Out of a job and humiliated, Andy Westfield, the head of a prestigious movie studio, flees to a tiny, forgotten coastal town in England where he hires a former journalist to help get his affairs in order and in a surprising turn of events, finds a miracle that could change both their lives.
When a skull found deep in the Louisiana bayou reunites her with a man from her past with a dark reputation, the daughter of the town’s fire-and-brimstone preacher will do anything to protect those she loves from the real evil that walks among them.
When he is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in the remote, insular town of Ballantyne, 14-year-old Richard Elauved, when he is suspected in the disappearances of two classmates, must prove his innocence and preserve his sanity as he grapples with the dark magic that is possessing the town.
In 1940, Evelyne Redfern, a secretary for Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the cabinet war rooms, uses all of her amateur sleuthing expertise garnered from years of reading mysteries to solve a murder, teaming up with a cagey minister’s aide to expose a traitor in their midst.
Determined to find a better life for her younger brother Jasper, Opal, when she gets the chance to step inside the Starling House, the estate of the 19th-century author of her favorite book, and make some extra cash, finds things taking a sinister turn.
Taking in her estranged mother who only has weeks to live, Alison, with memories of her violent abuse coming back to haunt her, discovers her mother is not quite who she seems as strange things start happening, forcing her to decide how far she’s willing to go to protect her family.
Union soldier John Chenneville is a changed man when the Civil War ends. Nearly killed and suffering from a traumatic head injury, upon his return home to Missouri, he learns about the vicious killing of his sister, her husband and their infant child. Determined to seek justice and track down the killer, John must first recover his memory and strength to do so.
After a year of rebuilding, John is even more obsessed with finding this cold-blooded monster, and sets out after him on a journey deep into the lawless country of Texas. Along the way, he meets some decent folks who assist him in his quest, including Belle, a mysterious female telegrapher. Though John is drawn to Belle and longs for normalcy and a future, he cannot veer from his path until he satisfies his need for justice. Whether or not John will be punished for dispensing that justice, or even survive the eventual confrontation with his sister’s killer, bears little relevance to him.
Chennevilleby Paulette Jiles is indeed a “novel of murder, loss, and vengeance,” but it is also a lovingly rendered work of historical fiction about a desperate, honorable man. With picture perfect descriptions of the Texas landscape, impeccably researched historical details of the era, and fascinating information on the lost art of telegraphers, you’ll want to resist devouring this slim novel in a single sitting. As with Jiles’ bestseller News of the World, this reader would have liked to spend a bit more time in this book’s world. Place your hold today!
Remedios Varo is an accomplished artist, although many would be unable to name her. Known for her skilled attention to detail, Remedios makes her living copying the work of more famous artists while lurking in the shadows of her romantic partner Benjamin’s genius. When WWII forces them to leave their beloved Paris and take refuge in the Rivieria, this change brings about new discovery and inspiration for Remedios, who is now surrounded by artists and benefactors. As Remedios gets used to her new life, she comes across a beautifully illustrated deck of tarot cards and dives into the world of cups and swords.
Fully immersed in the cards, she finds hope, inspiration, and solace in the mystical nature of the tarot. When she travels to Mexico, the cards bring her to an old friend- artist Leonora Carrington. Together, the women get used to their new surroundings, enjoying the company of each other and other artisans.
This literary historical fiction novel tells the story of the life of an artist, the rediscovery of self, and the importance of friendship. Each chapter highlights a different tarot card, and McMillan uses these interludes to shape the story through alternate points of view. Make sure to read the historical notes for a fascinating look at the real lives of Remedios and Leonora.
Add this mystical book by local author Claire McMillan to your reading list today!
A young widow residing in the well-off “Old Town” section of Washington, D. C., Augusta Hawke is also the successful author of a long running mystery series. While she isn’t a recluse exactly, Augusta likes to spend most days writing and doesn’t socialize much. She prefers the comforts of her home, where she (is a little embarrassed to admit it) lives vicariously by watching the comings and goings of her busy neighbors. Her prime entertainment comes from Niko and Zora Norman, new parents to an infant who live across the courtyard and don’t draw their blinds. Overall, the Normans are pretty boring usually—until they go missing without a trace, leaving their child alone.
After Augusta is questioned by handsome Detective Steve Narduzzi about what she might have seen, she starts thinking like one of her characters – was the couple kidnapped? are they both dead? Augusta can’t resist an unfinished mystery, and so she gets into disguise and starts asking questions! When her investigations put her own life in danger, will Augusta regret sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong, or has she just found a new favorite hobby?
Augusta Hawke by G. M. Malliet is the witty, compelling and satisfying first entry in a cozy mystery series. Augusta is a fantastic heroine who is funny and likable and self-deprecating, with an interesting backstory that is enticingly revealed in snippets to the reader as Augusta contemplates each crime-solving move.
Book two in the series, Invitation to a Killer, is already out! Talk about instant gratification.
The book world is about to be abuzz this fall with celebrity memoirs. While I can’t promise that the details shared in these stories are salacious, I can promise that if you love a good celebrity life story, you’ll have your pick of celebs from all arenas of stardom, from Full House to Happy Days, Broadway to the Grand Ole Opry.
These books are hitting the library shelves in October and November, so get on the holds list for these titles now! Just click the book title to get to the library catalog.
In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice–her truth–was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey–and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.
Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music.
Stamos beat the odds and over the past four decades has proved himself to be one of his generation’s most successful and beloved actors. Whether showing off his comedic chops on Full House or his dramatic skills on ER, John has surprised everyone, most of all himself.
Jada Pinkett Smith was living what many would view as a fairy-tale of Hollywood success. But appearances can be deceiving, and as she felt more and more separated from her sense of self, emotional turmoil took hold. Sparing no detail, Worthy chronicles her life.
Making It So is a revealing portrait of an artist whose astonishing life–from his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim took him to his legendary onscreen work in the Star Trek and X-Men franchises.
The world’s greatest bodybuilder. The world’s highest-paid movie star. The leader of the world’s sixth-largest economy. That these are the same person sounds like the setup to a joke, but this is no joke. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger. And this did not happen by accident.
While on a drive in Los Angeles, on a seemingly average afternoon, Kerry Washington received a text message that would send her on a life-changing journey of self-discovery. In an instant, her very identity was torn apart, with everything she thought she knew about herself thrown into question.
Henry Winkler, launched into prominence as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely-regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood, Henry shares the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.
Over the past twenty years, Melissa Etheridge has been blessed with success, love, joy, contentment, freedom, and release. She became a mother again, recorded eleven albums, toured the world, performed at the Grammy Awards, won an Oscar, discovered her one true love, and underwent a profound spiritual awakening.
Featuring behind-the-scenes stories from Dolly Parton’s life and career, and the largest reveal of her private costume archive, this gorgeously photographed book spotlights her most unforgettable looks from the 1960s to now.
For the first time ever, and to help celebrate his 90th birthday in 2023, American icon Willie Nelson provides the stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with a dynamic assortment of never-before-seen photos and ephemera.
Today marks the official beginning of autumn and I, for one, couldn’t be happier! Now’s the time for cozy blankets, pumpkin spice lattes, and apple picking. Bring out the flannels and sweaters, the boots and scarves, and let’s curl up with the perfect fall-themed book.
“England is at a turning point. Brexit has just passed and xenophobia and electric fences are dividing the nation. At 32, Elisabeth is still trying to decide what her future holds, and the widespread national uncertainty has left her feeling unsettled. As the nation erupts around her, she looks to her past for comfort, visiting her mother and Mr. Gluck, the neighbor who helped raise her. Daniel Gluck, now more than a century old, was once a constant friend to Elisabeth, but now he lies in a deep sleep that might be his last. Visiting weekly to read to him, Elisabeth realizes how little she knows about the man who was once her devoted companion. With a strong nod to British pop culture, its eponymous art movement, and mid-century feminism, the reluctantly revelatory nature of this story creates a well-rounded allegory symbolic on many levels. The start of Smith’s Seasonal quartet, this is delightfully cerebral and relevant.”
“Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around her.”
“A year in the life of a beguiling young woman in the wild world of a famous downtown New York restaurant follows her burning effort to become someone of importance through a backwaiter job that enables her indulgences in culinary and intellectual interests.”
“A transfer student from a small town in California, Richard Papen is determined to affect the ways of his Hampden College peers, and he begins his intense studies under the tutelage of eccentric Julian Morrow.”
“When the body of Jane Neal, a middle-aged artist, is found near a woodland trail used by deer hunters outside the village of Three Pines, it appears she’s the victim of a hunting accident. Summoned to the scene, Gamache, an appealingly competent senior homicide investigator, soon determines that the woman was most likely murdered. Like a virtuoso, Penny plays a complex variation on the theme of the clue hidden in plain sight. She deftly uses the bilingual, bicultural aspect of Quebecois life as well as arcane aspects of archery and art to deepen her narrative. Filled with unexpected insights, this winning traditional mystery sets a solid foundation for future entries in the series.”
“Discovering a magical manuscript in Oxford’s library, scholar Diana Bishop, a descendant of witches who has rejected her heritage, inadvertently unleashes a fantastical underworld of daemons, witches and vampires whose activities center around an enchanted treasure.”
“The “Undiscovered Country” of the author’s imagination is revealed in a collection of stories that chronicles an underground city where drowned lovers are reunited, a carnival where a miniature man has his dreams fulfilled every night, and a glass jar that hold memories and nightmares.”
“When the death of her best friend sends her halfway across the world, Londoner Nell Swift must decide if she’s ready to step outside of her comfort zone and grab a second chance at life. Nell and Megan have been best friends since university, and when Megan dies young at 37, Nell is devastated. What Nell doesn’t know is that before she died, Megan wrote Nell a last request to spread her ashes in Tansy Falls, Vermont, where Megan spent idyllic summers during her childhood. Megan also set up a two-week itinerary that will have Nell visiting Megan’s favorite spots and seeing her favorite people. During the two weeks in Tansy Falls, Nell falls for the small-town charm, plus the charms of a handsome forester named Jackson. At the end, Nell must decide if stepping away from her safe life in London is worth the magic of Tansy Falls. Set against a lush Vermont backdrop and featuring characters that readers will feel like they have known forever, The Inn at Tansy Falls is a heartfelt contemporary about life, loss, and love that will utterly charm and delight readers and leave them clamoring for a follow-up.”
Two of today’s most popular authors have new books that are on everyone’s TBR lists. More interesting is how each of these books are inspired by classic works of American literature. Lucky for me, I’ve had a chance to read them both.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett takes place during the pandemic but is not a story about illness and masks. Instead, a family gets a chance to reconnect when it’s all hands on deck at harvest time on their Michigan cherry orchard. Lara and Joe are glad to have the help of their three adult daughters who have returned home during lock-down, and realize it probably is the last time they’ll be together before their nest is empty once again. Lara decides it is time to come clean about her short-lived acting career in her 20s, when she spent a summer performing “Our Town” in a theatre company called Tom Lake. As she slowly reveals tales of her youth, what keeps her daughters (and readers) riveted, is the story of Lara’s then-love affair with Peter Duke, now a famous movie star. This exquisitely written and moving novel is a love letter to Thornton Wilder’s play, which is set in the fictional small town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire between 1901-1913. Like Patchett’s latest, it too explores the universal themes of life, love, marriage, and death.
In Alice Hoffman’s brand new novel is The Invisible Hour, fifteen-year-old Mia Jacob flees the tyrannical cult in western Massachusetts she was born by a mother who sought refuge there as a pregnant teen. The commune’s leader, Joel, imposes strict rules and shuns contact with outsiders. Mia often takes secret refuge in visiting the public library and reading. There, she falls in love with The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, noting its similarity to her own mother’s life. When Mia decides to escape the cult, she finds that her connection to Hawthorne is stronger than she could ever imagine — and it might just help save her life. The Invisible Hour is a compelling read that both is a tribute to the transformative power of reading and to Hawthorne himself.
Now, I’m inspired to re-read a favorite classic! How about you?
Full of midwestern charm and traditions of a bygone era, this novel chronicles the lives, losses, and loves of the folks who haunted the tables of the Lakeside Supper Club. Mariel grew up at the club and has spent her whole life serving up prime rib dinners and old fashioned to her regulars. The familiarity and routine of her life in Bear Lake, Minnesota is a comfort to her, especially in times of tragedy. Meanwhile her husband, Ned, is also part of a restauranteur family. His family is set to take their chain diner concept Jorby’s and take over the Midwest, including adding a location in Bear Lake, in direct competition with the supper club.
Mariel’s story is woven alongside the stories of her mother Florence and her grandmother Betty. Although Mariel and Ned are both main characters, it’s the matriarchal figures in Mariel’s family that tell the story of the supper club through the decades.
This is a book full of everyday moments, not splashy or over the top. For me it was a good break from my usual thrillers and suspense novels and I enjoyed the slice-of-life Midwestern storytelling. While the pace was slower, the author packed a LOT of plot points into these pages. Alternating characters and timelines made it a bit confusing to follow at times as an audiobook, so if possible I would read it in print. If you enjoy books about family sagas, the Midwest, or food, you should consider this one.
Furniture store owner Ray Carney moved stolen goods on the side to get ahead on the often-dangerous streets of Harlem all throughout the 1960s. A decade later, Ray is now a landlord who has put fencing behind him, is living the clean life and is proud of himself and family’s accomplishments. When his teenage daughter May asks him to score Jackson 5 tickets, Ray makes a big mistake and nonchalantly attempts to call in favor to get them. He calls Munson, a dirty cop who agrees to help Ray, but instead draws him into a deadly night filled with stolen diamonds, a poker game robbery and murder. As Ray slips back into the criminal lifestyle, he partners up with longtime family friend Pepper. A violent career criminal, Pepper, like Ray, has lines he won’t cross, and others he is happy to rationalize stepping over. As the rules of the City begin to change around them, the two men question what keeps them in the game, as their misadventures continue in this series of vignettes, from 1971 through 1976.
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead is his second book in a planned “Harlem” trilogy featuring Ray Carney. Like it’s prequel, Harlem Shuffle, Crook Manifesto is a darkly humorous crime caper with emotion and heart. This series drips with New York City atmosphere and the vernacular of the era, and buzzes with foreboding that Ray and Pepper have started down very dark paths indeed. This reader can’t wait to see how it all wraps up. Treat yourself and listen to the audio versions of Harlem Shuffle and Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, both read by the magnificent Dion Graham. You can find digital versions to place on hold and download, as well as other books by Whitehead here.
Read it or Weep 