What a busy summer! Try one of our favorite reads while you try to beat the heat.
Michelle:
How Can I Help You by Laura Sims
Sims’ novel is a compulsively readable psychological thriller appearing on over a dozen “Best of” lists. Margo works as a Library Assistant in a sleepy little town. No one has any idea Margo isn’t her real name. Or that she used to be a nurse – a nurse accused of killing her patients. When a library patron dies in the restroom, something seems off to Patricia, the new Reference Librarian. The storyline is based on real life serial-killer nurse, Jane Toppan, who operated in the Boston area 1895-1901 and is suspected of killing over 100 of her patients before she was caught. The author is a Reference Librarian in real life and adds spot-on details that made for a happy Librarian (me).
Michele:
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
Historical fiction set during the Ming Dynasty based on the real life woman doctor Tan Yunxian.
Devin:
Rock Out! By Stephen Shaskan
These days most of the reading I do is with my kids, and this choice was a win for all of us. Bright, silly, illustrations with a good mix of second grade humor and dad jokes. Great choice for a reluctant summer reader or anyone looking for an easy breezy funny family read.
Sophie:
The Do-Over by Suzanne Park
Emily:
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Immensely moving and powerful, this book was beautifully, heartbreakingly written by Kingsolver is about poverty, addiction, the child welfare system, and so much more. Demon Copperhead was born in a single wide trailer to a single mother who suffered with addiction in the rural Appalachian mountains. The reader travels with Demon through his life, his successes, and his failures. You grieve, celebrate, and feel with Demon. I was not able to put this book down and if you have the opportunity to listen to the audiobook, do it because the narrator is incredible.