heartwarming new fiction

 

Some of the Most Anticipated Heartwarming Fiction of This Year

If you’re looking for that cozy, feel-good vibe, add these to your hold lists and TBRs!  These new titles will tug at your heartstrings, bring a tear to your eye, or a smile to your face 😊

Already published:

Better Than Friends by Jill Shalvis

Old flames reignite in Sunrise Cove in this charming enemies-to-lovers, second-chance, small-town, forced-proximity love story about family, friendships, and true love.

The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds by Jennifer Moorman

Infused with magical detail and heartfelt storytelling, The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds is a tale of resilience in the face of loss and a testament to the timeless bond of family.

The Rainfall Market by You Yeong-Gwang

On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the first day of the rainy season, you'll be granted entrance into the mysterious Rainfall Market—where you can choose to completely change your life.

The Snowbirds by Christina Clancy

Is it ever too late to become the person we wanted to be—and is there still time to change into someone better? The exhilarating, but often confusing transitions of midlife are pitched against the promise and glamour of Palm Springs in this tender, honest story of what it takes to commit to someone for a lifetime.

This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer

An homage to New York City, to romance, and even to loss, This Is a Love Story tenderly and suspensefully captures deep truths about life and marriage in radiant prose. It is about love that endures despite what life throws at us, or perhaps even because of it.

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.

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Told with deep sensitivity and a tart sense of humor, full of the joys and heartbreaks of love and marriage and family life, this is the story of a socially awkward mother of the bride navigating the days before and after her daughter's wedding.

Forthcoming:

Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone

Grieving the loss of her best friend, a young woman’s life is turned upside down when she meets a grumpy stranger who swears he can help her live again. Release date: March 5

One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter

A remarkable tale of friendship, motherhood, and survival, One Good Thing is a tender reminder that love for another person, even amidst darkness and uncertainty, can be reason to keep going. Release date: March 4

The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry

Inspired by a true literary mystery, Henry returns with the sweeping story of a legendary book, a lost mother, and a daughter’s search for them both. Release date: March 18

Beach Vibes by Susan Mallery

An unforgettable beach read about love, secrets, betrayal and the family we’re born into—and the one we choose for ourselves. Release date: March 18

All Our Beautiful Goodbyes by Julianne MacLean

A shining thread of hope illuminates this epic tale of lost love and fallen dreams, set in the remote splendor of Nova Scotia and spanning decades. Release date: March 25

The World’s Fair Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

A timely celebration of quilting, family, community, and history. Release date: April 1

Spilling the Tea by Brenda Jackson

Ninetysomething Mama Laverne is determined to find all of her great-grandchildren their perfect match before going home to glory. So far, her success rate is 100 percent—and she intends to keep it that way. Release date: April 1

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez

There might be no such a thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes—all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date—possibly the best in living history—Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that her family is in crisis and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget  that something between them. And the only thing better than one single perfect memory is to make a life—and even a love—worth remembering. Release date: April 1

Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory

Avery Jensen is almost thirty, fresh off a breakup, and she’s tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially women), flirt with everyone she sees, wear something not from the business casual section of her closet—all the fun stuff normal people do in their twenties. One problem: Avery doesn't know where to start. Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley's biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can't make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. (Two whole months? Without sex? Taylor?!?!) So, she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. Release date: April 8

The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner

A glimmering novel set in the world of pop music about sisters, motherhood, young love, and the dreams we chase. Release date: April 8

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

The Book Club for Troublesome Women is a humorous, thought provoking, and nostalgic romp through one pivotal and tumultuous American year--as well as an ode to self-discovery, persistence, and the power of sisterhood. Release date: April 22

Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of a woman with more than a couple of plot twists up her sleeve. Release date: April 22

Summer Light on Nantucket by Nancy Thayer

A touching novel about parenthood, first love, family bonds, and rekindled relationships. Release date: April 22

Gold Coast Dilemma by Nana Malone

A romance about a Ghanaian American heiress faced with the dilemma of choosing between culture and a love connection. Release date: April 29

My Friends by Fredrik Backman

An unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later. This tale is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art. Release date: May 20

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club by Martha Hall Kelly

Two sisters living on Martha’s Vineyard during World War II find hope in the power of storytelling when they start a wartime book club for women in this spectacular novel inspired by true events. Release date: May 27

The Guest Cottage by Lori Foster

Love, forgiveness, and renewal take center stage in the haven of a quiet lakeside town when two very different women bond over one man’s betrayals. Release date: May 27

These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean

A razor-sharp, wildly sexy novel about a wealthy New England family's long-overdue reckoning…and one week that threatens to tear them apart. Release date: July 8

The Academy by Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham

Elin Hilderbrand teams up with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, to deliver a dishy, page-turning novel following an intertwined cast of characters over the course of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school. Release date: September 16

Calling All Blessings by Beverly Jenkins

Tamar July, town matriarch of Henry Adams, KS, is being haunted by dreams of her humiliating wedding day, sixty years ago, when she discovered her intended, Joel Newton, was already married. The truth left her furious, heartbroken, and carrying a child, her son Malachi “Mal” July. Why are these dreams coming to her now? And is the great horned owl perched on her backyard shed somehow connected? When Joel’s legitimate son comes to Henry Adams wanting to meet his half-brother, Mal, Tamar must deal with her past, her anger, and explore what it means to truly forgive. Release date: October 28

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www.bookbub.com/blog/the-best-heartwarming-fiction-2025
Photo by Julian Hochgesang on Unsplash
 

 

air & space

 

Upcoming programs for adults:

Sat, Feb 1: 9am to noon – Crafterday (a bring-your-own-craft drop-in program to socialize with other crafters, no instruction provided)

Sat, Feb 1: registration opens for redemption vouchers to the Feb 21 & 22 Alabama Symphony Villa-Bobos + Shostakovich performances

Mon, Feb 10: 6:30-7:30pm – Great Short Stories discussion group (“Before Tonde, After Tonde” by Petina Gappah)

Thu, Feb 20: 6-8pm – Preview Party for the Friends of O’Neal Library Annual Book Sale (Donors of $50 or more since February 2024 will receive an invitation. Donate now online, or donations will also be accepted at the door)

Fri, Feb 21 & Sat, Feb 22: 10am-5pm – Friends of O’Neal Library Annual Book Sale open to the public

Sun, Feb 23: 2-5pm - Friends of O'Neal Library Annual Book Sale open to the public

Tue, Feb 25: 6:30-8pm – Books & Beyond discussion group chatting about magical realism in novels & films

(image description:  recent cross stitch project completed by librarian Holley Wesley.  Pattern is from Climbing Goat Designs: "James Webb Space Telescope Stitchalong")

Last night, the Books & Beyond discussion group met to chat about air travel and space exploration.

Youtube video essay (39 minutes) by Mina Le & Abbey Frank, “underconsumption-core, travel outfits, and Paul Mescal’s shorts”

Participant comments: “It’s a really cool look at airport fashion, from how people dressed flying in the 50s and 60s to now. Includes some interesting stuff about flight attendant fashion!”

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham

Winner of the 2024 Kirkus Nonfiction Prize • Shortlisted for the 2025 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • Finalist for the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award in Nonfiction • A New York Times Notable Book of 2024

Higginbotham reveals the history of the shuttle program and the lives of men and women whose stories have been overshadowed by the disaster, as well as the designers, engineers, and test pilots who struggled against the odds to get the first shuttle into space. A masterful blend of riveting human drama and fascinating and absorbing science, Challenger identifies a turning point in history—and brings to life an even more complex and astonishing story than we remember.

Soviet Space Dogs by Olesya Turkina

This book is dedicated to the Soviet Space Dogs, who played a crucial part in the Soviet Space program. These homeless dogs, plucked from the streets of Moscow, were selected because they fitted the program's criteria: weighing no more than 15 pounds, measuring no more than 14 inches in length, robust, photogenic and with a calm temperament. These characteristics enabled the dogs to withstand the extensive training that was needed to prepare them for suborbital, then for orbital, space fights. Images of the Space Dogs proliferated, reproduced on everyday goods across the Soviet Union: cigarette packets, tins of sweets, badges, stamps and postcards all bore their likenesses. Soviet Space Dogs uses these unique items to illustrate the story (in fact and fiction) of how they became fairytale idols.

Blind Watchers of the Sky: The People and Ideas that Shaped Our View of the Universe by Rocky Kolb

In this immensely readable book, noted cosmologist Rocky Kolb reveals the very human struggles of astronomy superstars seeking cosmic truths while lost in the clouds of confusion. Punctuated by the author's razor-sharp wit, this book provides anyone curious about science with a behind-the-scenes peek into the discovery process…it's not exactly the scientific method you learned in school.

Interstellar (2014)

In Earth's future, a global crop blight and second Dust Bowl are slowly rendering the planet uninhabitable. Professor Brand (Michael Caine), a brilliant NASA physicist, is working on plans to save mankind by transporting Earth's population to a new home via a wormhole. But first, Brand must send former NASA pilot Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) and a team of researchers through the wormhole and across the galaxy to find out which of three planets could be mankind's new home.

Brian Greene

Professor Greene is world-renowned for his groundbreaking discoveries in the field of superstring theory, including the co-discovery of mirror symmetry and the discovery of spatial topology change. He is the director of Columbia’s Center for Theoretical Physics.

Professor Greene is known to the public through his New York Times best-selling books and numerous media appearances from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert to Charlie Rose. The Washington Post called him “the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today.” Professor Greene has hosted two NOVA mini-series based on his books, receiving the George Foster Peabody award for “The Elegant Universe with Brian Greene.” Greene has had cameo roles in several Hollywood films including Frequency, Maze and The Last Mimzy and in 2008, with producer Tracy Day, co-founded the World Science Festival. He is the director of Columbia’s Center for Theoretical Physics.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

A visionary work that combines speculative fiction with deep philosophical inquiry, The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end.

The Space Barons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the Quest to Colonize the Cosmos by Christian Davenport

Based on years of reporting and exclusive interviews with all four billionaires, including Richard Branson and Paul Allen, this authoritative account is a dramatic tale of risk and high adventure, the birth of a new Space Age, fueled by some of the world's richest men as they struggle to end governments' monopoly on the cosmos. The Space Barons is also a story of rivalry-hard-charging startups warring with established contractors, and the personal clashes of the leaders of this new space movement, particularly Musk and Bezos, as they aim for the moon and Mars and beyond.

Pillars of Creation: How the James Webb Telescope Unlocked the Secrets of the Cosmos by Richard Panek

The James Webb Space Telescope is transforming the universe right before our eyes—and here, for the first time, is the inside account of how the mission originated, how it performs its miracles of science, and what its revolutionary images are revealing.

NOVA: Ultimate Space Telescope (PBS)

How did NASA engineers build and launch the most ambitious telescope of all time? Follow the dramatic story of the James Webb Space Telescope—the most complex machine ever launched into space. If it works, scientists believe that this new eye on the universe will peer deeper back in time and space than ever before to the birth of galaxies, and may even be able to “sniff” the atmospheres of exoplanets as we search for signs of life beyond Earth.

Above All Else: A World Champion Skydiver’s Story of Survival and What it Taught Him About Fear, Adversity, and Success by Dan Brodsky-Chenfeld (Not available in the JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

Dan survived a plane crash from which sixteen of the twenty-two people on board were killed. He was left critically injured and woke up from a six-week-long coma with a broken neck, broken skull, severe head trauma, a collapsed lung, and other serious internal injuries. Against all odds, Dan recovered and went on to become one of the greatest competitive skydiver in the world. With the love and support of friends and family, Dan was able not only to resurrect his life but return to skydiving to achieve greater heights than he could have ever imagined.

The Long Way Home: A Journey into History with Captain Robert Ford by Ed Dover (Not available in the JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)

The story of how a Pan American Airways B-314 flying boat, caught in the South Pacific, made an unplanned flight around the world following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Flying in total secrecy and radio blackout, Captain Ford and his 10 man crew flew over 31,500 miles in six weeks, avoiding enemy action in their effort to return safely to the United States. An astounding feat in 1941!

Stateless by Elizabeth Wein

When Stella North is chosen to represent Britain in Europe’s first air race for young people, she knows all too well how high the stakes are. As the only participating female pilot, it’ll be a constant challenge to prove she’s a worthy competitor. But promoting peace in Europe, the goal of the race, feels empty to Stella when civil war is raging in Spain and the Nazis are gaining power—and when, right from the start, someone resorts to cutthroat sabotage to get ahead of the competition.
 
The world is looking for inspiration in what’s meant to be a friendly sporting event. But each of the racers is hiding a turbulent and violent past, and any one of them might be capable of murder—including Stella herself. Agatha Christie meets Karen McManus in this thrilling mystery, packed with adventure, intrigue, love, and betrayal, from bestselling and award-winning author Elizabeth Wein.

Item descriptions pulled from Amazon, PBS, and Rotten Tomatoes.

 

 

mystery lovers rejoice

 

Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce, as they celebrate the 216th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Allan Poe, the nominees for the 2025 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction and nonfiction published in 2024. The 79th Annual Edgar® Awards will be celebrated on May 1, 2025, at the New York Marriott Marquis Times Square.

BEST NOVEL

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 
Rough Trade by Katrina Carrasco 
Things Don’t Break on Their Own by Sarah Easter Collins
My Favorite Scar by Nicolás Ferraro
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore 
Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera 
The In Crowd by Charlotte Vassell 

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton 
Cold to the Touch by Kerri Hakoda 
The Mechanics of Memory by Audrey Lee
A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis
The President’s Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins
Holy City by Henry Wise 

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle 
The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass 
Shell Games by Bonnie Kistler 
A Forgotten Kill by Isabella Maldonado 
The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson 

BEST FACT CRIME

Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers by Frank Figliuzzi 

The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective by Steven Johnson 

A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton by Deb Miller Landau 

The Amish Wife: Unraveling the Lies, Secrets, and Conspiracy that Let a Killer Go Free by Gregg Olsen 

Hell Put to Shame: The 1921 Murder Farm Massacre and the Horror of America’s Second Slavery by Earl Swift 

The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age by Michael Wolraich 

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

James Sallis: A Companion to the Mystery Fiction by Nathan Ashman

American Noir Film: From The Maltese Falcon to Gone Girl by M. Keith Booker

Organized Crime on Page and Screen: Portrayals in Hit Novels, Films, and Television Shows by David Geherin

On Edge: Gender and Genre in the Work of Shirley Jackson, Patricia Highsmith, and Leigh Brackett by Ashley Lawson

Ian Fleming; The Complete Man by Nicholas Shakespeare 

BEST JUVENILE

The Beanstalk Murder by P.G. Bell 
Mystery of Mystic Mountain by Janet Fox 
Mysteries of Trash and Treasure: The Stolen Key by Margaret Peterson Haddix 
The Spindle of Fate by Aimee Lim 
Find Her by Ginger Reno 
 
BEST YOUNG ADULT

Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell 
The Bitter End by Alexa Donne 
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur 
Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson 
49 Miles Alone by Natalie D. Richards 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

OUR OTHER AWARDS

 THE SIMON & SCHUSTER MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD – Presented on behalf of Simon & Schuster.

The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen 
The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco by Michelle Chouinard 
The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill 
Return to Wyldcliffe Heights by Carol Goodman 
Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen 

THE G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS SUE GRAFTON MEMORIAL AWARD – Presented on behalf of G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong 
A Game of Lies by Clare Mackintosh 
Proof by Beverly McLachlin
A World of Hurt by Mindy Mejia 
All the Way Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen 
The Comfort of Ghosts by Jacqueline Winspear 

THE LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN MEMORIAL AWARD – Endowed by the estate of Lilian Jackson Braun.

The Murders in Great Diddling by Katarina Bivald 
Death and Fromage by Ian Moore 
Booked for Murder by P.J. Nelson
Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose 
The Treasure Hunters Club by Tom Ryan 

 

reading & writing

 

Upcoming programs!  Visit the O'Neal Library calendar for more information and program registration!

Sat, Nov 30 – 10am-noon: Great Short Stories Film Series screening Smoke (Rated R/1h52m)
Sun, Dec 8 – 3pm: City of Mountain Brook Holiday Parade ( I had the date wrong at the meeting!)
Mon, Dec 9 – 6:30pm: Great Short Stories Bookclub discussing “Augie Wren’s Christmas Story” by Paul Auster
Sat, Dec 14 – 9am-noon: Crafterday!  Bring your own craft
Sun, Jan 12 – 3-4:30pm: Great Short Stories Film series screening The Swimmer (Rated PG/1h34m)
Mon, Jan 13 – 6:30pm: Great Short Stories Bookclub discussing The Swimmer by John Cheever
Tue, Jan 28 – 6:30pm: Books & Beyond Discussion Group discussing air travel & space exploration

This week, Books & Beyond met to talk about reading & writing!

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

From Buffalo to Alaska, Washington to the Dry Tortugas, Vowell visits locations immortalized and influenced by the spilling of politically important blood, reporting as she goes with her trademark blend of wisecracking humor, remarkable honesty, and thought-provoking criticism. The resulting narrative is much more than an entertaining and informative travelogue—it is the disturbing and fascinating story of how American death has been manipulated by popular culture, including literature, architecture, sculpture, and—the author’s favorite—historical tourism.

There There by Tommy Orange

A wondrous and shattering award-winning novel that follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize.

Drunk History (tv program)

The passage of time often has a way of rewriting history. So does a few drinks. The half-hour series "Drunk History" -- based on the award-winning web series – offers reenactments of famous events in history as told by inebriated storytellers. Each episode takes a tour of a U.S. city to explore stories and people from its rich past. Those stories are related in often-confusing ways by drunken narrators and performed by an all-star cast that includes Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Connie Britton, Michael Cera, Bill Hader, Kevin Nealon, Bob Odenkirk and Winona Ryder. Figures such as Teddy Roosevelt, Patty Hearst, Billy the Kid, Al Capone, and Lewis and Clark are profiled, as are seminal moments like the Battle of the Alamo, Watergate, and the Scopes Monkey Trial. Click here to enjoy one of my favorite episodes about the Kellogg brothers!

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer.  It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life. But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast "Listen for the Lie," and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it. The truth is out there, if we just listen.

The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear by Ralph Keyes (not available in the JCLC, request via Interlibrary Loan)

In The Courage to Write, Ralph Keyes, an author who has taught writing for more than thirty years, assures us that anxiety is felt by writers at every level, especially when they dare to do their best. He describes the sequence of "courage points" through which all writers must pass, from the challenge of identifying a worthwhile project to the mixture of pride and panic they feel when examining a newly published book or article.

Keyes also offers specifics on how to root out dread of public "performance" and of the judgment of family and friends, make the best use of writers' workshops and conferences, and handle criticism of works in progress. Throughout, he includes the comments of many accomplished writers -- Pat Conroy, Amy Tan, Rita Dove, Isabel Allende, and others -- on how they transcended their own fears to produce great works.

Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice by Vanessa Zoltan

Our favorite reads keep us company, give us hope, and help us find meaning in a chaotic world. In this fresh and relatable work, atheist chaplain Vanessa Zoltan blends memoir and personal growth as she grapples with the notions of family legacy and identity through the lens of her favorite novel, Jane Eyre. Informed by her training at the Harvard Divinity School and filtered through the pages of Jane Eyre as well as Little Women, Harry Potter, and The Great Gatsby, Zoltan explores topics ranging from the trauma she has inherited as the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors to finding hope, meaning, and even magic in our deeply fractured times.

Sacred Reading: The Ancient Art of Lectio Divina by Michael Casey (not available in the JCLC, request via Interlibrary Loan)

Examines the Western tradition of lectio divina (a spiritual and prayerful approach to reading the sacred texts) in order to help readers expand their spiritual approach to living.

Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him. 

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre

Helena Roth is known for her stories, and four years ago, she told the best one of all - a story the police and the public swallowed without question. Now, she lives alone with her secrets and her regrets, her solitude interrupted by a diagnosis that will force her to confess the truth. She sits down to pen her final novel, one that shares every sorbid detail, but is running out of time and must enlist the help of her biggest competition and arch rival: Marka Vantly. When these two polar opposites collide, an unlikely connection emerges and breathes life into a true story that will stun the readers, the police, and the world.

The Thirteenth Tale by Curtis Sittenfeld

Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author's tale of gothic strangeness—featuring the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.

I Want You More by Swan Huntley

Reeling from her father’s death, Zara Pines accepts a ghostwriting gig for celebrity chef Jane Bailey. Jane, star of the wildly popular cooking show 30 Bucks Tops, invites Zara to live in her East Hampton home for the summer. Zara doesn’t want to go, but Jane insists.

As the two women create Jane’s book, their attachment grows stronger. Zara, who’s lost and in search of an identity, finds one in the shadow of Jane. She starts wearing Jane’s clothes. And speaking like Jane. And adopting Jane’s mannerisms. Eventually, the line between them blurs and Zara starts to see the side Jane keeps hidden from the cameras. this dark and twisty novel about fame, lies, and obsession will make even the most open-hearted reader question how safe it is to trust the people they love.

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Told with equal measures of humor and heartbreak, Commonwealth is a meditation on inspiration, interpretation, and the ownership of stories. It is a brilliant and tender tale of the far-reaching ties of love and responsibility that bind us together.

McGuffey and His Readers: Piety, Morality, and Education in Nineteenth-Century America by John H. Westerhoff (not available in the JCLC, request via Interlibrary Loan)

William Holmes McGuffey -- teacher, preacher, college president, writer, educational reformer, and schoolbook compiler -- is perhaps the most important figure in the history of American public education, yet very few people know much about the man himself. Except for a few letters, a pair of handwritten sermons, and one unpublished manuscript on moral philosophy, his known writings are few. This book makes available some of those scarce writings as it looks at the man and his textbooks. It is estimated that at least 120 million copies of McGuffey's Readers were sold between 1836 and 1920, placing their sales in a class with the Bible and Webster's Dictionary. Indeed, since 1961 they have continued to sell at a rate of some thirty thousand copies a year.

Genius (Rated PG-13, 2016, 1h 44m)

Renowned editor Maxwell Perkins (Colin Firth) develops a friendship with author Thomas Wolfe (Jude Law) while working on the writer's manuscripts.

The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron

From deep in the trenches of the Great War to the storied English countryside and the devastating Coventry Blitz of World War II, The British Booksellers explores the unbreakable bonds that unite us through love, loss, and the enduring solace that can be found between the pages of a book.

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann

This “celebration of the world of books” (Kirkus) from New York Times bestselling author James Patterson is a collection of riveting stories celebrating the heroic efforts of the people who are on the front lines getting our books into the world.​

Loving Literature: A Cultural History by Deidre Lynch (not available in the JCLC, request via Interlibrary Loan)

One of the most common—and wounding—misconceptions about literary scholars today is that they simply don’t love books. While those actually working in literary studies can easily refute this claim, such a response risks obscuring a more fundamental question: why should they?

That question led Deidre Shauna Lynch into the historical and cultural investigation of Loving Literature. How did it come to be that professional literary scholars are expected not just to study, but to love literature, and to inculcate that love in generations of students? What Lynch discovers is that books, and the attachments we form to them, have played a vital role in the formation of private life—that the love of literature, in other words, is deeply embedded in the history of literature. Yet at the same time, our love is neither self-evident nor ahistorical: our views of books as objects of affection have clear roots in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century publishing, reading habits, and domestic history.

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…
For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives. But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

The Wildest Sun by Asha Lemmie

When tragedy forces Delphine Auber, an aspiring writer on the cusp of adulthood, from her home in postwar Paris, she seizes the opportunity to embark on the journey she's long dreamed of: finding the father she has never known. But her quest—spanning from Paris to New York’s Harlem, to Havana and Key West—is complicated by the fact that she believes him to be famed luminary Ernest Hemingway, a man just as elusive as he is iconic. She desperately yearns for his approval, as both a daughter and a writer, convinced that he holds the key to who she's truly meant to be. But what will happen if she is wrong, or if her real story falls outside of the legend of her parentage that she’s revered all her life? 

The King in Yellow by Richard Chambers

In a world that teeters between reality and hallucination, The King in Yellow, first published in 1895, stands as a collection of tales that unravel the fabric of the mind. Step into the haunting landscapes and unsettling cities, where you'll meet characters entranced by a mysterious play—a play so powerful, it drives its readers mad. Once its words have gripped your soul, there's no turning back.

Haunting, philosophical, and irresistibly engrossing, this literary masterpiece delves into forbidden knowledge and the human psyche's darker recesses. Inspired by the cosmos, occultism, and the labyrinth of the human condition, each story is an enigmatic tapestry woven of existential dread and otherworldly intrigue.

Discover why H.P. Lovecraft and countless other masters of the horror genre have found inspiration in this classic work. In a realm where psychological terror meets supernatural suspense, the veil between worlds is thin—and the King in Yellow reigns supreme.

Book and film/tv descriptions pulled from Amazon and Rotten Tomatoes. 

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

magic & illusion

 

The next Books & Beyond discussion club (BAB) will be Tuesday, November 19th at 6:30pm.  The topic up for discussion is any book or film related to reading and/or writing. This week, BAB met to chat about magic & illusion.

Half Magic by Edward Eager (Tales of Magic series #1)

It all begins with a strange coin on a sun-warmed sidewalk. Jane finds the coin, and because she and her siblings are having the worst, most dreadfully boring summer ever, she idly wishes something exciting would happen. And something does: Her wish is granted. Or not quite. Only half of her wish comes true. It turns out the coin grants wishes—but only by half, so that you must wish for twice as much as you want. Enjoy all seven of the middle grade novels in Edward Eager's beloved Tales of Magic series!

At the Coffee Shop of Curiosities by Heather Webber

When Ava Harrison receives a letter containing an unusual job listing one month after the sudden death of her ex-boyfriend, the job is the perfect chance to start a new life. On the surface, Maggie Mae Brightwell is a bundle of energy as she runs a coffee and curiosity shop, where there’s magic to be found in pairing the old with the new. But keeping busy is just the best way to distract herself from lingering loss and worry. Ava and Maggie soon find they’re kindred spirits, as they’re both haunted―not by spirits, but by regret. Both must learn to let go of the past to move on―because sometimes the waves of change bring you to the place where you most belong.

Pearl by Josh Malerman

“Daring readers should find this tale of a malevolent telepathic pig to be a memorable experience.”—Booklist (starred review)

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez

A woman’s mysterious death puts her husband and son on a collision course with her demonic family in the first novel to be translated into English by the International Booker Prize–shortlisted author of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed—“the most exciting discovery I’ve made in fiction for some time” (Kazuo Ishiguro).

Petty Magic by Camille DeAngelis

Evelyn Harbinger sees nothing wrong with a one-night stand. At 149 years old, Eve may look like she bakes oatmeal cookies in the afternoon and dozes in her rocking chair in the evening, but once the gray hair and wrinkles are traded for jet-black tresses and porcelain skin, she can still turn heads as the beautiful girl she once was. Can’t fault a girl for having a little fun, can you? This is all fine and well until Eve meets Justin, who reminds her so much of a former lover that one night is no longer enough. In this captivating tale of adventure and timeless romance, novelist Camille DeAngelis blends World War II heroics with witchcraft and wit, conjuring a fabulously rich world where beldames and mortal men dare to fall in love.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Magicians trilogy #1)

The prequel to the New York Times bestselling book The Magician King and the #1 bestseller The Magician's Land, The Magicians is one of the most daring and inventive works of literary fantasy in years. No one who has escaped into the worlds of Narnia and Harry Potter should miss this breathtaking return to the landscape of the imagination.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Written in 1610-1611, The Tempest is set on a remote island and is centered on the sorcerer Prospero, his daughter Miranda, and their two servants, Caliban and Ariel, who all live in exile on the island. One of Shakespeare's most complex and nuanced comedies, The Tempest remains a favorite of audiences and of scholars, featuring many of Shakespeare's most memorable characters and lines.

The Grand Illusion by Syd Moore

Historical fiction inspired by the War Office response to the Nazi obsession with the occult.

Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham

Nightmare Alley begins with an extraordinary description of a carnival-show geek—alcoholic and abject and the object of the voyeuristic crowd’s gleeful disgust and derision—going about his work at a county fair. Young Stan Carlisle is working as a carny, and he wonders how a man could fall so low. There’s no way in hell, he vows, that anything like that will ever happen to him.

And since Stan is clever and ambitious and not without a useful streak of ruthlessness, soon enough he’s going places. Onstage he plays the mentalist with a cute assistant (before long his harried wife), then he graduates to full-blown spiritualist, catering to the needs of the rich and gullible in their well-upholstered homes. It looks like the world is Stan’s for the taking. At least for now.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Is eternal life a blessing or a curse? That is what young Winnie Foster must decide when she discovers a spring on her family’s property whose waters grant immortality. Members of the Tuck family, having drunk from the spring, tell Winnie of their experiences watching life go by and never growing older. But then Winnie must decide whether or not to keep the Tucks’ secret―and whether or not to join them on their never-ending journey.

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman

Sixteen extraordinary authors—including New York Times bestsellers Melissa de la Cruz, Renée Ahdieh, and Julie Kagawa—reimagine the folklore and mythology of East and South Asia in short stories that are by turns enchanting, heartbreaking, romantic, and passionate.

Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn

A blind musician with amazing talent is called upon to perform for the dead. Faceless creatures haunt an unwary traveler. A beautiful woman — the personification of winter at its cruelest — ruthlessly kills unsuspecting mortals. These and 17 other chilling supernatural tales — based on legends, myths, and beliefs of ancient Japan — represent the very best of Lafcadio Hearn's literary style. They are also a culmination of his lifelong interest in the endlessly fascinating customs and tales of the country where he spent the last fourteen years of his life, translating into English the atmospheric stories he so avidly collected.Teeming with undead samurais, man-eating goblins, and other terrifying demons, these classic ghost stories inspired the Oscar-nominated 1964 film of the same name.

Mrs. Davis (not available in the JCLC, streaming by subscription on Peacock, available to rent or buy on Amazon)

After being ousted from her convent, Sister Simone vows to destroy the one responsible: a powerful artificial intelligence known as Mrs. Davis. To exact her revenge, Simone makes a deal with the algorithm and is thrust into a dangerous world of secret societies, religious conspiracies and age-old legends as she searches for the whereabouts of the most clichéd and overused MacGuffin -- the Holy Grail. To complete the ridiculous and farfetched task, Simone teams up with her rebellious ex-boyfriend, Wiley, who is now the leader of an underground resistance movement dedicated to stopping Mrs. Davis. Together they face a variety of mysterious and powerful forces as they search for the Grail, the one thing capable of destroying the algorithm once and for all. As they grow closer to completing their quest, Simone must confront her past, prove the strength of her faith and uncover long-hidden secrets as she fights to liberate a society that may not want to be freed.

I Married a Witch (digital only: depending on city of residence, available on Kanopy with a valid library card)

Just as she is about to be burned at the stake for witchcraft, 17th century witch Jennifer (Veronica Lake) casts a curse on the family of her accuser, dooming all the men of future generations to marry the wrong women. Freed from her ethereal prison some 250 years later, Jennifer decides to make the most recent descendant of her accuser (Fredric March) even more miserable by using a love potion on him that makes him fall in love with her, a plan that has unexpected results.

Bell, Book, and Candle

In the late 1950s, Gillian Holroyd (Kim Novak) is a modern-day witch living in New York City's Greenwich Village. When she encounters charming publisher Shepherd Henderson (James Stewart), she decides to make him hers by casting a love spell. Gillian takes added pleasure in doing so because Henderson is engaged to her old college rival (Janice Rule). However, Gillian finds herself actually falling for Shepherd, which poses a problem: She will lose her powers if she falls in love.

One Night on Halloween by Thea Masen (not available in the JCLC, Amazon ebook and paperback purchase only)

Zoe thought she’s spend her Halloween watching movies and passing out candy, until the single dad next door comes over dressed as Dracula. Zoe and her hot neighbor slip into character, only to find out that this role-playing is more than just pretend.

What starts as an innocent one-night stand turns mysteriously magical, and a new tradition is born. As their yearly Halloween encounters become more passionate and intense, Zoe has to ask herself, are these feelings real or just a costume?

Corny by Sabrina Cross (not available in the JCLC, Amazon ebook and paperback purchase only)

A True Love Spell Gone Wrong. A Demon Fairy Godmother? Her Very Soul on the Line. 
Can Clover still find true love or is she destined to face the flames alone? Content Considerations: Corny is a paranormal romance that involves woman on stuffed animal action. This story is very weird and not for everyone.

Hallowpeen by Holly Wilde (not available in the JCLC, Amazon ebook and paperback purchase only)

Three women, one occult ritual, and an urban legend come true are waiting for you to discover just how delicious Halloween can be. Everyone in the small town of Hollow Springs knows that Halloween night is when the veil of sentience is at its thinnest. So no one would attempt a ridiculous ritual on the night of a full moon, right? Wrong.

Circe by Madeline Miller

This #1 New York Times bestseller is a "bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story" that brilliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of The Odyssey (Alexandra Alter, The New York Times).

Halloween poems collected by the Poetry Foundation

Spooky, scary, and fun poems that will make your hair curl.

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series #1)

Meet Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, in the first novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series that “blends the genres of romance, horror and adventure with stunning panache” (Diana Gabaldon). Anita Blake is small, dark, and dangerous. Her turf is the city of St. Louis. Her job: re-animating the dead and killing the undead who take things too far. But when the city’s most powerful vampire asks her to solve a series of vicious slayings, Anita must confront her greatest fear—her undeniable attraction to master vampire Jean-Claude, one of the creatures she is sworn to destroy...

Thief, Liar, Lady by D.L. Soria

“Happily Ever After” is a total scam, but at least this time the princess is the one controlling the grift—until her true love arrives and threatens to ruin the whole scheme. Intrigue, magic, and wit abound in this Cinderella fairytale reimagining, perfect for fans of Heather Walter and Naomi Novik.

My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

Roos Beckman has a spirit companion only she can see. Ruth―strange, corpse-like, and dead for centuries―is the light of Roos' life. That is, until the wealthy young widow Agnes Knoop visits one of Roos' backroom seances, and the two strike up a connection. 

Soon, Roos is whisked away to the crumbling estate Agnes inherited upon the death of her husband, where an ill woman haunts the halls, strange smells drift through the air at night, and mysterious stone statues reside in the family chapel. Something dreadful festers in the manor, but still, the attraction between Roos and Agnes is undeniable. Then, someone is murdered. Poor, alone, and with a history of 'hysterics', Roos is the obvious culprit. With her sanity and innocence in question, she'll have to prove who―or what―is at fault or lose everything she holds dear.

Hollow by C.M. Nascosta (not available in the JCLC, Amazon ebook only) 

From the New York Times bestselling author comes two smutty, spooky, dark academia, gothic romance retellings of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  In one, Ichabod Crane, Sleepy Hollow’s new schoolmaster, is on the prowl. After he happens upon two members of the polo club in flagrante delicto in the club’s locker room, he can’t get the headless hedonists out of his mind. In the other, Kat Van Tassel doesn't have to choose between Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane, and there are worse things haunting them than the Headless Horseman.

Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

A collection of well-loved stories for witches and wizards of all ages, The Tales of Beedle the Bard are the wizarding world's Grimm's Fairytales.

Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann

First published in 1845. Struwwelpeter (variously translated as "slovenly" or "shock-headed" Peter) has become widely recognized as one of the most popular and influential children's books ever written. Heinrich Hoffmann was a Frankfurt physician. Unhappy with the dry and pedagogic books available for children at the time, he wrote and illustrated Struwwelpeter as a Christmas present for his three-year-old son. The book relates in verse and pictures the often gruesome consequences that befall children who torment animals, play with matches, suck their thumbs, refuse to eat, fidget at meals, etc.

Lisa Frankenstein

A coming of RAGE love story from acclaimed writer Diablo Cody (Jennifer's Body) about a misunderstood teenager and her high school crush, who happens to be a handsome corpse. After a set of playfully horrific circumstances bring him back to life, the two embark on a murderous journey to find love, happiness... and a few missing body parts along the way.

Warm Bodies

A terrible plague has left the planet's population divided between zombies and humans. An unusual zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult) sees his walking-dead brethren attacking a living woman named Julie (Teresa Palmer) and rescues her. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and the pair embark on an unusual relationship. As their bond grows and R becomes more and more human, a chain of events unfolds that could transform the entire lifeless world.

Item descriptions pulled from Amazon and Rotten Tomatoes.

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

math and numbers

 

Upcoming programs:

Sunday, October 6 : 6-10pm
SLEEP IN CINEMA returns to Under the Mountain on October 6, 2024 at 6 PM for a double feature with live music that will melt your brain in your skull well before it’s even Halloween! Join us at the O’Neal Library for THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THIS WORLD (1920) and THE UNKNOWN (1927), featuring original scores performed by Birmingham-based musical acts BITTER CALM and B.SONNIER!  Register here: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/11330039

Saturday, October 12 : 9am-noon
Crafterday is a chance to visit with new friends while you work on your favorite craft or hobby. We will have tables and chairs, snacks and drinks. You bring the craft! Our session is open to anyone with any craft, drop in any time between 9-12 or stay the entire time, it's up to you!

Tuesday, October 29: 6:30-8pm
Books & Beyond (BAB) returns for a discussion of magic and illusion.  If you need inspiration, there is a display on the topic at the 2nd floor service desk.  Looking ahead to November, the topic is reading & writing and it will be the last meeting of the year as we will not meet in December.

🔢

Last night, BAB met to discuss math, numbers, and number sciences.

Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall by Zeke Faux

The “rollicking” (The Economist), “masterfully written” (The Washington Post) account of the crypto delusion, and how Sam Bankman-Fried and a cast of fellow nerds and hustlers turned useless virtual coins into trillions of dollars—hailed by Ezra Klein in The New York Times as one of the “Books That Explain Where We Are”

The Land of Big Numbers: Stories by Te-Ping Chen

A “stirring and brilliant” debut story collection, offering vivid portrayals of the men and women of modern China and its diaspora, “both love letter and sharp social criticism,” from a phenomenal new literary talent bringing great “insight from her years as a reporter with the Wall Street Journal” (Elle).

Got Your Number: The Greatest Sports Legends and the Numbers They Own by Mike Greenberg

ESPN personality (Get Up and #Greeny) and New York Times bestselling author Mike Greenberg partners with mega-producer Hembo to settle once and for all which legends flat-out own which numbers. In short essays certain to provoke debate between and amongst all generations, Greeny uses his lifetime of sports knowledge to spin yarns of the legends among the legends and tell you why some have claimed their spot in the top 100 of all time.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice—with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan—from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is a satirical novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott, first published in 1884. Written pseudonymously by "A Square",the book used the fictional two-dimensional world of Flatland to comment on the hierarchy of Victorian culture, but the novella's more enduring contribution is its examination of dimensions.

The Annotated Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott, introduction and notes by Ian Stewart

Published in 1884 by the English clergyman and headmaster Edwin A. Abbott, it is the fanciful tale of A. Square, a two-dimensional being who is whisked away by a mysterious visitor to The Land of Three Dimensions, an experience that forever alters his worldview.

Like the original, Ian Stewart's commentary takes readers on a strange and wonderful journey. With clarity and wit, Stewart illuminates Abbott's numerous Victorian references and touches on such diverse topics as ancient Babylon, Karl Marx, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Mt. Everest, H.G. Wells, and phrenology. The Annotated Flatland makes fascinating connections between Flatland and Abbott's era, resulting in a classic to rival Abbott's own, and a book that will inspire and delight curious readers for generations to come.

Spaceland: A Novel of the Fourth Dimension by Rudy Rucker

Rudy Rucker is a past master at turning mathematical concepts into rollicking science fiction adventure, from Spacetime Donuts and White Light to The Hacker and the Ants. In the tradition of Edwin A. Abbott's classic novel, Flatland, Rucker gives us a tour of higher mathematics and visionary realities. Spaceland is Flatland on hyperdrive!

The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity by Steven Strogatz

Many people take math in high school and promptly forget much of it. But math plays a part in all of our lives all of the time, whether we know it or not. In The Joy of x, Steven Strogatz expands on his hit New York Times series to explain the big ideas of math gently and clearly, with wit, insight, and brilliant illustrations.

The Imitation Code: Alan Turing Decoded by Jim Ottaviani, illustrated by Leland Purvis

English mathematician and scientist Alan Turing (1912–1954) is credited with many of the foundational principles of contemporary computer science. The Imitation Game presents a historically accurate graphic novel biography of Turing’s life, including his groundbreaking work on the fundamentals of cryptography and artificial intelligence.

The Imitation Game (film, 2014)

In 1939, newly created British intelligence agency MI6 recruits Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) to crack Nazi codes, including Enigma -- which cryptanalysts had thought unbreakable. Turing's team, including Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley), analyze Enigma messages while he builds a machine to decipher them. Turing and team finally succeed and become heroes, but in 1952, the quiet genius encounters disgrace when authorities reveal he is gay and send him to prison.

Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O’Neil

We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives—where we go to school, whether we can get a job or a loan, how much we pay for health insurance—are being made not by humans, but by machines. In theory, this should lead to greater fairness: Everyone is judged according to the same rules.
 
But as mathematician and data scientist Cathy O’Neil reveals, the mathematical models being used today are unregulated and uncontestable, even when they’re wrong. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination—propping up the lucky, punishing the downtrodden, and undermining our democracy in the process. Welcome to the dark side of Big Data.

Can Fish Count:: What Animals Reveal About Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds by Brian Butterworth

As cognitive psychologist Brian Butterworth shows us in Can Fish Count?, many “simple” animals—such as bees, which count trees and fence posts, and guppies, which can size up groups—have a sense of numbers. And unlike humans, they don’t need to be taught.  

In telling animals’ stories, Butterworth shines new light on one of our most ancient questions: Just where, exactly, do numbers come from? He reveals how insights gleaned from studying animals can help us make better sense of our own abilities. Full of discovery and delight, Can Fish Count? is an astonishing journey through the animal kingdom and the human mind. 

The Accountant (film, 2016)

Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) is a mathematics savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Using a small-town CPA office as a cover, he makes his living as a freelance accountant for dangerous criminal organizations. With a Treasury agent (J.K. Simmons) hot on his heels, Christian takes on a state-of-the-art robotics company as a legitimate client. As Wolff gets closer to the truth about a discrepancy that involves millions of dollars, the body count starts to rise.

🔢 

GENERAL DISCUSSION:

Mr. Wrong Number by Lynn Painter

Things get textual when a steamy message from a random wrong number turns into an anonymous relationship in this hilarious rom-com.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean

Calpurnia Hartwell has spent a lifetime following the rules and, as a reward, she’s been forgotten at the edges of society, unnoticed…and unsatisfied. So, what’s a girl to do, but break the rules and get a taste of the life she’s been missing?

Once Callie throws herself into a bold new world, she fast realizes a taste won’t ever be enough. She’s going to need a partner—someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston—charming and handsome, with a scandalous reputation matched only by his wicked smile.

How to Win Friends & Influence Fungi: Collected Quirks of Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math from Nerd Nite by Dr. Chris Balakrishnan

Hilariously named after Dale Carnegie’s iconic book, How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi features narratives, bursts, and infographics on all things STEM from scientists around the world. Chapters are sure to make you laugh-out-loud, with titles such as "The Science of the Hangover," "What Birds Can Teach Us About the Impending Zombie Apocalypse," and "Lessons from the Oregon Trail."

The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu

Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.

Flatland (Kanopy, 1965)

In 1962 John Hubley came to Harvard University as the first teacher of animation in the new Visual Arts Center. It was his idea to make a film based on Edwin Abbott’s famous novel about life in a two-dimensional world, FLATLAND. The story is told by the voices of Dudley Moore and other actors belonging to the British theatrical comedy group, "Beyond the Fringe." Aside from mathematicians and philosophers of science, the film has entertained and delighted audiences of many kinds since it first appeared.

everyone’s a aliebn when ur a aleibn too by Jomny Sun

The illustrated story of a lonely alien sent to observe Earth, only to meet all sorts of creatures with all sorts of perspectives on life, love, and happiness, all while learning to feel a little better about being an alien.

Speak by Louisa Hall

A thoughtful, poignant novel that explores the creation of Artificial Intelligence—illuminating the very human need for communication, connection, and understanding.

In a narrative that spans geography and time, from the Atlantic Ocean in the seventeenth century, to a correctional institute in Texas in the near future, and told from the perspectives of five very different characters, Speak considers what it means to be human, and what it means to be less than fully alive.

Our Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong

A “thrilling” (The New York Times), “dazzling” (The Wall Street Journal) tour of the radically different ways that animals perceive the world that will fill you with wonder and forever alter your perspective.

🔢 

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS, THOSE WE DIDN’T ENJOY:

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

Imagines an alternate universe where scientists, philosophers, and mathematicians live in seclusion behind ancient monastery walls until they are called back into the world to deal with a crisis of astronomical proportions.

The Calculation of You and Me by Serena Kaylor

A calculus nerd enlists her surly classmate’s help to win back her ex-boyfriend, but when sparks start to fly, she realizes there’s no algorithm for falling in love.

It’s a Numberful World: How Math is Hiding Everywhere—from the Crown of a Tree to the Sound of a Sine Wave by Eddie Woo (Hoopla only)

Here are twenty-six bite-size chapters on the hidden mathematical marvels that encrypt our email, enchant our senses, and even keep us alive―from the sine waves we h
ear as “music” to the mysterious golden ratio.

Material descriptions pulled from Amazon and Rotten Tomatoes.