Good Reads & Views

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
Fiction

What it’s about: In a blend of Gothic horror and current-day Hollywood story, this creative and quirky novel is full of surprises. When an author writes the story of two grisly deaths at a girls’ boarding school in the early 20^th century (death by yellow jackets), her book gets optioned for a movie. As the filming begins, eerie and inexplicable events haunt the set (including: more yellow jackets!)

Why you should read it: If you like your horror novels both smart and snarky, this is the book for you. This book is also a great choice for readers who enjoy clever footnotes in fiction, novels that alternate between two timeframes, LGBTQIA+ fiction, and stories told in layers.

Reviewers say: Kirkus Reviews says it’s “Creepy, meta, and a whole lot of fun.”

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Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh
YA Fiction

What it’s about: This is a coming-of-age book about a girl named Ada. She’s had a troubling past and has messy relationships with both of her parents, the church, and her own body and sexuality. The main narrative focuses on the time after her high school graduation and her first semester of college, though we do get flashbacks into her primary years. It’s the first time she’s living on her own, miles away from her family, and she is struggling to find her rhythm in both her classes and the day-to-day lifestyle of a college freshman. One day she wanders into a dance studio and peeps on a young woman expressing herself through movement that captivates her. They become friends, and Ada finally starts to build confidence.

Why you might like it: This novel is written in free-verse, making it a quick read despite its 400-page length. The way the words fall on the pages really fits Ada’s mood and tone. The reader falls in love with her and the relationships she builds. This is Candice Iloh’s debut novel, and I’m excited to read more from her!

Other free-verse books: Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, and Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai.

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The Searcher by Tana French
Fiction 

What it’s about: Retired Chicago cop Cal Hooper is looking to start a new life in a small Irish village, spending his days fishing and fixing up an old house. Then he is talked into helping find the missing brother of a local kid and by doing so finds dark secrets among an insular community.

Want a taste? “The wind combs the heather and gorse with a low ceaseless rustle. Its smell has a sweetness almost too cold to catch. The sky is a fine-grained gray, and from somewhere in its heights a bird sends down a pure wild whistling.”

Reviewers say: Delivers “plenty of twists, shocking revelations, and truly chilling moments. Slow moving and richly layered” (Kirkus Reviews); a “slow-burn stunner that will keep readers turning the pages late into the night” (Library Journal).

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A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future by David Attenborough
Nonfiction

What it’s about: David Attenborough, the naturalist, describes his career creating nature television over sixty years, against the backdrop of humanity’s increasingly harmful exploitation of biodiversity.

Why you should read it: Climate change is real and David Attenborough explains how we are destroying the biodiversity that all life depends on.  But he also presents his optimistic “vision for the future:” a way forward that will nurture nature rather than destroy it.

Reviewers say: “Recognizing that we are at a tipping point, Attenborough is refreshingly optimistic, noting that one thing humans do well is solve problems. Anyone concerned with the planet's ecological future will want to spend time with this excellent book” (Kirkus); “Longtime devotees as well as newcomers will find much to learn about the man and his mission” (Library Journal).

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The Resisters by Gish Jen
Fiction

Read this if you: Like your dystopian fiction served up with a healthy dose of humor, think that a good game of baseball solves everything (can you say underground baseball league?), and believe anything can represent the Resistance, even knitting.

What it’s about: Imagine a future America—AutoAmerica—flooded due to climate change and watched over by an artificial intelligence known as “Aunt Nettie.” Society is divided into the “Netted”—those who live on dry land, and have work and college opportunities and privileges, and the Surplus—mostly people of color, or who aren’t Christian, or who are “odd-bodied,” eking out a living on soggy ground or on water. The story focuses on a Surplus family—former teacher Grant, activist Eleanor, and their baby daughter Gwen, who displays amazing baseball pitching ability from her crib. What gifts or consequences will Gwen’s golden arm bring to her family in an unequal society? Sensitive and thought-provoking yet charming.

What critics say: “The magic of Gish Jen’s latest novel, The Resisters, is that, amid a dark and cautionary tale, there’s a story also filled with electricity and humor.... Rippling with action, suspense and lovingly detailed baseball play-by-plays, there’s a sense throughout the book of both celebration and danger” (Diana Abu-Jaber, The Washington Post); “Jen has too much humor and heart as a writer to do a full-out futuristic nightmare. Instead, the feel of The Resisters is more like that noir sequence embedded within It's a Wonderful Life....” (Maureen Corrigan, NPR).

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Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Nonfiction

What it’s about: Louie Zamperini was an amazing track star, breaking record after record running in the 1936 Olympics. Once WWII broke out, he became a bombardier assigned to the Pacific theater. During one of his missions, his plane went down over the ocean. He and two other crewmembers survived. They were captured by the Japanese and spent the next 2+ years enduring brutal mistreatment before finally being freed at the end of the war--something that left Louie adrift and struggling to find his purpose in life.

Why you might like it: A tragic yet redeeming story advocating the value of human life, and how its multitude of struggles help define each one of us, for better or worse.

You might also like: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

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The Weight of a Piano by Chris Cander
Fiction

What it's about: A novel about a Blüthner piano, which for eight-year-old Katya becomes her love and passion until the family emigrates to America. Fifty years later, twenty-six-year old Clara inherits the same piano, but never learns to play and decides to sell it. In doing so she learns about its unique history.

Reviewers say: “Strong characterization and attention to detail, whether in the manufacture of a piano or in the desolate beauty of Death Valley, elevate Cander's tale about learning to let go of the past” (Booklist).

About the Author: Chris Cander graduated from the Honors College at the University of Houston, in the city where she was raised and still lives, with her husband, daughter, and son. Her first novel, 11 Stories, won the Independent Publisher Gold Medal for Popular Fiction, and her most recent, Whisper Hollow, was long-listed for the Great Santini Fiction Prize by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance.

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The Book on Pie: Everything You Need To Know To Bake Perfect Pies by Erin Jeanne McDowell
Nonfiction

What it’s about: McDowell is passionate about baking pies, and it shows in her baking videos as well as in her mouthwatering book. She breaks down the steps of making pies so that you can mix and match a variety of crusts, savory as well as sweet fillings, and toppings for many lovely pie-baking experiments. She can help you diagnose underdone and overdone pie crusts and help you avoid the dreaded soggy bottom.

Why you might like it: Are you kidding? They had me at “pie.” This is a luscious compendium of pie with suggested crusts for certain fillings, as well as tips on how to crimp, lattice, and more. Start baking the pies of your dreams (and if you don’t dream about pie yet, you might after reading this.)

For fans of: PIE!

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Dragman by Steven Appleby
Nonfiction

What is it? This is a graphic novel that, quite literally, has it all. A main character who is questioning his gender identity. Superheroes. Mystery. Murder. Love. Selling of souls. Dynamic relationships. Flying dolls. And babies.

What’s inside: A collection of beautiful and unique watercolor paintings, telling the rise and fall of August Crimp, AKA Dragman. Ever since he was a child, August has been questioning his identity, and wearing women’s clothing in secret. One day he dons a pair of pantyhose he found behind his couch, and he starts flying! He applies to become an official superhero, but ultimately gets rejected. He continues to live his life as just August, getting married, and having a child. But when a scientist discovers the human soul, and then corporations discover they can sell and exploit the human soul, Dragman, along with his companion Dog Girl, go on a secret mission to discover the truth behind soul-trafficking.

Reviewer’s say: “Despite its many twists and turns, the graphic novel’s emotional heart lays with August’s struggle to accept his own identity and its full power. Gender fluidity in this jaunty superhero story is trumpeted not only as a gift and a source of strength, but as something that might just save the world” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
Fiction

What it’s about: This literary novel explores the interplay among family, science, and faith. In her lab, Gifty researches reward-seeking behavior, in an effort to learn about the depression and addiction that have affected her family. Meanwhile, she’s drawn back toward the religious faith of her younger years.

Why you should read it: If you enjoy introspective and thoughtful novels, this story of a family who moved from Ghana to the United States will captivate you. The story of Gifty mourning her brother and caring for her mother is heartbreaking, yet hopeful. A perfect choice for book clubs, this own voices novel is character-driven, emotional, scientific, spiritual, somber, and heartening.

You might also like: If you enjoy reading about the lives of scientists, pick up a copy of Lab Girl by Hope Jahren—a lyrical and moving nonfiction account of a scientist’s captivation with her work.

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The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Fiction

What it’s about: Unappreciated suburban housewives tend to their True Crime book club while battling a dark force in the shape of a charming neighbor. FYI: Don’t mess with the housewives!

Is it for you? If you are on the squeamish side and break out in a cold sweat when rats (pgs. 128-132) and cockroaches (pgs. 295-298) are involved, you may want to pass on this one. If, however, you like horror with humor and don’t mind some gross stuff, you should enjoy this.

Reviewers say: “Hendrix draws shrewd parallels between the serial killers documented in the book club's picks and Harris's apparent vampire persona, loading his gruesome story with perfectly-pitched allusions to classic horror novels and true crime accounts. This powerful, eclectic novel both pays homage to the literary vampire canon and stands singularly within it” (Publishers Weekly); “Fans of smart horror will sink their teeth into this one” (Kirkus Reviews).

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You had me at Hola by Alexis Daria
Fiction

What it’s about: Soap opera actress Jasmine Lin has just come out of a messy public breakup. She decides to focus on her career, and staring in “Carmen In Charge” is the way to go. But acting opposite Ashton Suarez is testing her to her limit.

Why you might like it: If you like your romances steamy while still having characters with depth, give this a try. The characters are drawn sympathetically with a dash of humor. The Latinx cast, with just a touch of Spanish language, provide an authentic multicultural experience.

Reviewers say: “This romance by a RITA award-winning writer is a sizzling hot and fun ode to soap operas” (LibraryReads); “Sexy, compelling, and complex—a terrific romance from a rising star of the genre” (Kirkus Reviews).

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In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
Nonfiction

What it’s about: This book is divided into three parts depicting Yeonmi' s family's life in North Korea, Yeonmi and her mother's time in China, and then their life in South Korea. This is a well written account that cultivates a greater awareness through a great deal of personal insight and experience.

Why you might like it: This book allows for a greater understanding of the experiences of people from North Korea and what they have endured and continue to endure.

You might also like: The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya 

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The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Fiction 

If you like: Stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, found families, and quirky fantasies, read this now!

What it’s about: Offbeat and heartwarming, this tale is set in a highly bureaucratic dystopian society where magical beings exist under the strict scrutiny of the bureaucracy. Linus Baker is a caseworker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth whose life is changed forever when he is given a classified assignment to observe an island orphanage housing dangerous magical children. When he opens the top-secret case file and learns the secret of the first of these children, Linus faints with fear. But under the guidance of Arthur, their caretaker, these little monsters have the potential to become their best selves; as Linus learns, a case file can’t tell the whole story. A whimsical and surprisingly delightful story about celebrating differences.

You might also like: Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire, The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, and Warlight by Michael Ondaatje.

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Island Girls by Nancy Thayer  
Fiction  

Reviewers Say: “In this touching summer read, forgiveness benefits both the person bestowing it and the recipient” (Kirkus Reviews).

You might also like: Beautiful Day or Here’s to Us - both by Elin Hilderbrand

About the Author: Nancy Thayer grew up in Kansas and got her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from the University of Missouri at Kansas.  She moved to Nantucket Island 33 years ago after visiting a friend who introduced her to island life. She has published over 30 novels. 

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Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston
YA Fiction

What it’s about: Ashley Poston’s Once Upon A Con romances are sweet takes on fairy tales through the lens of science fiction fandom for the fictional show Starfield. In this one, the film star villain gets to be the hero. Petulant actor Vance Rains (who plays General Sond in the movie) is sent into exile in a small town to weather a social media storm. Rosie Thorn stumbles into his secret hideaway and manages to ruin a very collectible book, so to pay off the debt she organizes his books and steals his heart in the process. Sparks flew with the General Sond cosplayer she met at the Starfield convention ... who was that guy? It couldn’t be the real star who played Sond … could it? 

Why you should read it: This retelling of Beauty and the Beast is light but still tugs at the heartstrings. Rosie has wonderful friends and a great dad, but she still misses her mom a year after her passing. Vance’s bad behavior hides his belief that he messes everything up. Can two wounded people make each other whole?

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