Book reviews by library staff and guest contributors
This week the National Book Foundation is releasing longlists for the 2024 National Book Awards.Finalists will be announced October 1, and winners named November 20 at the 75th National Book Awards Ceremony.
Every month there are new titles purchased for the Too Good to Miss collections at our libraries. If you're not familiar with TGTM (as we call it here in library-world), it's a special collection of popular books that are truly too good to miss. Some are new and popular titles, others are older titles that might not have had as much media attention as a bestseller or celebrity book club selection but are still great reads that deserve another look.
In this heartwarming, character-driven novel, the author explores the ways in which people navigate and (hopefully) survive deep grief.
This story nearly made me want to cry - and then it made me hungry.
Rocky's family spends one week a year vacationing in a cottage on the Cape. Rocky, her husband, their two college-age or slightly older children, their son's girlfriend, and Rocky's elderly parents make the small, quaint cottage with a sensitive septic system their home away from home. There are not enough beds or chairs, and privacy is limited. There is plenty of swimming, relaxing on the beach, and enough penny candy to make lasting memories.
This richly detailed thriller starts with two hikers in the woods stumbling upon a dead body in an open cottage. A single black feather goes unnoticed at the death scene. This is an omen of more black feathers to come and the nightmare-inducing murders of crows that have been haunting me ever since. Full disclosure: I find crows unnerving in the best of times. The crows in this novel represent the absolute worst of times. I'll leave it at that.
It's been a while since I've read a Jodi Picoult book, though I've really enjoyed her work in the past. For whatever reason, she fell a bit off my radar. What brought her back was reading Mad Honey for the Lakeview Mystery Book Group discussion.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Not THE holiday season, but it’s as good as the holidays for the book lovers out there—the start of the fall publishing season. Fall sees the release of the heavy hitters of publishers’ catalogs as award season ramps up and booksellers start to build stock—and buzz—for those holiday shoppers. Here’s what to look forward to for next month:
If you liked Legends & Lattes as much as I did, you'll love this book. Filled with mythical creatures like mermaids, merhorses, and magically-sentient plants, and served with cinnamon buns, friendship and a lot of love, it's sure to soothe just like your favorite tea.
Every month there are new titles purchased for the Too Good to Miss collections at our libraries. If you're not familiar with TGTM (as we call it here in library-world), it's a special collection of popular books that are truly too good to miss. Some are new and popular titles, others are older titles that might not have had as much media attention as a bestseller or celebrity book club selection but are still great reads that deserve another look.
Let me just start by saying this is my current favorite book - I think everyone can learn something about emotions, apologies, and sincerity by reading this epistolary tale filled with classroom drama.
First, the facts. Jack knocked over Zoe's castle, and now he is trying to write an apology letter. The story opens with a crumpled note stating "sorry," and we see Jack working through various iterations. A couple attempts later:
This book is all about how to help the people you love when they are sad and grieving. The narrator makes a card for their brother when his cactus dies, but it turns out he just wants to hear a joke to make him laugh.
So then, they go to the library for a joke book when their cousin’s goldfish dies, but it turns out that what she wants is a hug.
August is pretty much synonymous with vacations as people try to eke out the last of summer fun before school resumes. So it’s no surprise that the publishing industry is a bit similar, with houses holding back for the big Labor Day weekend sales push. But there are still a few notable releases heading to shelves this month for readers who might have some space in the luggage…
My last couple reviews have been books with darker theme and tone, so I thought I should switch it up. Now, if you've seen the book cover and title, Fangs, you may be thinking, how is a book about a vampire (and a werewolf, btw) going to lighten things up? Here's how: throw in a sweet, quirky romance and about as many (sometimes groanworthy) dad-type jokes poking fun at paranormal stereotypes and you have a graphic novel that will have you smiling (for sure) from first to last, and likely giggling often along the way.
This is a touching story that starts with a day that is not like the others. Eleven-year-old Sophie Winslow is best friends with her neighbor, eighty-eight-year-old Sophie Gershowitz. Eleven-year-old Sophie is an unusual child - she's an old soul and hypochondriac. She loves using traditional library reference tools such as looking up medical ailments in the Merck Manual and memorizing quotes from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.
This is the first book in "The Norendy Tales" series by Kate DiCamillo. The Puppets of Spelhorst is a wonderful story filled with hope, adventure, wisdom, courage and love. Five puppets: a king, an owl, a boy, a girl, and a wolf are "in a story together" that starts with their purchase from a toy shop by an old, broken-hearted sea captain named Spelhorst.
This book celebrates summer in an unexpected and inviting way. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro creates a thematic collection of yearning, love, sadness and the other-worldliness of travel in a graphic novel comprised of lyrics written for Grammy-nominated jazz singer Stacey Kent. Who knew that the author of The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go honed his literary skills writing lyrics as a young man? He explains it all in the introduction.
Have you ever wondered about all the stories a library book holds? Not the stories inside the book, but stories of the physical book itself. Who else has read it? Where has it been? What kinds of adventures has it had?
This picture book is perfect for sharing during farmers' market season, especially when pumpkins are ripe. A boy and his Papa head to the last remaining stall at the farmers' market with their pumpkins, peppers, plums and eggs. A year ago, there were two vendors. The year before there were five. The community still needs the fresh produce and the boy and his Papa head to the market every Saturday while Granny makes baskets from sweetgrass on the front porch of the farmhouse. Familiar, friendly faces start lining up and their orders are ready before they even have to ask.
With the announcement of J.D. Vance as the Republican candidate for Vice President his book Hillbilly Elegy has made the bestseller lists again. That pushes to the forefront stories of working class Americans.
