Hello librarians and happy New Year!
Well, 2021 couldn't get here soon enough. 2020 was an unimaginably tough year for so many of us, grappling with stress, loss, and uncertainty. Throughout it all, we were incredibly grateful that we were able to connect virtually with so many of you in the library community.
We hope you'll join us as we hit the ground running in 2021! We have some very exciting reading suggestions for the March 2021 LibraryReads List. Happy reading!
-The LLF Team (Virginia, Chris, and Lainey)
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Raft of Stars by Andrew J. Graff
For fans of: This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger and
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal
An instant classic for fans of Jane Smiley and Kitchens of the Great Midwest: when two hardscrabble young boys think they’ve committed a crime, they flee into the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Will the adults trying to find and protect them reach them before it’s too late?
"The characters are expertly drawn in their shifting relationships, and the two boys’ closeness and bravery are especially affecting…. facing the life issues examined here in an unforgiving if beautifully rendered wilderness is no easy feat…. Highly recommended, whether you want literate thrills or thoughtful, affirming meditation."
—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal ⭐ review
Join us on Tuesday, January 12th, to watch Andrew J. Graff on Door to Door!
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Foregone by Russell Banks
For fans of: Quichotte by Salman Rushdie
A searing novel about memory, abandonment, and betrayal—and a man’s end-of-life need for forgiveness and redemption—from the acclaimed and bestselling Russell Banks.
"Banks, a conduit for the confounded and the unlucky, a writer acutely attuned to place and ambiance, is at his most magnetic and provocative in this portrait of a celebrated documentary filmmaker on the brink of death."
—Booklist ⭐ review
"[A] dark, affecting work…. Banks explores aging, memory, and reputation in thoughtful and touching ways…. A challenging, risk-taking work marked by a wry and compassionate intelligence."
—Kirkus Reviews ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Watch Russell Banks on Door to Door with special guest Nancy Pearl!
The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
For fans of: A Cruel Deception by Charles Todd
and The Sentence Is Death by Anthony Horowitz
The first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties, perfect for fans of The Crown.
"[A] pitch-perfect murder mystery…. If The Crown were crossed with Miss Marple…the result would probably be something like this charming whodunnit."
—Ruth Ware, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One by One
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Watch SJ Bennett on Door to Door!
For fans of: We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.
"The Rose Code effortlessly evokes the frantic, nervy, exuberant world of the Enigma codebreakers…. Quinn’s meticulous research and impeccable characterization shine through this gripping and beautifully executed novel."
—Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of Her Last Flight
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Let's make Kate Quinn a LibraryReads Hall of Fame author!
Previous LibraryReads Selections:
The Huntress (February 2019)
The Alice Network (June 2017)
Watch Kate Quinn on Door to Door!
Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi
For fans of: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee and
The Golden Son by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
An Afghan American woman returns to Kabul to learn the truth about her family and the tragedy that destroyed their lives in this brilliant and compelling novel from the bestselling author of The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, The House Without Windows, and When the Moon Is Low.
Praise for Nadia Hashimi: "Her always engaging multigenerational tale is a portrait of Afghanistan in all of its perplexing, enigmatic glory, and a mirror into the still ongoing struggles of Afghan women."
—Khaled Hosseini, author of The Mountains Echoed and The Kite Runner
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Watch Nadia Hashimi on Door to Door!
Every Vow You Break by Peter SwansonAlso from the author: All the Beautiful Lies and Her Every Fear
"The further we go into [Swanson’s] devilishly twisty tales, the more hooks he sets…. Bride-to-be Abigail had a booze-fueled one-night stand… and is now being stalked by the man with whom she dallied. Fatal Attraction, right? Well, maybe, but we quickly see there's more to it than that."
—Booklist
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Previous LibraryReads Selections:
Eight Perfect Murders (March 2020)
All the Beautiful Lies (April 2018)
Her Every Fear (January 2017)
The Note Through the Wire by Doug Gold
For fans of: The Choice by Edith Eva Eger
Praised as an "unforgettable love story" by Heather Morris, New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, this is the real-life, unlikely romance between a resistance fighter and prisoner of war set in World War II Europe.
"Gold delivers a cinematic account of an unlikely romance that blossomed in Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia…. Gold…sets a brisk pace and vividly describes the landscape of war-torn Europe. This WWII love story enthralls."
—Publishers Weekly
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Half Life by Jillian Cantor
For fans of: The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton
The USA Today bestselling author of In Another Time reimagines the pioneering, passionate life of Marie Curie using a parallel structure to create two alternative timelines, one that mirrors her real life, one that explores the consequences for Marie and for science if she’d made a different choice.
"Jillian Cantor's beautifully written Half Life is a poignant exploration of ambition, family, gender, and love. I couldn't put down this tender, nuanced, and inspiring novel."
—Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and Girl in Translation
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Watch Jillian Cantor on Door to Door!
When Women Invented Television
by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
For fans of: The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O'Meara
The New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia tells the little-known story of four trailblazing women in the early days of television who laid the foundation of the industry we know today.
"With crisp, electrifying prose, Armstrong recounts the hard work and struggles of four women trailblazers who shaped the dawn of television…. Armstrong deftly illustrates how this quartet of women battled skepticism, sexism, and even the infamous Cold War blacklist to become vital players in the burgeoning days of the small screen."
—Booklist ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Band of Sisters by Lauren Willig
Also from the author: The Summer Country
A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story—a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network—from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig.
"A crackling portrayal of everyday American heroines…. A triumph."
—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
The Lowering Days by Gregory Brown
For fans of: Bearskin by James McLaughlin and
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
A promising literary star makes his debut with this emotionally powerful saga, set in 1980s Maine, that explores family love, the power of myths and storytelling, survival and environmental exploitation, and the ties between native land and cultural identity.
"In The Lowering Days Gregory Brown gives us a lush, almost mythic portrait of a very specific place and time that feels all the more universal for its singularity. There’s magic here."
—Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls and Chances Are…
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst
Also from the author: Race the Sands and The Deepest Blue
From award-winning author Sarah Beth Durst, a standalone epic fantasy set in a brand-new world of towering mountains and sparkling cities, in which a band of aging warriors have a second chance to defeat dark magic and avenge a haunting loss.
Praise for Sarah Beth Durst:
"Sarah Beth Durst is one of the most prolific authors I know, yet each of her beautiful stories is infused with exciting action and fully rounded characters whose struggles are both relatable and fantastical."
—Peter V. Brett, New York Times bestselling author of The Demon Cycle series
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
For fans of: Love Her or Lose Her by Tessa Bailey
In USA Today bestselling author Talia Hibbert’s newest rom com, the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard—literally.
"Their biting banter and saucy looks will delight readers…. Hibbert concludes the brilliant Brown Sisters series on high a note."
—Booklist ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Let's make Talia Hibbert a LibraryReads Hall of Fame author!
Previous LibraryReads Selections:
Take a Hint, Dani Brown (June 2020)
Get a Life, Chloe Brown (November 2019)
The Consequences of Fear by Jacqueline Winspear
Also from the author: The American Agent and To Die but Once
As Europe buckles under Nazi occupation, Maisie Dobbs investigates a possible murder that threatens devastating repercussions for Britain's war efforts in this latest installment in the New York Times bestselling mystery series.
Praise for Jacqueline Winspear:
"In Winspear’s capable hands, Maisie has evolved into a deeply sympathetic character. Readers will eagerly await her next outing."
—Publishers Weekly ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
Watch Jacqueline Winspear on Door to Door!
Wilde Child by Eloisa James
Also from the author: My Last Duchess and Say Yes to the Duke
Eloisa James returns to the Wildes of Lindow Castle series with the next Wilde child who runs and joins a theatre troupe—and the duke who tries to save her reputation.
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
The Secret Talker by Geling Yan
For fans of: Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien
Combining the dark twists of The Silent Patient with the unsettling beauty of The Vegetarian, a tense, gripping, and wholly original psychological tale of a woman with a secret admirer—who is hiding secrets of her own.
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LibraryReads Votes Due: February 1, 2020
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We hope you enjoy the books! For more information about LibraryReads, visit their website. Remember: Vote early! Vote often!
-Chris