Are you as exhausted by 2024 as I am? How about a book to help soothe the soul, or make you laugh, or give you a reason to read more on a topic? Here are twenty options that made my list (and more available upon request- heh heh!):
Actual Facts (aka Nonfiction)
The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
This is a beautifully crafted book, both the art work and the sharing of the author’s life experience in monthly chapters. If you’re looking for a gift for a nature loving friend -this might be worth checking out.
Generations by Jean Twenge
This book plus The Coddling of the American Mind have answered a lot of questions for me I didn’t know I had.
Something Cozy
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
Short in length, long on happiness impact. Take an afternoon and enjoy!
A New Lease On Death by Olivia Blacke
Looking for a cozy mystery? Here you go!
How to Age Disgracefully by Claire Pooley
Zesty characters and a cute dog. Do I need to say more?
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
Welcome back to Patrick O’Hara -everyone’s favorite Guncle!
Something a Little Different
Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara
What if you felt invisible because you’re a woman who’s getting older, and then your physical body actually started disappearing? And the medical community even had a name for the phenomenon?!
The Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
If you’re willing to read a fantasy book in which charming characters have magical gifts, this is also a locked room mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
The Failures by Benjamin Liar
A chonky science fiction story with multiple storylines that come together in a pretty satisfying way to end the first in a trilogy.
After Annie by Anna Quindlen
When Annie unexpectedly passes away, we are given the opportunity to know her better through the lives she touched.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Margo is used to people thinking she makes bad choices, the current bad choice would be sleeping with her married college professor. When she discovers she’s pregnant and decides to keep the baby, Margo feels overwhelmed and determined to succeed.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
When a woman on a plane starts predicting when and how other passengers will die, the first response was to brush it off. After the first prediction comes true, the rest of the group begins to bond and a search begins to find the mysterious lady.
Something a Little Dark
Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond
First in a new series, this is another short in length but long on impact book. You’ll be amazed at the world building the author is able to accomplish in only 167 pages!
The Haters by Robyn Harding
Camryn Hart went from celebrating her first published book to trying to figure out who’s making damaging false accusations about her online. The longer the attacks go on, the less trust Camryn has in the people surrounding her. What a wild ride!
Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Creepy, creepy, creepy… So good!
Something Old (aka Historical)
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
Set in Oklahoma, with storylines in 1909 and 1990s, this book is filled with young women fighting for survival and for acceptance.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
I had no idea who Martha Ballard was before reading this book and now I know why her legend lives on. Fascinating details on midwifery and all the additional jobs that were attached to that title.
The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods
Using some factual happenings and some fictional characters, this is another story of women fighting to have control over their own lives.
The Wealth of Shadows by Graham Moore
Just when you think there’s nothing new to learn about World War II, you read a book like this. Also, I’m a little sorry I didn’t pay more attention in my Macro Economics course…
Hopefully one of these books is just what you were looking for, and I’m *always* interested in hearing what you thought after reading! []~(￣▽￣)~*
Enjoy!
Stacey
Fantasy
Has Spring Sprung?
We’re two days into spring but it doesn’t quite feel like it yet. Daffodils had started to peek up, then were promptly covered by a dusting of snow. Sun warmed our faces, but now we’re back to grey.
If you’re eager for spring weather to come back and stick around, try some of these books to summon the season of renewal:
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Everyone In This Room Will Someday Be Dead by Emily Austin
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Edith Eva Eger
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
-Linnea
Book Recommendations for The Year of the Dragon
Lunar New Year takes place on February 10! Tomorrow begins a fifteen day tradition marked with food, family, and celebration. According to Chinese culture, the dragon is one of the luckiest animals in the zodiac. As the year of the dragon commences, may you luck out with a good book or two. Dragons are a popular element in the fantasy genre, so enjoy these recommendations and check out our science fiction and fantasy collection for more fire-breathing friends.
Tooth and Claw by Jo Walton
The tale of a family dealing with the death of their father, of a son who goes to law for his inheritance, a son who agonizes over his father’s deathbed confession, a daughter who falls in love, a daughter who becomes involved in the abolition movement, and a daughter sacrificing herself for her husband.
Except that everyone in the story is a dragon, red in tooth and claw.
Request it here.
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
On a beautiful world called Pern, an ancient way of life is about to come under attack from a myth that is all too real. Lessa is an outcast survivor–her parents murdered, her birthright stolen–a strong young woman who has never stopped dreaming of revenge. But when an ancient threat to Pern reemerges, Lessa will rise–upon the back of a great dragon
Request it here.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.
Request it here.
The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
The war is over.
The war has just begun.
Three times throughout its history, Nikan has fought for its survival in the bloody Poppy Wars. Though the third battle has just ended, shaman and warrior Rin cannot forget the atrocity she committed to save her people. Now she is on the run.
Request it here.
Dragonfall by L.R. Lam
Long ago, humans betrayed dragons, stealing their magic and banishing them to a dying world. Centuries later, their descendants worship dragons as gods. But the “gods” remember, and they do not forgive.
Request it here.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
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.
Request it here.
Happy reading!
-Melinda
Megan’s Best of 2023 List
It’s that time of year when we are given the impossible task of identifying our ten favorite books of the year. As of this writing I have read or listened to 124 books. I gave 21 of those a five-star rating. My top three categories this year were Mystery/Thrillers (40 books), YA (26 books), and Nonfiction (25 books). I also reread three books this year, a record number, as I am not much of a re-reader. Click the cover to request a copy from our catalog.
Five Star REREADS:
Five Star NONFICTION
Five Star YA
Five Star EVERYTHING ELSE
I am wrapping up a year of reading with some holiday romances and cozy mysteries. I don’t know about you, but I need nice stories with happy endings right now. I hope your new year is filled with books you love. Happy Reading!
~Megan
Stacey says, “It’s time for the Top Ten of 2023!”
This year I’m really leaning into the popular saying, “So many books, so little time!” My list of possibilities for a Top Ten is longer than usual thanks to my participation on American Library Association’s The Reading List committee. The Reading List is focused on finding great reads in the genres of Adrenaline, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Relationship Fiction, Romance, and Science Fiction -some of these categories aren’t ones I naturally gravitate toward but I’ve enjoyed the entire experience! (Plus -now I have bonus books for this list!)
As always, the books are in alphabetical order in each genre. I’m attempting a three emoji description -🤞 I can make it work. The link will take you to our digital collection but there are print books as well, just give us a call!
General Fiction:
Half-Life of a Stolen Sister by Rachel Cantor 🤔 👀 🔎
Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan 👪🏽 🤐 🎉
Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes 🏫 🕵🏼 👫🏽
Maame by Jessica George 👪🏾 🏠 🏋🏾♀️
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim 🏡 🤫 🔍
Adrenaline:
Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose 🤐 😮 🪤
A Twisted Love Story by Samantha Downing 🕵🏼♀️ 👩❤️👨☠️
Historical Fiction:
Ghost Girl, Banana by Wiz Wharton 🇭🇰 🏴 👨👩👧👧
The Beach at Summerly by Beatriz Williams ⚔️ 💘 🏡
The House is on Fire by Rachel Beanland 🎭 🔥 💔
Mystery:
The Appeal by Janice Hallett 🤫 🔍 🥸
Better the Blood by Michael Bennett ☠️ 😰 🇳🇿
Killing Me by Michelle Gogan 🙅 😳 🤥
The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp by Leonie Swann 👵 🐢 🪤
Horror:
The September House by Carissa Orlando 🔥 🫠 😵
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix 👻 😱 🥴
Fantasy or Science Fiction:
The Books of Babel series by Josiah Bancroft series ☠️ ⛓️💥
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett 🧚 ✨ 📚
The Meister of Decimen City by Brianna 🐉 🦸♀️ ⚡
The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis 🗺️ 🛸 😉
📚 💖 😊
– Stacey
Happy Birthday, Neil Gaiman!
Prolific storyteller Neil Gaiman was born on this day 61 years ago. From short stories to graphic novels to nonfiction to screenplays, Gaiman has left no storytelling stone unturned. While a large swatch of his fan base are avid sci-fi and fantasy readers, Gaiman still has mass appeal. Children’s books, such as Coraline, have garnered an adult fan base. Films and television shows have been created based on his books and Gaiman has even written episodes for beloved series like Doctor Who.
Gaiman has written screeplays, produced films, and directed some too. He has an immense body of work with no signs of slowing down. The Sandman television series (based on Gaiman’s own DC Comics of the same name), a comic adaptation by Colleen Doran (from Gaiman’s Chivalry), and Miracleman comics were all released this year.
No need to be overwhelmed, though! Here’s a list of offerings in every area Gaiman has his hands.
Stories
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
Short stories and poems make up this fantastical collection from 1998. Most of the works had been published in magazines, anthologies, or other places prior to being assembled in Smoke and Mirrors.
It may be considered a children’s book, but this creepy tale can be read at any age. Young Coraline and her parents move to a big, old house converted into apartments. Accompanied by an odd cast of characters, Coraline soon finds another world that is parallel to her own. While it seems perfect, it quickly becomes a nightmare Coraline must escape.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Gaiman, a master of dark fantasy and magical realism, has also proven his mastery of human connection. The narrator, returning to his town to attend a funeral, reminisces on a tragedy that he witnessed as a child. Sometimes recommended as a children’s book, this fares better for an adult reflecting on their childhood.
Nonfiction
This is a collection of Gaiman’s essays and introductions and includes the original weblog of American Gods, before it was written into a novel.
Don’t Panic: The Official Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion
Not just a companion guide into The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (a wonderfully absurd science fiction series), this nonfiction work is also a biography of the author Douglas Adams.
Comics
The DC Universe by Neil Gaiman
This comic collection contains Batman, Superman, and Metamorpho. Published in 2016, the comics span from 1989-2013.
This is a collection from DC that includes several hard-to-find works from Gaiman’s earlier days. It includes comics centered around the Sandman, John Constantine, and the Floronic Man.
Films and Television
In addition to providing the source material, Gaiman was a writer and executive producer for this television series adaptation.
As New Gods gain prominence, the Old Gods worry they are becoming irrelevant. Shadow Moon, recently released from prison, becomes embroiled in this world of magic and the mission of uniting the Old Gods to rebuild their status.
Originally released in Japan, this is a classic film from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Gaiman wrote the script when it was dubbed for English in 1999.
-Linnea
Nicole’s Top Ten of 2021
Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley– An iconic work of early English literature is updated in Headley’s feminist adaptation, bringing to light elements never before translated into English.
A Hawk in the Woods by Carrie Laben– A suspenseful, dark tale of family trauma, abuse of power, and the bonds of sisterhood that centers on supernaturally gifted twins Abby and Martha Waite and follows Abby’s choices after she discovers she has been diagnosed with late stage melanoma.
The Push by Ashley Audrain– A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family and one woman’s deeply affecting and difficult story of motherhood, womanhood, grief, and guilt.
Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith– Haunting and inspired, this novel looks at the stories of three women in Vietnam, weaving together Vietnamese folklore and themes of national and racial identity, women’s bodies and their burden, and sweet revenge.
Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca– A standout novella featuring an interesting combination of atypical structure, beautiful writing, and body horror about two women who meet in a queer chat room. This book, and the ending in particular, will keep you thinking long after you finish this short work.
Love and Fury: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft by Samantha Silva– An amazingly well-crafted and beautiful historical fiction novel of Mary Wollstonecraft – arguably the world’s first feminist and one of the world’s most influential thinkers. Inspiring and enlightening.
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel– Perhaps my most favorite book of the year, this heartbreaking and remarkable novel is inspired by the life of McDaniel’s own mother. Set in rural Ohio during the 50s, readers follow Betty Carpenter, as she endures terrible discrimination, violence, loss, and love in this luminous and often emotionally difficult book.
The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling– A beautifully written gothic romantic thriller with a dash of magic and horror. Drawing inspiration from such classics as Bluebeard and working the dangerous bridegroom trope, Starling delivers an engaging and tense tale.
The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo– A skillful and fantastical reimagining of The Great Gatsby that reimagines Jordan Baker as a queer Vietnamese immigrant, embellishing upon Fitzgerald’s original plot with commentary on gender, race, and sexuality, set in a magical Jazz Age New York.
Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke– A timely and moving meditation on isolation and longing, both as individuals and as a society, delivered in a beautiful graphic novel.
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!
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!
My 5 Star Top Ten List
2020 has been a year in which I read many trilogies: Shades of Magic by Schwab, Lady Astronaut series by Kowal, Star Trek: The Janus Gate by Graf, The Broken Earth by Jemisin, and The Dam Keeper by Kondo and Tsutsumi
My top 10 list (in chronological order that I read them)
The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson
(A sequel to Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain, which takes the thrills to the next exciting step.)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
(What makes us the wise man of the ape species?)
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
(Each of the three books in the ongoing series so far are 5 stars in my opinion. I love the alternative history space race that is firmly rooted in real science and math.)
Blacksad written by Juan Diaz Canales with art by Juanjo Guarnido
(This is a film noir detective story with animal characters. It is a bit like Who Framed Roger Rabbit?)
A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab
(The middle volume with a sort of Olympics for Magicians is the peak)
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark
(This is a slim steampunk adventure set in Cairo by a hot speculative fiction writer.)
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
(A classic text of the ’60s Civil Rights era that is still useful for understanding current racial tensions in America.)
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
(A great start to her Hugo Award winning trilogy with a couple nice twists near the end.)
The Dam Keeper: Return from the Shadows by Robert Kondo and ‘Dice’ Tsutsumi
(Perhaps this ending of the trilogy with its community joining together is the best part.)
Citizen Illegal by Jose Olivarez
(This is a poetry book recommended by the virtual book club on this blog as a book to start the conversation about immigration.)
-Byron
Read it or Weep 