Fall Book Preview Archives

The Wonder

by Emma Donoghue

From the publisher: "Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, The Wonder works beautifully on many levels--a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil." The The New York Times Book Review calls this “Sophisticated, provocative, and bracing. ”

Commonwealth

by Ann Patchett

Finally, a new Patchett novel! And one the author says is largely inspired by her own family history. In the early pages, two families fall apart. We spend the rest of the story examining how each of the family members put themselves back together after the break—or, in some cases, didn't. I would have read this just for Franny's storyline, and I would love to hear Patchett talk more about the inspiration for this particular character. A sad story, but a good one—and one you'll NEED to talk with other readers about.

Swing Time

by Zadie Smith

From the publisher: "An ambitious, exuberant new novel moving from North-West London to West Africa, from the multi-award-winning author of White Teeth and On Beauty. Dazzlingly energetic and deeply human, Swing Time is a story about friendship and music and stubborn roots, about how we are shaped by these things and how we can survive them. Moving from North-West London to West Africa, it is an exuberant dance to the music of time."

The Things We Wish Were True

by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

On the surface Sycamore Glen looks like the perfect all-American neighborhood, but a near-tragedy at their suburban swimming pool sets in motion a chain of events that brings the neighborhood's long-buried secrets to life.

Frazzled: Everyday Disasters and Impending Doom

by Booki Vivat

A new middle-grade release featuring a variety of multicultural characters, including a middle school heroine who is perpetually in self-generated crisis. This heavily illustrated work has been favorably compared to Raina Telgemeier's Smile. Publication date September 27 2016.

A Gentleman in Moscow

by Amor Towles

In this well-loved historical novel, Towles tells the story of Count Alexander Roskov, an aristocrat who the Bolsheviks sentence convict in 1922 for crimes of state (involving poetry). His punishment is house arrest, confining him to a small room inside the elegant Metropol Hotel. Towles show us how, over many decades, the Count makes a life for himself after his walls literally close in. With a rich, transportive (if claustrophobic) setting and endearing characters, this novel lingers in readers' minds long after the final page.

Kids of Appetite

by David Arnold

From the bestselling author of Mosquitoland, a story about relatable, sympathetic kids dealing with horrible situations, with E. Hinton's classic novel The Outsiders as a backdrop. For sophisticated YA readers. Publication date September 20 2016.

The Mothers

by Brit Bennett

I loved this book, an MMD Book Club flight pick and a book recommended on today's episode of WSIRN. Not an easy read, but so good, and one that I still think about even though I read it many moons ago. In this coming-of-age story, debut author Bennett shows us how grief predictably consumes a 17-year old girl growing up in a tight-knit community in Southern California, and how two friends get pulled into the tangled aftermath. Bennett tells the story through the eyes of the community's mothers—the community pillars who show up with casseroles when somebody's sick—but in this story, the mothers' vicious gossip causes nothing but trouble.

The Guineveres

by Sarah Domet

Domet draws heavily on her Catholic school upbringing for her debut, which is already drawing comparisons to The Virgin Suicides. The story follows four girls—who all share the name Guinevere—raised by the Sisters of the Supreme Adoration after they're abandoned by their families. Their coming-of-age stories are woven together with stories of the female saints.

The Trespasser

by Tana French

A new novel from the New York Times bestselling author, whom Gillian Flynn calls "mesmerizing" and Stephen King calls "incandescent."

Among the Living

by Jonathan Rabb

Historical thriller writer Rabb tells the story of a Holocaust survivor who, after surviving two and a half years in a concentration camp, finds freedom and travels across the ocean to Savannah, Georgia to make a new life for himself. He soon discovers that freedom remains complicated in his new home, as it becomes painfully apparent the post-war American South has plenty of problems of its own.

Today Will Be Different

by Maria Semple

The author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette delivers another Seattle novel about a quirky female character. In this new story, which unfolds over the course of a single day, we meet Eleanor Flood, a relatable and hilarious character who is determined to finally get something right, for once. Reviews say this book is packed with interesting characters and situations.

The Other Einstein

by Marie Benedict

In the tradition of The Aviator's Wife and Z: A Novel, the little-known story of Einstein's partner in life and work. Mileva Einstein, a brilliant physicist in her own right, undoubtedly contributed to her husband's work, but in this biographical novel Benedict wonders if that collaboration was much stronger than anyone suspected.

The Fall Guy

by James Lasdun

Publishers Weekly (Starred Review): “[A] terrific novel of suspense. . . Lasdun presents the inexorable turnings of fate in a subtle and disconcerting way.”

Mischling

by Affinity Konar

When twelve-year-old twin sisters arrive at Auschwitz in 1944, Nazi scientists seize upon the girls as ideal subjects for their ongoing scientific experiments in what become known as Mengele's Zoo. Anthony Doerr calls this "one of the most harrowing, powerful, and imaginative books of the year."

The Perfect Girl

by Gilly Macmillan

“A wonderfully addictive book with virtuoso plotting and characters - for anyone who loved Girl on the Train, it’s a must read.” — Rosamund Lupton

Hag-Seed

by Margaret Atwood

Atwood's latest novel is a retelling of Shakepeare's The Tempest, from the perspective of Prospero. In her version, her hero is a prominent theater director who loses his job, and subsequently goes to work teaching literary in a prison, and directing plays with a cast made of inmates.

The Bookshop on the Corner

by Jenny Colgan

I read the publisher's description on this and almost died: "Nina Redmond is a literary matchmaker. Pairing a reader with that perfect book is her passion… and also her job. Or at least it was. Until yesterday, she was a librarian in the hectic city. But now the job she loved is no more." When Nina's job as a British librarian is cut due to budget deficits, she takes a leap of faith and opens a bookmobile in a tiny Scottish town. Though it's not a bargain basement price, I couldn't resist reading this again just before my trip to Scotland. The bookmobile and its treasures transforms one townsperson at a time and Nina's life is revitalized as well. Now that's the power of a good book!

Holding Up the Universe

by Jennifer Niven

From the publisher: "From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone—and love someone—for who they truly are." Publishers Weekly says, "[Niven] creates two indelible characters and a heart-stopping romance." (starred review)

Lady Cop Makes Trouble

by Amy Stewart

From the publisher: "The best-selling author of Girl Waits with Gun returns with another adventure featuring the fascinating, feisty, and unforgettable Kopp sisters. Based on a true story, Girl Waits with Gun introduced Constance Kopp and her charming and steadfast sisters to an army of enthusiastic readers. Those readers will be thrilled by this second installment--also ripped from the headlines--in the romping, wildly readable life of a woman forging her own path, tackling crime and nefarious criminals along the way."

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summer reading starts May 16th