Read it or Weep

I’ve been reading The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman, which is the fourth book in the ‘Invisible Library’ series. In this series Librarian Irene Winters steals books from alternate worlds for her interdimensional Library, which helps balance the universe between order and chaos. Expect faeries, dragons, and a fun mash-up of fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction! Shannon

As the book opens, we meet 13-year-old Giovanna.  Giovanna’s pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks.  “Giovanna looks more like her Aunt Vittoria every day” says her father, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father clearly despise.  Giovanna insists on meeting her Aunt Vittoria, described as mean and manipulative.  Once Giovanna’s father concedes to the meeting, Aunt Vittoria warns Giovanna it is her father who is cruel and manipulative.  As the story progresses, we watch how Giovanna grows from being a child, full of naivete, to a rebellious adolescent, to a maturing young adult, breaking free of her parents’ protective space, and creating her own new world.  This is a wonderful coming-of-age novel told in Ferrante’s signature eloquent yet authentic voice. Mary

This past week I had some time off and decided I wanted to reconnect with some of the things I loved as a kid. This graphic novel was a perfect answer with its focus on two of my early loves, the supernatural and TV horror hosts. This graphic novel is a combination of the movie The Monster Squad with a good dose of the horror hosts we grew up with (Elvira, Ghoulardi, Mystery Science Theater 3000). The art style harkens back to the 1980s aesthetic of its setting. A great read for Universal monster films or anyone looking for a read to help get them in an October mood. Greg

I’m finishing book #3 of The Broken Earth trilogy, The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin. It is a fantasy series with a slow burn mystery as we are allowed to piece together whether this post-apocalyptic world could have resulted from a world very similar to ours. The ironically named Stillness is a land where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are commonplace. Through this one super continent two females, a mother and daughter, Essun and Nassun, have separate but always linked adventures. They are two of the most powerful of a race of Orogenes who can control tectonic movement as well as newly discovered strands of magic energy. Other humans fear them, but also need their powers to survive. Things seem to be heading toward an explosive confrontation between mother and daughter. And what of the enigmatic Stone Eaters? Can our heroines trust their intentions? Will they restore or destroy the Earth? Byron

Set a decade after the Mayflower landed at Plymouth, this work of historical fiction explores the imagined back story to that colony’s first recorded official murder. Told in the voices of several colonists, Puritans and their once-indentured servants, this novel sheds light on what was likely a tension-riddled colony with members being afforded different status based on their faiths while others felt marginalized and poorly treated. With characters who come to life, this book makes for a quick and fascinating read that helps reshape some thoughts on our country’s founding. Carol

In the late 1960s, Reed Crowe watched a small plane go down off the coast of Emerald Island, Florida, assumed no one survived, and snagged a marijuana bundle bobbing near the wreckage. Almost twenty years later, Reed can still be impulsive but now owns a kitschy roadside attraction and hotel, both only slightly worse for wear. A few uncomfortable coincidences and a few near misses, it seems there was a survivor and they want to make Crowe pay. Can Reed stay alive long enough to figure out what’s going on *and* find a way to fix things? Quirky settings, some dirty deals and graphic violence, perfectly imperfect characters who are (for the most part) doing the best they can, and an intricately plotted storyline, will keep on surprising you with clever, connected details each time you turn the page. PS: Quentin Tarantino fans -this one’s for you! Stacey

 In Heaven and Earth by Paolo Giordano, a group of young men being raised in the farm complex next to her family’s summer retreat accept Teresa into their group, and so begins an intense and emotionally damaging story. Giordano weaves the narrative backwards and forwards in time,  as Teresa forms a deep bond with one of the young men, Bern, and they grow up and in and out of each other’s lives, try to start a farm/commune, and dark secrets leading to tragedy come to the fore. A coming of age novel that is beautifully written, emotionally driven, with fascinating characters.  Dori

Lizzie Kitsakis has taken a grueling job as a corporate lawyer in an elite New York law firm- not out of ambition, but in attempt to keep her marriage and financial life afloat as her heavy-drinking husband drifts from one job to another and as Lizzie struggles to accept that he isn’t just “a guy who likes to have a good time” as she’s always thought of him, but an alcoholic. She is surprised by a collect call from Rikers from an old law-school-friend- recently-turned-software mogul, Zach. His wife Amanda has been found dead at the bottom of their staircase, and Zach is a primary suspect. He swears he didn’t do it and begs Lizzie for help. Against her better judgment she allows herself to be drawn in- not only to this case, but to the idyllic world of the suburban elite with its private schools, neighborhood parties, cheating spouses, blackmail of dark secrets, and maybe even murder? As she learns more and more about the people involved in this case, she wonders whether anyone, including herself, truly has a good marriage? Sara