June Digital Book Display- LGBTQIA Fiction Authors
New Books Tuesday @ RRPL
Check out this selection of new releases for your enjoyment coming this week!
Bath Haus by P. J. Vernon – When an attempted tryst in a gay bathhouse almost turns deadly, recovering addict Oliver Park finds his carefully rebuilt life unraveling.
Widespread Panic by James Ellroy – In the 1950s, Freddy Otash, the Tattle Tyrant for Confidential magazine who held Hollywood hostage, decides to tell all, in this tale of pervasive paranoia teeming with communist conspiracies, FBI finks, celebrity smut films, and strange bedfellows.
Notorious by Diana Palmer – To escape from family members who are after her inheritance, Texas heiress Gaby Dupont, assuming a new identity, starts working for a powerful Chicago lawyer who comes to her aid when her greedy relatives track her down.
The Damage by Caitlin Wahrer – When a small-town family is pushed to the brink, how far will they go to protect one of their own?
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides – When a member of a secret society known as The Maidens is murdered, a brilliant, but troubled, group therapist finds her obsession with proving the guilt of an untouchable Cambridge University professor spiraling out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her life.
The Great Mistake by Jonathan Lee – From the acclaimed author of High Dive comes a novel of New York City at the turn of the 20th century, a story of one man’s rise to fame and fortune, and his mysterious murder.
Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond – In this impossible-to-believe true story of self-discovery and triumph, the author, born into a family of outlaws with no proof that she even existed, shares her escape from the only people she had in the world in order to survive.
Beyond by Mercedes Lackey – The long-awaited founding of Valdemar comes to life in this new series from a New York Times best-selling author.
The Godmothers by Camille Aubray – Godmothers to one another’s children, four women, who married into a prosperous Italian family, must come together, despite secrets and betrayals, when their husbands are forced to leave them during WW II, pitting them against notorious gangsters who run the streets of New York City.
The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter by Kai Bird – An expert biographer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Prometheus, drawing on interviews with members of Carter’s administration as well as recently unclassified documents from his presidential library, reevaluated the complex triumphs and tragedies of Jimmy Carter’s presidential legacy.
~Semanur
RRPL Summer Reads
My summer reading list is off to a great start!
Currently I’m reading The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade. This is a debut novel about a New Mexican family. The story begins with Angel, a 33-year-old man, living in Las Penas, New Mexico with his mother. It is Holy Week and Angel has been given the part of Jesus in the Good Friday Procession. At the same time, Angel’s 15-year-old daughter shows up pregnant on his doorstep, and so begins the family’s year long journey of love and sacrifice.
![The Five Wounds: A Novel by [Kirstin Valdez Quade]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51pl9G54qJL.jpg)
I also hope to read –
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
This novel is a Read With Jenna Book Club Pick as featured on The Today Show. Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of summer, but over the course of twenty four hours, their lives will change forever.
The The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness and Freedom on the Rails in the American West by Carrot Quinn.
The unforgettable story of one woman who leaves behind her hardscrabble childhood in Alaska to travel the country via freight train—a beautiful memoir about forgiveness, self-discovery, and the redemptive power of nature.
![The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West by [Carrot Quinn]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fJIPiUVBL.jpg)
Mary
RRPL Summer Reads: Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Fairy Tales
As I am the resident science fiction and fantasy nerd librarian, you probably figured that of course my TBR list for this summer would be heavy with the weirdest and most interesting books. And you’d be right! Below are the five books I am most excited to read this summer, in no particular order.
Click on any of the book covers below to be taken to our catalog, where you can put them on hold with your library card number and PIN.
Wendy, Darling by A. C. Wise
I love any retelling of classic fairy tale, but a feminist retelling? Gotta have it. In Wise’s version, Wendy has grown up and has had children of her own. When Peter Pan kidnaps her daughter, Wendy must follow him to Neverland to save her daughter from the clutches of the boy who wouldn’t grow up.
Published June 1, 2021.
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo
Like fellow librarian Nicole, I also want to read this fantasy reimagining of The Great Gatsby! There’s magic, mystery, and Jordan, a side character in the original novel, reimagined as a queer Vietnamese girl. Sign me up!
Published June 1, 2021.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
When a book is described as Mulan meets Song of Achilles, how could this not be on my TBR list? In this fantastical retelling of Chinese history, a queer female monk will rise to greatness against the Mongol army.
Published July 20, 2021.
A Master of Djinn by P. DJÈLÍ Clark
Another historical reimagining, this debut novel stars a female detective tasked with solving a mass murder set in an alternate history 1912 Cairo where both humans and supernatural creatures dwell.
Published May 11, 2021.
The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri
Last but not least, this novel features a princess and a priestess working together to save their homeland from the princess’ traitor brother.
Published June 8, 2021.
Fellow science fiction and fantasy readers: did I miss any books that you’re excited to read this summer? Let me know!
Discover@RRPL
Poppy Harmon Investigates
by Lee Hollis
Recently widowed Poppy Harmon discovers that her husband left her penniless. He was a gambler and even gambled away their daughter’s trust fund money. He had taken out a second mortgage without Poppy’s knowledge. Poppy is a retired actress who played a detective’s secretary in a 1970’s television series. She counts her time on tv as experience being a private investigator, applies for and gets her California private investigator license. Together with her best friends Iris and Violet, she opens a detective agency. They hire Violet’s 12-year-old computer whiz grandson to create their website. The three 60+ year old women don’t garner any business until they start using Matt’s face on their website. (Matt is the actor boyfriend of Poppy’s daughter.) With the arrival of Matt, the agency is hired to retrieve stolen jewels for singer Shirley Fox, a fellow resident at the Palm Leaf Retirement Village in Palm Springs, California.
The first entry in the Desert Flowers Mystery series is a cute quick cozy. I look forward to reading the other two in the series.
Desert Flowers Mystery series
1. Poppy Harmon Investigates (2018)
2. Poppy Harmon and the Hung Jury (2019)
3. Poppy Harmon and the Pillow Talk Killer (202
~Emma
(In my opinion the book cover is fun but a little deceiving. I don’t think Poppy or Violet or Iris look like the 60+ year old private eye depicted.)
New Books Tuesday @ RRPL
Here we have some new exciting releases for you to take a look at this week!
Rabbits by Terry Miles – Conspiracies abound in this surreal and yet all-too-real technothriller in which a deadly underground alternate reality game might just be altering reality itself, set in the same world as the popular Rabbits podcast.
Animal by Lisa Taddeo – Joan returns to Los Angeles to come to terms with a childhood trauma and forge the power to fight back against the people who hurt her in a new novel by the author of Three Women.
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel – The Mitchell sisters – teenage triplets – find everything changing in their town when a handsome new student enrolls at Bourne Memorial High who happens to be their family’s sworn enemy.
Castle Shade by Laurie King – Queen Marie of Romania, granddaughter to both Queen Victoria and Tsar Alexander II calls on Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes to investigate a series of strange accidents in Castle Bran in the latest addition to the series following Riviera Gold.
Love for Beginners by Jill Shalvis – Starting a new life after waking up from a coma, Emma Harris finds her plans of opening up a doggy day care derailed by her childhood nemesis, but she soon learns that life isn’t what you are given, it’s what you make of it.
Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins – When his wife leaves him letters, one for every month in the year after her death, Joshua is led on a journey of pain, anger and denial that eventually makes room for laughter and new relationships.
The Bullet by Iris Johansen – Eve Duncan puts her happily-ever-after with Joe on hold when his ex-wife shows up, on the run with enough secrets to get them all killed.
The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman – A British actress new to Hollywood, Mia Eliot is forced to play the role of a lifetime when a girl she only met once disappears and an imposter shows up in her place, forcing her to question her sanity as the truth goes beyond anything she could have ever imagined.
The President’s Daughter by James Patterson – A one-time Navy SEAL and past president, Matthew Keating, after his daughter is kidnapped by a madman, embarks on a one-man special-ops mission that tests his strengths as a leader, a warrior, and a father.
Tom Clancy Target Acquired by Don Bentley – Taking on a cushy assignment in Israel at the request of Ding Chavez, Jack Ryan Jr. finds himself the target of trained killers after helps a woman and her young son, forcing him to use all his skills to protect the life of the child.
The Stepsisters by Susan Mallery – Brought back together when Cassidy, the little sister they have in common, suddenly needs them both, Daisy and Sage must cast aside their hatred for each other to care for Cassidy and are caught off guard when long-buried secrets lead to forgiveness and a powerful friendship.
The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker – Pretending to be human, magical beings Chava, a golem, and Ahmad, a jinni, find their lives intertwined as they try to make sense of the world around them and the people whose lives they have unwittingly affected.
~Semanur
CIFF 2021 Recap
It’s been a couple of months since the Cleveland International Film Festival held their 2021 event. Again this year, all films were available through streaming; they should be back to live and in person beginning on March 30, 2022!
Beth, Mary and I were lucky enough to be able to attend the Film Festival, watching a total of 11 films all together, from around the world, including the film sponsored by Rocky River Public Library, For Madmen Only, directed by Heather Ross.
We chatted about all the movies we watched – you can check it out on our YouTube channel. We really enjoyed all the movies we picked, which is not always the case :).
Beth watched: A Perfectly Normal Family (Denmark, 2020), Games People Play (Finland, 2020), Spaceboy (Belgium, 2020) and Goodbye Soviet Union (Estonia, 2020).
Mary watched: Masha (Russia, 2020), Felicita (France, 2020 – available on Amazon Prime), The Tailor (Greece, 2020), and Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir (U.S., 2020 – available on PBS)
I watched: The Columnist (2019) and The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet (Argentina, 2020).
Don’t forget that you can find a lot of independent, CIFF-type movies on Kanopy and Hoopla. In fact, I’m sure you can find some past CIFF films there, too!
This summer, explore some some indie films – you’ll be glad you did!
~ Dori
RRPL Summer Reads
Here’s a sampling of books I’m looking forward to reading this summer. Often drawn to historical fiction, I have included a cozy mystery by Carolyn Hart. I hope you enjoy my suggestions.
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict
“The remarkable story of J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation, from New York Times author Marie Benedict, and acclaimed author Victoria Christopher Murray.”
Women’s March by Jennifer Chiaverini
“New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini returns with The Women’s March, an enthralling historical novel of the woman’s suffrage movement inspired by three courageous women who bravely risked their lives and liberty in the fight to win the vote.”
Ghost Blows a Kiss by Carolyn Hart
“In the tenth Bailey Ruth ghost novel from New York Times bestselling Grand Master of Mystery, Carolyn Hart, the “charmer of a detective” (Kirkus Reviews) takes on a puzzler of a mystery when she’s sent to Adelaide, Oklahoma to rescue a woman in trouble.”
The brief descriptions above are taken directly from fantasticficion.com.
~Emma
RRPL Summer Reads- The Chosen and The Beautiful
It’s finally June which means that summer is officially right around the corner! We will be counting down the days until the first day of summer, Sunday, June 20th, by sharing the books we are most excited to read in the months ahead. Each week you’ll get a look at titles that Rocky River Public Library staff can’t wait to dive into!
My first summer read pick is The Chosen and The Beautiful by Nghi Vo.
This book, just published yesterday (!) is a Best of Summer Pick for Time Magazine and a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 Pick for Oprah Magazine, so I’m definitely not the only person who has been looking forward to this title to hit bookshelves.
Nghi Vo’s debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents the American classic story of The Great Gatsby through a queer, magical, immigrant lens. Reimagining Fitzgerald’s character Jordan Baker as a young, queer woman who was born in Vietnam and raised in white, American high society, Vo invites readers along for a fresh, imaginative look at this Gatsby woman. Jordan has money, education, invitations to the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age, but is treated like an exotic attraction by her peers.
Vo, a Milwaukee-based author, whose previous works include the novellas Then the Tiger Came Down the Mountain and The Empress of Salt and Fortune, said in a recent interview that her early influences include Neil Gaiman, British fantasy writer Angela Carter, “The Talented Mr. Ripley” author Patricia Highsmith, and the popular podcast series “Welcome to Night Vale.”
As many students have had to throughout the years, I first read The Great Gatsby in my high school freshman English class, and wasn’t particularly impressed. I’ve re-read it since then and am a fan of Fitzgerald’s works now, but am very excited to read a modern, diverse voice such as Vo’s take on this well-known narrative. I also love magical realism and this new novel sounds like an amazing mash-up of some of my favorite literary elements!
What are some titles you are excited to read this summer? We’d love for you to share your titles with us this month in the comments! Happy reading!
Discover@RRPL
by Alison Weir
Katharine was just 16 when she married nobleman Edward Burgh. After his untimely death, she married Catholic baron John Latimer, a widower twice her age. While John is on his deathbed, Katherine falls in love with Thomas Seymour, and they plan to marry. At 30 years old, Katharine attracts the attention of Henry VIII who pursues and finally persuades her to marry him. Katharine is now queen and stepmother to Henry’s three children – Mary, Elizabeth and Edward. Katharine is a highly educated secret Protestant who wants to sway Henry in religious reforms she supports. After Henry is dead, Katharine finally marries Thomas Seymour, who at this point is more interested in Katherine’s stepdaughter Elizabeth as a way to obtain more power. Sadly, when Katharine gives birth to her longed-for baby, she does not survive.
The final entry in the Six Tudor Queens series by Alison Weir is a treat for fans of historical fiction and this era. I have learned so much about these women, not just information about their downfalls and deaths. I have included a list of the series in order of publication.
Six Tudor Queens series
1. Katherine of Aragon (2016)
2. Anne Boleyn (2017)
3. Jane Seymour (2018)
4. Anna of Kleve (2019)
5. Katheryn Howard (2020)
6. Katharine Parr (2021)
~Emma
Read it or Weep 