Hello librarians!
As you might have gathered from the above book collage, there are A LOT of fantastic titles coming your way in April. Not a bad problem to have! With a few more months of winter yet to come, we think getting a jump start on spring reading will warm us right up! We hope you agree. Happy reading!
-The LLF Team (Virginia, Chris, and Lainey).
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For fans of: The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
and Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda
The award-winning author of The Free and Don't Skip Out on Me explores the impact of trickle-down greed and opportunism of gentrification on ordinary lives in this scorching novel that captures the plight of a young woman pushed to the edge as she fights to secure a stable future for herself and her family.
"We…race to the end to see if good hearts can maybe, just this once, make a difference."
—Bill Ott, Booklist ⭐ review
"The story resonates, with characters we come to feel we know and dialog that is so natural we hear it, not just read it…. This is literary art that will keep readers in their seats until the last page."
—Library Journal ⭐ review
"This gritty page-turner sings with pitch-perfect prose…. Vlautin has achieved a brilliant synthesis of Raymond Carver and Jim Thompson."
—Publishers Weekly ⭐ review
"Vlautin has written a soulful thriller for the age of soulless gentrification."
—Kirkus ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Watch Willy Vlautin on Door to Door!
Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
For fans of: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett and
The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin
A warm, incisive new novel about the enduring bonds of marriage and friendship from the author of the instant New York Times bestseller The Nest.
"Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney plumbs the depths of marriage, motherhood and friendship with warmth and wit. I devoured it in one gulp! Treat yourself to some Good Company."
—Maria Semple, bestselling author of Today Will Be Different
"With candor and humor, Good Company tackles big issues—the reckoning between artistic ambition and family life, the strange tension between honesty and loyalty, the way time’s inevitable passage affects friendships and romance and our sense of self. Once again, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney has written a book you’ll stay up all night reading."
—Rumaan Alam, New York Times bestselling author of Leave the World Behind
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Watch Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney on Door to Door!
Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson
For fans of: Someone We Know by Shari Lapena
The New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Never Have I Ever builds on her success with this addictive novel of domestic suspense in which a mother must decide how far she is willing to go to protect her child and the life she loves.
"Terrifying, timely and thought-provoking, I couldn't tear my eyes away from Mother May I."
—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Other Mrs.
Register to see Joshilyn Jackson on Door to Door on Tuesday, 2/16!
Previous LibraryReads Selections:
The Almost Sisters (July 2017)
The Opposite of Everyone (Feb. 2016)
Someone Else's Love Story (Nov. 2013)
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Caul Baby by Morgan Jerkins
For fans of: The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
and Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
The New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be My Undoing and Wandering in Strange Lands makes her fiction debut with this electrifying novel, for fans of Ta-Nehisi Coates and Jacqueline Woodson, that brings to life one powerful and enigmatic family in a tale rife with secrets, betrayal, intrigue, and magic.
"The writing is sharp with an empathetic undertone, encouraging readers to understand characters' choices even if they don’t agree. Readers are taken through a spectrum of emotions with a satisfying payoff. On the heels of her excellent memoir Wandering in Strange Lands (2020), Jerkins solidifies herself as one of our guiding literary lights, no matter the genre."
—Booklist ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
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The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth McCracken
Also from the author: Bowlaway, Here's Your Hat
What's Your Hurry, and The Giant's House
One of the most treasured writers of our day, award-winning author Elizabeth McCracken, is an undisputed virtuoso of the short story, and this new collection features her most vibrant and heartrending work to date.
"McCracken’s sly, emotionally complex collection focuses on characters uprooted from their usual surroundings…. Each story opens to reveal a whole life spent within the web of a family, chosen or not. Full of gems, this collection is a winner."
—Publishers Weekly ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
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The Light of Days by Judy Batalion
For fans of: The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone
One of the most important stories of World War II, already optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture: a spectacular, searing history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters—a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full, until now.
"In a vigorous narrative that draws on interviews, diaries, and other sources, Batalion delivers an objective view of past events that are too quickly being forgotten—and a story much in need of telling."
—Kirkus ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Listen to an interview with Judy Batalion on The Library Love Fest Podcast!
Love in Color by Bolu Babalola
For fans of: Orange World and Other Stories by Karen Russell
and Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
In her debut collection, internationally acclaimed writer Bolu Babalola retells the most beautiful love stories from history and mythology with incredible new detail and vivacity. Focusing on the magical folktales of West Africa, Babalola also reimagines Greek myths, ancient legends from the Middle East, and stories from long-erased places.
"Perfection in short story form, I am in love with every single word Bolu Babalola has written. So rarely is love expressed this richly, this vividly, or this artfully."
—Candice Carty-Williams, internationally bestselling author of Queenie
Register to see Bolu Babalola on Door to Door on Tuesday, 2/16!
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
All the Children Are Home by Patry Francis
For fans of: Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane
and Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal
A sweeping saga following a foster family through almost a decade of dazzling triumph and wrenching heartbreak—from the author of The Orphans at Race Point.
"This beautifully wrought novel is a sometimes wrenching but ultimately uplifting story of murder and betrayal in the face of faith, family in its truest sense, and—most of all—love."
—Booklist ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
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Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne
For fans of: The Right Swipe by Alisha Rai
and The Wedding Party by Jasmine Guillory
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Hating Game and 99 Percent Mine comes the clever, funny, and unforgettable story of a muscular, tattooed man hired as an assistant to two old women—under the watchful eye of a beautiful retirement home manager.
"Second First Impressions is the warmest, coziest, sweetest book of the year, an absolutely perfect blend of humor and heart. I want to live inside Sally Thorne’s brain."
—Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
by Becky Chambers
Also from the author: To Be Taught, If Fortunate
and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
Return to the sprawling, Hugo Award-winning universe of the Galactic Commons to explore another corner of the cosmos—one often mentioned, but not yet explored—in this absorbing entry in the Wayfarers series, which blends heart-warming characters and imaginative adventure.
"[A] delightful, cozy novel. Devoted fans and newcomers alike will thrill with this imaginative sci-fi confection."
—Publishers Weekly ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Sensational by Kim Todd
For fans of: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott
A vivid social history that brings to light the "girl stunt reporters" of the Gilded Age who went undercover to expose corruption and abuse in America, and redefined what it meant to be a woman and a journalist—pioneers whose influence continues to be felt today.
"Sensational brings the stories and battles of Gilded Age newspaperwomen to gritty, effervescent life."
—Stephanie Gorton, author of Citizen Reporters
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Watch Kim Todd on Door to Door!
The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena DillonFor fans of: Whisper Network by Chandler Baker
From the acclaimed author of Mercy House comes a gripping novel about a young woman’s dreams of being an Olympic gymnast—and the dark history that one has to keep secret on the road to the top.
"Whether readers can name every Olympian gymnast from the past 40 years or can't tell a Yurchenko from a Mustafina, Dillon's latest novel will enthrall. A natural next read for fans of Hannah Orenstein's Head over Heels (2020)."
—Booklist ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll
For fans of: The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte
Acclaimed Harvard geologist Andrew Knoll delivers a sweeping and definitive new narrative history of Earth, charting our home planet's epic 4.6 billion year history and placing our current environmental crisis in deep context.
"In A Brief History of Earth, Knoll treats us to a 4.6-billion-year detective story revealing the origins and inner workings of our home in the solar system. In these pages you'll discover something profound: how our past, present, and future are grounded in Planet Earth."
—Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish and Some Assembly Required
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Little and Often by Trent Preszler
For fans of: H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
A moving, beautifully written memoir of grief and love, understanding and forgiveness, and the curative power of creativity, detailing how the author coped with the death of his estranged father by building a wooden boat with the tools he had inherited.
"Little and Often is a beautiful memoir of grief, love, the shattered bond between a father and son, and the resurrection of a broken heart. Trent Preszler tells his story with the same level of art and craftsmanship that he brings to his boat making, and he reminds us of creativity’s power to transform and heal our lives. This is a powerful and deeply moving book. I won’t soon forget it."
—Elizabeth Gilbert
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
World Travel by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever
For fans of: Around the World in 60 Seconds by Nuseir Yassin
A guide to some of the world’s most interesting places, as seen and experienced by the late writer, television host, and relentlessly curious traveler Anthony Bourdain.
"Charming…. Irresistible…. An exhilarating and worthwhile choice for those planning an actual trip and for stay-at-home travelers."
—Library Journal ⭐ review
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Goodbye, Again by Jonny Sun
For fans of: We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby
The wonderfully original author of Everyone's a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too gives us a collection of touching and hilarious personal essays, stories, poems—accompanied by his trademark illustrations—covering topics such as mental health, happiness, and what it means to belong.
"This poetic, humorous, and heartfelt collection will have readers nodding along, laughing, and maybe even crying, but more than anything they will be engrossed and craving more. Similar to Sun’s previous work, this is another standout."
—Library Journal ⭐ review
Register to see Jonny Sun on Door to Door on Tuesday, 2/23!
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Permission to Dream by Chris Gardner: In the spirit of The Last Lecture, The Secret, and The Alchemist, this small book presents big ideas for turning your "one day" into today, including the generational transfer of a dream and a powerful blueprint for a masterpiece life—from the author of the New York Times bestselling memoir and major motion picture The Pursuit of Happyness.
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
I'm Waiting for You by Kim Bo-Young: In this mind-expanding work of speculative fiction, available in English for the first time, one of South Korea’s most treasured writers explores the driving forces of humanity—love, hope, creation, destruction, and the very meaning of existence—in two pairs of thematically interconnected stories.
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Anywhere for You by Abbie Greaves: From the author of The Silent Treatment, the heart-wrenching story of a woman's decade-long search for answers after the love of her life disappears—a timeless and deeply moving exploration of what it means to love and lose, and hope and carry on.
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend by Ben Philippe: In the biting, hilarious vein of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life—comes Ben Philippe’s candid memoir-in-essays, chronicling a lifetime of being the Black friend (see also: foreign kid, boyfriend, coworker, student, teacher, roommate, enemy) in predominantly white spaces.Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Love in Case of Emergency by Daniela Krien: Writing with the wry realism of Sally Rooney, one of Germany's most promising literary talents demonstrates her incisive understanding of the complexities of relationships and the depths of the human heart in this witty and compulsively readable novel about five very different women whose lives intersect.
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Promises to Keep by Nan Rossiter: In this heartwarming sequel to Promises of the Heart in the Savannah Skies series, USA Today bestselling author Nan Rossiter returns to Tybee Island off the Georgia coast to focus on beloved characters Maeve and Gage as their relationship is tested by secrets they are keeping from each other.
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Stargazer by Anne Hillerman: Murder, deception, Navajo tradition, and the stars collide in this enthralling entry in New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman’s Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series, set amid the beautiful landscape of the American Southwest.
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LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Little Pieces of Me by Alison Hammer: Following her acclaimed debut novel, You and Me and Us, Alison Hammer offers a deeply moving story of family and identity. When a DNA test reveals a long-buried secret, a woman must look to the past to understand her mother and herself.Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
You Belong Here Now by Dianna Rostad: In this brilliant debut reminiscent of Christina Baker Kline’s Orphan Train and Kristina McMorris’s Sold on a Monday, three orphans journey westward from New York City to the Big Sky Country of Montana, hoping for a better life where beautiful wild horses roam free.Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Meant to Be Immortal by Lynsay Sands: In the newest Argeneau novel from New York Times bestselling author Lynsay Sands, an immortal barely escapes a raging fire only to kindle a sizzling passion with his potential life mate.Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey: A man and a woman continually cross paths in different realities in this speculative love story that explores what truly defines us and how our choices can change everything—a stunning, affecting debut with the emotional resonance and imaginative flair of Kate Morton and Audrey Niffenegger.Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: March 1, 2020
My Ride or Die by Leslie Cohen: A timely and hilarious millennial women’s fiction novel about two friends who decide to give up their search for a perfect man and devote their lives to each other—but their careful plan soon begins to unravel with unexpected consequences.Request the egalley on NetGalley
LibraryReads Votes Due: March 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