travel the world

 

The Adult Summer Reading Finale is Wednesday, July 30^th at 6pm.  Register for the event and come on in to work on DIY reading journals, spin the prize wheel for those last minute goodies, and enjoy the company of other readers after an epic summer filled with fantastic books! We’ll be drawing for the grand prize the first week of August, so time is winding down to log your reading!

The next Books & Beyond (BAB) meeting is on Tuesday, August 26^th at 6:30pm and the topic up for discussion is Women in Translation Month, an annual celebration of women writers from around the world, writing in languages other than English.

Looking ahead to September, we’ll be exploring the work andlife of Agatha Christie!  Mark your calendars and plan to join us!

This week, BAB met to discuss travel writing, journeys, and really anything with a great sense of movement.  We chatted for well over an hour about a tremendous variety of titles and had a great time.  Peruse our discussion list and get ready for your TBR to explode!

On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making ofa Travel Writer by Rick Steves

Stow away with Rick Steves for a glimpse into the unforgettable moments, misadventures, and memories of his 1978 journey on the legendary Hippie Trail.

Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick

Does George Washington still matter? Bestselling author Nathaniel Philbrick argues for Washington’s unique contribution to the forging of America by retracing his journey as a new president through all thirteen former colonies, which were now an unsure nation. Travels with George marks a new first-person voice for Philbrick, weaving history and personal reflection into a single narrative.

Following Caesar: From Rome to Constantinople, the PathwaysThat Planted the Seeds of Empire by John Keahey

A travel narrative following three ancient roads and looking at more than two thousand years of history of Ancient Rome through the modern eye.

Traveling Blind: Adventures in Vision with a Guide Dog by MySide by Susan Krieger

Although an intensely personal account, Traveling Blind is not simply memoir, for it extends beyond one person's experience to illuminate our understandings of vision informed by the academic fields of disability studies, feminist ethnography, and the study of human-animal bonds.

Grave Situation by Louisa Masters

With a ridiculously attractive healer (who may or may not hate him), his sister (who he miiiight have a forbidden telepathic link with), a sentient god-like rock (that can only communicate via yes/no vibes), a disdainful dragon, and a rude matchmaking horse by his side, Talon just might be able to save the world. He’s not the hero they deserve, but he’s the hero they’ve got.

Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine

Join bestselling author Douglas Adams and zooligist Mark Carwardine as they take off around the world in search of exotic, endangered creatures. Hilarious and poignant--as only Douglas Adams can be—Last Chance to See is an entertaining and arresting odyssey through the Earth's magnificent wildlife galaxy.

The Museum of Whales You Will Never See: And OtherExcursions to Iceland’s Most Unusual Museums by A. Kendra Greene

Mythic creatures, natural wonders, and the mysterious human impulse to collect are on beguiling display in this poetic tribute to the museums of an otherworldly island nation, for readers of AtlasObscura and fans of the Mütter Museum, the Morbid Anatomy Museum, and the Museum of Jurassic Technology.

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

With boundless curiosity, Dickey conjures the dead by focusing on questions of the living—how do we, the living, deal with stories about ghosts, and how do we inhabit and move through spaces that have been deemed, for whatever reason, haunted? Paying attention not only to the true facts behind a ghost story, but also to the ways in which changes to those facts are made—and why those changes are made—Dickey paints a version of American history left out of the textbooks, one of things left undone, crimes left unsolved.

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

In a garden sit the aged Kublai Khan and the young Marco Polo—Mongol emperor and Venetian traveler. Kublai Khan has sensed the end of his empire coming soon. Marco Polo diverts his host with stories of the cities he has seen in his travels around the empire: cities and memory, cities and desire, cities and designs, cities and the dead, cities and the sky, trading cities, hidden cities. As Marco Polo unspools his tales, the emperor detects these fantastic places are more than they appear.

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

Originally published in 1979, Italo Calvino's singular novel crafted a postmodern narrative like never seen before—offering not one novel but ten, each with a different plot, style, ambience, and author, and each interrupted at a moment of suspense. Together, the stories form a labyrinth of literature known and unknown, alive and extinct, through which two readers pursue the story lines that intrigue them and try to read each other. Deeply profound and surprisingly romantic, this classic is a beautiful meditation on the transformative power of reading and the ways we make meaning in our lives.

A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, andShipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst

Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream – as we all dream – of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away? Taut, propulsive, and dazzling, A Marriage at Sea pairs an adrenaline-fueled high seas adventure with a gutting love story that asks why we love difficult people, and who we become under the most extreme conditions imaginable.

The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick

Here, in a remote stretch of the California desert, lies an experimental and controversial treatment center that allows those suffering from the heartache of loss to sleep through their pain...and keep on sleeping.  A high-concept speculative novel about heartache, hope, and human resilience, The Poppy Fields explores the path of grief and healing, a journey at once profoundly universal and unique to every person, posing the questions: How do we heal in the wake of great loss? And how far are we willing to go in order to be healed?

Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal

Racing toward Vladivostok, we meet the young Aliocha, packed onto a Trans-Siberian train with other Russian conscripts. Soon after boarding, he decides to desert and over a midnight smoke in a dark corridor of the train, he encounters an older French woman, Hélène, for whom he feels an uncanny trust. In mysterious, winding sentences gorgeously translated by Jessica Moore, De Kerangal gives us the story of two unlikely souls entwined in a quest for freedom with a striking sense of tenderness, sharply contrasting the brutality of the surrounding world.

The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse,and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts

In 1954, sixty-three-year-old Maine farmer Annie Wilkins embarked on an impossible journey. She had no money and no family, she had just lost her farm, and her doctor had given her only two years to live. But Annie wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She ignored her doctor’s advice to move into the county charity home. Instead, she bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, donned men’s dungarees, and headed south in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. Annie, Tarzan, and her dog, Depeche Toi, rode straight into a world transformed by the rapid construction of modern highways. Between 1954 and 1956, the three travelers pushed through blizzards, forded rivers, climbed mountains, and clung to the narrow shoulder as cars whipped by them at terrifying speeds. Annie rode more than four thousand miles, through America’s big cities and small towns. Along the way, she met ordinary people and celebrities—from Andrew Wyeth (who sketched Tarzan) to Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx.

Annie appears on Groucho Marx's tv show, You Bet Your Life, in 1956.  In this clip, she comes out for her interview at around the 12:20 mark.

Tramps Like Us by Joe Westmoreland (Not available in the JCLC, but you may be able to request this title from Interlibrary Loan)

A treasured cult classic following a young gay man crisscrossing 1970s and ’80s America in search of salvation. Now reissued with an introduction from Eileen Myles and an afterword from the author. Told with openhearted frankness, Joe Westmoreland’s Tramps Like Us is an exuberantly soulful adventure of self-discovery and belonging, set across a consequential American decade. Back in print after two decades and with an introduction by Myles and an afterword by the author, Tramps Like Us is an ode to a nearly lost generation, an autofictional chronicle of America between gay liberation and the AIDS crisis, and an evergreen testament to the force of friendship.

Long Way documentary series staring Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman (consists of the following seasons: Long Way Round, Long WayDown, Long Way Up, and Long Way Home)  Explore the complete series at https://www.longway.tv/

This collection of shows is a fascinating, frank and highly entertaining adventure about two friends riding round the world together and, against the odds, realizing their dreams. Riding motorcycles the entire way, exhaustion, injury and accidents tested their strength, while treacherous roads, unpredictable weather and turbulent politics challenged their stamina.

General discussion, not travel related:

A Nervous Splendor: Vienna 1888-1889 by Frederic Morton (Not available in the JCLC, but you may be able to request this title from Interlibrary Loan)

On January 30, 1889, at the champagne-splashed hight of the Viennese Carnival, the handsome and charming Crown Prince Rudolf fired a revolver at his teenaged mistress and then himself. The two shots that rang out at Mayerling in the Vienna Woods echo still. Frederic Morton deftly tells the haunting story of the Prince and his city, where, in the span of only ten months, "the Western dream started to go wrong." 

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette’s brilliant and charismatic father captured his children’s imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn’t want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered. The Glass Castle is truly astonishing—a memoir permeated by the intense love of a peculiar but loyal family.

Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams

In 1911, Hiram Bingham III climbed into the Andes Mountains of Peru and “discovered” Machu Picchu. While history has recast Bingham as a villain who stole both priceless artifacts and credit for finding the great archeological site, Mark Adams set out to retrace the explorer’s perilous path in search of the truth—except he’d written about adventure far more than he’d actually lived it.

Title descriptions pulled from Amazon.com and p
hoto by Julentto Photography on Unsplash

 

 

summer reading

 

Upcoming programs:

Monday, July 14 @ 6:30pm – Great Short Stories discussing “My Friend Flicka” by Mary O’Hara REGISTER HERE

Tuesday, July 15 @ 6pm – Adult Summer Reading: Carrie Rollwagen presents “Finding Your Genre”
REGISTER HERE 

Tuesday, July 22 @ 6:30pm – Books & Beyond discussing travel writing
REGISTER HERE 

Wednesday, July 30 @ 6pm – Adult Summer Reading Finale: DIY Reading Journal Meetup
REGISTER HERE 

At the June meeting we had no assigned topic, so participants chatted about anything they’d been listening to, reading, and watching 😊

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez

New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a mesmerizing novel about a first-generation Ivy League student who uncovers the genius work of a female artist decades after her suspicious death. Moving back and forth through time and told from the perspectives of both women, Anita de Monte Laughs Last is a propulsive, witty examination of power, love, and art, daring to ask who gets to be remembered and who is left behind in the rarefied world of the elite.

Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim

Ever since she can remember, Vanessa has been able to see people's fortunes at the bottom of their teacups. To avoid blurting out their fortunes, she converts to coffee, but somehow fortunes escape and find a way to complicate her life and the ones of those around her. To add to this plight, her romance life is so nonexistent that her parents enlist the services of a matchmaking expert from Shanghai.
 
After her matchmaking appointment, Vanessa sees death for the first time. She decides that she can't truly live until she can find a way to get rid of her uncanny abilities. When her eccentric Aunt Evelyn shows up with a tempting offer to whisk her away, Vanessa says au revoir to California and bonjour to Paris. There, Vanessa learns more about herself and the root of her gifts and realizes one thing to be true: knowing one's destiny isn't a curse, but being unable to change it is.

The Tanglewood Tea Shop by Lilac Mills

Patisserie-Chef Stevie is stuck in a rut. Her beloved Great Aunt Peggy has passed away and she’s lost both her job and the love of her life. Then she gets the call from the solicitor's office about Peggy’s will, and everything changes. When Stevie sees a quirky tea shop up for sale in the beautiful village of Tanglewood, she decides to take Peggy’s advice and turn her life around. But the village isn't as idyllic as it may at first have seemed, and when the gorgeous but grouchy local stable-owner, Nick, shows up he seems like just another fly in the pastry batter…

A Pack for Winter by Emilia Emerson (not available within JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Ivy Noelle Winter is content with being a 31-year-old unbonded omega with no prospects of a pack. She adores teaching fifth grade, she has wonderful friends — and that baking show marathon isn’t going to watch itself. Until a snowstorm and power outage traps Ivy in her classroom after hours…with three men. Rome, the new alpha music teacher. James, the flirtatious beta vet he’s bonded to. And Logan, the town’s grumpy alpha electrician.

Their scents call to Ivy and her body answers, setting off her first-ever mini heat. When the pheromones settle, she gets a proposition beyond her wildest dreams — a chance to be a pack. But there’s no such thing as a perfect courtship, especially when the biggest roadblock to happiness might be Ivy herself.

A Pack for Autumn by Emilia Emerson (not available within JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Starlight Grove needs a new Lighthouse Keeper and Olive Autumn Harvest needs a fresh start. Preferably one with as much solitude as possible. So, her new job and isolated ocean cottage is perfect—except for the eccentric, meddling townspeople, and the cat who’s adopted her.

When the town wins a grant for lighthouse restoration, Olive is forced to let the contractors into her space…a company comprised of three hot alphas: Easton, her golden retriever  stalker. Lars, the steady, protective viking. And Finn, who’s hiding a pain that matches her own. Suddenly, these guys are everywhere—and they’re completely unfazed by Olive’s prickly personality as they try to care for her, protect her, and court her. But everyone in this relationship is holding on to secrets… and it might not just be the lighthouse that needs restoration.

Gold Rush by R. L. Randolph (not available within JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Juniper Walden has lived a life of quiet obscurity as a Beta and romance author. When one of her novels gains traction and she’s suddenly trapped in a broken elevator with two strangers the night before her UK book tour, she realizes her future might not be so clear-cut. Seth Harding is a happily bonded Beta, but he can’t get the pretty stranger’s honey-sweet scent out of his head. Imagine his and his Alpha’s surprise when they see her face on the news, because it’s unheard of for a designation to emerge late.

In a world where Omega rights are not their own, Omegas and their golden-hued blood are coveted and exchanged like property because of their rarity. June finds herself stranded in a foreign country, with no legal protection and an oncoming heat to navigate. Her only choice might just be the Beta she keeps meeting by happenstance— and his pack of three Alphas.

Lola and the Millionaires by Kathryn Moon (not available within JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Lola Barnes only wants one thing, to get her life under control. No more chasing alphas who abuse and toss away betas like her. No more hiding in her cousin’s apartment licking wounds that won’t heal. Armed with her dream job and her less than dreamy apartment, Lola is ready to start a new chapter of her life without alphas.

But that’s easier said than done when one stumbling incident after another leads Lola closer to an alluring pack of captivating men. These alphas are everything Lola dreamed of, but they already have an omega—a playful male model who won’t stop flirting with her. And Lola is only a beta, one who comes with deep scars and an unshakeable aversion to alphas and their powerful presences.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

In her great historical epic Kristin Lavransdatter, set in fourteenth-century Norway, Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset tells the life story of one passionate and headstrong woman. Painting a richly detailed backdrop, Undset immerses readers in the day-to-day life, social conventions, and political and religious undercurrents of the period.

Allegro by Ariel Dorfman

In 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visits the grave of Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, looking for a sign, a signal, an answer to an enigma that has haunted him since childhood: Was Bach murdered by a famous oculist? And years later, was Handel a victim of the same doctor? Allegro follows his investigation, from the salons of London to the streets of Paris, recreating an enthralling and turbulent time, full of rogues and brilliant composers, charlatans and presumptuous nobles.

Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse by Robin Hutton

She might not have been much to look at—a small "Mongolian mare," they called her—but she came from racing stock, and had the blood of a champion. Much more than that, Reckless became a war hero—in fact, she became a combat Marine, earning staff sergeant's stripes before her retirement to Camp Pendleton. This once famous horse, recognized as late as 1997 by Life Magazine as one of America's greatest heroes—the greatest war horse in American history, in fact—has unfortunately now been largely forgotten.

But author Robin Hutton is set to change all that. Not only has she been the force behind recognizing Reckless with a monument at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and at Camp Pendleton, but she has now recorded the full story of this four-legged war hero who hauled ammunition to embattled Marines and inspired them with her relentless, and reckless, courage.

We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes

Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall and her love life is . . . complicated. So when her real dad—a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago—suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you: about love, and what it actually means to be family.

The Sicilian Avengers by Luigi Natoli (Not available within JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Reminiscent of a Dumas novel, Sicilian Avengers is a vibrant, atmospheric fresco of early eighteenth-century Palermo. Onto the stage of the ancient city, Blasco da Castiglione, a bold, brash, orphan adventurer, arrives on a quest to discover his origins and seek his destiny. But this fearless, swashbuckling D’Artagnan-esque hero unwittingly gets caught up in a devious and murderous succession plot involving a powerful noble family. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.   Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. 

Black River by Nilanjana Roy (eaudio available on Hoopla; book not available within JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Offering readers a gripping mystery and a sweeping state-of-the-nation saga, Black River stands as a searing critique of modern India, weaving an intricate narrative that captures the essence of a nation grappling with its own complexities and contradictions.

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada (Not available within JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Berlin, 1940, and the city is filled with fear. At the house on 55 Jablonski Strasse, its various occupants try to live under Nazi rule in their different ways: the bullying Hitler loyalists the Persickes, the retired judge Fromm and the unassuming couple Otto and Anna Quangel. Then the Quangels receive the news that their beloved son has been killed fighting in France. Shocked out of their quiet existence, they begin a silent campaign of defiance, and a deadly game of cat and mouse develops between the Quangels and the ambitious Gestapo inspector Escherich. When petty criminals Kluge and Borkhausen also become involved, deception, betrayal and murder ensue, tightening the noose around the Quangels' necks ...

James by Percival Everett

A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view.

My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

Philip Ashley's older cousin Ambrose, who raised the orphaned Philip as his own son, has died in Rome. Philip, the heir to Ambrose's beautiful English estate, is crushed that the man he loved died far from home. He is also suspicious. While in Italy, Ambrose fell in love with Rachel, a beautiful English and Italian woman. But the final, brief letters Ambrose wrote hint that his love had turned to paranoia and fear.

Now Rachel has arrived at Philip's newly inherited estate. Could this exquisite woman, who seems to genuinely share Philip's grief at Ambrose's death, really be as cruel as Philip imagined? Or is she the kind, passionate woman with whom Ambrose fell in love? Philip struggles to understand Rachel's intentions, knowing Ambrose's estate, his future, and his sanity, hang in the balance.

Tramps Like Us by Joe Westmoreland (eaudio available on Hoopla; book not available within JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Told with openhearted frankness, Joe Westmoreland’s Tramps Like Us is an exuberantly soulful adventure of self-discovery and belonging, set across a consequential American decade. In New Orleans and San Francisco, and on the roads in between, Joe and Ali find communities of misfits to call their own. The days and nights blur, a blend of LSD and heroin, new wave and disco, orgies and friends, and the thrilling spontaneity of youth―all of which is threatened the moment Joe, Ali, and seemingly everyone around them are diagnosed with HIV. But miraculously, the stories survive.

Back in print after two decades and with an introduction by Myles and an afterword by the author, Tramps Like Us is an ode to a nearly lost generation, an autofictional chronicle of America between gay liberation and the AIDS crisis, and an evergreen testament to the force of friendship.

The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste del Amo (eaudio & ebook available on Hoopla)

From the author of the “extraordinary” Animalia (Sunday Times, ebook available on Hoopla), winner of the Republic of Consciousness Prize and finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and Best Translated Book Award, a blazing new novel exploring nature, family, and violence, set on a hostile and glorious mountainside haunted by transgressions of the past.

Slewfoot by Brom

Connecticut, 1666: An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector. The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil. To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help.

Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake. This terrifying tale of bewitchery features more than two dozen of Brom’s haunting full-color paintings and brilliant endpapers, fully immersing readers in this wild and unforgiving world.

I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney (eaudio available in Hoopla)

Obituary writer Bud Stanley isn’t really living his best life. He’s fallen into a funk after a divorce. (She left him for another man, who, in fairness, was far more interesting.) He’s not doing his job well. He’s given up on dating. And he’s about to be fired for accidentally publishing his own obituary one mildly drunken night (though technically the company can’t legally fire a dead person). As Bud awaits his fate at work, he does the only logical thing: He goes to the wakes and funerals of total strangers to learn how to live again.

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

Marjorie’s journey began gluing cereal boxes in her father’s barn as a young girl. No one could have predicted that C. W. Post’s Cereal Company would grow into the General Foods empire and reshape the American way of life, with Marjorie as its heiress and leading lady. Not content to stay in her prescribed roles of high-society wife, mother, and hostess, Marjorie dared to demand more, making history in the process. Before turning thirty she amassed millions, becoming the wealthiest woman in the United States. But it was her life-force, advocacy, passion, and adventurous spirit that led to her stunning legacy.

apocalypse WOW

 

We have an Adult Summer Reading program this season!  Visit our SRP page for all the upcoming happenings!

The next Books & Beyond discussion club will be Tuesday, June 24^th at 6:30pm in the Library’s Conference Room.  This is one of our biannual Salon Discussions where there is no assigned topic.  Read, watch, and listen to anything you’d like and come share with the group!  If you’d rather attend online, register with your email address to receive a Zoom link a week ahead of the meeting: https://oneallibrary.org/event/11282324

This week, BAB met to talk about apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, and dystopian books and films.  Read on to see what we chatted about!

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead’s commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive. At once a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense, The Handmaid’s Tale is a modern classic.

The Last of Us (series)

After a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity's last hope.

Donate by Emma Ellis (not in the JCLC)

Mae finds herself pregnant in a world where the global population has hit twenty billion, and governments decree that no child may be born without a life being sacrificed in return. With growing unrest and violence towards pregnant women, Mae must navigate a hostile world to secure a future for her unborn child — no matter the cost. When the stakes are so high, how far would you go to protect your family?

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

Chain Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this explosive, hotly-anticipated debut.

Rollerball (1975)

The year is 2018 in a futuristic society where corporations have replaced countries. A violent futuristic game known as Rollerball is the recreational sport of the world, with teams representing various areas. One player, Jonathan E., fights for his personal freedom and threatens the corporate control.

Running Man (1987)

In the year 2019, America is a totalitarian state where the favorite television program is "The Running Man" -- a game show in which prisoners must run to freedom to avoid a brutal death. Having been made a scapegoat by the government, an imprisoned Ben Richards (Arnold Schwarzenegger) has the opportunity to make it back to the outside again by being a contestant on the deadly show, although the twisted host, Damon Killian (Richard Dawson), has no intention of letting him escape.

Grievers by Adrienne Maree Brown

Dune’s mother is patient zero of a mysterious illness that stops people in their tracks—in mid-sentence, mid-action, mid-life—casting them into a nonresponsive state from which no one recovers. Dune must navigate poverty and the loss of her mother as Detroit’s hospitals, morgues, and graveyards begin to overflow. As the quarantined city slowly empties of life, she investigates what caused the plague, and what might end it, following in the footsteps of her late researcher father, who has a physical model of Detroit’s history and losses set up in their basement. She dusts it off and begins tracking the sick and dying, discovering patterns, finding comrades in curiosity, conspiracies for the fertile ground of the city, and the unexpected magic that emerges when the debt of grief is cleared.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

At the dawn of the next world war, a plane crashes on an uncharted island, stranding a group of schoolboys. At first, with no adult supervision, their freedom is something to celebrate. This far from civilization they can do anything they want. Anything. But as order collapses, as strange howls echo in the night, as terror begins its reign, the hope of adventure seems as far removed from reality as the hope of being rescued.

Deadeye Dick by Kurt Vonnegut

Deadeye Dick is Kurt Vonnegut’s funny, chillingly satirical look at the death of innocence. Amid a true Vonnegutian host of horrors—a double murder, a fatal dose of radioactivity, a decapitation, an annihilation of a city by a neutron bomb—Rudy Waltz, aka Deadeye Dick, takes us along on a zany search for absolution and happiness. Here is a tale of crime and punishment that makes us rethink what we believe . . . and who we say we are.

Viriconium by M. John Harrison (not in the JCLC)

Available to American readers for the first time, this landmark collection gathers four groundbreaking fantasy classics from the acclaimed author of Light. Set in the imagined city of Viriconium, here are the masterworks that revolutionized a genre and enthralled a generation of readers: The Pastel City, A Storm of Wings, In Viriconium, and Viriconium Nights. 

Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore. A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall

All the Water in the World is told in the voice of a girl gifted with a deep feeling for water. In the years after the glaciers melt, Nonie, her older sister and her parents and their researcher friends have stayed behind in an almost deserted New York City, creating a settlement on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History. The rule: Take from the exhibits only in dire need. They hunt and grow their food in Central Park as they work to save the collections of human history and science. When a superstorm breaches the city’s flood walls, Nonie and her family must escape north on the Hudson. They carry with them a book that holds their records of the lost collections. Racing on the swollen river towards what may be safety, they encounter communities that have adapted in very different and sometimes frightening ways to the new reality. But they are determined to find a way to make a new world that honors all they've saved. Inspired by the stories of the curators in Iraq and Leningrad who worked to protect their collections from war, All the Water in the World is both a meditation on what we save from collapse and an adventure story―with danger, storms, and a fight for survival.

Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

On an ordinary Saturday, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer, gravity is affected, the birds, the tides, human behavior and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world of danger and loss, Julia faces surprising developments in herself, and her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by Hannah and other friends, the vulnerability of first love, a sense of isolation, and a rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking story of people finding ways to go on, in an ever-evolving world.

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

In this revelatory account, Alan Weisman explains how our massive infrastructure would collapse and finally vanish without human presence; which everyday items may become immortalized as fossils; how copper pipes and wiring would be crushed into mere seams of reddish rock; why some of our earliest buildings might be the last architecture left; and how plastic, bronze sculpture, and radio waves may be our most lasting gifts to the universe.

As he shows which human devastations are indelible, and which examples of our highest art and culture would endure longest, Weisman draws on every field of science to present an environmental assessment like no other. This is narrative nonfiction at its finest―one of the most affecting portraits yet of humankind's place on this planet.

How It Ends (2018, Netflix)

Worried about his pregnant fiancée amid a sudden cataclysm, a young lawyer embarks on a dangerous road trip west with his future father-in-law.               

The Midnight Sky (2020, Netflix)

A lone scientist in the Arctic races to contact a crew of astronauts returning home to a mysterious global catastrophe.

Paradise (series, Hulu)

“Paradise” is set in a serene community inhabited by some of the world’s most prominent individuals. But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high-stakes investigation unfolds.

The series stars Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Aliyah Mastin and Percy Daggs IV.

Silo (series, Apple TV+)

In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant underground silo that plunges hundreds of stories deep; there, people live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them.  Based on the Silo Saga novels by Hugh Howey.

Touched by Walter Mosley

Martin Just wakes up one morning after what feels like, and might actually be, a centuries-long sleep with two new innate pieces of knowledge: Humanity is a virus destined to destroy all existence. And he is the Cure.

Martin begins slipping into an alternate consciousness, with new physical strengths, to violently defend his family—the only Black family in their neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles— against pure evil.

High Times in the Low Parliament by Kelly Robson

Lana Baker is Aldgate’s finest scribe, with a sharp pen and an even sharper wit. Gregarious, charming, and ever so eager to please, she agrees to deliver a message for another lovely scribe in exchange for kisses and ends up getting sent to Low Parliament by a temperamental fairy as a result.

As Lana transcribes the endless circular arguments of Parliament, the debates grow tenser and more desperate. Due to long-standing tradition, a hung vote will cause Parliament to flood and a return to endless war. Lana must rely on an unlikely pair of comrades―Bugbite, the curmudgeonly fairy, and Eloquentia, the bewitching human deputy―to save humanity (and maybe even woo one or two lucky ladies), come hell or high water.

Users by Colin Winnette

Miles, a lead creative at a midsize virtual reality company known for its “original experiences,” has engineered a new product called The Ghost Lover. Wildly popular from the outset, the “game” is simple: a user’s simulated life is almost identical to their reality, except they’re haunted by the ghost of an ex-lover.

However, when a shift in the company's strategic vision puts The Ghost Lover at the center of a platform-wide controversy, Miles becomes the target of user outrage, and starts receiving a series of anonymous death threats. Typed notes sealed in envelopes with no postage or return address, these persistent threats push Miles into a paranoid panic, blurring his own sense of reality, catalyzing the collapse of his career, his marriage, and his relationship with his children.

Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama (manga)

In this post-apocalytpic sci-fi story, humanity has been devastated by the bizarre, giant humanoids known as the Titans. Little is known about where they came from or why they are bent on consuming mankind. Seemingly unintelligent, they have roamed the world for years, killing everyone they see. For the past century, what's left of man has hidden in a giant, three-walled city. People believe their 100-meter-high walls will protect them from the Titans, but the sudden appearance of an immense Titan is about to change everything.

Attack on Titan (anime series, 2013)

When man-eating Titans first appeared 100 years ago, humans found safety behind massive walls that stopped the giants in their tracks. But the safety they have had for so long is threatened when a colossal Titan smashes through the barriers, causing a flood of the giants into what had been the humans' safe zone. During the carnage that follows, soldier Eren Jaeger sees one of the creatures devour his mother, which leads him to vow that he will kill every Titan. He enlists some friends who survived to help him, and that group is humanity's last hope for avoiding extinction at the hands of the monsters.

Villainous Things and Villains in Space by C. Rochelle (not available in JCLC)

MM romance between superheros and villains. This is not your kid’s superhero book. This is Sin City and The Boys having a love child with extra spicy Spideypool and is meant for 18+ adults who can handle such things.

Literary Hub recently published a great article discussing nonfiction in this genre: https://lithub.com/nonfiction-against-the-end-of-the-world-an-apocalypse-reading-list

Descriptions pulled from Amazon, Rotten Tomatoes, Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV+.

 

real books, no cap

Don’t worry, a real human librarian vetted this list 😊 

Pack your pool bag and don’t forget the books!

These 25 new titles are on everyone's hotlist this summer.  The wait-times may be long, but I've offered plenty of companion reading suggestions to tide you over in the meantine!

Contact the O’Neal librarians at adult@oneallibrary.org if you need assistance meeting your summer reading goals!

Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Beth and Frank’s marriage is only long and happy because they work diligently to keep their pasts a secret. And they’ve managed to do just that, until one gunshot changes everything. Now Beth’s first love Gabriel is back in their small town and with him is his young son, who’s a startlingly reminder to Beth of the son she lost. As Beth gets more and more tangled in Gabriel’s life, the one she built with Frank comes unraveling, and she will be forced to choose between her past and her future. 

This title is experiencing significant wait times in Libby, but try The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield or Black Rabbit Hall by Eve Chase if you want to read about more dark family secrets while you wait. 

 The Boy from the Sea by Garrett Carr

In this moving debut novel set on the west coast of Ireland, a baby boy is discovered on the beach beside a small fishing town in 1973. A fisherman and his family take the baby, Brendan, in as one of their own, and the whole community becomes devoted to the boy. 

If you’re waiting on this title, try The Butcher’s Blessing by Ruth Gilligan (eaudio available in Hoopla) or What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad.

The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose

Eleven years after defending her ex-husband, Adam, who was charged with murdering his mistress, Sarah has moved on. But when she files for divorce from her new cheating husband, Bob, DNA evidence emerges in Adam’s case, and police reopen the investigation. And then, the woman Bob had an affair with disappears… 

This title has a waitlist on Libby, but there are several of her backlist titles available in eaudio on Hoopla, no lines and no waiting!  

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

In 1895, a train headed to the Paris Montparnasse station is carrying passengers from all over the world when disaster strikes. From train porters to medical students, and from anarchists to Parliament officials, no one is immune from danger once the wheels of fate begin turning. Don’t miss this captivating read based on true events!

Other ebooks and eaudios by this author are available on Libby and Hoopla!  Other great books inspired by true events include Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano and Drood by Dan Simmons.

Parent's Weekend by Alex Finlay

Five college students mysteriously disappear during a festive gathering for their parents, sparking panic and a campus-wide search. As FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller investigates, she uncovers secrets from both the students’ close-knit friend group and their families’ troubled pasts. 

While you wait, try some other thrillers like The Dinner by Herman Koch or Bright and Tender Dark by Joanna Pearson.

Nothing Ever Happens Here by Seraphina Nova Glass

Fifteen months after surviving a brutal attack, Shelby Dawson is finally starting to feel safe again — until a threatening note reignites her worst fears. As strange accidents multiply and her best friend’s missing husband becomes a key piece of the puzzle, Shelby races to uncover the truth before someone else vanishes for good. 

Many of her backlist titles are available in ebook and eaudio in Hoopla, no lines and no waiting! You may also enjoy the suspense novels of Mary Kubica, Riley Sager, Lucy Foley, and Ruth Ware.

Adventures in the Louvre by Elaine Sciolino

Even if you’ve visited the Louvre in Paris before, you’ll fall in love with it anew through the eyes of Elaine Sciolino, who takes readers on a tour through the museum’s incredible works of art and the people who help create, maintain, and protect them. 

Journey to a variety of other museums through story in Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson (eaudio available in Hoopla), The Museum of Whales You Will Never See by A. Kendra Greene, or The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson.

Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe

In 1908 South Carolina, young Eliza Rivers treasures her days growing up on her family’s estate, but war looms on the horizon in Europe, threatening to endanger even those in her sleepy Lowcountry town. Decades later, Eliza is an octogenarian attempting to preserve her family’s estate — and every decision she makes has consequences that will ripple through generations for years to come.

If family drama is your jam, you may also enjoy Wally Lamb, Helen Simonson, and Dorothea Benton Frank.

Liquid by Mariam Rahmani

When a witty young woman mired in academia comes to the conclusion that it’s more realistic to marry rich than to make it as a professor, she creates a plan to go on 100 dates over the upcoming summer. Her best friend, Adam, isn’t so thrilled by the idea. Yet the narrator’s quest comes to an abrupt halt when a family crisis pulls her to Tehran and causes her to rethink her strategy — and to finally realize what will make her truly happy.

Young women on the cusp of adulthood make a splash in other novels, like Holiday Country by Inci Atrek (ebook available in Hoopla), Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez, and Gabriele by Anne Berest (not yet available in ebook/eudio in the library system).

Kate & Frida by Kim Fay

In 1991, two young women strike up a correspondence that will last for years and change their lives. Frida Rodriguez is newly arrived in Paris, ready to make her way as a war correspondent. Kate Fair is a bookseller in Seattle. Their friendship will transform them, carrying them through romance, tragedy, and the changing world.

This is definitely a book about books and the top recommendation you’ll get from it is Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively (ebook & eaudio in Hoopla, no lines and no waiting) and M.F.K. Fisher (some also in Hoopla)! Other titles by Kim Fay are available on Libby.

See How They Fall by Rachel Paris (not yet available in the library system)

Skye’s not comfortable with her husband’s family billions, but she tries to make it work for their daughter. When her father-in-law dies, his luxury goods empire isn’t split among the three sons as expected — instead, an illegitimate heir appears to claim it. The family gathers at their seaside estate to meet the newcomer, but the weekend goes terribly wrong… As Sergeant Mei O’Connor works alongside Skye to unearth answers, they discover the dark secrets of the ultrarich.

If dark-secrets-of-the-ultrarich is your reading jam, definitely try The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins!  Also of note, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, and The Club by Ellery Lloyd.

The Gods Time Forgot by Kelsie Sheridan Gonzalez

In Gilded Age New York, Rua has no memory of her life, so when she’s mistaken for the wealthy, notorious Emma Harrington, she plays along. When she meets Irish lord Finn Donore at a society party, sparks fly — but Finn and Rua soon realize those sparks represent an old, magical connection. Slowly, Rua uncovers her lost memories, but every revelation deepens the mystery of their shared past… 

For mistaken identity minus the fantasy, try Allie Larkin’s Why Can’t I Be You.  A newer fantasy series launch may capture your imagination, The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig!

Matriarch by Tina Knowles

From her childhood in Galveston, Texas, to raising Beyoncé and Solange Knowles, Tina Knowles has impressed many with her tenacity, ambition, and wisdom. She grew up determined to live in a better world, one where a talented girl could thrive without the limitations placed on her due to her race or upbringing. Businesswoman, fashion designer, art collector, activist — Knowles has quite the list of titles, but, as she relates in this memoir, the role she values most is her place within her own family.

Other books about strong women and mothers include Dirtbag Queen by Andy Corren, Blood by Allison Moorer, Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, and Sara and Eleanor by Jan Pottker (ebook available in Hoopla).

Insignificant Others by Sarah Jio

Lena’s expecting her boyfriend of two years to propose, so when she’s instead left heartbroken, she heads to her aunt’s house for comfort. To her surprise, she wakes in Paris — and finds herself married to a man from her past. Next, she’s in Ireland, then New York, each time with a former love interest. Could one of them be the one?

Exploring how different choices would create different lives is something that Rebecca Serle and Matt Haig do very well!

Just Our Luck by Denise Williams

Sybil Sweet is determined to change her life — and that means both buying a lottery ticket for $250 million and hooking up with Kieran Anderson, a med student running his family’s struggling bakery. But when Sybil leaves her lottery ticket behind with Kieran — and it turns out to have the winning number  — the two of them wind up in a fake relationship as they try to sort out their finances, baked goods, and hearts.

Poolside reading and romance go together like peanut butter and jam!  Try It’s Been a Pleasure, Noni Blake by Claire Christian (ebook/eaudio available in Hoopla), or any books by Lyla Sage, Christina Lauren, Tessa Bailey, or Piper Rayne.

Francine’s Spectacular Crash and Burn by Renee Swindle (not yet in the library system)

After Francine Stevenson rescues 10-year-old Davie from bullies, she’s surprised when he continues to show up on her doorstep. Soon, they strike up an unusual friendship, and Francine knows she must introduce herself to Davie’s foster mom — who turns out to be Jeanette, Francine’s high school crush. As Francine tries to navigate the sticky situation she’s found herself in, she learns to draw on her own inner strength in a way she never has before.

Until we can get this one on the shelf, try Delilah Green Doesn’t Care by Ashley Herring Blake, The Pairing by Casey McQuiston, or Trouble by Lex Croucher.

The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien

When Lina and her father flee their home, they arrive at The Sea — a strange place where time and space have folded in on themselves. Lina’s neighbors come from Tang Dynasty China, 17th-century Amsterdam, and 1930s Germany. When Lina’s father takes ill and begins telling Lina the truth about his past and their need to flee their home, her perception of everything changes.

Liminal spaces abound in these great reads: The Wandering Season by Aimie K. Runyan, The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, and Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. 

Summer Light on Nantucket by Nancy Thayer

Forty-five-year-old Blythe Benedict may be newly divorced, but she’s managing her four children and career just fine from their Boston home. The family’s annual summer trip to Nantucket is always a welcome escape, but this year it proves to be filled with drama in the form of everything from teenage outbursts to shocking secrets involving her ex — not to mention a couple of handsome suitors. This beach vacation won’t be like any other, but with the strength of her family and friends, it just might be Blythe’s best summer yet!

Families, warts and all, are on full display in full-hearted reads like We All Live Here by Jojo Moyes, Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead, and the novels of Elizabeth Berg.

This Dog Will Change Your Life by Elias Weiss Friedman 

Elias Weiss Friedman, known as The Dogist, has spent a lifetime living with, documenting, and appreciating dogs. Here, he offers a deceptively simple suggestion: Dogs make our lives better. To support this, he offers a myriad of dog stories — about dogs he’s known intimately, dogs he’s met, and dogs in general — which underscore the fact that dogs have a strong tendency to help us strive for betterment, increase our empathy, and give us a reason to get up in the morning. This book will give you a greater appreciation for man’s best friend.

Meet some of the bestest boys in the novel The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, and the memoirs Marley and Me by John Grogan and James Herriot's Dog Stories.

The Fourth Girl: A Novel by Wendy Corsi Staub

In 1997, teens Talia, Caroline, Kelly, and Midge are best friends in the peaceful town of Mulberry Bay, New York. They each have big plans for their future — but on prom night, Caroline disappears, and three years later the surviving friends are estranged and hiding a secret — a secret so dark it has poisoned their young lives. Decades later, when Caroline’s old boyfriend, Gordy, turns up dead, Midge — now a detective — launches an investigation. She soon has reason to believe that they didn’t bury the past’s secrets deep enough — and they may be coming back to haunt them all.

These may have a short wait, but also try Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera or God of the Woods by Liz Moore.

Lethal Prey by John Sandford

Sandford’s latest Lucas Davenport thriller focuses on a very cold case: Twenty years ago, accountant Doris Grandfelt was stabbed to death. Her body was found at a park near St. Paul, Minnesota, but the exact location of the murder was never determined. Despite her best efforts, Doris’s sister Lara couldn’t persuade the authorities to keep working on the case. After a terminal diagnosis, Lara decides to go all in: She uploads the entire case file to every true crime podcast or blogger she can find and offers a $5 million award. As clues and tips flood in, Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are brought in — but soon realize the killer is watching everything.

Follow the clues and solve the cold case in these stellar novels as well: All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers, Red River Road by Anna Downes, and Head Cases by John McMahon.

The River Knows Your Name by Kelly Mustian

For decades, Nell has kept a secret buried in the pages of Jane Eyre — a birth record revealing that she does not share the same mother as her sister, Evie. As Nell digs into their past, hazy childhood memories lead to a shocking truth hidden in Depression-era Mississippi. Dual storylines converge as buried secrets come to light in this tale of betrayal and redemption.

Secret births, dark pasts, family secrets....find them all in these: The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods, The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, and Chord of Evil by Sarah Rayne (ebook available in Hoopla).

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel

Colette Marceau learns everything she knows about being a thief from her Parisian mother, Annabel… including only stealing from the corrupt and giving the profits to the needy. But in 1942, Annabel is arrested by the Nazis and executed, and the body of Colette’s younger sister is found in the Seine. Years later, a bracelet that belonged to Colette’s sister is shown in a Boston museum exhibit — and it might lead Annabel to the answers she’s been seeking about her past…

I love a museum, any museum.  In addition to the suggestions listed earlier for Adventures in the Louvre, try The Stolen Queen by Fiona Barton, Relic by Douglas Preston, and The Museum Detective by Maha Khan Phillips.

The Boxcar Librarian by Brianna Labuskes

In order to save her reputation in the backlash of a political scandal, editor Millie Lang is reassigned to work in Montana to produce travel guides. Millie is soon wrapped up in a local mystery involving the Boxcar Library, an organization created to circulate books amongst the wide-spread mining towns. A miner’s daughter, Collette Durand, has disappeared — and suspicious evidence points to the apparent involvement of librarian Alice Monroe. This novel, based on a true story, is the latest from the author of The Librarian of Burned Books. 

If you haven’t read The Librarian of Burned Books, the ebook and eaudio are available on Hoopla.  Also worth mentioning are The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Richardson and The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.

Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan

Years into the future, the formerly bustling city of San Francisco has been flooded, the majority of its inhabitants having either died or fled long ago. Bo, a struggling artist, finds unexpected purpose when she becomes the caregiver for Mia, a 130-year-old woman who refuses to leave their disappearing city. As their bond deepens, Bo rediscovers her artistic calling — and learns profound lessons about memory, loss, and what it truly means to put down roots. 

In the subgenre of Cli-Fi (climate fiction), All the Waterin the World by Eiren Caffall, Private Rites by Julia Armfield, and Wild DarkShore by Charlotte McConaghy are also excellent.  They are new as well and may also be a bit difficult to get hold of right now, so look for Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker or The Naming Song by Jedediah Berry.

The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff

Follow four generations of the Texas Bright family in this engaging saga. When Lillian and Ryan marry, they’re both keeping secrets from each other: Lillian has a son already, and Ryan is addicted to alcohol. Their daughter, Georgette, tries to separate from her parents, but when Lillian’s son reappears, Georgette must truly consider the meaning of forgiveness and family.

Other family sagas of note include The Son by Philipp Meyer and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. More brutally beautiful (or beautifully brutal?) are Animalia and Son of Man, both by Jean-Baptiste del Amo, and Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen.

The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

A lottery winner with a failing heart, PJ Halliday sets off on a cross-country road trip to reunite with his high school crush — but his plans take an unexpected turn when he becomes the guardian of his estranged brother’s orphaned grandchildren. Joined by his adult daughter and a death-predicting cat, PJ sets out on a journey that could give him a second chance at love and family.

From road trips to journeys of growth, these other titles will also move you: How Does that Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? By Anna Montegue, How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Doktorski (YA and oh so fun!), and The Guncle by Steven Rowley.

The Tenant by Freida McFadden

When Blake Porter’s boss at his advertising firm dies by suicide, Blake gets a big promotion. To celebrate, he and his fiancée, Krista, purchase an expensive brownstone. When Blake is laid off almost as soon as they close on the house, they’re plunged into financial crisis. Against their better judgment, they decide to rent out the spare bedroom to make ends meet, feeling lucky when bright, affable Whitney Cross signs a lease. But their relief soon curdles as Whitney becomes increasingly hostile and unpleasant, and Blake begins to wonder if she’s a sociopath — but is Blake himself all that he seems?

When rentals go horribly, terribly wrong!  For more thrilling and chilling stories of rogue housemates, try The Tenant by Roland Topor, The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon, and Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch.

Swept Away by Beth O’Leary

When their one-night stand turns into a nautical nightmare, Zeke and Lexi wake up adrift on an untethered houseboat. With limited supplies and endless hours together, survival isn’t their only challenge… falling in love might just be the riskiest part of it all! Jodi Picoult raves: “Suffice to say I drowned — happily — in this book.”

Close quarters in a boat also bring Daisy and Theo together in the sweet romance, New Beginnings at Wildflower Lock by Hannah Lynn.  Hannah Lynn's complete catalog is availabe in ebook and eaudio on Hoopla.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick (ebook and eaudio are available in Hoopla, no lines and no waiting!)

Margaret Ryan’s suburban life in 1960s Virginia seems picture-perfect, but she still feels an inexplicable sense of discontentment. When intriguing new neighbor Charlotte Gustafson moves to the area, Margaret engineers a book club to find reasons to bond with her, leading to a year that the women in their quiet neighborhood won’t likely forget.

Women banding together makes for compelling narratives in these titles as well: The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner, The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (ebook and eaudio on Hoopla!), Annie Bot by Sierra Greer (ebook and eaudio on Hoopla!), The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, and Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid.

What Is Wrong with You? By Paul Rudnick

A collection of quirky characters all head to a billionaire’s destination wedding on a private island. Each and every one of them just wants to celebrate with the lucky couple, have a good time — and maybe discover why they haven’t found love themselves. 

If a bad mood cure is what you’re after, also try The Schoolof Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney (eaudio available in Hoopla, no lines and no waiting!), and My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith.

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein

Every summer, a charming lake house in Maine is visited in turn by Vivian Levy and Lucy Webster — half sisters who don’t know the other exists. After their father’s death, each woman is shocked to find the other grieving at the cabin. They both must face the betrayals of their parents’ pasts… and discover how to build a new kind of family for the future.

Catch up on some Orenstein's backlist titles in eaudio on Hoopla! Explore more of the Maine scenery or complicated family relationships in these: Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan, The Half Sister by Sandie Jones, Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, and Fifty Words for Rain by Asha Lemmie.

Passion Project by London Sperry

Grieving and directionless, Bennet Taylor feels stuck after the death of her first love. When she drunkenly confesses to the man she stood up that she’s not ready to date, Henry Adams proposes a challenge: Every Saturday, they’ll try an activity to help her rediscover passion. As their adventures push Bennet out of her comfort zone, her connection with Henry grows deeper…

Relationship-forward and poignant, these are also very empathetic tales: Sipsworth by Simon van Booy (ebook and eaudio on Hoopla), Weekends with You by Alexandra Paige (ebook and eaudio on Hoopla), P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern (ebook and eaudio on Hoopla), The Life List by Lori Spielman, and The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin (ebook and eaudio on Hoopla).

https://www.bookbub.com/blog/new-books-to-read-by-the-pool-2025