October 19, 2018
From Page to Screen and Back!
This summer's big blockbuster is now at HTFL for your book club! Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians leads off our three newest choices for the Book Club in a Bag collection. But don't stop there--we've also added two more great titles, including Dear Mrs. Bird, a heartwarming historical fiction novel by AJ Pearce, and recent Reese Witherspoon book club selection, Chanel Cleeton's Next Year in Havana, a novel whose narrative is split between Cuba in the 1950s and today. Read on below to find out more!
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Uproariously funny, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, this is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.

Dear Mrs. Bird by AJ Pearce
London, 1940. Bombs are falling and Emmeline Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator. When she sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent seem suddenly achievable. But the job turns out to typist to the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Mrs. Bird is very clear: any letters containing Unpleasantness must go straight in the bin. But as Emmy finds herself reading poignant letters from women of all ages who have spilled out their troubles, she is unable to resist responding.
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
The daughter of a sugar baron in 1958 Havana, 19-year-old Elisa Perez is part of Cuba's high society, where she is largely sheltered from the country's growing political unrest--until she embarks on a clandestine affair with a passionate revolutionary. In 2017 Miami, freelance writer Marisol Ferrera grew up hearing romantic stories of Cuba from her late grandmother Elisa, who was forced to flee with her family during the revolution. Elisa's last wish was for Marisol to scatter her ashes in the country of her birth. Now, arriving in Havana, Marisol comes face-to-face with the contrast of Cuba's tropical, timeless beauty and its perilous political climate.
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