Don't miss these book happenings - including new materials at our library, featured recommendations, and more! Click on any of these book covers to place your holds. |
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Astrid Sees All by Natalie Standiford -- Literary Fiction
New York, 1984: 22-two-year-old Phoebe Hayes is a young woman in search of excitement and adventure. But the recent death of her father has so devastated her that her mother wants her to remain home in Baltimore to recover. Phoebe wants to return to New York, not only to chase the glamorous life she so desperately craves but also to confront Ivan, the older man who painfully wronged her.
With her best friend Carmen, she escapes to the East Village, disappearing into an underworld haunted by artists, It Girls, and lost souls trying to party their pain away. Carmen juggles her junkie-poet boyfriend and a sexy painter while, as Astrid the Star Girl, Phoebe tells fortunes in a nightclub and plots her revenge on Ivan. When Phoebe betrays her friend, Carmen disappears, and Phoebe begins an unstoppable descent into darkness. She may have a chance to save herself—and Carmen, if she can find her—but to do it she must face what’s hiding in the shadows she’s been running from—within her heart and in the dangerous midnight streets.
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The Elephant of Belfast by S. Kirk Walsh -- Historical Fiction
Belfast, October 1940. 20-year-old zookeeper Hettie Quin arrives at the city docks in time to meet her new charge: an orphaned 3-year-old Indian elephant named Violet. As Violet adjusts to her new solitary life in captivity and Hettie mourns the recent loss of her sister and the abandonment of her father, new storm clouds gather. A world war rages, threatening a city already reeling from escalating tensions between British Loyalists and those fighting for a free and unified Ireland.
The relative peace is shattered by air-raid sirens on the evening of Easter Tuesday 1941. Over the course of the next five hours, hundreds of bombs rain down upon Belfast, claiming almost a thousand lives and decimating the city. Dodging the debris and carnage of the Luftwaffe attack, Hettie runs to the zoo to make sure that Violet is unharmed. The harrowing ordeal and ensuing aftermath set the pair on a surprising path that highlights the indelible, singular bond that often brings mankind and animals together during horrifying times.
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Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin -- Contemporary Romance
Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighborhood of Toronto. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job. But soon she'll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening her mother’s restaurant.
When her mysterious aunt and cousin arrive from India for a surprise visit, they draw Hana into a long-buried family secret. A hate-motivated attack on their neighborhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival restaurant. As life on the Golden Crescent unravels, Hana must learn to use her voice, draw on the strength of her community and decide what her future should be.
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What Comes After by Joanne Tompkins -- Psychological Fiction
In misty, coastal Washington State, Isaac lives alone with his dog, grieving the recent death of his teenage son, Daniel. Next door, Lorrie, a working single mother, struggles with a heinous act committed by her own teenage son. Separated by only a silvery stretch of trees, the 2 parents are emotionally stranded, isolated by their great losses—until an unfamiliar 16-year-old girl shows up, bridges the gap, and changes everything.
Evangeline’s arrival at first feels like a blessing, but she is also clearly hiding something. When Isaac, who has retreated into his Quaker faith, isn’t equipped to handle her alone, Lorrie forges her own relationship with the girl. Soon all three characters are forced to examine what really happened in their overlapping pasts, and what it all possibly means for a shared future.
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Hoopla's Spotlight Selection |
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Hoopla, one of our digital collection resources, has chosen Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge as its Spring Spotlight Selection for book clubs. This book has gotten a lot of buzz and great reviews, so you don't want to miss out! Click on the image above to borrow the book from Hoopla (good news - no holds!). If you'd prefer a physical copy, you can always place a hold through PrairieCat. |
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Karen Wente, Adult Services Librarian, recommends reading The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel.
She likes the book because it's a great mystery set in rural Missouri. It keeps you reading from page 1, but beware, it's a gritty one!
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Zach Berkley, Adult Services Librarian, recommends reading Already Dead by Charlie Huston.
He likes this book because it's an urban, vampire fantasy while also being a hardboiled noir set in New York. The situations PI Joe Pitt finds himself in are frequently dark, violent, and ugly.
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Jan LaRoche, Young Adult Services Librarian, recommends reading The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery (and the rest of the series) by Nancy Springer.
She likes this series because it is simply delightful! Seeing the Victorian world through a woman's point of view is something you don't find that often. If you like charming reads, read it!
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