Good Reads & Views

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan
Fiction

What it’s about: Three very different women, in England during World War II, forge a friendship while repairing a wedding dress. Grace is a clergyman’s daughter who tries to find meaning for herself in serving others. Cressida is a designer of clothes who uses her work to fill the loneliness in her life. Violet is a spoiled upper class young woman who thinks her role in life is to marry a man with a title. As they come together to repair Grace’s mother’s gown for Grace’s wedding, each learns more about herself and what her life could really be.

Reviewers say: “Comforting but still rich with interesting history, this will please fans of cozy WWII fiction” (Booklist); “The pleasurable plot focuses on overcoming adversity through friendship, with plenty of romance” (LibraryReads).

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Joust by Mercedes Lackey
Fiction

What it’s about:  In the kingdom of Tia, young Vetch is an Altan serf, lower in rank than a slave, living a miserable existence. One day a Jouster in need of a boy to care for his dragon takes him from his owner. Vetch is torn between gratitude to Jouster Ari for a much better life and loyalty to Alta, which is at war with Tia. When the opportunity arises to steal a dragon egg, Vetch learns just how deep love for a dragon can be.

Reviewers say:  ”Lackey gives us a wonderfully visualized society, similar in terrain, climate, religion, and the differing circumstances of slave, serf, and free person to ancient Egypt. Moreover, she fills the book with well-limned characterizations and convincing, detailed dragon lore to make up a whole in which Vetch's coming-of-age becomes an integral part” (Booklist); “Lackey combines meticulously detailed dragon lore with emotionally intense, realistic human characters” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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The Windsor Knot by S. J. Bennett
Fiction

What it’s about: Queen Elizabeth II is appalled to learn that one of the guests at Windsor Castle, a Russian pianist, was found hanged in his bedroom. Was it a sexual escapade gone wrong, or something more sinister? Everyone is trying to shield the Queen from the tawdry details, but what they don’t know is that she has been discreetly solving crimes behind the scenes for years. It’s a delight to watch her solve this one with the help of her private secretary, British Nigerian Rozie Oshodi.

Reviewers Say: “Bennett’s depiction of the warm, wise, and witty queen and the insights into her royal life are fascinating” (Publisher’s Weekly); “…the queen makes a wonderfully self-effacing sleuth” (Kirkus Reviews).

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A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott
Fiction

What it’s about:  In 1871, photographer Meg Pero insists on fulfilling the contract her father signed to serve on an Army survey of the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, the expedition’s leader is the man she once refused to marry. Ben has his own ulterior motives for leading the survey. As dangers from the natural and human worlds crop up, Meg and Ben must find a way to work together to stay alive and maybe fall in love again.

Reviewers say:  “… the grandeur of the canyon contrasts sharply with Ben and Meg's laser-focused awareness on the threats they face and their reawakened desire, resulting in both a saucy tone and suspenseful thrills” (Booklist).

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Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach
Nonfiction

What it's about: Roach takes readers on a trip around the world, talking to people whose job it is to minimize friction between animals and humans. Whether learning about thieving monkeys in India or mountain lions in California or the ubiquitous mouse, she strives to find ethical ways to control what some call pests.

Why you might like it: Roach is a funny writer! If you enjoy popular science, this is the book for you.

Reviewers say: “Roach writes splendidly about the often-surprising challenges inherent in coexisting with other animals in their natural habitats” (Booklist); “This eminently entertaining outing is another winner from Roach” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert
Fiction

What it's about: A different kind of mystery, one involving missing, possibly stolen, things rather than a murder. This cozy mystery, based on real places and the author Beatrix Potter in 1905, features a large cast of village dwellers and their animals, whose talk to each other we can understand, but their owners cannot.

Why you might like it: If you enjoy leisurely-paced stories that describe the landscape lovingly and are up for the whimsey of the talking animals, this is for you.

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Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Fiction

What it's about: Stressed-out single mom Finlay is at the local Panera trying to explain to her literary agent why she doesn’t have her next romantic suspense novel ready, when another woman overhears and thinks Finlay is a contract killer. How Finlay ends up with the dead body of a man she didn’t kill and how she tries to solve the mystery of who did the killing is a wild, twisting, and above all funny ride.

Why you might like it: Finlay’s balancing act is a suspenseful, laugh-out-loud mystery.

Reviewers say: “Cosimano makes her adult debut with this off-the-wall series starter, which is part comedy of errors, part genuine thriller” (Booklist); “Cosimano cuts dexterously between Finn's adventures as a hit woman, her deeply iffy romance with Fairfax County Detective Nicholas Anthony, and the domestic crises that keep on piling up as if nothing had ever happened to disturb them” (Kirkus Reviews).

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The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Fiction

What it’s about: Belle da Costa Greene has a secret. She’s passing for white in the rarified world of museums and libraries in 1906. A lover of the printed word, Belle is encouraged by a friend to apply for a job as personal librarian to J. P. Morgan, who needs someone to help him acquire and curate antique books and manuscripts for his personal collection. This determined young woman navigates the delicate handling of her imperious employer and high-stakes art auctions with growing skill. As we follow Belle through the next twenty years, she shines as a woman in a male-dominated society, all the while keeping the secret of her birth, knowing that exposure would cost her her job and her ability to support her family. Based on the real-life Belle da Costa Greene, this story is a look back at a time both strangely different and uncomfortably similar to our own.

Reviewers say: “An excellent piece of historical fiction that many readers will find hard to put down” (Library Journal); “Benedict and Murray do a great job capturing Belle's passion and tenacity as she carves a place for herself in a racist male-dominated society” (Publisher’s Weekly).

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The Heiress by Molly Greeley
Fiction

What it's about: If you’ve ever wished to spend more time in the Pride and Prejudice universe, Molly Greeley gives a good tour. She makes a lush and evocative novel around the elusive character Anne de Bourgh, Darcy’s cousin the family expects him to marry. When Anne was a fussy baby, she was prescribed laudanum, and now as a young woman, she is addicted to it. Her controlling mother, Lady Catherine, insists she is too delicate to do without it, and Anne spends her days drifting through a haze. But finally, when her mother is away, Anne takes advantage of her absence to escape to a cousin’s home in London and quit laudanum. Once off laudanum she starts to get the experiences other young women have as a matter of course: going to dances, reading novels, and shopping. Anne forms a romantic attachment to another young lady, Eliza Amhurst, and must learn to hide her discovered queer sexuality. Greeley finds a way to be true to the period while making a way for Anne to find happiness.

Reviewers say:  “Greeley  is faithful to the original story, while creating an imaginative and vivid inner life for the beleaguered Anne” (Booklist); “Greeley ’s expert imaginings of the life of Anne de Bourgh reveal the hidden depths of her character and highlight the societal restrictions of 19th-century women as Anne seeks to overcome her mother’s domineering persona and find happiness” (Kirkus Reviews).

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Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta
Nonfiction

What it's about: Most people, says CNN chief medical correspondent Sanjay Gupta, are more frightened by the thought of getting Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia than of loss of physical abilities. In part one of Keep Sharp, Gupta presents the science and dispels the myths regarding brain function. Part two presents ways to support brain health. Gupta includes a 12-week plan to build better habits. Part three deals with what one should do when getting a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or other dementia, including helpful advice for caregivers. Always optimistic, Gupta presents this information in a reassuring way.

What sets it apart: Gupta distills the science of brain health in an understandable way and presents practical ways to make your brain more resilient.

Reviewers say: “Inclusive and recognizably sturdy advice on building a healthy brain” (Kirkus Reviews).

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