Hello, librarian friends!
'Tis the holiday season and we're thrilled to bring you good book-tidings and cheer, alongside a hefty dose of flannel. If you're looking for new reads to warm you up as the days grow cold, we're here to help!
To begin, we have an incredible line-up of reading suggestions for the February LibraryReads list (and beyond), including new novels from librarian-favorites Kate Quinn, Tara Conklin, and Elizabeth McCracken, as well as Nickolas Butler, Peter Swanson, and Lissa Evans. We also have some wonderful debuts, including When You Read This by Mary Adkins and American Pop by Snowden Wright.
Keep reading for more details on all of the books we're currently loving. We can't wait for you to dip in and let us know what you think!
Enjoy!
P.S. We've also put together a helpful guide to voting for LibraryReads on Edelweiss, available as a podcast, video, and handout!
We hope you find these resources helpful! Remember: be heard, vote early and often, and if you have questions, email us!
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The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
For fans of: The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin and The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
The New York Times bestselling author of The House Girl explores the lives of four siblings in this ambitious and absorbing novel in the vein of Ann Patchett's Commonwealth.
"Despite spanning almost a century, The Last Romantics never feels rushed. Conklin places readers in the center of the Skinner family, moving back and forth in time and allowing waves of emotion to slowly uncurl. Perfectly paced, affecting fiction."
—Booklist
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: January 1st
The Huntress by Kate Quinn
For fans of: The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck and The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
From the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling novel The Alice Network, comes another fascinating historical novel about a battle-haunted English journalist and a Russian female bomber pilot who join forces to track the Huntress, a Nazi war criminal gone to ground in America.
"An impressive historical novel sure to harness WWII-fiction fans’ attention…. Laced with Russian folklore allusions and deliciously witty banter, Quinn’s tale refreshingly avoids contrived situations while portraying three touching, unpredictable love stories; the suspenseful quest for justice; and the courage involved in confronting one’s greatest fears."
—Booklist 
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: January 1st
Bowlaway by Elizabeth McCracken
For fans of: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan and Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo
A sweeping and enchanting new novel from the widely beloved, award-winning author of The Giant's House about three generations of an unconventional New England family who own and operate a candlepin bowling alley.
"McCracken writes with exuberant precision, ingenious lyricism, satirical humor, and warmhearted mischief and delight…. This compassionate and rambunctious saga about love, grief, prejudice, and the courage to be one’s self chimes with novels by John Irving, Audrey Niffenegger, and Alice Hoffman."
—Booklist review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: January 1st
American Pop by Snowden Wright
For fans of: News of the World by Paulette Jiles and Some Luck by Jane Smiley
Moving from Mississippi to Paris to New York and back again, an epic saga of family, ambition, passion, and tragedy that brings to life one unforgettable Southern dynasty—the Forsters, founders of the world’s first major soft-drink company—against the backdrop of more than a century of American cultural history.
"This spectacular novel blends history and lore….This is an American saga of one man’s ambition, the woman who stoked it, and the family whose complex identity it became. Snowden Wright takes us into the heart of the deep south with insight, sophistication, and humor. What a ride!"
—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of Kiss Carlo
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: January 1st
When You Read This by Mary Adkins
For fans of: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson
For fans of Maria Semple and Rainbow Rowell, a comedy-drama for the digital age: an epistolary debut novel about the ties that bind and break our hearts.
"The book moves with the entertaining swiftness and abrupt tonal shifts of communication in the digital age…. An excellent story that’s condensed into a great example of the epistolary format: something that’s thrilling to expand and decode while reading."
—Kirkus Reviews
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: January 1st
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
For fans of: The French Girl by Lexie Elliott and The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
For fans of Tana French, a shivery, atmospheric, page-turning novel of psychological suspense in the tradition of Agatha Christie, in which a group of old college friends are snowed in at a hunting lodge…and murder and mayhem ensue.
"Readers are left wondering until the end which guest has died as well as who the killer is; they will be well rewarded by the story’s ending. A great read-alike for this is Shari Lapena’s recent An Unwanted Guest (2018)."
—Booklist
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: January 1st
For more great reading suggestions for February, click here.
The deadline to submit your votes for LibraryReads is January 1!
Looking Ahead: Must-Read March and April Titles!
Little Faith by Nickolas Butler
For fans of: Saints for All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan and History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund
In this moving new novel from the celebrated author of Shotgun Lovesongs and The Hearts of Men, a Wisconsin family grapples with the power and limitations of faith when one of their own falls under the influence of a radical church.
"A beautifully realized meditation on the nature of parenting and living in a perplexing (and often cruel) world. Enthusiastically recommended for parents and fans of literary fiction."
—Library Journal 
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: February 1st
A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
For fans of: Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao and The Leavers by Lisa Ko
Three generations of Palestinian-American women in contemporary Brooklyn are torn between individual desire and the strict mores of traditional Arab culture in this powerful, heartbreaking and hopeful debut novel—an emotionally resonant and culturally relevant story of love, secrets, courage, and duty that speaks to the lives and experiences of all women today, giving voice to the silenced and agency to the oppressed.
"The daughter of Brooklyn Palestinian immigrants, Rum was often told 'a woman is no man.' Overcoming her fear of community reprisal, she alchemizes that limiting warning into a celebration of 'the strength and power of our women.'" —Booklist
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: February 1st
Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
Also from the author: All the Beautiful Lies, Her Every Fear, and The Girl with a Clock for a Heart
From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing comes an exquisitely chilling tale of a young suburban wife with a history of psychological instability whose fears about her new neighbor could lead them both to murder…
"In Peter Swanson’s expert hands, one woman’s discerning observation at a quiet suburban dinner party unfolds into a gripping, twisty, psychologically complex thriller. I could not put it down."
—Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: February 1st
In Another Time by Jillian Cantor
For fans of: The Boat Runner by Devin Murphy and The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan
A sweeping historical novel that spans Germany, England, and the United States, and follows a young couple torn apart by circumstance leading up to World War II—and the family secret that may prove to be the means for survival.
"In Another Time is a stunning testament to the power of books, music, and love, and how they can endure, and ultimately prevail, during calamitous times." —Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Masterpiece
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: February 1st
The Binding by Bridget Collins
For fans of: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry and The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
In the tradition of Sarah Waters, Helene Wecker, and Jessie Burton, an atmospheric and mystery-laden historical novel set within a magical world where books are not stories but the repository of individual lives.
"The Binding is a dark chocolate slice of cake with a surprising, satisfying seam of raspberry running through it. It is a rich, gothic entertainment that explores what books have trapped inside them and reminds us of the power of storytelling. Spellbinding." —Tracy Chevalier, bestselling author of Girl with a Pearl Earring
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: March 1st
The Affairs of the Falcóns by Melissa Rivero
For fans of: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue and The Book of Unknown Americans by
Cristina Henríquez
A stunning debut novel about a young undocumented Peruvian woman fighting to keep her family afloat in New York City.
"Melissa Rivero writes about love with all of its beauty, fierceness, and complications: of motherhood and hard choices, the bonds of family and homeland, and the sacrifices made for survival and a better future. Ana Rios is an unforgettable character and a necessary American hero." —Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: March 1st
Old Baggage by Lissa Evans
For fans of: The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan and Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford
The author of the acclaimed Crooked Heart returns with a comic, charming, and surprisingly timely portrait of a once pioneering suffragette trying to find her new passion in post-WWI era London.
"I loved Old Baggage. Such original characters, and so timely. And it made me weep at the end." —Jojo Moyes
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: March 1st
Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton
For fans of: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
An utterly wonderful debut novel of love, crime, magic, fate, and a boy’s coming of age, set in 1980s Australia and infused with the originality, charm, pathos, and heart of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
"Joyous. Simply joyous. I hugged myself as I read it. My heart raced, swelled, burst; my eyes leaked tears; my stomach ached from laughter. Boy Swallows Universe is—I can’t think of a word more apt—magical." —A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads voting deadline: March 1st
For more great reading suggestions for March, click here.
Votes for the March LibraryReads list are due February 1!
For more great reading suggestions for April, click here.
Votes for the April LibraryReads list are due March 1!
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We hope you enjoy the books!
-Chris