General Fiction
Books written in or about our modern world (1960s-).
Age of vice
Kapoor, Deepti, author
2023
"Binge-worthy reading at its best: an addictive, action-packed page-turner of epic proportions about the machinations of one dizzyingly wealthy family in contemporary India and the outsiders who are drawn into their treacherous web"-- Provided by publisher.
The collected regrets of Clover : a novel
Brammer, Mikki, author
2023
From the day she watched her kindergarten teacher drop dead during a dramatic telling of Peter Rabbit, Clover Brooks has felt a stronger connection with the dying than she has with the living. Clover becomes a death doula in New York City, dedicating her life to ushering people peacefully through their end-of-life process. Clover spends so much time with the dying that she has no life of her own, until the final wishes of a feisty old woman send Clover on a trip across the country - forcing her to examine what she really wants, and whether she'll have the courage to go after it.
Crook manifesto : a novel
Whitehead, Colson, 1969-, author
2023
It's 1971. Crime is at an all-time high. Amidst this collective nervous breakdown, Ray Carney tries to keep his head down - until he needs something and he decides to hit up his old police contact, who has his own favours to ask. Staying out of the game gets a lot more complicated - and deadly. 1973. Pepper finds himself in a freaky world of Hollywood stars - in addition to the usual cast of hustlers, mobsters and hit men. 1976. Harlem is burning, block by block, Carney and Pepper battle their way through a crumbling metropolis run by the shady, the violent, and the utterly corrupted. Print run 15,000.
The ferryman : a novel
Cronin, Justin, author
2023
The archipelago of Prospera lies hidden from the horrors of a deteriorating outside world. Prospera's lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until they retire to the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh. Unrest is building, and there are rumours spreading of a resistance group who may be fomenting revolution. Soon Proctor Bennett - a ferryman who shepherds people through the retirement process - finds himself questioning everything he once believed and starts a desperate mission to uncover the truth.
Gone like yesterday : a novel
Williams, Janelle M., author
2023
"Gone Like Yesterday follows two Black women--Zahra, a listless college prep coach, and Sammie, a teenage girl and budding activist soon off to college--who are drawn to each other through the songs of gypsy moths. Gypsy moths have been singing the songs of Zahra's ancestors to her for years, so when Zahra realizes that Sammie might be a moth person too, their paths become intertwined. Then, the unthinkable happens: Zahra's brother, Derrick, goes missing. Derrick has always been different--sensitive and connected to the spiritual world, he has been drifting from Zahra and her family for some time. But this time feels different. Zahra is panicked that he may really be gone for good, lost to her forever. Zahra can't let that happen. So, she, along with Sammie, embarks on a road trip from New York to Atlanta, Zahra's hometown, in search of Zahra's brother, but also to uncover just what the moths and their ancestors want with them, and what to do about their individual and collective futures."--Publisher marketing.
The great alone
Hannah, Kristin, author
2018
Lenora Allbright is 13 when her father convinces her mother to move to Kaneq, AK. It's 1974, and the former Vietnam POW sees a better future away from the noise and nightmares that plague him. Having been left a homestead by a buddy who died in the war, Ernt is secure in his beliefs, but never was a family less prepared for the reality of Alaska, the long, cold winters and isolation. Locals want to help out, especially classmate Matthew Walker, who likes everything about Leni. Yet the harsh conditions bring out the worst in Ernt, whose paranoia takes over their lives and exacerbates what Leni sees as the toxic relationship between her parents.
Greek lessons : a novel
Han, Kang, 1970- author
2023
In a classroom in Seoul, a young woman watches her Greek language teacher at the blackboard. She tries to speak but has lost her voice. Her teacher finds himself drawn to the silent woman, for day by day he is losing his sight. Soon they discover a deeper pain binds them together. Slowly the two discover a profound sense of unity - their voices intersecting with startling beauty, as they move from darkness to light, from silence to breath and expression.
Life of Pi : a novel
Martel, Yann.
2001
Pi Patel, having spent an idyllic childhood in Pondicherry, India, as the son of a zookeeper, sets off with his family at the age of sixteen to start anew in Canada, but his life takes a marvelous turn when their ship sinks in the Pacific, leaving him adrift on a raft with a 450-pound Bengal tiger for company.
Malibu rising : a novel
Reid, Taylor Jenkins, author
2021
Malibu 1983. Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. Before the Riva mansion will have burned to the ground, in the early hours before dawn, the alcohol will flow, the music will play and the loves and secret yearnings that shaped this family across generations will all come bubbling to the surface to make for a night no one will ever forget.
The new Earth : a novel
Row, Jess, author.
2023
"For fifteen years, the Wilcoxes have been a family in name only. Though never the picture of happiness, they once seemed like a typical white Jewish clan from the Upper West Side. But in the early 2000s, two events ruptured the relationships between them. First, Naomi revealed to her children that her biological father was actually Black. In the aftermath, college-age daughter Bering left home to become a radical peace activist in Palestine's West Bank, where she was killed by an Israeli Army sniper. Now, in 2018, Winter Wilcox is getting married, and her only demand is that her mother, father, and brother emerge from their self-imposed isolations and gather once more. After decades of neglecting personal and political wounds, each remaining family member must face their fractured history and decide if they can ever reconcile."-- From publisher's description.
Night's edge
Kerin, Liz, author.
2023
"I'm always careful not to disturb mom. A rude awakening can definitely set her off, especially if she wakes up hungry. I can't forget what she is. What she could do to me." Having a mom like Izzy meant Mia had to grow up fast. No extracurricular activities, no inviting friends over, and definitely no dating. The most important rule: tell no one of Izzy's hunger - the one only blood can satisfy. But Mia is tired of being her mother's keeper. She's in her twenties now and secretly longs for a life of her own. One where she doesn't have to worry about anyone discovering their terrible secret, or breathing down her neck. When Mia meets rebellious musician Jade she dares to hope she's found a way to leave her home - and her mom - behind. It just might be Mia's only chance of getting out alive"-- Provided by publisher.
Save what's left
Castellano, Elizabeth, 1990-, author
2023
When Kathleen Deane's husband, Tom, tells her he's no longer happy with his life and their marriage, Kathleen is confused with Tom off finding himself, Kathleen starts to think about what she wants. And her thoughts lead her to a small beach community on the east coast, a town called Whitbey that has always looked lovely in the Christmas cards her childhood friend Josie sends every year. It turns out, though, that life in Whitbey is nothing like Josie's Christmas cards. Soon Kathleen realizes that Whitbey may not be a fairytale, but it just might be exactly what she needed.
Wish you were here : a novel
Picoult, Jodi, 1966- author
2021
Diana O'Toole is not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos. But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn has to stay behind. In the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin's theory of natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself - and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.
Women talking
Toews, Miriam, 1964-, author
2019
A major work by one of our most beloved and esteemed writers, the novel is based on real events that happened between 2005 and 2009 in a remote Mennonite community where more than 100 girls and women were drugged unconscious and raped in the night by what they were told were "ghosts" or "demons." Women Talking is an imagined response to these real events. It takes place over 48 hours, as eight women hide in a hayloft while the men are in a nearby town posting bail for the perpetrators. They have come together to debate, on behalf of all the women and children in the community, whether to stay or leave before the men return. Taking minutes is the one man invited by the women to witness the conversation--a former outcast whose own surprising story is revealed as the women talk. By turns poignant, furious, witty, acerbic, tender, devastating, and heartbreaking, the voices in this extraordinary novel are unforgettable.