Light and portable, paperback books are made for summer. Dona and Larry, our adult fiction specialists, have selected the best new paperbacks, just in time for vacation!
The Green RoadBy Anne Enright
W. W. Norton & Company, $15.95
A family, scattered around the world, reunites when their mother plans to sell the family home in Ireland. An engrossing family study of difficult characters.
The Lake HouseBy Kate Morton
Washington Square Press, $17.00
In the 1930s, a baby is kidnapped from an isolated country mansion. Seventy years later, a troubled police officer starts an unofficial investigation. Tight plotting, layering and strong characters make this an absorbing read. Kate Morton fans have declared this one of her best novels.
Career of EvilBy Robert Galbraith
Mulholland Books, $17.99
The delivery of a severed leg to private detective Cormoran Strike's assistant Robyn, triggers a hunt for the perpetrator of this and other brutal acts in a race against time to save their own lives. This is the third in the Cormoran Strike series; classic mystery and detective stories, where solving the mystery is at the forefront of the plot.
In the Unlikely EventJudy Blume
Vintage, $15.95
Based on the true story of Elizabeth, New Jersey, where, in the 1950s, a series of plane crashes devastated the town. Blume focuses on 15-year-old Miri and her mother, but shows the impact on the whole community. Blume displays masterful command over her cast of characters and evokes the era wonderfully.
Best BoyEli Gottlieb
Liveright Publishing, $14.95
Todd, a middle-aged autistic man, who has lived in an institution since he was eleven, is unsettled by changes and decides that he wants to go home. But the home he remembers from childhood doesn't exist any more. Todd tells the story in a distinct and unforgettable voice. A book that makes your heart both soar and ache!
The SympathizerBy
Viet Thanh NguyenGrove Press, $16.00
After the Vietnam War, our unnamed narrator escapes to the US as a sleeper agent. He struggles between two worlds, that of a political refugee in the West and life back in Vietnam. A good spy story and study of the ongoing effects of the war on life in Vietnam. Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer prize.
Red LightningBy
Laura PritchettCounterpoint, $15.95
Ten years after abandoning her daughter and family, Tess returns home to Colorado to try and reconnect with them. But a huge wildfire is threatening, and her own tough lifestyle running drugs and immigrants is hard to escape. Laura Pritchett is a Colorado rancher who writes knowledgeably about Colorado life and Tess is a realistic and complex character.
Mycroft HolmesBy
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Anna WaterhouseTitan Books, $14.95
The untold story of Sherlock Holmes' older brother. At 23 and as yet unproven, Mycroft and his Watson-like sidekick, Cyrus Douglas, travel to Cyrus's home country of Trinidad to solve a bloody mystery. Lots of action, lots of historical detail - and more violence than a traditional Holmes book. An exciting read.
H is for HawkHelen Macdonald
Grove Press, $16.00
When Helen Macdonald suddenly loses her father, she chooses to raise one of the most vicious hawks, a goshawk, as a solution to her grief. Emotional healing is slow, but the journey is fascinating. An excellent memoir.
The AnchoressBy
Robyn CadwalladerPicador, $16.00
In 1255, at 17, Sarah volunteers to become an anchoress, choosing to be shut into a cell alongside a church to live a life of prayer. But the outside world, and her own thoughts, intrude. A contemplative tale of struggle, both internal and external.
Circling the SunBy
Paula McLainBallantine, $16.00
Set in Kenya, this is the fictionalized early life of pilot Beryl Markham. McLain is an excellent writer and Markham's Kenyan life was full of adventure, danger and romance. If this whets your appetite to learn more about Markham, read her excellent autobiography
West With the Night. The Soul of an OctupusBy Sy Montgomery
Atria Books, $16.00
A physical and emotional exploration of the lives of octopuses in the aquarium and in the wild. Each has its own clear and distinct personality with emotions, intelligence and even humor, as well as an apparent ability to bond with author Sy Montgomery. A unique book.
The Wright Brothers
by David McCullough
Simon & Schuster, $17.00
The story of the brothers whose brilliance and bravery eventually lifted them into the sky. Reading this book is like having a master historian and storyteller sitting by you and telling the story of the beginning of aviation.
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry
By Fredrik Backman
Washington Square Press, $16.00
Seven-year-old Elsa is a little 'different' and her best friend is her grandmother. When Elsa's beloved grandmother dies, she is entrusted with delivering a series of letters of apology. Following her grandmother's instructions takes Elsa to some unexpected places and teaches her the value of being herself. A touching story by the author of A Man Called Ove, also now in paperback . The Stories of Jane GardamBy
Jane GardamEuropa Editions, $18.00
Sharp and vivid stories, both long and short. Some look back in time, others delve into the supernatural, but whatever the story, Gardam is always smart and readable. Ideal for dipping in and out of over summer.
All these books are on our shelves now, and we are happy to order anything you are looking for!
