Greg’s Top 10 for 2023

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Readalikes for Top 2023 Reads

MelindaLeave a comment

2023 is officially winding down, which means the “Best of” and “Top Picks” lists are in full swing. Stay tuned for our own Top 10 Reads of 2023, which will be coming to the blog next week.

In the meantime, here are some readalikes for the most-requested books of 2023. What is a readalike? A readalike is a suggested book that has a similar style, plot, or genre to a book that you enjoyed reading. We love to suggest books for you, so stop by the Reference Desk anytime to get a recommendation. If you were one of the folks checking out these top titles this year and want a similar book, keep reading for suggestions!

Did you read Lessons in Chemistry?

In the early 1960s, chemist and single mother Elizabeth Zott, the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show due to her revolutionary skills in the kitchen, uses this opportunity to dare women to change the status quo.

Try The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao!

The tale of two sisters who, surrounded by a cast of unforgettable characters, assert their independence and courageously carve a path of their own in 1940s Rio de Janeiro.

Did you read Tom Lake?

In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake.

Try Flight!

A group of siblings and their spouses gather for Christmas in upstate New York to try decide through rising tensions and old hurts what to do with the house their recently deceased mother has left them.

Did you read Simply Lies?

A twisting new psychological thriller in which two women–one a former detective, the other a dangerous con artist–go head-to-head in an electrifying game of cat and mouse.

Try Never Tell!

While D. D. Warren investigates a pregnant woman’s suspicious role in the murders of her father and husband, Flora draws on her own haunted past to identify an unsettling link to one of the victims.

Did you read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo?

When an aging and reclusive Hollywood icon selects an unknown magazine reporter to write her life story, the baffled journalist forges deep ties with the actress during a complicated interview process that exposes their tragic common history.

Try Did You Hear about Kitty Karr?

A multigenerational saga that traverses the glamour of old Hollywood and the seductive draw of modern-day showbiz.

Did you read Fourth Wing?

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. 

Try A Deadly Education!

An unwilling dark sorceress destined to rewrite the rules of magic clashes with a popular combat sorcerer while resolving to spare the lives of innocents.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

Book Review : Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge

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Loretta Plansky is a 71-year-old widow leading the comfortable life of a retiree in Florida. For her, that includes playing weekly tennis games at the country club, now that she is post-hip replacement of course. While she doesn’t often splurge on herself, Mrs. Plansky is generous to a fault with her two adult children, and is also currently footing the bill for her 98-year-old father at his upscale assisted living facility. She is, in fact, about to make substantial contributions to both her children’s latest investment “opportunities,” when she gets scammed out of her life savings of nearly $4 Million by a caller pretending to be her grandson. Unconvinced that law enforcement will track down the perpetrators or her money, Mrs. Plansky takes matters in her own hands, setting off on a journey that takes her to Romania.

Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn is a charming and lively cozy mystery that stars a capable, likable, and sometimes nostalgic protagonist who will stop at nothing to reclaim her money and her dignity. And, getting to know the sympathetic bad guys along the way is fun, too.

Looking to take things a little less seriously? Pick up this light and humorous read by the author of the long-running, hilarious Chet and Bernie mystery series, and get ready to smile.

-Carol

Holiday Reads Without the Romance

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Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

It’s December 1, we had our first (real) snowstorm of the season, and many folks are looking to cozy up and hibernate with a book. If you’re looking for a holiday romcom this season, there’s no shortage of holiday romances calling out to you from the library shelves. But if you want a holiday read without the romance, those can be a bit harder to find.

If you want a book to get you in the seasonal spirit of the holidays that doesn’t feature a romantic meet cute on a rural tree farm, read on for some wintry reading recommendations.

Just click on the title of the book to place a hold on it in our catalog.

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

It’s Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew’s elder daughter–who is usually off saving the world–will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she’s been told she must stay in quarantine for a week…and so too should her family.

A Christmas Legacy by Anne Perry

After leaving her position with Charlotte and Thomas Pitt to get married, Gracie thought her days as a maid were behind her. But when her good friend’s daughter, Millie, turns up on her doorstep just before the holidays, frantic because things are going missing from the kitchen in the household she serves, Gracie knows she has to find out what is happening. Millie, whose mother died years before, can’t risk being accused of theft and getting thrown out on the street, with no character references for a new position.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether.

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie

On Christmas Eve at Gorston Hall, the Lee family’s festivities are shattered by a deafening crash of furniture and a high-pitched wailing scream. Upstairs–in a locked bedroom–the tyrannical patriarch Simeon Lee lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed.

When Hercule Poirot offers to assist, he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. 

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

It is the strange rippling effects of a tragedy that will bring these five characters together in a large, neglected estate house near the Scottish fishing town of Creagan.

It is in this house, on the shortest day of the year, that the lives of five people will come together and be forever changed. 

A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid

When Todd McCray, a developmentally challenged young man still living on his parents’ Kansas farm, hears that a local animal shelter is seeking temporary homes for its dogs during the days leading to Christmas, he knows exactly what he wants for the holidays. His father objects, but Todd’s persistence quickly wins out. Soon the McCrays are the short-term foster family for a lovable pooch the young man names Christmas.

Mr. Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Charles Dickens is not feeling the Christmas spirit. His newest book is an utter flop, the critics have turned against him, relatives near and far hound him for money. While his wife plans a lavish holiday party for their ever-expanding family and circle of friends, Dickens has visions of the poor house. But when his publishers try to blackmail him into writing a Christmas book to save them all from financial ruin, he refuses. And a serious bout of writer’s block sets in.

‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas by David Rosenfelt

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is at the Tara Foundation’s annual Christmas party. The dog rescue organization has always been his true calling, and this is one holiday tradition he can get behind because every dog that’s come through the rescue–and their families–are invited to celebrate.

In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd

aka A Christmas Story

Bending the ear of Flick, his childhood-buddy-turned-bartender, Shepherd recalls passionately his genuine Red Ryder BB gun, confesses adolescent failure in the arms of Junie Jo Prewitt, and relives a story of man against fish that not even Hemingway could rival. From pop art to the World’s Fair, Shepherd’s subjects speak with a universal irony and are deeply and unabashedly grounded in American Midwestern life, together rendering a wonderfully nostalgic impression of a more innocent era.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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Here some of the new exciting releases for you to take a look at this week!

UNNATURAL DEATH

Examining the remains of two campers wanted by authorities in a Northern Virginia wilderness, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta considers this one of the most frightening body retrievals of her career as she tries to discover who would commit murders this savage, and why.

THE MYSTERY GUEST

The esteemed Head Maid of the 5-star Regency Grand Hotel, Molly Gray, when a world-renowned mystery author drops dead, matches wits with her old foe, Detective Stark, to solve this case, which not only threatens the hotel’s pristine reputation but may be linked to her own past.

THE WATCHMAKER’S HAND

While racing against time to stop a political group targeting construction sites, Rhyme and Sachs discover the Watchmaker has come to town to kill Rhyme and must unravel a handful of plots as tightly wound as a timepiece before death and destruction rain down from above.

BROKEN TRUST

When the beautiful wife of a brilliant scientist, whose groundbreaking work with lithium has made him a billionaire, asks him to look into her husband’s past due to his recent paranoia and violent behavior, Spenser makes a discovery that causes him to question his own views on morality.

THE TALK OF COYOTE CANYON

Struggling to keep her rival well-drilling company afloat, Ellen Truedale has no choice but to accept help from Hendrix Durrant, her father’s business partner and therefore her enemy, but as they work closely together, she sees what she’s been missing in life and love.

THE KINGDOM OF SWEETS

Cursed to live in her sister Clara’s shadow, Natasha gets her chance at revenge when an enchanted Nutcracker offers entry into a deceptively beautiful world where she uncovers her dark destiny and, reckoning with forces both earthly and magical, must decide to which world she truly belongs.

WE MUST NOT THINK OF OURSELVES

In 1940, a prisoner in the Warsaw Ghetto, Adam Paskow joins a secret group of archivists working to preserve the truth of what is happening inside these walls, which leads to unexpected love, but when he discovers a possible escape from the Ghetto, he is faced with an unbearable choice.

~Semanur

Hygge and Beyond: Cozy Vibes All Around

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Photo by Pavan Trikutam on Unsplash

In 2016, one Danish word began to crop up in popularity: hygge (pronounced hooga). Hygge doesn’t have a direct English translation, but according to the official website of Denmark, “hygge is about taking time away from the daily rush to be together with people you care about – or even by yourself – to relax and enjoy life’s quieter pleasures.” The general spirit of most translations relate to the feelings of being cozy, relaxed, and grateful, and “reflects the values of Danish society: equality and the well-being of everybody.”

Hygge took the world by storm and quickly begged the question- what other Nordic traditions and concepts are we missing out on? Read on to learn about other practices to build into your daily life to up the cozy factor and bring international practices into your home. As the winter days are around the corner and daylight hours are shrinking, take time to enjoy the season.

The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is Hygge. Loosely translated, Hygge–pronounced Hoo-ga–is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. “Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience,” Wiking explains. “It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe.”

Cosy: The British Art of Comfort by Laura Weir

Cosy is “the slacker’s guide to staying at home, an antidote to peak frazzle.” With trademark Anglo cheekiness, Laura Weir perfectly captures the British essence of cosy. She celebrates socks, warms to the joys of toasty open fires, and extols the virtues of a quiet walk, ultimately enticing us all to create the British magic of cosy in our everyday lives.

Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing by Olga Mecking

Niksen is not a form of meditation, nor is it a state of laziness or boredom. It’s not scrolling through social media, or wondering what you’re going to cook for dinner. Rather, to niks is to make a conscious choice to sit back, let go, and do nothing at all.

Njuta: Enjoy, Delight In by Niki Brantmark

Do you aspire to live a more peaceful, intentional life of mindfulness, positivity, and gratitude? Njuta (pronounced “nyutah”), which means “enjoy” or “delight in,” is the Swedish art of savoring the moment. Focused on finding happiness in even the smallest things, njuta can be applied to every area of life: 

The Little Book of Lykke by Meik Wiking

In The Little Book of Lykke, Meik identifies the six factors that explain the majority of differences in happiness across the world–togetherness, money, health, freedom, trust, and kindness–and explores what actions we can take to become happier. As he reveals, we can deepen our blissfulness and contentment with little adjustments in our behavior.

The Little Book of Fika by Lynda Balslev

While the Danish concept of hygge as caught on around the globe, so has lagom– its Swedish counterpart. An essential part of the lagom lifestyle, fika  is the simple art of taking a break–sometimes twice a day–to enjoy a warm beverage and sweet treat with friends.

Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World by Isabel Gillies

When we talk about being cozy, most of us think of a favorite sweater or a steaming cup of tea on a rainy day. But to Isabel Gillies, coziness goes beyond mere objects. To be truly cozy, she argues, means learning to identify the innermost truth of yourself and carrying it into the world, no matter your environment.

Lagom: The Swedish Art of Balanced Living by Linnea Dunne

The Swedish concept of Lagom (pronounced “lah-gom”) roughly translates to “not too little, not too much, just right.” This charming book introduces readers to a new way of balanced living that promises happiness and sustainability in work and in life.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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There are tons of new releases that come to our shelves every week. With all the books being unique in their own ways, it is hard to choose between the ones that are suitable for your taste. Here are some books we picked out for you!

THE EDGE

Sent to a small coastal town in Maine to solve the murder of a CIA operative who was in possession of countless state secrets, ex-Army ranger Travis Devine, with no one to trust, must unravel a long history of secrets while evading those who want him dead.

THE LITTLE LIAR

A trustworthy boy who has never told a lie, 11-year-old Nico Krispis, duped by a German officer into leading his family and fellow Jewish residents to their doom, becomes a pathological liar, in a story that explores honesty, devotion and revenge and the power of love to ultimately redeem us.

JUST ONCE

Torn between two brothers Sam and Hank, one at war and one at home, Irvel Ellis, when Hank enlists to save his brother, wonders if love can find a way, even from the ashes of the greatest heartbreak.

A VERY INCONVENIENT SCANDAL

Returning home with the exciting news that she is marrying the love of her life and is pregnant, Frankie struggles to adjust when she learns her father is also getting married to her pregnant best friend.

DAY

An already-troubled married couple, Isabel and Dan, both become obsessed within Isabel’s younger brother and must deal with the challenges and changes wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, in a new novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Hours.

PAST LYING

DCI Karen Pirie investigates in a new thriller of deceit and vengeance, set against the disquiet and investigative challenges of a global pandemic.

THE NARROW ROAD BETWEEN DESIRES

In this touching stand-alone story, the Kingkiller Chronicle’s most charming fae, Bast, who cares nothing for the laws of man, finds himself forced to choose between betraying his master and helping a hated enemy.

~Semanur

Native American Stories

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November is Native American Heritage Month, a month dedicated to “paying tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans.” The literary side of that ancestry includes authors such as Louise Erdrich, Joy Harjo, and Tommy Orange, and we have definitely seen an influx of published Native American and Indigenous stories in the last few years.

Here are six own voice fiction releases from this year that are perfect to celebrate Native storytellers and authors. It was difficult to narrow down a list of titles, so check out the collections on Libby and Hoopla for more suggestions!

Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms- for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear-and even follow you home.

Don’t Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones

Four years after her tumultuous senior year, Jade Daniels is released from prison right before Christmas when her conviction is overturned. But life beyond bars takes a dangerous turn as soon as she returns to Proofrock. Convicted Serial Killer, Dark Mill South, seeking revenge for thirty-eight Dakota men hanged in 1862, escapes from his prison transfer due to a blizzard, just outside of Proofrock, Idaho.

The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling

Raised among the Lemhi Shoshone, in this telling the young Sacajewea is bright and bold, growing strong from the hard work of “learning all ways to survive”: gathering berries, water, roots, and wood; butchering buffalo, antelope, and deer; catching salmon and snaring rabbits; weaving baskets and listening to the stories of her elders. When her village is raided and her beloved Appe and Bia are killed, Sacajewea is kidnapped and then gambled away to Charbonneau, a French Canadian trapper.

A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power

From the mid-century metropolis of Chicago to the windswept ancestral lands of the Dakota people, to the bleak and brutal Indian boarding schools, A Council of Dolls is the story of three women, told in part through the stories of the dolls they carried….Sissy, born 1961, Lillian, born 1925, and Cora, born 1888.

Swim Home to the Vanished by Brendan Shay Basham

When the river swallowed Kai, Damien’s little brother didn’t die so much as vanish. As the unbearable loss settles deeper into his bones, Damien, a small-town line cook, walks away from everything he has ever known. Driving as far south as his old truck and his legs allow, he lands in a fishing village beyond the reach of his past where he hopes he can finally forget.

Stealing by Margaret Verble


Kit Crockett lives on a farm with her grief-stricken, widowed father, tending the garden, fishing in a local stream, and reading Nancy Drew mysteries from the library bookmobile. One day, Kit discovers a mysterious and beautiful woman has moved in just down the road.

Kit and the newcomer, Bella, become friends, and the lonely Kit draws comfort from her. But when a malicious neighbor finds out, Kit suddenly finds herself at the center of a tragic, fatal crime and becomes a ward of the court.

Happy reading!

-Melinda

NaNoWriMo

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If you’ve been putting off writing that novel, November is the time to hunker down and get started. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place during the whole month of November. The organization began in 1999 and has grown to have over 400,000 participants. The challenge is self-directed but if you’re interested in winning any of the prizes, you’ll have to follow the rules:  

  1. Your novel must be at least 50,000 words and written between November 1st and November 30th. 
  1. Writing done before November 1st doesn’t count, although you can include outlines, character profiles, research, and citations in your draft. Basically, the 50,000 words should be prose written during November. 
  1. Write a novel. The term “novel” is broadly defined here. If you say it’s a novel, it’s a novel. 
  1. You should be the only author of 50,000 words. If you’re co-writing a novel, each author should contribute 50,000 words of their own. 
  1. The writing must be coherent (you can’t just copy and paste one sentence or one word to get to 50,000 words). 
  1. You need to be at least 13 years old to participate, and if you’re under 17, you have the option to sign up for the Young Writers Program. (source: https://kindlepreneur.com/nanowrimo/) 

Whether you’re ready for the challenge or just want to use NaNoWriMo as the perfect time to put pen to paper, check out these books for inspiration:

No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-stress, High-velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty 

Letters to a Writer of Color by Deepa Anappara 

I’m Still Writing: Women Writers on Creativity, Courage, and Putting Words on the Page by Virginia Ann Byrd 

Bushwhacking: How to Get Lost in the Woods and Write Your Way Out by Jennifer McGaha 

Consider This: Moments in My Writing Life after which Everything was Different by Chuck Palahniuk 

Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami 

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King 

-Linnea

Fiction that Falls Back in Time

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Cassandra Dankworth’s day begins badly. First, she is dumped by her boyfriend of three months (her longest relationship). Later that morning, she learns she is being fired, too. If that’s not bad enough, the next morning, it all happens again! Cassie is stuck in a “Groundhog Day” time loop, and she must live that horrible, no-good day over and over and over.

A creature of habit, with atypical personality traits, including the inability to pick up on social cues, Cassie doesn’t adapt well to change and thinks she’s just descended into a circle of Hell. But when she realizes she can begin to control her time travel abilities, Cassie starts to wonder if by traveling far back enough in her past, she might just be able to change her future.

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale is a contemporary romance novel with heart, well-developed characters, and laugh-out-loud humor. Clever references to Greek myths populate this time loop fantasy, that is perfect for fans of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore. Have a bit of extra time on your hands? Pick up a copy today.

-Carol