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Welcome to Cary Reads!
Check out the books, movies, TV shows and more that we're enjoying! (And some that we're not.)
Looking for some book suggestions? Use our "What's Next?" form and staff will recommend 4-5 titles for you to enjoy.
Watch Cary staff recommend titles on "Page Turner" on New England Cable News.
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What Cary Staff Is Reading
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Attending physician, first generation Chinese- American, Joan is more than Okay! She is intelligent, funny, insightful, and "forged in steel"! Yet everyone in her life seems sure she would be happier if only she would ...
Catherine Ho's straightforward narration for the audiobook version captures Joan's personality without ever missing the humor, heartbreak or heroism of her story. (The book does include scenes from the beginning of the pandemic so it might not be for everyone.) As soon as I finished this book I missed Joan. I wouldn't change a thing about her.
Adult Fiction
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Kate has been on a graphic novel streak! She's been enjoying re-reading the 1990s comic sensation The Sandman by Neil Gaiman while watching the new Netflix series.
Adult Graphic Novel
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Kate is also enjoying a coworker's recommendations to try the cat-related manga series, A Man and His Cat by Umi Sakurai...
Adult Graphic Novel
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...as well as the hilarious series, The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today by Hitsuzi Yamada.
Teen Graphic Novel
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I was riveted by this collection of essays by Castillo (who uses the Filipinx pronunciation "Cast-ILL-yo"), author of America Is Not the Heart. She cuts right through the tired platitudes and arguments about reading: does reading really build empathy? What does it mean to read "diverse books"? How much can we separate the art from the artist? Castillo shows us the true power and complexity of reading, and challenges us to read better. Her mix of thoroughly modern humor, academic erudition, and personal stories make the pages fly by. This is essential reading for anyone like me who hopes that books will make the world a better place.
Adult Non-Fiction
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First book: Buried in a Bog
Maura has spent her whole life in Boston. She honors her Grandmother's request to go
to the little town in Ireland where her family originally came from. She helps solve 2 murders,
makes some friends and ends up staying after receiving an unexpected inheritance.
This series is my favorite out of all the ones she has written.
Adult Mystery
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First book: Midnight Riot
It focuses on the Magical Crimes division of the British Police. As Peter Grant says,
they investigate the weird stuff. He becomes a trainee at the Folly. He learns to do
magic and comes into contact with Fae, magicians, gods and goddess. There is a graphic
novel series as well.
The books are currently being adapted for a tv series.
Adult Science Fiction/Fantasy
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Adult Romance -- Coming Soon! (September 20)
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Asian and Asian-Inspired Baked Goods
Adult Cookbook
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This is a charming and eye opening memoir from novelist, Ann Hood, about her previous career as an airline flight attendant, starting in the 1970s. This book has everything and could be a great suggestion for so many different types of readers. Women's history buffs will be appalled by the hiring practices and sexism flight attendants have endured over the years. Aviation history buffs also will find something here. Enjoy funny books? Many of Hood's anecdotes will leave you rolling in the (airplane) aisles. Looking for something poignant? Some of her anecdotes about passengers are downright heartbreaking. I shed multiple tears reading this. Do you like a good meet cute in your romantic comedies? There are a few of those (and let's just say, that some end better than others.)
This was one of my favorite books of the year.
Adult Memoir
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This beautiful graphic novel wraps together multiple stories, Tien struggling with coming out to his parents and his mother, a Vietnamese refugee, coming to terms with her past and being so far from her family all set against the backdrop of three different fairy tale retellings. The characterization of Tien and his mother is very rich. The ending made me cry (in a good way.) The artwork is exquisite, including the use of color.
Teen Graphic Novel
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George Takei, probably best known for playing Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek: The Original Series (and the first six movies), has spoken and written about his childhood spent in internment camps for Americans of Japanese descent, during World War II. Although I did know about the Internment Camps, I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know a lot of the frightening and shameful specific details. Alternating with a child's point of view and an adult recalling the camps at speeches, this poignant graphic novel is a good starter for learning about this time in US History.
Graphic Novel
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I was drawn to this book after reading a review by colleague, Alissa, in the last "Cary Reads".
I really enjoyed the story of two teenage girls, Zora and Andi, who find friendship and eventual romantic love with each other at a music summer camp. The back and forth narration paints a full picture of navigating relationships of all kinds and finding out about oneself.
Teen Fiction
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My other colleague, Michelle, mentioned this charming book during her appearance on last month's "Page Turners".
Maggie Diaz enters seventh grade, dreading that she is drifting apart from her two best friends, annoyed that she has to share a room with her grandmother, and feeling out of place with her family. She decides that she needs to find a perfect club in order for her to feel satisfied and she joins club after club, knowing that the perfect fit will fix everything.
Maggie is very relatable, feeling left out and not quite sure where she fits in, as she adjusts to changes with her friends and family. The illustrations are a great complement to the text and tell a complete story.
Children's/Tween Fiction
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A lot of great recommendations from my co-workers last month! I couldn't wait to read this after reading about it from my two current colleagues, Heather (and Heather), as well as a former colleague from my previous library.
The alternating perspectives from students and the headmaster at a school for the Deaf make for rich storytelling. I also really liked the information between chapters about the history of Deaf education and Deaf culture.
Adult Fiction
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Tookie, upon release after her sentence is commuted, for a crime that she was set up, takes a job at a Minneapolis independent bookstore, Birchbark Books. Birchbark Books, by the way, is the real life bookstore owned by Louise Erdrich, featuring works highlighting Native Culture. "Louise" is actually featured in some cameos that are fun but don't take away from this fascinating story which takes places from November 2019 - November 2020.
Flora, one of Tookie's least favorite customers, passes away but continues to haunt the store (or rather she haunts Tookie.) This event is set against the backdrop of the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the murder of George Floyd, both of which shape the story and narrative. This novel is thoughtful, sad, poignant, and (believe it or not) even funny at times. Recommended for anyone looking to read books about Native culture, the harm of appropriation, and fully realized characters.
Note -- for those who have already forgotten the spring and summer of 2020, this book does go into detail about life during those months, so this may be hard to read for anyone who has lost someone or something as a result of the pandemic.
Adult Fiction
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I have read the first two volumes of this graphic novel series about 1980s newspaper carriers, Erin, Tiffany, KJ, and Mac, caught in a weird web of inter-galactic conflict, time travel, and just trying to get the newspaper delivered. This is the basis for an Amazon Prime show that I have yet to explore but look forward to checking out.
Teen Graphic Novel
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Looking for a magical school story with a prophesied chosen one? Take a look at The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett! Not only does it have that great magic school setting, but it has a spunky and fearless heroine, delightful monstrous creatures, and a kind hearted chosen one hero whose plot twist storyline is engaging and fun. A great pairing withThe Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton andAmari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston for those ready to move beyond Harry Potter.
Children's Fantasy
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Two couples meet over dinner to discuss something horrible that their sons were involved in. Over the next five courses, the reader learns about the incident and how the couples want to handle it. Prepare for lots of twists and turns and assume nothing - your opinions on these characters may not be the same as when you started. It also brings up the interesting question of what would you do if you were in these parents' shoes?
Content Warning: Violence
Adult Fiction
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This is a fun, heart-warming story about seven individuals who have commuted on the train together for years, but have never spoken. It isn't until one of the characters chokes on a grape and is saved by another that the group begins to chat and form an unlikely friendship. Iona, an eccentric advice columnist for a magazine, quickly becomes the center of the group, sharing life advice and nudging the characters to form bonds and help each other. I loved reading about these characters and seeing how their lives intertwine.
Adult Fiction
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A beautifully written novel about four generations of a Korean family set in Korea and Japan from 1910-1980. It's deeply moving and eye opening to witness the sacrifices and hardships the characters endure in pursuit of a better life for their families.
Adult Fiction
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A captivating story of survival and loss which begins with magic tricks and the premise of using Monopoly game boards to hide escape aids to Allied POWs during WWII. It gave me Q and 007 vibes!
Adult Fiction
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I listened to the audiobook version of this and thoroughly enjoyed it as Sarah Vowell reads it; she has one of the great voices of our time, in my opinion. Lafayette the man now feels more like an acquaintance than an answer on a multiple-choice U.S. history quiz, thanks to Ms. Vowell's presentation of his biography and the bigger story of life in his time.
Adult Biography
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Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer working for the Albuquerque police. She has a secret: she is able to see ghosts. Her adventures in Shutter are gritty, chilling, suspenseful; a rich ribbon of photography as an art form runs through the whole narrative, elevating it for the reader as photography elevates the main character's troubled life.
Adult Fiction/Supernatural
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This book is smart and thought provoking. It's very in the moment.
Adult Non-Fiction
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