Staff Choices

This book was such a delightful read. If you love the Great British Bake Off, Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford will not disappoint. Full of tender, wholesome characters, this is a feel-good story perfect for the summer. 

Jenny Quinn loves to bake and at the age of 77 fears she’s let the opportunity of a grand adventure pass her by. That’s not to say she’s unhappy with her life. She has a loving husband and her great niece and nephew to dote on. When the opportunity to compete in Britain Bakes arises, Jenny secretly throws her hat in the ring. For all her worry that she’s too old, not good enough and that she can’t leave her aging husband, Jenny becomes a breakout star on the show. 

But with each bake, old memories surface, forcing Jenny to relive her past and come face to face with a secret she’s kept hidden for decades. 

Erik Larson writes historical books, like some write fiction. Interesting, fast paced, and keeps the readers interested. If your interested in the Civil War and how a country can become very polarized this is an excellent source, and a good place to start. I've  never been to Sumter but after reading this book I would like to see it. I enjoyed the book but not as well as some of his other works.

I realized how much I needed to be reunited with these characters and that I missed them so much. If you somehow haven’t read The Guncle by Steven Rowley yet, first off put it at the top of your TBR list pronto. Secondly, they need to be read in order to understand the characters' dynamics and backstory. Patrick does not disappoint in this sequel with his witty and sarcastic humor. Maisie and Grant are now five years older than they were in the first book and Patrick needs to teach them “the Guncle’s love language” since they are struggling to accept their father impending nuptials. Patrick has a rivalry with the kid’s new Launt and it showcases Patrick at his petty best. The setting takes you on a journey through Europe as Patrick and the kids do their own jaunt before settling in Italy for Greg’s wedding. I was just as charmed with this one as I was with the first book, the characters are entertaining and endearing, the plot was heartfelt, and the entire thing was humorous but touching from start to finish. Full of humor, love and teenage angst, The Guncle Abroad is a must read for 2024. 

A charming fast paced story about a brother and sister as they navigate queerness, the ups and downs of searching for love, as well as their unique Maaori-Russian-Catalonian family. Valdin, still reeling from a break-up finds himself in South America confronting feelings he tried to ignore. Greta, missing her brother, is juggling work, unrequited love and all the family dramas, is struggling to finish a Masters thesis and find her way in the world. Each character, the siblings and the whole extended family are quirky, and endearing. You find yourself cheering for everyone to get what they want and need. 
This was such a delightful surprise book! It is one of my favorite books I've read all year.

Charlie Donlea never disappoints with his books. This mystery kept me guessing till the end. Well developed characters, plot, and editing. A baby and her parents are missing for 30 years. A doctor beginning a genealogy study discovers some discrepancies when she receives her DNA report. Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica is a fast-paced thriller full of twists you won’t want to put down. The first chapter ropes you in, and true to form, Kubica continues to weave a master puzzle that will have you desperate to put together.  

Set in Chicago, our narrator Meghan works as a nurse in the ICU. Her most recent charge, Caitlyn, is brought in after an apparent suicide attempt. Battered, bruised, and in a coma, it’s anyone’s guess what really happened on that bridge that night. With a daughter of her own, Meghan feels great empathy for Caitlyn’s family. But as things start to come to light, Meghan begins to cross the line of professional care, digging deeper into Caitlyn and her family’s lives. 

Add in a slew of recent break in and assaults, an old high school acquaintance with an abusive husband desperate for help, her recent divorce, and a teenage daughter testing her limits, she's a little on edge.   

Kubica expertly tackles the trials of being a working mom and the dangers of being a woman living in a city. 

I have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of this novel ever since stumbling across Nick Medina's debut novel, Sisters of the Lost Nation (review here). Medina, a member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe and a Chicago local, draws upon his native folklore and history to craft mystery thrillers (with a dash of horror) that both incorporate Indigenous culture and raise awareness about contemporary Indigenous struggles. Sisters of the Lost Nation, for example, draws from various Native folktales about a rolling/disembodied head, but also seeks to encourage support and activism for #MMIWG (Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls). Indian Burial Ground, Medina's second book, is a prequel/follow-up to Sisters, but is most accurately a companion novel--readers don't need to read one to understand the other. If you do, there are some wonderful cameos of central and significant characters that readers will welcome like old friends. (Hi, Anna!) This book focuses more on the Takoda Tribe's origin story (starring alligators), with a dash of Coyote, and haunted by a mysterious malevolent entity. 

Indian Burial Ground follows Louie and Noemi (first appearing as supporting characters in Sisters) as they navigate life on the rez before and after the establishment of the casino featured in Book One. Louie's story is mostly told in the prequel chapters, and follows his coming-of-age story as he struggles with an alcoholic mother, his role as a teenage uncle (Noemi is his niece), and a tribe that has not yet found financial support. Future adult Noemi, on the other hand, must come to terms with the sudden death (possible suicide) of her boyfriend and the stigma regarding mental health on the rez.

Medina's storytelling masterfully weaves traditional tales with suspense, drawing the reader in while constantly wondering which accounts to believe. Mystery blends with supernatural, leaving the border between reality and imagination blurred: a technique he demonstrated skillfully in Sisters, and which returns in Indian Burial Ground. Medina is also adept at plot twists--even at the very end, the reader is kept on their toes. Will their guess be correct? What element(s) did they miss? While this novel does answer some questions left at the end of Sisters, more remain...but fear not--Medina has already announced plans for a third installment of the series!

Indian Burial Ground is perfect for fans of quick, short chapters; multi-POV narration; and alternating timelines. This is definitely a page-turner focused on humanizing social issues through the lens of individual perspectives. Fans of ambiguous supernatural elements and mythology will enjoy this book, though it is not for the faint of heart. If you enjoy Stephen Graham Jones, Oskar Hokeah, and Killers of the Flower Moon, this is a book for you! Also, for audiobook fans, the audiobook version is narrated by Indigenous/First Nations actors Gary Farmer (Reservoir Dogs) and Erin Tripp!

The Moorings of Mackerel Sky, a debut novel by MZ ( Emily Zack), is a lovely tale of a small seaside town, its history, its legends and the bonds between its residents. I wouldn’t classify this as straight fantasy, but I also hesitate to call it magical realism.  

Alternating between several residents of Mackerel Sky, this story is a testament to the power of local legend and how it can shape people and places. From a boy who seeks refuge with a neighbor to escape his alcoholic mother to two young men’s budding but secret relationship, there is a fair amount of turmoil and grief in their small town.  

This novel starts out slowly but gradually builds to a rather exciting end, so don’t give up! 

Darling Girls is about three foster sisters, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia who spent a few years together in the foster home called Wild Meadows run by Miss Fairchild, who was anything but fair to children. The sisters are forced to relive their trauma as old human remains have been found under the foster home twenty-five years later. The three women have to confront their past, their fears, and their trauma, as they find themselves both witnesses and suspects in the new investigation. There were some serious topics in the story, like child abuse, mental illness and the dysfunction of the foster care system. Hepworth gave the three sisters very distinct, unique personalities and each handled their trauma differently. Overall, the story is fast-paced, with a few twists and characters that will have you investing in either their triumph or their demise. As typical with all Sally Hepworth books, the twist at the end leaves you shocked and fully satisfied. I'd recommend this book to those who love an exhilarating read from multiple POVs and timelines. It had elements of another book I enjoyed, The Push by Ashley Audrain.  Put this one on your summer reading list!

Fairy and folk tales are an integral part of our childhoods—we hear them from relatives, teachers, maybe even library story times. We see them in films and books, hear them in music, and learn life lessons from them: stranger danger, inner strength, self-confidence. Similarly, we return to them as adults, seeking them in new forms, perhaps passing them along to future generations. Whether Disney or Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen or traditional tales, these stories are recycled and remade to adapt and suit the world(s) that need them.

Crowned by Kahran and Regis Bethencourt exemplifies this, but also re-imagines the possibilities of a retelling. The internationally famous forces behind CreativeSoul Photography and named Canon Explorers of Light, the Bethencourts empower BIPOC children through their photography and visual storytelling, seeking to highlight beauty both within and without: specializing in child and lifestyle photography, they not only celebrate elements of Blackness such as hair and skin tone, they also bring out their subjects’ personalities through their images.

In this collection of new and (re-)imagined stories, the Bethencourts combine European lore (ex. Cinderella and Snow White) with traditional African and African American folk and fairy tales, as well as a collection of new stories for our modern urban age. The stories maintain their traditional core, but are tweaked and rewritten to connect with readers—especially Black readers—growing up in the digital age. The stories are short and quick to read, more Disney in tone than the Brothers Grimm, and emphasize lessons of strength, kindness, wisdom, and community. They highlight beauty in all its forms, from leg braces to baldness to albinism, and encourage both strong, capable girls and gentle, empathetic boys.

Most stunning of all is the photography itself—visually lush, with vibrant color and captivating collage composition, the Bethencourts incorporate both the innate traits of their models and traditional motifs from cultures all over the African continent. The costumes combine the modern and ubiquitous with the fantastical, while the hairstyles and makeup meld tradition with the chic and speculative—if spec fic genres were hairstyles, this book would have them all—truly a (Black) cosplayer’s dream! I would recommend this book for the images alone, but the visuals and text are what ties everything together. (Also, the experience of the creative process looks like so much fun, at least going by the behind-the-scenes photos at the end of the book.)

Readers who are interested in more Black short story collections may enjoy Africa Risen edited by Sheree Renée Thomas, et al. and How Long 'Til Black Future Month? by N.K. Jemisin. For more retellings of Black Diaspora folktales, see Jerry Pinkney and Virginia Hamilton. For more Black authors of spec fic, try P. Djèlí Clark, N.K. Jemisin, and Octavia E. Butler.