Cozy up with a new book

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Olivia (Liv) Green is a wife, mother, aspiring writer, and housekeeper. She cleans house for her favorite author, Essie Starling. Reclusive Essie is working on the 20th installment of her Georgia Rory adventure series and asks for input from Liv which she readily gives. When Essie suddenly dies, she leaves the completion of the novel to Liv with stipulations. The book is to be released along with the news of her death on November 1st, and no one is to know that Liv finished the book. That gives Liv 6 months to complete the project. To complete the novel Liv needs to understand Essie better. She decides to go back in time and visit Essie’s two ex-husbands to try to understand why Essie lived such a reclusive life for 10 years. Liv eventually discovers a personal connection with Essie that she does not understand at first.

This is a heart-warming, uplifting story not to be missed.

~Emma

Pride Month: Fiction Spotlight

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This week for Pride Month, I pulled some books that focus on LGBTQ+ representation in fiction! 

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera 

What if a service existed to let you know you had 24 hours left to live? Would you do anything differently? Reckless Rufus and anxiety-ridden Mateo become unlikely friends after meeting on their last days alive and set off to enjoy themselves, and maybe do a few things they wouldn’t normally. Through adventures, tough goodbyes to loved ones, and virtual reality travels, Rufus and Mateo build a deep, emotional and romantic connection that reminds us to always tell people we love them and to make every day count. The title tells us exactly what we’re getting into, but it doesn’t make the ending any less heartbreaking. 

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston 

A meet-cute on public transportation is pretty much the most classic, ideal love story. For August, a cynical 23-year-old woman, New York City seems like the perfect place to confirm her beliefs that the world is just not a romantic place. But like a scene from a movie, August begins to fall for punk rock Jane on the subway during her commute. Turns out, though, that Jane is from the 1970s, having been displaced in time. August sets off to rescue Jane, while gaining insight into the queer culture of New York City in the 70s and trying to make subway dates fun. Full of pop culture references, witty characters, and lots of heart, McQuiston’s sophomore novel is an absolute delight. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Being in the public eye and scrutinized at every turn makes it a challenge to be true to oneself. For Evelyn Hugo, the bombshell Old Hollywood actress, she kept up the false narrative of a maneater to keep her and her true love, Cecilia, a secret from tabloids. Finally ready to tell her story, she recruits unknown journalist Monique Grant to tackle the tale and reveal her authentic self. Is the price of fame worth it when Evelyn couldn’t step on the red carpet with her partner, instead having to attach herself to men she didn’t always love? Reid wrote a beautifully intricate story that sucks you in, unable to put the book down until you finally find out just how it all fits together. 

Some other LGBTQ+ novels to check out are:  

You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat 

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin 

Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn 

Less by Andrew Sean Greer 

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker 

-Linnea

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!

If We Break: A Memoir of Marriage, Addiction, and Healing by Kathleen Buhle – The former wife of Hunter Biden discusses the heartbreaking collapse of her marriage to Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, which ended in 2017 amid his then then-secret struggles with addiction.

Horse by Geraldine Brooks – A scientist from Australia and a Nigerian-American art historian become connected by their shared interest in a 19th century race horse, one studying its remains, the other uncovering the history of the Black horsemen who were critical to its success.

The Friendship Pact by Jill Shalvis – Forming a friendship pact, Tae Holmes and former Marine—and her high school fling—Riggs Copeland try to track down the father Tae’s never met, leading them on a wild adventure during which they form a bond in a way neither had seen coming.

A Way Out of No Way: A Memoir of Truth, Transformation, and the New American Story by Raphael G. Warnock – The first Black senator in Georgia’s history looks back on his spiritual and personal journey, including his leadership of Atlanta’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and discusses his own experiences living both the pain and promise of America’s story.

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes – Returning to her Maine hometown to handle her grandmother’s estate, Laurie investigates a love letter and a mysterious wooden duck she found at the bottom of a cedar chest and is swept up in a journey of self-discovery and antiques.

The Local by Joey Hartstone – When the judge on his case is murdered—and all evidence points to his client, wealthy Pakistani-American businessman Amir Zawar, patent lawyer James Euchre sets out to prove Zawar’s innocence in a town where everyone knows everyone and bad blood has a long history.

The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand – Attempting to win the favor of the Hotel Nantucket’s new London billionaire owner, general manager Lizbet Keaton, with drama behind closed doors, staff and guests with complicated pasts, a ghost roaming the halls and her own romantic uncertainty, has her work cut out for her.

How to Raise an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi – This guide for parents, caregivers and teachers focuses on strategies for talking to children about racism, how to avoid the mistakes of our past and help dismantle racist behaviors in ourselves and our world.

Local Gone Missing by Fiona Barton – Detective Elise King, in a seaside town where tensions are growing between the locals and weekenders, investigates the disappearance of a man during a music festival. By the New York Times best-selling author of The Widow.

A Face to Die for by Iris Johansen – An archaeologist who lost her father to tomb raiders after discovering Helen of Troy’s burial spot teams up with a forensic sculptor to recreate Helen’s ship-launching face in the latest novel of the long-running series following The Bullet.

~Semanur

Do The Time Warp Again

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A Rip Through Time
by Kelley Armstrong

It’s May 20, 2019 and Vancouver homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is in Edinburgh, Scotland visiting her dying grandmother. To let off some steam, Mallory goes for a run and comes across what appears to be a woman in period costume being strangled. Mallory attempts to intervene and is strangled and left unconscious.

When Mallory wakes up, she’s not herself, both figuratively and literally. Instead, she finds herself in the body of a young housemaid, Catriona Mitchell, who was also attacked and left for dead in the exact spot Mallory was, on the very same day – 150 years earlier, in 1869!

Mallory cannot reason why she’s become a stranger in a strange body in a strange time, but quickly realizes that if she wants to survive (and not end up in an insane asylum), she’ll have to keep her origin story to herself and learn what it takes to be a housemaid in Victorian Scotland. Lucky for Mallory, her “new’ employer, Dr. Duncan Gray, is the local undertaker who assists Edinburgh Police Detective McCreadie solve crimes. When Mallory learns that the two men are investigating the strangulation of a man, an attack like the one made on Mallory’s life, she pins her hopes that helping to catch the murderer will lead her back to modern times.

Playing the role of Catriona along the way, however, who is more street-savvy thief than young, timid maid, might be tougher than Mallory suspects. And if Mallory is in 1869 making a mess out of Catriona’s life, what ever could Catriona be up to in Mallory’s life in 2019?

If you like mysteries, time travel stories, engaging characters, and historical fiction, you won’t want to miss A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong. My only complaint about this first in a new series is that I will have to wait for the sequel. It almost makes me wish that time travel were truly possible.  

-Carol

Cozy up with a new book

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The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan

There are three narrators to the story. Fashion designer Cressida Westcott faces the loss of her business and home destroyed in the London Blitz. She moves back home to Aldhurst with nothing but the clothes on her back. Violet Westcott, Cressida’s niece, is a living a carefree life dreaming of marrying a titled man until her conscription letter arrives. Grace Carlisle plans to marry the local vicar and quietly support his career. She wants to wear a white dress on her wedding day. With the help of the village sewing circle and Cressida, Grace’s mother’s wedding dress is transformed into a beautiful gown once again.

Grace does not marry the local vicar after all but offers the use of her wedding dress to others. With clothing and fabric rationed, it’s the only way many women can wear a white dress on their wedding day. The sewing circle receives donations of used wedding gowns. They repair and update them for new brides.

There is so much more to the story. Cressida wants to get back to work in London. Grace ends up working for Cressida as a creative assistant and model. Violet marries an American serviceman and is moving to the States. All three women find love in unexpected places.

This is a charming tale not to be missed.

~Emma

Listen With Pride

MeganLeave a comment

June is both Pride Month and Audiobook Month. Let’s get you listening to some fabulous stories starring LGBTQ characters!

A few of my favorite Fiction Titles-an exciting space opera, a whirlwind romance, a heartwarming fantasy, and a charming tale of family and grief.

Borrow here
Borrow here
Borrow here
Borrow here

Check out these nonfiction titles, a mixed bag of humor and heartbreak.

Borrow here
Borrow here
Borrow here
Borrow here

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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

It All Comes Down to This by Therese Anne Fowler – Three sisters—Beck, a freelance journalist; Claire, a pediatric cardiologist; and Sophie, an Instagram influencer—come together to sell the family’s summer cottage in Maine, which becomes complicated by an enigmatic ex-con with his own hidden past. By a New York Times best-selling author.

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley – When a drunken altercation with a stranger turns into a job she desperately needs, Kiara, who supports her brother and an abandoned 9-year-old boy, starts nightcrawling until her name surfaces in an investigation exposing her as a key witness in a massive scandal within the Oakland Police Department.

Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley – An advice columnist breaks her rule for never talking to other commuters on the train when she witnesses a nurse save another man choking on a grape.

Cult Classic by Sloane Crosley – From a New York Times best-selling author and Thurber Prize finalist comes a twisted mystery on the metaphysics of modern love, memory and mind control.

James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life by James Patterson – A #1 best-selling author shows how a boy from small-town New York made it to literary stardom.

These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany – Each navigating love, sex and the one night that changes it all, three Muslim best friends, Malak, Kees and Jenna, as their lives begin to take different paths, must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith, family and tradition.

Aurora by David Koepp – When a solar storm knocks out the power across the globe, Aubrey Wheeler, in Aurora, Illinois, becomes the fierce protector of her suburban neighborhood, while across the country, her brother, a Silicon Valley CEO, hunkers own in his gilded desert bunker, leading to a long-overdue reckoning between siblings.

Counterfeit by Kristin Chen – Follows the story of two Asian American women who band together to grow a counterfeit handbag scheme into a global enterprise.

Ordinary Monsters by J.M. Miro – Introduces readers to the dark, labyrinthine world of The Talents.

Tracy Flick Can’t Win by Tom Perrotta – Tracy Flick, the iconic protagonist of Election, is back in full force as the hardworking assistant principal at a public high school in suburban New Jersey where she, energized by the prospect of a long-overdue promotion, sets out to prove her worth and get what she deserves.

~Semanur

Get Cozy, with a Mystery

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Jane Darrowfield, Professional Busybody by Barbara Ross

Jane Darrowfield is in her 60s and after just a year of retirement from her job as a corporate executive, she’s already bored. She’s put her extra time to good use, however, and has managed to help a few friends out of some delicate situations, and word has got around in her hometown of Cambridge, Massachusetts. When the director of a nearby senior living community asks Jane to help solve a problem among its residents – and get paid to do it – Jane agrees, even though it means she’ll be temporarily relocating to a place she feels she’s not old enough to live in.

Jane goes undercover as a prospective resident and quickly figures out who the bullies behind the pranks and rivalries are at Walden Springs. Before she is there a full 24 hours, one of the residents is found dead on the golf course and Jane finds herself in the middle of murder investigation. Have these seniors’ juvenile shenanigans gotten out of hand or is there something more sinister afoot? Don’t worry, Jane will get to the bottom of things.

Jane Darrowfield, Professsional Busybody is the first in a series and Jane is the perfect sleuth – smart, level-headed, and a good observer who is unafraid to stick her nose into other people’s business. With plenty of humor, the promise of possible new romance, and plenty of red herrings that will keep you guessing, why not take a break from the heavy stuff and pick up this cozy mystery? And then, reward yourself with its sequel, Jane Darrowfield, and the Madwoman Next Door.

-Carol

“Once Upon a Crime” June 6th – 7:00-8:00

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You are invited to attend a discussion of the following novel

in the Community Room on June 6th.

Hope to see you there!

The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer

On August 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by museum worker Vincent Peruggia. The theft was not discovered immediately. In truth, many thought the painting was taken to the roof where others were being photographed due to better lighting. After two days, an international hunt was on to recover the stolen work. Peruggia’s scheme was to have forgeries made of the painting and have them sold as the original. Along with the forger and go-between, Perrugia would become rich. (There were nine forgeries.) In 1913, Perrugia returned the Mona Lisa to the Louvre. Was it the real thing or a forgery?

Vincent Peruggia is the great-grandfather of art professor Luke Perrone. Luke is obsessed with the story behind the theft. He travels to Florence, Italy. His great-grandfather’s journal is available at the Laurentian library in Florence. Others seem interested in the truth behind the theft including an INTERPOL agent and a young American woman.

A terrifying and thrilling multi-layered novel.

~Emma

Happy Pride Month!

LinneaLeave a comment

June is Pride Month, celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community! Throughout June, we’ll explore different books and themes, all about Pride. To start things off, let’s read some graphic novels! 

Its fourth volume recently published in 2021, Heartstopper (by Alice Oseman) is a graphic novel series depicting a budding romance between Nick and Charlie at their UK high school. Nick, Charlie, and their friends are navigating high school, while dealing with homophobic peers and family, and the pressure of trying to be in control. Heartstopper offers a heartwarming look into some teenagers’ experiences being gay, lesbian, and transgender in the modern world. 

And before you ask, yes, the series was picked up by Netflix and the entirety of the first season is available to stream now!  

The Times I Knew I Was Gay by Eleanor Crewes is a memoir in graphic novel form. Crewes examines her coming out journey and how she came to terms with her sexuality. She reminds us that coming out is a process, needing to come out over and over again to family, friends, and even to oneself. Funny, relatable, and a little meandering, Crewes tells a story that many will identify with and hopefully find solace in.  

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel is another memoir graphic novel exploring the author’s sexual identity. Bechdel chose to write Fun Home to try to better understand her relationship with her father, a closeted gay man, and to analyze their life trajectories. Fun Home has won numerous awards, including the Stonewall Book Award for non-fiction and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book.  

These are just a few of the many graphic novels with an LGBTQIA+ focus. Book Riot has a great list to check out if you’re curious for more!

-Linnea