 |
EVERYTHING HERE IS BEAUTIFUL
by Mira T. Lee
Two sisters, one born in the US (Lucia) and the elder (Miranda) born in China, tell their story in alternating points of view. Miranda is serious and feels responsible for Lucia/Lucy who suffers from mental illness. Following the death of their mother, Lucia starts to hear voices. Relationships, not only between the sisters, but between boyfriends and husbands begin to suffer. This family story spanning the globe is beautifully written and offers glimpses into mental illness and how that illness can affect families and friends.
-Ann Patterson |
|
FORCE OF NATURE
by Jane Harper
(Releases February 6th)
Set in wild rural Australia, Jane Harper has a new mystery, Force of Nature, featuring the Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk from her International bestseller The Dry. When a woman disappears on a corporate retreat in the rugged Giralang Mountains, Falk and his partner must determine who is responsible for her death and why. Full of corporate and private school intrigue this book is perfect for fans of literary page-turners.
-Lisa Dietrich |
|
FIRE SERMON
by Jamie Quatro
A haunting and honest portrayal of marriage, faith, love and guilt. As Maggie reflects on her life, as a teen, a wife, a mother and a lover, her faith hangs over her like a shadow inflecting both comfort and guilt through her journey of self-discovery. Both raw and full of emotion, you are drawn into Maggie's struggle to break free of her guilt and find peace in her life.
-Maxwell Gregory
|
|
THE WIFE BETWEEN US
by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Wildly riveting story of a rocky relationship that unfolds with unpredictable twists and turns all the way through the epilogue! Psychological thriller loaded with suspense. One of my favorite mysteries! Can't give too much away but it's a great read for a wintery day!
-Beth Mynhier
|
|
RED CLOCKS
by Leni Zumas
For fans of Margaret Atwood, this poignant novel explores motherhood in a future society, where abortion is now illegal and embryos have rights. Five very different women, all from the same small fishing village in Oregon struggle with their own issues of identity and where they fit in. Both humorous and heartbreaking, this is a novel you won't soon forget.
-Maxwell Gregory
|
|
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE
by Tayari Jones
(Releases February 6th)
In this contemporary novel Jones examines the personal toll of the criminal justice system on a marriage. When Roy is arrested and convicted of a crime he did not commit, his wife Celestial must face some heartbreaking choices. Told in part in letters this novel is well-crafted and powerful.
-Kathy Petray
|
|
THE MUSIC SHOP
by Rachel Joyce
The best-selling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry has a touching new novel, The Music Shop. Set in the 1980's on a rundown retail street in England the delightful shopkeepers struggle to keep their shops and their community alive. The hub of the street is a vinyl record store, owned by Frank Adair, a music whisperer of sorts. When a woman in a green coat collapses in front of the shop, there develops a love story that will warm the heart of any reader. This book is a great and happy read. I highly recommend it.
-Lisa Dietrich
|
|
NEED TO KNOW
by Karen Cleveland
(Releases January 23rd)
A suspense-filled read, part international thriller, part domestic drama. When CIA analyst Vivian Miller discovers her husband's headshot in a Russian sleeper cell file, her loyalty to her family and her country is put to the test. As the drama unfolds, she faces impossible choices and has to decide who she can trust. A total page turner!
-Maxwell Gregory
|
|
TELL ME MORE: STORIES ABOUT THE 12 HARDEST THINGS I'M LEARNING TO SAY
by Kelly Corrigan
Reading Kelly Corrigan is like talking to an old friend; you'll laugh and cry as you savor her latest offering, Tell Me More: Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say. This slim book conveys Kelly's ideas about the phrases we need to be using to communicate with those people around us, such as "Good Enough", "I Know" and "Tell Me More". I have loved all of her books, and if you've never read this honest, hilarious and thoughtful author before...now is the time!
-Di Grumhaus
|
|
|
THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE
by Melanie Benjamin
This timely novel by Melanie Benjamin, author of The Aviator's Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue, features two women who create dramatic change in their chosen industry. In The Girls in the Picture, theater star Mary Pickford and "scenarist" Frances Marion meet and launch their careers in the blossoming film industry in the early 1900's. They start as starlet and screenwriter, prove themselves on screen when the powerful men around them are sure they'll fail, and end up founding United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffin and Mary's 2nd husband, Douglas Fairbanks. Their lifelong friendship endures fame, fortune, love and loss. Their Hollywood success story is #timesup in action!
-Beth Mynhier
|
|
|
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
by A. J. FInn
If you are a fan of old Hollywood film noir, this is the book for you! Full of suspense, intrigue, guilt and betrayal, The Woman in the Window keeps you turning the pages long into the night. Dr. Anna Fox suffers from Agoraphobia and lives vicariously by watching her neighbors through the viewfinder of her Nikon and by internet searches. When she witnesses a murder, her cloudy world of Merlot and self-medicating is called into question and leaves Anna doubting herself.
-Maxwell Gregory
|
|
|
THE IMMORTALISTS
by Chloe Benjamin
Many of us are asked the hypothetical question, "Would you want to know the day you'll die?" - in the new book by Chloe Benjamin four siblings go to see a gypsy woman in the late 1960's and do find out their own "death dates". From there the novel follows each one of them and how this knowledge informs their lives. Simon, Klara, Daniel and Varya make choices and live life in ways that makes you think about choice, destiny, and living fully present.
-Di Grumhaus
|
|
THE HEARTS OF MEN
by Nickolas Butler
|
|
GINNY MOON
by Benjamin Ludwig
|
|
|
THE MIDNIGHT COOL
by Lydia Peelle
|
|
|
YOUNG ADULT & MIDDLE SCHOOL SELECTIONS
|
|
MIDDLE SCHOOL:
JUST LIKE JACKIE
by Lindsey Stoddard
11-yr-old Robinson Hart has anger management issues. She tries to follow the example of her namesake, Jackie Robinson, by being strong and calm, but it doesn't always work. Robinson's only family on the planet is her beloved grandfather who is struggling with memory issues. A class project to design a family tree pushes Robinson over the edge. This novel is beautiful and heart-rending; quiet, yet intense. I loved it!
-Laura Skinner
|
|
YOUNG ADULT:
FAR FROM THE TREE
by Robin Benway
National Book Award Winner 2017, deservedly so. The engaging story of three siblings, raised in different families and situations, that discover each other just when they need it most. It's funny, and heartbreaking, and will make you think about what makes a family, biological or otherwise. Grace, Maya and Joaquin are complex characters that you won't soon forget.
-Di Grumhaus
|
|
|
YOUNG ADULT:
HIgh School and Older
THE HAZEL WOOD
by Melissa Albert
(Releases January 30th)
I don't usually read young adult fantasy, but will read it more often if titles are as engrossing as The Hazel Wood. Dark and otherworldly, this story of Alice, who knows she's somehow not like everyone else, is a story set within the stories of dark and foreboding fairy tales written by Alice's grandmother. Alice and her mother travel between the world and the other-world, with seriously evil consequences lurking everywhere. Complete with talking trees, evil princesses, and death to those who interrupt the "Stories," this is sure to be a favorite of high school-aged fantasy readers. Good for girls, possibly boys, too as it's been bought by Sony Pictures. Definitely not for anyone under 7th or 8th grade.
-Beth Mynhier
|
|
Lake Forest Book Store
662 N. Western Avenue
Lake Forest IL 60045
847-234-4420
|
|
|
|
|
|
