priceless artifact sparks a media frenzy, a daring heist, and revelations from her grandmother’s hidden diary, intertwining a present-day mystery with a long-lost tale of forbidden love and family secrets.

THE GRIFFIN SISTERS’ GREATEST HITS

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner comes The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, a deeply moving novel set against the glitz and chaos of early 2000s pop stardom. Equal parts heartfelt family saga and behind-the-scenes look at fame, this is a story about sisters, secrets, and the power of second chances.

HAPPY LAND

When Nikki visits her estranged grandmother in North Carolina, she uncovers a hidden legacy tied to a forgotten kingdom of freed people, unraveling her family’s secrets and her own identity while fighting to protect their endangered heritage.

FLIRTING LESSONS

When shy, newly single Avery enlists flirty heartbreaker Taylor for flirting lessons, their playful arrangement ignites undeniable chemistry, forcing both women to confront their feelings and risk everything for the chance at something real.

THE CAT WHO SAVED THE LIBRARY

The long-awaited sequel to the #1 international bestseller The Cat Who Saved Books—an uplifting tale from Japan about a talking cat, a book-loving girl and the power of books to make a difference in the world.

THE BOOK THAT HELD HER HEART

As an infinite library teeters on destruction, Livira must mend fragile bonds with Evar and reunite scattered allies across time and space to confront an unresolvable conflict threatening the very fabric of existence.

COLD ETERNITY

Cold Eternity is the newest action-packed space horror from S.A. Barnes perfect for fans of Severance, where desperation for eternal life leads to a fate worse than death… Halley is on the run from an interplanetary political scandal that has put a huge target on her back. She heads for what seems like the perfect place to lay low: a gigantic space barge storing the cryogenically frozen bodies of Earth’s most fortunate citizens from more than a century ago…

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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There are tons of new releases that come to our shelves every week. Here are some books we picked out for you!

THE WRITER

When the husband of bestselling true-crime author Denise Morrow is found dead in their luxury apartment, NYPD Detective Declan Shaw must unravel whether she is a target, a victim, or the mastermind behind a chilling plot.

BEACH VIBES

Beth’s idyllic life running her Malibu beach shop unravels when she discovers her brother’s infidelity and must make a moral decision threatening her newfound happiness and forcing her to choose between love and loyalty.

THE SUMMER GUESTS

In Purity, Maine, former spy Maggie Bird and her Martini Club of ex-CIA operatives are drawn into the search for a missing teen with ties to their past, as they confront an innocent friend’s wrongful suspicion, a buried corpse, and dark secrets that threaten to unravel everything they’ve worked to protect.

THE PARIS EXPRESS

Set on a fateful 1895 train journey to Paris, a diverse group of passengers-including politicians, a medical student, an inventor, and an anarchist-navigate personal ambitions and hidden motives, culminating in a disaster that forever changes their lives.

THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND

In 1952, illustrator Clara Harrington travels to London with her daughter Wynnie to investigate a discovery linked to her vanished mother, a famed author, uncovering long-buried truths amid the chaos of the Great Smog and a remote Lake District retreat.

EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS

An award-winning bestselling author explores of tuberculosis’s historical and social impact, highlighting global healthcare inequities, personal stories like a young patient in Sierra Leone and the urgent need for action against this preventable yet deadly disease.

THE LOVE WE FOUND

Ten years after Gabe’s disappearance, Lucy follows a clue to Rome, uncovering secrets about his past while meeting Dax Amstrong, whose connection challenges her to confront her lingering grief, the truth about her son’s father, and the possibility of moving forward.

A MAP TO PARADISE

Blacklisted actress Melanie Cole and her maid, Eva, form an unlikely alliance to uncover the mystery surrounding their agoraphobic neighbor’s disappearance, leading them to a surprising discovery about themselves and their shared past.

THE BUFFALO HUNTER

In 1912, a Lutheran pastor documents the chilling confessions of Good Stab, a Blackfeet vampire seeking justice for a historical massacre, intertwining themes of revenge, survival and haunting truths on the Blackfeet reservation.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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Take a look at some of the exciting new releases coming to our shelves in this week…

THE TEXAS MURDERS

Texas Ranger Rory Yates, a quick-draw champion, teams up with Tigua Tribal police archer Ava Cruz to investigate the disappearance of a native woman, pursuing a suspect in a long-cold case across Texas’s harshest landscapes.

PRESUMED GUILTY

Rusty is a retired judge asked by his fiancée, Bea, to defend her adult son Aaron, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend Mae, and Rusty agrees to help but questions whether the system can provide true justice for those who are presumed guilty.

THE BIG EMPTY

When Elvis Cole finds himself shadowed by a gang of vicious criminals, a missing-persons cold case becomes far more sinister, and soon he must call his ex-Marine friend Joe Pike for help.

BEAUTIFUL UGLY

A year after his wife Abby mysteriously disappeared, author Grady Green, still consumed by grief, retreats to a remote Scottish island only to encounter a woman who looks exactly like the wife he lost.

WITCHCRAFT FOR WAYWARD GIRLS

Four teenage girls trapped in a secretive maternity home for unwed mothers in 1960 St. Augustine, Florida, find an unexpected source of power through witchcraft.

GRAVE DANGER

Jack Swyteck must defend a woman accused of kidnapping her niece while uncovering deadly secrets about the parents as political forces and international law complicate the case in the latest addition to the series following Goodbye Girl. Simultaneous.

MORE OR LESS MADDY

Maddy Banks, an NYU student recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder after experiencing a wild and terrifying mania, rejects the stability of a “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy, in a novel from a Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author.

SAVE OUR SOULS

In this true story, on December 10, 1887, the Walker family’s shark fishing boat was split in two by a storm, and they awoke in the morning on an island inhabited by a ragged man named Hans who seemed helpful but had a dark secret.

CROSS MY HEART

A year after her heart transplant, Rosie becomes convinced that her donor was Daphne, the late wife of author Morgan Thorne, and believes she’s destined to be with him until disturbing rumors about Daphne’s death make her question everything.

~Semanur

Stacey’s Selected Titles -2024 edition

staceyLeave a comment 
Are you as exhausted by 2024 as I am? How about a book to help soothe the soul, or make you laugh, or give you a reason to read more on a topic? Here are twenty options that made my list (and more available upon request- heh heh!):

Actual Facts (aka Nonfiction)
The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
This is a beautifully crafted book, both the art work and the sharing of the author’s life experience in monthly chapters. If you’re looking for a gift for a nature loving friend -this might be worth checking out.

Generations by Jean Twenge
This book plus The Coddling of the American Mind have answered a lot of questions for me I didn’t know I had.

Something Cozy
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
Short in length, long on happiness impact. Take an afternoon and enjoy!

A New Lease On Death by Olivia Blacke
Looking for a cozy mystery? Here you go!

How to Age Disgracefully by Claire Pooley
Zesty characters and a cute dog. Do I need to say more?

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
Welcome back to Patrick O’Hara -everyone’s favorite Guncle!

Something a Little Different
Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara
What if you felt invisible because you’re a woman who’s getting older, and then your physical body actually started disappearing? And the medical community even had a name for the phenomenon?!

The Voyage of the Damned  by Frances White
If you’re willing to read a fantasy book in which charming characters have magical gifts, this is also a locked room mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.

The Failures by Benjamin Liar
A chonky science fiction story with multiple storylines that come together in a pretty satisfying way to end the first in a trilogy.

After Annie by Anna Quindlen
When Annie unexpectedly passes away, we are given the opportunity to know her better through the lives she touched.

Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Margo is used to people thinking she makes bad choices, the current bad choice would be sleeping with her married college professor. When she discovers she’s pregnant and decides to keep the baby, Margo feels overwhelmed and determined to succeed.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
When a woman on a plane starts predicting when and how other passengers will die, the first response was to brush it off. After the first prediction comes true, the rest of the group begins to bond and a search begins to find the mysterious lady.

Something a Little Dark
Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond
First in a new series, this is another short in length but long on impact book. You’ll be amazed at the world building the author is able to accomplish in only 167 pages!

The Haters by Robyn Harding
Camryn Hart went from celebrating her first published book to trying to figure out who’s making damaging false accusations about her online. The longer the attacks go on, the less trust Camryn has in the people surrounding her. What a wild ride!

Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Creepy, creepy, creepy… So good!

Something Old (aka Historical)
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate 
Set in Oklahoma, with storylines in 1909 and 1990s, this book is filled with young women fighting for survival and for acceptance.

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
I had no idea who Martha Ballard was before reading this book and now I know why her legend lives on. Fascinating details on midwifery and all the additional jobs that were attached to that title.

The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods
Using some factual happenings and some fictional characters, this is another story of women fighting to have control over their own lives.

The Wealth of Shadows by Graham Moore
Just when you think there’s nothing new to learn about World War II, you read a book like this. Also, I’m a little sorry I didn’t pay more attention in my Macro Economics course…

Hopefully one of these books is just what you were looking for, and I’m *always* interested in hearing what you thought after reading! []~(￣▽￣)~*

Enjoy! 
Stacey

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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Check out this selection of new releases for your enjoyment coming this week!

LOCKED IN

On the day after Christmas, head of Department Q, Detective Carl Mørck, finds himself handcuffed in a police car headed for Copenhagen’s Vestre prison. After fifteen years, a violent case from his past has caught up with him. Charges of drug trafficking and murder threaten to destroy his life and career. But he is being framed. Someone has a million-dollar bounty on his head to make sure he doesn’t talk, putting him in grave danger among the prison’s incarcerated criminals and corrupt officers. The question that remains is, Why?

BELLEVUE

Twenty-three-year-old Michael “Mitt” Fuller starts his surgical residency with great anticipation at the nearly three-hundred-year-old, iconic Bellevue Hospital, following in the footsteps of four previous, celebrated Fuller generations. The pressure is on for this newly minted doctor, and to his advantage he’s always had a secret sixth sense, a sensitivity to the nonphysical.

GOLDEN HOUR

Teddy Fay is ready to embark on the European press tour of Peter Barrington’s latest film Storm’s Eye, when he receives an unexpected visit from Lance Cabot, director of the CIA. Several CIA agents have been turning up dead. The commonality? They were all part of a mission Teddy was involved in: Golden Hour. Lance wants Teddy to use his trip as a cover to investigate who is behind these killings.

TRIAL BY AMBUSH

Delves into the sensationalized true story of Barbara Graham, a neglected woman wrongfully portrayed as a femme fatale during a media frenzy surrounding a 1953 robbery-murder case, exposing the sexism, misinformation, and critical evidence overlooked by the prosecution that shaped her tragic narrative.

THE GREATEST LIE OF ALL

Fledgling actress Amelia Grant is at rock bottom when offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to star in a biopic about the world-renowned romance author Gloria Diamond, who used her own tragic love story as inspiration for her bestselling books. To prepare for the role, she’ll spend a week with Gloria at her secluded Washington estate. It’s a chance to get out of LA, away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, and to make her recently deceased mother proud.

DEFENSE PROTOCOL

For decades, Taiwan has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. An independent nation to the rest of the world, it is considered a rogue province by the PRC. Previous governments have tried to conquer the island using economic force and diplomatic pressure, but new Chinese President Li Jian Jun is done fooling around. He’s devised a secret military operation to take the island.

THE SILENT WATCHER

Far from the neon glare of the Vegas Strip, attorney Piper Danes walks away from a hotshot law firm to work as a guardian ad litem (GAL). Piper was once a vulnerable youth herself, and a GAL gave her hope when she needed it most. Now she’s committed to paying it forward.

SECRET THREE FATES

American heiress Ruby Vaughn still hasn’t entirely forgiven her octogenarian employer and housemate Mr. Owen for bringing the occult into their lives during her recent trip to Cornwall. He claims their journey to Manhurst Castle in the Scottish Borders is simply to appraise and acquire illuminated manuscripts for their rare books shop, however when Ruby discovers there are no manuscripts and receives news of a séance to be held that very night, she begins to grow suspicious about the true reason why they have come.

MY DARLING BOY

In a close-knit English village, Chrissy and Alice were once best friends. So were their sons, Leo and Robbie. Until the night Leo killed Robbie with a single, devastating punch. Now Leo has gone to prison, Chrissy has lost her pub, and Alice has been pouring her anger into a twisted project . . .

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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Here are some of the new books coming to our shelves this week for you to add to your book list!

MIND GAMES

With the ability to see into minds and souls, Thea, who brought her parents’ killer to justice years ago, discovers the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability when she can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away as he plots his revenge.

YOU LIKE IT DARKER

Delving into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal, the legendary storyteller and expert in short fiction presents this exhilarating collection of 12 tales, many never-before-published, about fate, mortality, luck and the folds in reality where anything can happen.

ONE PERFECT COUPLE

Landing on a tropical paradise where they’ll compete against four other couples to win a cash prize, Lyla and Nico, starring on the new reality TV show, One Perfect Couple, find themselves trapped on a storm-swept island where they all must band together for survival as a killer walks among them.

LIES AND WEDDINGS

Forced to attend his sister’s wedding to seduce a woman with money and get his family out of debt, Rufus, the future Earl of Greshambury, finds their plans and their reputation going up in flames when a secret tryst and tragedy become known, revealing a shocking twist.

THE LAST MURDER AT THE END OF THE WORLD

On an isolated island where 122 villagers and three scientists live in peaceful harmony, one of the scientists is found brutally murdered, which triggers a security system, giving the islanders only 107 hours to solve the murder or be smothered by the fog that destroyed the planet.

THE GUNCLE ABROAD

With his brother getting remarried in Italy, Patrick takes his niece and nephew back under his wing, and as they travel through Europe, he tries his best to help them understand love, while dealing with a groom with cold feet, his over-flirtatious sister and other disasters.

PATTON’S PRAYER

The New York Times best-selling author of Against All Odds takes us back to December 1944 where General George Patton, a devout Christian in desperate need of a miracle, printed and distributed a prayer to the 250,000 men under his command to help turn the tide of the war.

DEATH BEHIND EVERY DOOR

Posing as a tourist, an FBI special agent visits a Scottish castle that’s been turned into a bed and breakfast to infiltrate a society of twisted killers named after the man believed to be America’s first serial killer.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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Here we have some new exciting releases for you to take a look at this week!

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DISAPPEARING

Accompanying her sister on a search for their mother, who ran off with an accomplished con man years earlier, Jess, as they make their way across the country, unraveling the mystery of where the couple disappeared to and why, discovers a willingness to expand beyond the walls she’s so carefully built.

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS

The charming disappointment in the prominent Devlin family, TJ Devlin finds his world turned upside down when his lawyer brother confesses he has just killed one of his clients and, seizing this chance to prove his worth, becomes entangled in a deadly web of deception and murder to save his brother.

CHEATER

San Diego Detective Kit McKittrick investigates a nursing home with numerous skeletons in the closet after a resident is found stabbed to death with his apartment ransacked, in the second novel of the series following Cold Blooded Liar.

THE ANGEL OF INDIAN LAKE

Jade returns to Proofrock, Idaho, to build a life after the years of sacrifice—only to find the Lake Witch is waiting for her. Indian Lake trilogy.

THE WILD SIDE

Called back to the Office of Special Investigations for a highly specialized assignment, school guidance counselor Melanie Drake must pose as an escort to infiltrate a dangerous international group of billionaires during a decadent dinner to collect information vital to national security.

EVERYONE IS WATCHING

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Overnight Guest comes a twisty locked-room thriller about a mysterious, high-stakes game show that proves life-threatening.

STUDIES AT THE SCHOOL BY THE SEA

Even though literature teacher Maggie Adair loves her life at the prestigious Downey House boarding school on the gloriously sunny, windy English coast, lately she’s been feeling restless, lured by the promise of a different life back in her Scottish hometown.

~Semanur

Book Review: The September House

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Margaret and Hal think they’ve struck the gold mine when they purchase a stately old Victorian home. But come September, things start going awry. Blood drips down the walls, items get misplaced, and ghostly former inhabitants known as “the pranksters” roam the halls. And they all ominously point to the basement door with a warning- “He’s down there.”

Margaret spends all her time managing the house and its quirks, but Hal has had enough. So when another September rolls around, Hal decides to take matters into his own hands…and disappears without a trace. When their daughter Katherine calls, Margaret begrudgingly shares the news that Hal is missing. Panicked, Katherine immediately plans a visit. In September. Just as the house is waking up for its annual haunting. What could go wrong?

I listened to this horror novel and was mesmerized by the characters, plot, and setting. The pranksters are explained in vivid detail, which gives them an especially spooky feel, and Margaret and Katherine’s antics are those of a classic mother-daughter pair. The house itself is a central character to the story as it creaks and groans with its dark secrets. If you want to be swept away by a scary story, this book is for you.

Request it here.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Sara’s Top 10 of 2023

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2023 was a good year for reading! For some reason it was an entry into the Horror genre for me. I didn’t realize that horror books are very different than horror movies- they are usually less gory, but can be a lot scarier! If you want to give one a try, look at My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones (which comes before Don’t Fear the Reaper which was excellent), or if you really want to be creeped out, read A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay.

I also enjoyed a little magic and fantasy with the adventurous tale of Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings, a possible future story, My Murder by Katie Williams, and the charming Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young.

Finally, I enjoyed some fantastic stories that seemed like real life in Honor by Thrity Umrigar, Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty and the crazy, stream of consciousness No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. Happy Reading everyone!

Stacey says, “It’s time for the Top Ten of 2023!”

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This year I’m really leaning into the popular saying, “So many books, so little time!” My list of possibilities for a Top Ten is longer than usual thanks to my participation on American Library Association’s The Reading List committee. The Reading List is focused on finding great reads in the genres of Adrenaline, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Relationship Fiction, Romance, and Science Fiction -some of these categories aren’t ones I naturally gravitate toward but I’ve enjoyed the entire experience! (Plus -now I have bonus books for this list!)

As always, the books are in alphabetical order in each genre. I’m attempting a three emoji description -🤞 I can make it work. The link will take you to our digital collection but there are print books as well, just give us a call!

General Fiction:

Half-Life of a Stolen Sister by Rachel Cantor 🤔 👀 🔎

Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan 👪🏽 🤐 🎉

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes 🏫 🕵🏼 👫🏽 

Maame by Jessica George 👪🏾 🏠 🏋🏾‍♀️

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 🏡 🤫 🔍

Adrenaline:

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose   🤐 😮 🪤 

A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing 🕵🏼‍♀️ 👩‍❤️‍👨☠️

Historical Fiction:

Ghost Girl, Banana by Wiz Wharton 🇭🇰 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧

The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams ⚔️ 💘 🏡

The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland 🎭 🔥 💔

Mystery:

The Appeal by Janice Hallett 🤫 🔍 🥸

Better the Blood by Michael Bennett ☠️ 😰 🇳🇿

Killing Me by Michelle Gogan 🙅 😳 🤥

The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann 👵 🐢 🪤

Horror:

The September House by Carissa Orlando 🔥 🫠 😵

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix 👻 😱 🥴

Fantasy or Science Fiction:

The Books of Babel series by Josiah Bancroft series ☠️ ⛓️‍💥

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett 🧚 ✨ 📚

The Meister of Decimen City by Brianna 🐉 🦸‍♀️ ⚡

The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis 🗺️ 🛸 😉

and Nonfiction:

Invisible Child by Andrea Elliott 🧒🏾 🏫 💡

The Hospital by Brian Alexander 🏥 🤕 🩺

📚 💖 😊 

– Stacey