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An extremely thoughtful contemporary fiction for fans of An American Marriage. Our main character is a very successful Black woman who graduated from Harvard and is living happily in Chicago. When thoughts of having children arise she realizes she needs to reckon with a secret from her poor, small-town past. She returns home for the holidays and forms an unlikely relationship with a young boy who is white and poor. Turning stereotypes on their heads and making us think about race, class, family and secrets, I loved this thought-provoking novel! (William Marrow)
Recommended by Danica
If you are looking for an engrossing, atmospheric novel that you can’t put down, look no further than What Could Be Saved. One day, Laura receives an email from someone claiming to know her brother who disappeared in Bangkok 40 years earlier when the family was living in Thailand during the Vietnam war. Thus the story of his disappearance ensues as well as all of the family secrets emerging and lies of omission brought to light. This touching story is full of mystery, sibling relationships, tragedy, love and hope. (Atria Books)
Recommended by Danica
What a smart, surprising, and revealing collection of stories that explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. A finalist for the National Book Award, this book is a standout collection for an author that will surely deliver amazing works of fiction for years to come.(West Virginia University Press)
Recommended by Arvin
A Man Booker Prize Finalist, The Shadow King is a brilliant historical novel set during the Italian occupation of Ethiopia in 1935. It is a fascinating narrative of a woman realizing her personal power amidst unprecedented upheaval. This book is a must-read for aficionados of novels with gorgeous prose and unrealized history. (W.W. Norton)
Recommended by Arvin
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" asks the Mole.
"Kind." says the Boy.
With simple, yet profoundly deep insights into living a good life, this book is a treasure for young and old alike! Add in the delightful illustrations and you will not be able to resist picking this book up as a daily ritual, or when you are in need of some heartfelt, hopeful wisdom. (HarperOne)
Recommended by KellyJo
Every single American needs to read this book. We should have learned this history in school, but since most of us didn't, now is the time. Wilkerson deftly leads her readers on a vivid journey from the Jim Crow era up until current day. Woven with personal stories and well-researched history, we learn that America was built upon a caste system. We must begin to dismantle this in order to live into the dream of a full and equal democracy. (Random House)
Recommended by Kelly Jo
If you'd like to say goodbye to 2020, and welcome in a new year and a new way of "being" in the world, this is the book for you! With a mixture of deep thoughts, nature essays, and a sociological travelogue, Wilson beautifully offers "a path back to connection in a fractured world." (Day Street Books)
Recommended by Kelly Jo
I'm such a fan of mysteries, the American southwest desert, public lands discussions, Native American voices, humor, and strong and sassy female leads, that this was a perfect read for me. It is current and so relevant, what with the most recent administration doing seemingly whatever it can to destroy our public as well as Native lands (and here we can also discuss the controversial history of our "public" lands...) in the interest of short-term greed. I also loved Petersen's descriptions of the landscape. All of this heavy content is embedded in the intertwined stories of some remarkable, likable heroes, alongside some deliciously creative villains. Read this book, and then let's have a discussion about the notion of "loving our public lands to death", and what some possible solutions are, shall we? (Counterpoint, Penguin Publishing Group)
Recommended by Jen
I'm having a hard time describing what is so amazing about this book, other than saying "Everything." Characters- check. Plot- check. Writing- check. Unputdownable quality- check. Mysterious and intriguing while simultaneously being incredibly spot-on about life, love, limitations, and potentially loss. NO WONDER it was a finalist for the National Book Award. Pick this up for your next book club. You'll be thinking about and questioning the world you think you know for a very long time, and be reminded to love and live in today. (Ecco, Harpercollins)
Recommended by Jen
It's that time of year: the whole "New Year, New You" thing. Well, the plethora of titles out there about self reflection and personal development and follow your bliss and and and can be overwhelming. How about you start with one of these little treasures by Thich Nhat Hanh: Zen Master, global spiritual leader, poet, and peace activist? Each book contains 1-2 page meditations or musings that are short and sweet, but in my opinion are extremely understandable, meaningful, and actionable. The beautiful ink drawings by Jason DeAntonis are an added bonus! Titles include: How to Sit, How to Walk, How to Eat, How to Love, and a new one - How to Connect.
Recommended by Jen
This is one of the best collections of short stories that I have ever read. Chen's incredible writing skillfully illustrates that, even in these modern times when we think we're so knowledgeable and globally connected... Are we sure we know what's really true?! By the second piece I'd realized that her stories were going to surprise me each time, and I thought that every single one was a gem. (Mariner Books)
Recommended by Britton
If you'll let it, this book can be surprisingly comforting. It can be as light or as philosophical as you want it to be. And I, for one, was a bit shocked at how well Haig addressed something that so many of us get bogged down with when thinking about our lives: what if... (Viking)
Recommended by Britton
What an amazingly epic fantasy based on pre-Columbian indigenous peoples and their myths and legends! The writing quality made it so it felt like historical fiction but with fantastical elements in a fictional land. Following 4 different characters all building up to the "day of convergence", this book kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting more - of course it will be a trilogy! (Gallery/Saga Press)
Recommended by Danica
Sahira loves this colorfully illustrated book that bridges the gap between picture books and chapter books and is full of whimsy. The Fabled Stables house the most fantastical creatures and one boy is in charge of their care. One day, a new stall appears and he has to go save the creature it is intended for and bring her to safety. For fans of The Princess in Black but with a little more of a fanciful flare, this is a great book for boys and girls ages 4-8. (Abrams)
We loved reading this short chapter book (a Branches book) for its non-stop action and adventure. Tag is a young owl who wants to join the Owls of Vallor and protect his land from the evil vulture who is threatening Perodia and all the animals who live there. He and his best friend, Skyla the squirrel, are sent on an important mission and end up joining forces with Blaze, the last firehawk. Anya loves the action and adventure of this series as well as the friendly animals they encounter along the way. Can be read aloud to ages 5-7 Reading level Grade 2. (Scholastic)
What a fun adventure! Kitty is a young girl whose mother is a superhero by night with cat-like superpowers. As Kitty’s own super powers begin to grow she starts to have nighttime, life-saving adventures of her own. Along with her 4 cat friends, Kitty rescues kittens, stops museum thieves and so much more in this great series for kids ages 5-8. Anya loves the 3-color illustrations and the talking cats. (There are 6 books in this series so far!) (Greenwillow Books)
January 20th at 6:30pm via Zoom (View our events calendar for link.)
Winner of the 2020 National Book Award! From the infinitely inventive author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe comes a deeply personal novel about race, pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles we are forced to play.
Willis Wu doesn’t perceive himself as a protagonist even in his own life: he’s merely Generic Asian Man. Sometimes he gets to be Background Oriental Making a Weird Face or even Disgraced Son, but always he is relegated to a prop. Yet every day, he leaves his tiny room in a Chinatown SRO and enters the Golden Palace restaurant, where Black and White, a procedural cop show, is in perpetual production. He’s a bit player here, too, but he dreams of being Kung Fu Guy—the most respected role that anyone who looks like him can attain. At least that is what he has been told, time and time again. Except by one person, his mother. Who says to him: be more.
Playful but heartfelt, a send-up of Hollywood tropes and Asian stereotypes—Interior Chinatown is Charles Yu’s most moving, daring, and masterful novel yet. (Vintage)
February 17th at 6:30pm via Zoom (View our Events Calendar for link.)
A boldly imagined work of magic and adventure from the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me.
Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage—and lost his mother and all memory of her when he was a child—but he is also gifted with a mysterious power. Hiram almost drowns when he crashes a carriage into a river, but is saved from the depths by a force he doesn’t understand, a blue light that lifts him up and lands him a mile away. This strange brush with death forces a new urgency on Hiram’s private rebellion. Spurred on by his improvised plantation family, Thena, his chosen mother, a woman of few words and many secrets, and Sophia, a young woman fighting her own war even as she and Hiram fall in love, he becomes determined to escape the only home he’s ever known.
Even as he’s enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslave, Hiram’s resolve to reunite with the only family he has ever known burns within him.
This is a bracingly original vision of the world of slavery, written with the narrative force of a great adventure. Written by one of today’s most exciting thinkers and writers, The Water Dancer is a propulsive, transcendent work that restores the humanity of those from whom everything was stolen. (One World)
