April 2019 - Staff Reading Suggestions

APRIL 2019 - STAFF READING SUGGESTIONS

STAY UP WITH HUGO BEST

by Erin Somers

During the Memorial Day weekend, 29-yr-old June Bloom, a wannabe stand-up comedian, finds herself at the opulent home of her idol, late-night talk show host Hugo Best. Best, who has been in the business for decades, has recently been asked to "retire" from his iconic show. The weekend provides June with eye-opening insight into fame, fortune and loneliness. Filled with laugh out loud deadpan humor, coupled with truly poignant and thought provoking moments, Somers' debut novel is a surprisingly fresh read.

-Laura Skinner

PARK AVENUE SUMMER

by Renee Rosen

(Releases April 30, 2019)

It's 1965, and Helen Gurley Brown has been tapped to run the failing Cosmopolitan magazine. Aspiring photographer and Ohio transplant, Alice, becomes assistant to Helen during Brown's tumultuous early days as editor. Alice throws herself into her work, and embraces being one of "the girls" Brown tries to reach with her modern take on women and sexuality. Brown pushes boundaries, ruffles feathers, falls apart, and Alice helps put her back together! Alice's love life has complications of its own...lots of action from start to finish in this wonderful story. Historical Fiction that is fresh and fun to read!

-Beth Mynhier

A WOMAN IS NO MAN
by Etaf Rum

Isra was born into a traditional home in Palestine. When it came time for her arranged marriage, a Palestinian man from Brooklyn came to "sit" with her. Isra was hopeful that life in America would offer more freedom for women, but traditions continue and we witness the hardships she bears in this male dominated culture. Isra gives birth to four daughters, unwelcome by her family because of their gender. Eldest daughter, Deya reaches high school and wants to have the same options as her peers--and arranged marriage isn't one of them. She meets someone from her past, uncovers troubling secrets, and needs every bit of strength she has to move forward. Well-written, very readable fictional account of the difficult lifestyle and assimilation of Palestinian women in the US, who often feel like they don't fit in inside or outside their homes.

-Beth Mynhier

MAYBE YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE: A THERAPIST, HER THERAPIST, AND OUR LIVES REVEALED

by Lori Gottlieb

A unique and captivating look into the world of a therapist, from both sides of the couch. With wit, humor and raw emotion, Gottlieb allows the reader into her office, depicting the real struggles of her patients, as well as her own struggles with life. After a bad break-up, Gottlieb chooses to see a therapist and illuminates the difficulty of letting go and shifting to the other side of the couch to find peace in her own life. This memoir is an honest glimpse into the realities of life. I couldn't put this book down!

-Maxwell Gregory

WHITE ELEPHANT

by Julie Langsdorf

Satire at its best! Willard Park is a charming suburban community full of parks, trees, winding streets.....and a white elephant. The newly built, ostentatious McMansion towers over the neighborhood, dwarfing all the other homes in the area. Adding insult to injury, in order to improve his landscaping, McMansion owner Nick Cox cuts down next door neighbors', Allison and Ted's, special red maple tree. Tempers flair, and the once peaceful community becomes a battleground. And that's just the beginning of the shenanigans going on in town. Trees are being cut down by an unknown person, a teenager gets caught in a not so harmless prank, an attorney smoking too much pot struggles through his mid-life crisis. Newcomers and long time residents of Willard Park are suddenly in turmoil. White Elephant is a comical tale of neighbors and neighborhoods struggling through a very messy situation. I couldn't wait to see how the issues were resolved.

-Ann Patterson

THE HONEY BUS: A MEMOIR OF LOSS, COURAGE AND A GIRL SAVED BY BEES

by Meredith May

I loved this perfect memoir so much that I read it twice and already know that it will be one of my favorites of the year. Meredith May learns to withstand pain, loss and grief through the lessons her beloved grandfather teaches her. After her mother moved the family away from her father and shut down emotionally, Grandpa showed her and her brother love, patience and understanding using honeybees as the example of how to survive, and thrive, in a confusing world. "The bees reminded me that the world was so much larger than my family's insular problems." Loved, loved, loved and cannot wait to put this moving, emotionally compelling memoir into many hands this spring at the store!
-Di Grumhaus

COURTING MR. LINCOLN

by Louis Bayard

(Releases April 23, 2019)

Our 16th President's early political and personal life was filled with insecurities, missteps and failure. His fascinating story is told by the two people who loved him most, Mary Todd and his roommate and personal mentor, Joshua Speed. They each lay their claim on Lincoln, who has his inner demons to overcome before he can give himself to either. This is a beautifully written work of historical fiction that is original and engrossing.
-Beth Mynhier

THE GIRL HE USED TO KNOW

by Tracey Garvis Graves

A beautiful story of love, relationship, timing, maturity and understanding. Annika and Jonathan's relationship through college and beyond will both warm and break your heart. Jonathan's understanding and eventual acceptance of her special needs is refreshing and Annika's strength and perseverance in a time of great trial is so very powerful. A very touching love story.

-Katha Plack

ALL THAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND: A MEMOIR
by Erin Lee Carr

Well-known journalist David Carr of The New York Times collapsed and died in the newsroom in 2015. To his daughter, Erin, a documentary film-maker, he was much more than her beloved father; he was her mentor, colleague, friend and ally. His death was sudden but he lived his life at full-speed; working hard, smoking two packs a day, and recovering from alcohol and drug addiction. Erin's memoir deals honestly with her relationship with her dad and her own battles with alcohol. They had a prolific E-mail correspondence that she mines as a tool to help her through her grief and we are now privy to his wisdom and words of advice. "Be present...Get your face out of your phone. Do not be a bystander in your own life. You'll miss everything". I tore through this book in two days, very thought provoking.
-Di Grumhaus

THE ALTRUISTS
by Andrew Ridker

Arthur Alter is in trouble. Financially he is desperate and angry his late wife left her inheritance only to their children, while emotionally he is letting down his much younger girlfriend and has a troubled relationship with his two children. In an attempt to woo his children into giving him their inheritance, we see what rejection and success looks like from different points of view. In this humorous, touching and rich debut novel, Andrew Ridker writes about millennials, baby boomers and the complications of family. This is an A+++.
-Morley Vahey

SAY NOTHING: A TRUE STORY OF MURDER AND MEMORY IN NORTHERN IRELAND
by Patrick Radden Keefe

Patrick Radden Keefe uses the old Irish phrase 'Whatever you say, say nothing' to say just about everything about the Troubles. This gripping account is equal parts true crime, history and tragedy. Keefe delves into the heart of the IRA, detailing the worst years of the political violence and examining the ghosts that continue to haunt Belfast even now that the fighting is over. A fascinating read that I highly recommend.
-Kathy Petray

LIGHTS ALL NIGHT LONG
by Lydia Fitzpatrick

Captivating and complex, this is a novel you won't soon forget. Ilya is a fifteen-year-old exchange student thrust into a small Louisiana town, yet he is caught between the Russia he left, where his older brother is in jail charged with murder and this new world of excess and privilege. As Ilya struggles to find his footing, he is obsessed with clearing his brother's name and bringing him to America. This gripping read explores the bond between brothers, family and ultimately the need to belong.
-Maxwell Gregory

TOP GUN: AN AMERICAN STORY
by Dan Pedersen

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Top Gun program, the founder, Dan Pedersen, at the time a young junior officer, chronicles the unprecedented establishment of an aerial "dog fighting" academy during the Vietnam War era when dog fighting had been all but banned by both the Navy and Air Force. From very humble beginnings and facing considerable resentment and bias within the upper echelons of the Navy and the military industrial complex, Top Gun training eventually proved itself by the latter years of the war. Fascinating and with no holds barred, the author holds many political and military skeptics accountable for what he considered poorly conceived military rules of engagement.
-Ninos Joseph

SAVE ME THE PLUMS: MY GOURMET MEMOIR
by Ruth Reichl

Like a dining experience in a Michelin starred restaurant, I savored each chapter of Reichl's new memoir, recounting her experience as editor-in-chief at Gourmet magazine. Raw, honest and complete with recipes, I devoured this satisfying read in one sitting! Save Me The Plums is the perfect choice for any foodie.
-Maxwell Gregory