Good Reads & Views

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult
Fiction

Reviewers say: “Picoult’s fans will be more than ready for this puzzle of a novel. . . [They] will find heady themes to consider” (Booklist).

What’s it about: Dawn, a graduate student in Egyptology, is abruptly called back to Boston from a dig in Egypt due to a family emergency. For the next 15 years she lives a very different life than she had planned, taking care of her 13-year-old brother and working as a “death doula”, helping her clients tie up loose ends before their death. Her most recent client reminds Dawn of her longing for a lost love, Wyatt, an English earl she left behind in Egypt.   

You might also like: This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub or Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

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The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
Fiction

About the Author: “Clare Pooley graduated from Cambridge University and then spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time writer. Her debut novel, The Authenticity Project, was a New York Times bestseller, and has been translated into 29 languages. Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting is her second novel; her third novel, How to Age Disgracefully, is forthcoming. Pooley lives in Fulham, London, with her husband, three children, and two border terriers” (Amazon).

Reviewers say: “An enjoyable, cozy novel that touches on tough topics” (Kirkus Reviews).

You might also like: Two from the Heart by James Patterson or My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman. 

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Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
Fiction  

Reviewers say: “Evident in all [Backman] novels is an apparent ability to state a truth about humanity with breathtaking elegance” (Kirkus).

Series alert: This is the second book in the Beartown series.    

You might also like: Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid or The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg.

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The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction

What’s it about:  “The Five-Star Weekend [is] a story of friendship, self-discovery, and forgiveness—all set against an idyllic Nantucket background and bursting with glorious food descriptions. Hollis Shaw is the creator of the popular food blog Hungry with Hollis—think Ina Garten, but online. After her husband dies in a car accident, Hollis’ (alleged) domestic perfection crumbles, and she plans a girls-only weekend at her Nantucket beach house. Cue the chardonnay, secrets, and Lilly Pulitzer. While this book could easily fall into the predictable, this fresh and diverse cast of characters keeps the reader on their toes until the very end. Bring on all the five-star puns, because Hilderbrand’s latest delivers” (Sarah Gelman, Amazon Editor).

Reviewers say: "A dreamy Nantucket house party given by a meticulous hostess goes off the rails....The people in her books may screw up, but Hilderbrand always gets it right...Amazing" (Kirkus Reviews).

You might also like: The Happiness Plan by Susan Mallery or Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner.

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Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Fiction  

What’s it about:  When 2 brilliant scientists, Elizabeth Zott and Calvin Evans, fall in love in the 1960s, she cooks him meals in exchange for sharing his home. When their relationship is tragically cut short, she lands a job as the chef of a television show, allowing her to support their daughter, Madeline. With the help of a forthright neighbor, a loyal TV producer, and an astute dog, Elizabeth forges a new path. 

Reviewers say: “[An] energetic debut...A more adorable plea for rationalism and gender equality would be hard to find” (Kirkus Reviews).

You might also like: Her Hidden Genius by Marie Benedict or Mr. & Mrs. American Pie by Juliet McDaniel.

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Beartown by Fredrik Backman
Fiction 

What’s it about: “In the tiny forest community of Beartown, the possibility that the amateur hockey team might win a junior championship, bringing the hope of revitalization to the fading town, is shattered by the aftermath of a violent act that leaves a young girl traumatized” (Novelist).

About the Author: Fredrik Backman is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, Britt-Marie Was Here, Us Against You, and The Winners, book 2 and 3 in the Beartown series.  His books have been published in more than forty countries. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden, with his wife and two children.  

You might also like:  Faith by Jennifer Haigh or All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

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Endless Summer: Stories from Days That Last Forever by Elin Hilderbrand
Fiction

What’s it about: "One wonders what the author of 28 novels, sometimes appearing at the rate of two per year, does in her spare time. It turns out she writes what might almost be called Elin Hilderbrand fan fiction, creating short stories piggybacking off already-developed characters and plots....[Endless Summer is] a generous gift to fans" (Kirkus Reviews).

Reviewers say: “Bask in the brilliance of the 'queen of beach reads'" (New York Magazine).

You might also like: Summer Love by Nancy Thayer or The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner

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You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Fiction

What’s it about: “Shay Miller wants to find love, but it eludes her. She wants to be fulfilled, but her job is a dead end. She wants to belong, but her life is increasingly lonely. Until Shay meets the Moore sisters. Cassandra and Jane live a life of glamorous perfection, and always get what they desire. When they invite Shay into their circle, everything seems to get better”(Amazon).

Reviewers say: "Masterfully escalates the suspense...keep[s] the reader guessing until the end. A great follow-up" (Booklist - starred review).

About the Author: “GREER HENDRICKS is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Wife Between Us, An Anonymous Girl. Prior to becoming a novelist, she spent over two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster. SARAH PEKKANEN is the internationally and USA Today bestselling author of several novels, including The Wife Between Us, The Perfect Neighbors and The Best of Us. A former investigative journalist and feature writer, her work has been published in The Washington Post, USA Today, and many others.” (Amazon)

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An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Fiction

What’s it about: “Looking to earn some easy cash, Jessica Farris agrees to be a test subject in a
psychological study about ethics and morality. But as the study moves from the exam room to
the real world, the line between what is real and what is one of Dr. Shields’s experiments blurs”
(Amazon).

Reviewers say: "Masterfully escalates the suspense" (Booklist - starred review)

You might also like: The Girl Before by J. P. Delaney or The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth
Ware.

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The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
Fiction

What’s it about: “Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who
could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is,
she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka "bodyguard"), and she just got hired to protect
superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker” (Amazon).

Reviewers say: Katherine Center's The Bodyguard is “My perfect 10 of a book. As funny and
sweet as all the very best nineties rom-coms, but with Center’s signature heart-tugging depth. I
wish I could erase it from my mind just to read it again for the first time. A shot of pure joy” (Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers).

You might also like: The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall or Not the Girl You Marry by
Andie J. Christopher.

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