FICTION
The book of lost names by Kristin Harmel. A young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in this historical novel.
The daughters of Erietown by Connie Schultz. The evolving role of women in middle America in the second half of the 20th century is illuminated by the story of one Ohio family, its secrets and failures, its hopes and dreams.
Deadlock by Catherine Coulter. A young wife, a psychopath, and three red boxes puzzle FBI agents Savich and Sherlock.
The end of her by Shari Lapena. The parents of colicky twin girls have other troubles delivered in the form of suspicions surrounding the husband’s first wife’s death.
Girls of summer by Nancy Thayer. One life-changing summer on Nantucket brings out exhilarating revelations for a single mother and her two grown children.
A good neighborhood by Therese Fowler. A property line and a teenage romance strain relations between two North Carolina families.
Hieroglyphics by Jill McCorkle. The story spools around two actual, horrific 1940 events: The Coconut Grove nightclub fire in Boston and a train derailment in North Carolina.
Home before dark by Riley Sager. A woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound – and dangerous – secrets hidden within its walls?
The house on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman. When two families – one rich, one not – vacation together off the coast, little do they know that someone won’t be returning home.
Indigo by Loren Estleman. This effortlessly melds film history with a whodunit, clever and surprising. Film noir buffs will be in heaven.
It’s not all downhill from here by Terry McMillan. After a sudden change of plans, a remarkable woman and her loyal group of friends try to figure out what she’s going to do with the rest of her life.
The living dead by George Romero. He invented the modern zombie with Night of the Living Dead. This novel is set in the present day and is an entirely new tale.
Mexican gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. In 1950s Mexico, a debutante travels to a distant mansion where family secrets of a faded mining empire have been kept hidden.
Near dark by Brad Thor. With a bounty on his head, Scot Harvath makes an alliance with a Norwegian intelligence operative.
The order by Daniel Silva. An art restorer and spy cuts his family’s vacation short to investigate whether Pope Paul VII was murdered.
The pull of the stars by Emma Donoghue. In an Ireland of 1918 doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia works at an under-staffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new flu and are quarantined together.
The return by Rachel Harrison. A group of friends reunite after one of them has returned from a mysterious two-year disappearance. Going away to an isolated hotel to reconnect, it soon becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back. But then who – or what – is she?
Sex and vanity by Kevin Kwan. Here’s a nod to A Room with a View in which Lucie Tang Churchill is torn between her WASPY billionaire fiancé and a privileged hunk born in Hong Kong.
Silas Crockett by Mary Ellen Chase. This traces life on the Maine coast through 4 generations of a seafaring family.
To wake the giant by Jeff Shaara. The run-up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is depicted in a thrilling you-are-there re-creation. Fans of military fiction will find much to enjoy.
Tomb of Gods by Brian Moreland. The Egyptian tombs in 1935. The atmosphere of a dark, claustrophobic tomb creates a scary story in which the character’s fear invites the reader into the world to experience the fright themselves.
28 summers by Elin Hilderbrand. A relationship that started in 1993 between two people comes to light while she is on her deathbed and his wife runs for president.
A walk along the beach by Debbie Macomber. After dealing with loss and setbacks, two sisters take risks on dreams and love.
Wonderland by Zoje Stage. Shirley Jackson meet The Shining in his tense novel. One mother’s love may be all that stands between her family, an enigmatic presence…and madness.
NONFICTION
The answer is… by Alex Trebek. Who is the Canadian-American game show host whose pronunciation of the word “genre” has been shared widely on social media?
Begin again by Eddie Glaude. An appraisal of the life and work of James Baldwin and their meaning in relationship to the Black Lives Matter movement and the Trump presidency.
Decoding your cat by Meghan Herron. Experts explain common cat behaviors and reveal how to prevent or change unwanted ones.
18 tiny deaths by Bruce Goldfarb. The story of a woman whose ambition and accomplishments far exceeded the expectations of her time. This follows the transformation of a young, wealthy socialite into the mother of modern forensics.
The gift of forgiveness by Katherine Pratt. An inspiring book on learning how to forgive – with firsthand stories from those who have learned to let go of resentment and find peace.
Grandpa magic by Allan Kronzek. 116 easy tricks, amazing brainteasers, and simple stunts to wow the grandkids.
The life of William Faulkner by Carl Rollyson. This follows Faulkner from his formative years through his introduction to Hollywood. It sheds light on his unpromising youth and provides the fullest portrait yet of his family life and marriage, showing that his career as a screenwriter influenced his novels.
Like crazy by Dan Mathews. A hilarious and heartbreaking memoir about an outlandish mother and son on an odyssey of self-discovery, and the rag-tag community that rallied to help them as the mother entered the final phase of her life.
The Lost Kitchen by Erin French. Here’s the history, complete with recipes, of the famous small restaurant in Freedom, Maine.
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad. Ways to understand and possibly counteract white privilege.
Stamped from the beginning by Ibram Kendi. The National Book Award winning history of how racist ideas were created, spread, and deeply rooted in American society.
This is Chance! by Jon Mooallem. The thrilling cinematic story of a community shattered by disaster – the 1964 earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska – and the extraordinary woman who helped pull it back together.
To start a war by Robert Draper. How the Bush Administration took American to war in Iraq.
Troop 6000 by Nikita Stewart. The inspiring true story of the first Girl Scout troop founded for and by girls living in a shelter in Queens, New York, and the amazing, nationwide response that it sparked.
The unidentified by Colin Dickey. A tour of the country’s most persistent “unexplained” phenomena – mythical monsters, alien encounters, and our obsession with the unexplained.
Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.