Staff Choices

The one word I would use to describe In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is charming. This is the most charming book I’ve ever read. The banter between characters is top notch, really drawing you in and connecting you with the characters. Honestly, if Klune had written this entirely as a conversation between Nurse Ratched and Rambo, and absolutely nothing happened, I would have read the whole thing and loved it.  

A cozy sci-fi loosely based on the Adventures of Pinocchio, this story is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, adventurous, and hopeful. You’ll adore the characters, rooting for them endlessly in their mission to save Victor’s father in the City of Electric Dreams. 

Victor, a human, and his father Gio, an android, have lived a secluded life deep in the woods. Over the years, Victor has found several decommissioned robots at the nearby dump and refurbished them. Both Nurse Ratched and Rambo no longer remember their lives before decommissioning but have found a new purpose as part of their little family unit.  

One day Vic, Rambo and Nurse Ratched stumble upon a humanoid discarded in the dump. Although they fear this newcomer, they take him home and fix him up. They aptly name the grumpy fellow Habitually Angry Puppy or HAP for short based on the remnants of his model number. HAP’s appearance sparks a series of events that upend their lives and change everything they thought they knew.  

The House in the Cerulean Sea by Klune is one of my favorite books, and I can confidently say In the Lives of Puppets has placed itself right beside it. 

What are the rules? 

Stick together! 

Run if we have to. 

Na dallying! 

No drilling. 

And above all else, be brave! 

Ramsey Lewis truly was a gentleman of jazz. A native Chicagoan, he made the decision to remain in Chicago instead of moving on to New York or the West Coast. The breadth of the book covers so much ground - how Lewis grew up, his musical influences, his parents who provided a strong foundation for him, his relationships with musicians, his family and children. His philanthropic side shines through as being a driving force for the creation of the Ravinia Jazz Mentor Program in partnership with Chicago Public High Schools. An interesting aspect of the book is that he includes commentary by others who may have had differing viewpoints on the same subject. 

At the 2023 AHML Lit Stroll, co-author Aaron Cohen eloquently spoke about his books including Gentleman of Jazz and his friendship with Lewis. Cohen made certain that he honored this great musical talent. His meticulous research references show that he cared about showcasing Lewis' vast body of work.

Gentleman of Jazz is for fans of music and for those who would like to learn more about a Chicago legend.

Katherine Center continues to be my go-to author for meaningful Women’s Fiction. She knows how to craft a thoughtful story that has humor, love, and deeper meaning.

Hello Stranger, is a romance, and yes, the romantic plotlines are very good — but it goes deeper with Sadie’s unique situation and how it impacts every aspect of her life that made this book so compelling to read. Sadie is a portrait artist who is diagnosed with a malformed brain vessel that requires immediate surgery. When she wakes in the hospital post-surgery, she realizes she now has a condition called acquired prosopagnosia, otherwise known as “face blindness”. The surgery has left her with swelling near the brain center that processes faces, and there’s no telling whether this is a permanent or temporary condition.  Right before the surgery, Sadie learned that she was a finalist in a portrait competition that could finally give her the big break she is looking for — but if she can’t see faces, how can she paint them? Sadie’s life was already messy before the surgery — barely making ends meet through her Etsy shop, dealing with her estranged family, a truly evil stepsister, and a pesky, yet helpful, neighbor. Even though I could see what was about to happen, I still enjoyed the journey getting there.

I appreciated the author’s note and acknowledgements for it gave great insight into learning about the real disorder that Sadie has: Prosopagnosia.  I also really related to her insight into the romance genre and how all stories run on anticipation, but romance uses positive valanced anticipation. Don’t we all need a little more positivity in our lives? I would highly recommend adding Hello Stranger to your summer reading list.

Estee Lauder has been an iconic name synonymous with cosmetics and beauty products for almost a century. In her own signature style, author Renee Rosen creates a fascinating and entertaining historical fiction based on the creation of this beauty brand. The fictionalized story is told through the perspective of Gloria Downing, a woman who befriends Ms.Lauder as they both scrape by at a New York hair salon. Having lived aristocratic lives that had fallen on hard times, the two women find a connection that is the force behind the future success.

Renee Rosen is a master of taking readers into the world of women breaking through barriers to attain the fame and fortune they work tirelessly to achieve. I loved the rich story of this Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl, if you love historical fiction with strong female characters, you will love it too.

Part typical narration, part epistolary fiction, part news broadsheet, and with liberal quotations of Tennyson and other classics, In Memoriam by Alice Winn combines a forbidden romance with World War I historical fiction. The story chronicles the lives of Sidney Ellwood, a young Jewish man, and Henry Gaunt, his half-German friend, beginning with their student lives at an elite British boarding school. Ellwood and Gaunt come of age during the early stages of the Great War. At a time when patriotism and war are glamorized, Ellwood and Gaunt struggle not only with their own disillusionment of the war and the world, but also with their feelings for each other.

Winn, in her riveting debut, shies away from neither the horrors of war, or the diversity of those affected, ranging from gender, sexuality, nationality, class, and more. While there are a plethora of authors and creative works regarding this complex era, Win chooses to explore this complexity through the eyes of youths and adolescents, from the starry-eyed boys at home to the veterans in the trenches to the soldiers in POW camps. The vivid writing style reflects Winn's background in film and screenplays, while her literary references reveal her academic background in English Literature at Oxford University.

Readers who enjoy this novel may also enjoy other works with similar themes, such as The World and All That It Holds by Aleksandar Hemon, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. A more fantastical book set during World War I is The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly, while a more contemporary novel with a similar tone is Ghost Town by Kevin Chen. A comedic re-imagining of (WWII) POW camps is depicted in Hogan's Heroes. 

Classic works referenced in this novel include: works by Herodotus and Euripides; Adam Bede by George Eliot; and various works by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, most prominently featuring In Memoriam, A.H.H and "The Charge of the Light Brigade."

Alex Quinlan not only survived the horrific murder of her parents and brother but is accused of the crime and dubbed “Empty Eyes” by the insatiable media. When the state’s case falls apart, Alex with the help of her attorney sues the state for defamation and while she wins the case, the media still has doubts of her innocence.

Ten years later and Alex is now Alex Armstrong and working as an investigator for her attorney’s law firm. When she is sent to investigate the disappearance of a college student, Alex discovers unexpected connections to the murder of her family and soon realizes that those she is closest to may not be who they seem.

This is one of those books that you think is finished with the revelation of the killer, but it is not. A twist filled plot and another in the last pages of the book, make this a book that will be discussed long after “The End” whether you liked it or not. Alex is a character that you immediately feel sympathy for with her treatment after the murder of her family, but as the story continues, she grows into a strong and intelligent protagonist who refuses to forget the past but seeks answers from it. This thriller has intriguing characters that are fully fleshed and believable, multiple mysteries and shocking twists that never end.

If you love celebrity gossip and reality TV, The Daydreams by Laura Hankin is a solid choice. And honestly, even if you don’t (like me) this is a page turner that will have you gasping with its many revelations.  

The Daydreams is told from the point of view of Katherine (formerly Kat), a DC lawyer who starred in a teen musical drama in the early 2000’s. After a disastrous season 2 live finale, the show was cancelled, and the stars scattered. Some came away unscathed, while others were lambasted by the media and public for years to come.  

After 14 years, a live reunion is proposed and the once close co-stars return. Each with varying motivations and secrets they’ve kept hidden. 

At its heart, The Daydreams is about friendship, love, loss and the pitfalls of fame at a young age. It also begs the question, no matter how well you think you know someone, do you really know everything that’s going on in their lives? At least for the cast of The Daydreams, the answer is a resounding ‘no.’ 

I have to admit that I’ve been in somewhat of a reading slump the past few weeks. Which is why I am so pleased to have read Ascension by Nicholas Binge. This one made it onto my most anticipated reads list for 2023 and it did not disappoint. I cruised through this one in under 3 days and all I want to do is talk about it with someone. The chapters aren’t particularly short, but it’s a page turner that sucks you in from the very beginning. And honestly at 352 pages it is short for a Sci-Fi. I think this would be a great book discussion pick for Sci-Fi/Horror fans. 

An epistolary novel, the story is told by renowned Physicist Harold Tunmore in found letters to his niece Harriet. In 1991 Harry is recruited as part of an expedition to scale a mountain that’s mysteriously appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. What follows will test the team’s physical and mental strength, while making them question science, faith and themselves.  

If I had to compare this to anything, I’d have to say it felt like Arrival and Annihilation had a baby with a sprinkle of physics from Interstellar.  

This is Binge’s first novel released in the US, and I’ll be keeping my eye out for his next one. 

"Professor Schreiber told him history happened in cycles. One thing happens, something reacts to it, it all disappears from consciousness only to return later" (p. 243).

If any quote could most concisely summarize the intricacies of Things We Lost to the Water by Eric Nguyen, it would be this one. It captures no only the struggles of the characters, but also the cyclical writing style Nguyen incorporates so skillfully.

The novel follows a family of three--Hương, Tuấn, and Bình (who also goes by Ben)--as they flee the chaos and terror of the Vietnam War and resettle in New Orleans. Immigrant and refugee experiences are not a monolith; this is clearly depicted through each character's narrative: Hương, a single mother of two who hopes to one day reunite with her husband left behind in Vietnam; Tuấn, who seeks balance between his Vietnamese heritage and American home; and Bình, who desires community but embraces solitude. Through graceful prose, Nguyen navigates the complex aftermath of the Vietnam War and the diversity of New Orleans in a tale spanning roughly three decades, from 1978 to 2005. Nguyen's debut novel, Things We Lost to the Water is a masterpiece in its own right, but especially poignant during Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month.

Audiobook fans may enjoy the audiobook version of Things We Lost to the Water, which fluidly incorporates both the Vietnamese and French dialogue present in the novel. Readers interested in reading more about the Vietnam War and Vietnamese immigrants in the United States may like The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui, Vietnamerica, by G.B. Tran, and Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran. Those interested in a firsthand account of a twentieth century Communist government in Asia may find In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park enlightening, while readers seeking information about the complexity of Asian America may enjoy Which Side Are You On by Ryan Lee Wong, Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong, and The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee. For Vietnamese American authors, consider Ocean Vuong and Nghi Vo.

Sally Hepworth does it again! The Soulmate is a fast-paced, psychological mystery surrounding couple Pippa and Gabe Gerrard.  They're living an idyllic life in a coastal town, with a beautiful home built on a cliff, overlooking the sea below. Over the last several months Gabe has gained a sort of fame in town for talking several people off the literal ledge. When a woman jumps, Gabe and Pippa face questions from the authorities and each other-especially after it emerges that Gabe knew the woman.  Soon, we see flashbacks that crack the perfect facade of Pippa and Gabe's marriage and many questions emerge and as the danger grows, the idea of soulmate is put to the ultimate test.

The Soulmate features the exploration of marriage, but it's also a keen insight into mental illness and how it's affects are ongoing across generations and family branches.  Sally Hepworth's novels usually have great twists and turns that keep me guessing. This story was no different with clever twists that took me by surprise. I thought the characters were well developed and the story flowed very well. I really liked the alternating points of view. Hepworth fans will really enjoy her latest novel!