Good Reads & Views

21 Lessons for the 21^st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
Nonfiction

What it’s about: The author’s bestsellers Sapiens and Homo Deus dealt with the past and the future of humanity, whereas this book concerns itself with the present and immediate future. Great on audio.

Reviewers say: “Harari delivers yet another tour de force” (Kirkus); “This well-informed and searching book is one to be savored and widely discussed” (Publishers Weekly); “Highly recommended for general readers and academics alike” (Library Journal).

Some quotes: “Humans were always far better at inventing tools than using them wisely”; “We should never underestimate human stupidity. Both on the personal and on the collective level, humans are prone to engage in self-destructive activities”; “So the best advice I could give a fifteen-year-old stuck in an outdated school somewhere in Mexico, India or Alabama is: don’t rely on the adults too much. Most of them mean well, but they just don’t understand the world.”

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page

The Friend Zone (#1) by Abby Jimenez 
Fiction

What it’s about: Kristen Petersen is in a long-distance relationship with a military man. Knowing she can’t have children, Kristen refuses to fall for someone who wants children. Everything is going fine for Kristen, that is, until she meets Josh, a firefighter. Josh and Kristen instantly butt heads but continue to be drawn towards each other. If you enjoy the enemies to lovers’ trope, then pick this up. CONTENT WARNING: This book deals with health issues and death.   

Series alert: This is the first book of a three-book series. Each book follows a new pair and their journey to find love.  

Reviewers say: “Harnessing sass, heartfelt struggle, and unapologetic sexuality, Jimenez's debut is as hysterical as it is tear-jerking” (Publisher’s Weekly Review).  

Visit Mallory’s My Librarian Page  

Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini 
Fiction

What it’s about:  To help the Allies fight World War One, General Pershing calls for telephone switchboard operators to enlist in the Army Signal Corps. We follow Grace, Marie and Valerie, each with their own motivations for joining the Signal Corps, from training in the US, overseas to war-torn France. The male soldiers they replaced had needed one minute to connect each call. The switchboard soldiers could do it in ten seconds. The danger they face is real and leaves little time for private life, but each young woman has a brush with romance along the way. 

Reviewers say: “So much new information is packed into this story that becomes the best kind of history lesson" (Library Journal); “Chiaverini's story will strike a chord with history buffs . . . An eye-opening and detailed novel about remarkable female soldiers” (Kirkus). 

Visit Kristin’s My Librarian Page

This Might Hurt by Stephanie Wrobel
Fiction

What it’s about: This book follows a couple of shifting points of view. Natalie is a young professional who receives an email telling her that if she doesn’t tell her sister the truth, the unknown sender will. Her sister went away to a retreat where she’s been cut off from everyone and everything for six months and Natalie has no way to reach her without following the instructions sent by the person behind the email. In alternating POVs you begin to follow the life of an unnamed young woman with a controlling, abusive father, and a troublesome family dynamic. She’s forced to confront her fears and anything else her father wants her to do.

Is it for you? If you like books about intriguing cultish behavior, sibling dynamics and secrets, and questionable decision-making you should read this.

You might also like: Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker.

Visit Misty’s My Librarian Page

The Trees by Percival Everett
Fiction

For readers who enjoy: Jordan Peele’s films, Southern noir with an uncanny twist, dry humor, and spare prose.

What’s it about: Ed and Jim, Special Detectives ("that’s not just because we’re Black”) are called to the scene of a gruesome double murder in Money, Mississippi—two men are found horribly mutilated—one, a white man with a racist past, and across the room, a young Black man who bears a startling resemblance to Emmett Till. Then the body of the Black victim disappears, and reappears at a second murder scene, with a second white victim. The detectives soon learn that eerily similar murders are occurring all over the country. Short chapters, quick scene changes, and humor—punchlines, slapstick gags, and wordplay—move the action along. This satirical revenge novel is deeply tinged with horror and haunted by history.

Book buzz: Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, the nominating committee calls The Trees “an irresistible page-turner, hurtling headlong with swagger, humour, relish and rage.”

Visit Laura’s My Librarian Page

Things you save in a fire by Katherine Center
Fiction

About the author:  She’s the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen books, including How to Walk Away and What You Wish For. The movie adaptation of Katherine’s novel The Lost Husband hit #1 on Netflix, and her novel Happiness for Beginners is in production now as a Netflix original.  Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.

Reviewers say: "A story about survival that is heartbreakingly honest and wryly funny, perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Elizabeth Berg" (Kirkus).

You might also like:  First Comes Love by Emily Giffin or Evvie Drake Starts Over by by Linda Holmes  

Visit Roseanne’s My Librarian Page

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves
Fiction

What’s it about: For fifty years a group of friends has met for reunions on the island where they all originally met during a school retreat. This time, one of them ends up hanged and DI Vera Stanhope and her team must find out what led up to the murder. Are secrets from the past to blame or are the motives for the murder of a more recent variety?

Reviewers say: "Cleeves crafts a clever central puzzle, then confers remarkable emotional complexity using her keenly drawn characters' advancing age, wistful nostalgia, and thorny shared history. A pinwheeling third-person narrative drives the pace, while Vera's candor tempers the plot's darker elements. Fair-play mystery fans will delight.” (Publishers Weekly).

Good to know:  The great Brenda Blethyn portrays the cantankerous but brilliant detective in a series of TV movies, available on dvd.

The Bromance Book Club (#1) by Lyssa Kay Adams
Fiction 

Why this book: Besides the amazing title, this book explores the falling apart of a relationship and what it takes to put it back together. Gavin Scott is a baseball player in Nashville, TN. He is married to his college sweetheart and has two kids. Life is great until Gavin discovers a secret that his wife has been keeping from him. To win his wife back, Gavin joins the Bromance Book Club made up of other elite Nashville men. Will the Bromance Book Club help Gavin overcome his relationship hang-ups and save his marriage? 

Series Alert: There are five books already published in this series with more to come. Each book centers around one guy from the Bromance Book Club but also deals with a different subgenre of the romance genre.  

Visit Mallory’s My Librarian Page

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Fiction 

What it’s about: For a totally madcap read, Dial A for Aunties! Meddelin Chan is a daughter and niece of an Indonesian-Chinese family and the photographer for the family business: planning weddings. She loves her aunties and mother even though they drive her crazy. They want to see Meddelin married and set her up online, but the guy tries to date rape her. In defending herself, she kills him! That’s when the aunties step in – they don’t call the police, they just hide the body in a cooler. Trouble is, they have a big wedding to cater to, and the corpse takes on a life of its own. 

Reviewers say: “Readers will die for the delightfully absurd hijinks in this dark comedy” (Kirkus); “Dial A for Aunties, indeed, as they navigate a high-profile wedding with a corpse in tow. Sound preposterous? Perhaps, but you'll be glad you went along for the yacht ride” (Booklist). 

Visit Kristin’s My Librarian Page

A List of Cages by Robin Roe
YA Fiction 

What it’s about: Robin Roe did a fantastic job of writing a heart-wrenching yet charming novel centered around the friendship between two teen boys. Adam is a senior in high school who is well known by many of the students and teachers. Julian is a freshman at the same school who deals with constant bullying. The story is beautifully written bringing out such depth of compassion and bravery. That a life changing friendship could come from betrayal and tragedy is a miracle. 

Why you might like it: If you enjoy realistic fiction books with well-developed characters, written from a dual narrative perspective, you’ll love this book. 

You might also like: Everybody Sees the Ants by A. S. King

Visit Misty’s My Librarian Page