Staff Choices

Funny, irreverent and moving. This is a memoir about a Vietnamese family who barely got out of Saigon in 1975 as told through the eyes of Phuc, the older child in the family. I laughed, I cringed, I sympathized, I looked up words in the dictionary. As Phuc’s family settled into a small Pennsylvania town culture shock for his parents included difficulty in relating to their children now growing up in a country so far removed from Viet Nam. There are some harsh realities that happened as Phuc and his father clash with each other. As Phuc grows older he also has to contend with overt and covert racism around him. Middle school and high school years are challenging to navigate as he tries to find ways to fit in. By high school he has surrounded himself with friends who are supportive allies. This band of brothers also provides avenues for them to get into trouble with some comic retelling. Phuc found a way to fit in but also saw enough in himself to pursue higher education.

 Read Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran if you enjoy reading about another person’s experiences. Fans of Born a Crime by Trevor Noah might also enjoy reading this memoir.

Brit Bennet's second novel, The Vanishing Half, is worthy of all the pre-publication buzz it was receiving. The writing is beautiful, and the story is refreshingly unpredictable. Desiree and Stella Vignes are twins born in Jim Crow- era Louisiana, identical in appearance only. They live in the town of Mallard, really more a settlement of light skinned African Americans, where the residents look down at Blacks with darker skin. Yet, the girls' own father is brutally murdered by a gang of white men, a crime they in part witness as young children. Longing to escape her claustrophobic hometown, bold and impetuous Desiree convinces quiet, studious Stella to run away to New Orleans with her. From here, their lives will take radically different paths. One sister decides to secretly "pass" for white, marrying into wealth and privilege, while the other returns to her mother's home after escaping an abusive marriage. They both carry the burden of these decisions, passing on their guilt to their daughters. The novel also follows the daughters, brilliant, dark-skinned Jude and spoiled, white Kennedy from childhood into adulthood. While ambitious, I didn't enjoy these story arcs nearly as much as the first part of the novel...but I was still happy to go along on the journey. Britt Bennett is amazingly gifted, writing such eloquent words that you want to keep rereading a passage, while at the same time wanting to race ahead to see what will happen next. 

I was lucky enough to read a digital ARC provided from the publisher of Katherine Center's new book, What You Wish For. Though this might not be my favorite Katherine Center book, it still was a pleasant read.  It has some good messages that resonate during a contentious time. Life never is predictable and often filled with turmoil, so it is imperative to find joy wherever you can. There are several extremely important issues such as school shootings,epilepsy, abandonment, and grief that are truly heart wrenching, yet relatable. School librarian, Samantha Casey and principal, Duncan Carpenter, are both struggling with their past yet dealing with their issues in polar opposite ways. Their relationship slowly builds throughout the story and at times is awkward. The Kempner School is unlike any school I've ever experienced and yet wish that I can visit.

I would recommend this book to those who want a story that probes human nature, that’s honest about how people really are, and acknowledges their shortcomings. With Katherine Center books she always shares an essential life lesson and a feeling of hope in her stories. We should all “choose joy”.

Witch trials. In Norway. In the 1600's. Based on true events but a story imagined on how events can lead up to such atrocity and how a community can turn against one another. Out of the blue, a massive, wicked, perfect storm occurred in 1617 that wiped out 40 fishermen from a small seaside town leaving mostly women left to carry on. Indigenous people and Norwegian women became scapegoats when a newly appointed commissioner arrived to oversee this tiny village. Rumors spread and were believed that the freak storm was conjured up by witchcraft. Author Kiran Millwood Hargrave gives us a glimpse of what life might have been like during this treacherous time, what might have happened within this hamlet of women: resilience, survival, friendship, love, short-lived independence and forced betrayal.

The Mercies has appeal for readers of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Madeline Miller's Circe.

Today, on a harsh, windswept promontory in Vardo, Norway, stands an incredible monument dedicated to those who lost their lives.

I love rom-coms and Winfrey does a fabulous job creating a story that will leave you feeling hopeful and with a satisfied smile. This is pure escapism in a time where humor and beating the odds are much needed.  This story is a wonderful follow up to Winfrey's book Waiting for Tom Hanks.  We get a glimpse into past character's lives and build on both Nick and Chloe's unusual relationship. These flawed characters are relatable and their banter is grin-worthy. The supporting characters are funny and add depth to the story while touching on the agonizing reality of Alzheimer's.  The story drives home that even when we are at our most genuine dysfunctional selves, it’s possible for us to be loved for who we truly are.  

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore is an utterly charming and surprising book. I expected a quick, easy chick-lit/women’s fiction book and ended with exactly that but also some valuable messages about life and how to live it.

Beginning when she’s nineteen years old, every year at the stroke of midnight on her birthday, Oona travels through time, only to land in the body of her older or younger self. She starts each year not knowing where she is in time (and often, in space), yet she must live that year until her next birthday when the whole process will start all over again.

Each year, Oona would find herself at an older age, always in the future, yet moving forwards and backwards. The insight she garnered through these generation gaps was insightful and often hysterical. Each decade brought its own hair styles, fads, bands and of course, information about the stock market. The book starts in 1982, so after Oona’s first jump to the age of 51, several decades later, she has absolutely no clue about the internet, a tablet or a laptop. It’s quite comical when she goes back in time and suddenly has to live without those luxuries.

Oona starts the book with a serious boyfriend, her one true love. Her mind is torn on whether she should stay with him and their band or go to London to study economics. This decision is what seemingly prompts her time warp. If you’re looking for a light humorous read that will make you think about the importance of every day because you’ll never get that day back, then you’ll really enjoy Oona Out of Order. Happy reading!

Mother vs Daughter

Crazy vs Insane

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel is a “ripped from the headlines” debut that explores a mother-daughter relationship that has gone very wrong. The story chronicles the aftermath of a fascinating (and disturbing) syndrome Munchausen by proxy.

Darling Rose Gold has all the trimmings of a great domestic thriller.

This is a must read for fans of Hulu’s The Act or the books Sharp Objects and My Lovely Wife. Make sure you put this one on your quarantine TBR list. Available as an ebook or eaudiobook on Cloud Library.

Valentine is a haunting debut novel by Elizabeth Wetmore, set during the Vietnam war era in the unforgiving landscape of the Texas oil country. The story follows the interconnected lives of five female characters after one of them survives a brutal rape. This is a dark read for dark times. Wetmore gives an unflinching look at the rampant racism and misogyny in Odessa, as prevalent as the dust that blankets the bleak countryside. But readers will be touched by the humanity and resilient spirit of these girls and women, especially motherless child Debra Ann and rape victim Glory Ramirez. 

If the tv shows Desperate Housewives and True Blood could give birth to a book, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires would be it. This horror story by Grady Hendrix also has a good bit of humor and domestic drama thrown in. Definitely not for the squeamish (ironically, I count myself in those numbers)...there is plenty of gore, killer rats, sexual violence. But all of this is balanced by the female friendships of the protagonists, who go from secretly reading true crime classics in their book club, to being immersed in investigating the  terrible deaths of young children from the "wrong side" of their sleepy, genteel Carolina town. Patricia Cambell, a former nurse who is now stay at home mom, knows that the evil all stems from a handsome stranger who has moved into his dead aunt's house down the block, but getting everyone to believe her is another matter. Dark but campy good fun, this book hooked me from the start.