All recommended fiction titles are sorted vertically into columns on this page by genre, then alphabetically by title.
(Genres in order: General Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction).
A Man Called Ove
by
Now a major motion picture A Man Called Otto starring Tom Hanks! #1 New York Times bestseller--more than 3 million copies sold! Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon--the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him "the bitter neighbor from hell." But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time? Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations. Fredrik Backman's beloved first novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others. "If there was an award for 'Most Charming Book of the Year,' this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down" (Booklist, starred review).
A Man Called Ove is a funny and heartwarming story about the journeys life takes us through. I loved this book because it provided a new perspective on how impactful the strangers in your life can become and it made me laugh out loud! If you like silly stories with a touch of life lessons this book might be for you.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Related media: Adapted into a Swedish movie (2015), later adapted into an American movie (2022).
Also available in CD Audiobook, Digital Audiobook, Digital E-Book, and Large Print.
The Cat's Table
by
In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes he is seated at the "cat's table"--as far from the Captain's Table as can be--with a ragtag group of "insignificant" adults and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys tumble from one adventure to another, bursting all over the place like freed mercury. But there are other diversions as well: one man talks with them about jazz and women, another opens the door to the world of literature. The narrator's elusive, beautiful cousin Emily becomes his confidante, allowing him to see himself "with a distant eye" for the first time, and to feel the first stirring of desire. Another Cat's Table denizen, the shadowy Miss Lasqueti, is perhaps more than what she seems. And very late every night, the boys spy on a shackled prisoner, his crime and his fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever. As the narrative moves between the decks and holds of the ship and the boy's adult years, it tells a spellbinding story--by turns poignant and electrifying--about the magical, often forbidden, discoveries of childhood and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage.
This under-read gem from Michael Ondaatje (author of The English Patient) tells the story of a young boy alone aboard a 1950s cruise liner as he discovers the strange and mysterious world of adults along with a ragtag cast of characters. Hazy, dreamlike, nostalgic, and curious, this tale is never quite nailed down to brilliant effect as the mysteries of the boat and life itself slowly reveal themselves to our adolescent protagonist.
Audience: Adult/General Content
A Discovery of Witches
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Book one of the New York Times bestselling All Souls series, from the author of The Black Bird Oracle. "A wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight" (People). Look for the hit series "A Discovery of Witches," now streaming on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder! Deborah Harkness's sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, book three, The Book of Life, and the fourth in the series, Time's Convert.
"A Discovery of Witches" is the thrilling tale of Diana Bishop, a witch who has long ignored her powers after the mysterious death of her parents, and Matthew Clairmont, a vampire on the search for an ancient book detailing the origins of all magical creatures. Matthew and Diana find each other through it all and must stick together to remain safe from a faction of daemons, vampires, and witches hell-bent on keeping the status quo of the supernatural community and tearing them apart. The search for their magical book intensifies as they learn Diana is the key to retrieving it from the archives of Oxford's Bodleian Library.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Book 1 of the All Souls series.
Related media: Adapted into TV series (Season 1, Season 2, Season 3 available on DVD).
The Guncle
by
Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits. However, tragedy strikes and Patrick suddenly finds himself taking on the role of primary guardian. Having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Soon he realises the level of responsibility and that even being larger than life means you re unfailingly human.
This was so good! I loved the whole thing and read it in just a few days. It's a great story that dives into love, acceptance, grief, and the importance of joy. Patrick is a "retired" sitcom actor hiding from grief in Palm Springs. Sadly, when his best friend and sister-in-law passes away he is forced back into real life to help care for two adorable young children. The story draws the reader in with plenty of laughter to balance the heavy parts. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Book 1 of The Guncle Series.
Happiness Falls
by
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * When a father goes missing, his family's desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another in this thrilling page-turner, a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek. OPRAH DAILY'S #1 NOVEL OF THE YEAR * ONE OF PEOPLE'S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR * A WASHINGTON POST, BOOKPAGE, KIRKUS REVIEWS, NEW YORK POST, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, BOOK RIOT, CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY, REAL SIMPLE, CRIMEREADS, AND SHE READS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Belletrist Book Club Pick * Finalist for the New American Voices Award * Finalist for the Virginia Literary Award * "This is a story with so many twists and turns I was riveted through the last page."--Jodi Picoult "A brilliant, satisfying, compassionate mystery that is as much about language and storytelling as it is about a missing father. I loved this book."--Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow "I fell in love with the fascinating, brilliant family at the center of this riveting book."--Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful "We didn't call the police right away." Those are the electric first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing. Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything--which is why she isn't initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don't return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia's brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak. What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut, Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another.
Told from the point of view of the daughter, Mia, this book follows a family's desperate search for their father who disappears after going for a walk in the local nature reserve. The only witness to what happened is Eugene, her nonverbal little brother. This book leads you through many twists and turns making it an engaging read. It taught me new information about people with nonspeaking disabilities, and provided perspectives I have never considered before. I highly recommend!
Audience: Adult/General Content
Just for the Summer
by
Instant #1 New York Times bestseller and a Good Morning America Book Club Pick! This witty, slow-burn rom-com is the "ideal beach read." --Elle Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a woman slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other's out, and they'll both go on to find the love of their lives. It's a bonkers idea... and it just might work. Emma hadn't planned that her next assignment as a traveling nurse would be in Minnesota, but she and her best friend agree that dating Justin is too good of an opportunity to pass up, especially when they get to rent an adorable cottage on a private island on Lake Minnetonka. It's supposed to be a quick fling, just for the summer. But when Emma's toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they're suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected--including catching real feelings for each other. What if this time Fate has actually brought the perfect pair together?
This book was fantastic. I was immediately drawn into the characters and absolutely loved the Easter eggs that tied all of Jimenez's books together. I was rooting for Emma and Justin to make their love story work despite all the trauma and grief they had both experienced. It's such an engaging story for anyone looking to escape for a few hours.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Book 3 of the Part of Your World series.
My Brilliant Friend
by
#1 BEST BOOK OF THE CENTURY - NEW YORK TIMES Now an HBO series: the first volume in the New York Times-bestselling "enduring masterpiece" about a lifelong friendship between two women from Naples (The Atlantic). Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante's four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship. This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between two women. "An intoxicatingly furious portrait of enmeshed friends."--Entertainment Weekly "Spectacular."--Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air "Captivating."--The New Yorker
Recently named the Greatest Book of the 21st century by the New York Times, Elena Ferrante's landmark first novel of her "Neapolitan Novels" tells the story of two young girls growing up in post-war Naples, Italy. They experience family turmoil, rights of passage, stunning realizations about their world and the adults in it, and all of the joys and despairs that the closest of friendships can bring. Stunningly written by Ferrante and translated by Goldstein, this novel so richly delivers a picture of not only the textured neighborhoods of Naples, but also the inner machinations of our protagonists who populate them. This recommendation is a full endorsement of the first novel, but it really stands for the whole 4-book series, which only gets better as it goes on throughout their entire lives.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Related media: First book of the "Neapolitan Novels" series, Adapted into an ongoing HBO TV series.
Also available as Digital E-book and in Large Print.
My Heart Is a Chainsaw
by
Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel Named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for in this latest novel from the Jordan Peele of horror literature, New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones. "Some girls just don't know how to die..." Shirley Jackson meets Friday the 13th in My Heart Is a Chainsaw, written by the author of The Only Good Indians Stephen Graham Jones, called "a literary master" by National Book Award winner Tananarive Due and "one of our most talented living writers" by Tommy Orange. Alma Katsu calls My Heart Is a Chainsaw "a homage to slasher films that also manages to defy and transcend genre." On the surface is a story of murder in small-town America. But beneath is its beating heart: a biting critique of American colonialism, Indigenous displacement, and gentrification, and a heartbreaking portrait of a broken young girl who uses horror movies to cope with the horror of her own life. Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies...especially the ones where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies. But when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold. Yet, even as Jade drags us into her dark fever dream, a surprising and intimate portrait emerges...a portrait of the scared and traumatized little girl beneath the Jason Voorhees mask: angry, yes, but also a girl who easily cries, fiercely loves, and desperately wants a home. A girl whose feelings are too big for her body. My Heart Is a Chainsaw is her story, her homage to horror and revenge and triumph.
Horror-obsessed teenager Jade Daniels discovers eerie similarities between her small town's recent murders and classic slasher films. As the body count rises, Jade's encyclopedic knowledge of horror movies becomes crucial in uncovering the killer and saving her community. For fans of intense, genre-savvy thrillers.
Audience: Adult/General Content.
Book 1 of The Indian Lake Trilogy.
Available in Large Print and as E-book.
The Power
by
In this stunning bestseller praised as "our era's Handmaid's Tale," a fierce new power has emerged--and only women have it (Washington Post). In The Power, the world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets. From award-winning author Naomi Alderman, The Power is speculative fiction at its most ambitious and provocative, at once taking us on a thrilling journey to an alternate reality, and exposing our own world in bold and surprising ways. "Captivating, fierce, and unsettling...I was riveted by every page. Alderman's prose is immersive and, well, electric." --New York Times Book Review
“The Power” by Naomi Alderman is a fictional narrative about a world where women develop the ability to generate electrical energy. I appreciated the substance the story offers as, through this powerful evolutionary ability, a shift happens to gendered power dynamics, and along with it the traditional patriarchy is subverted. It was very interesting to witness the flipping of societal norms in a new world come to life as the author sparks intense messages about control and inequality. Like myself, readers may be drawn to Alderman’s thought-provoking narrative as she uses a touch of fantasy in inviting the audience to reconsider the systems of power that govern the world as the book grapples with themes of empowerment and endangerment.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Related media: Adapted into a TV series.
Also available as a Digital E-book.
Remarkably Bright Creatures
by
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Soon to be a Netflix Film A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today "Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively sensitive debut. . . . Memorable and tender." -- Washington Post For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors--until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late. Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.
Tova Sullivan, newly widowed, begins working at the local aquarium to help her cope. There she meets and befriends Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus! This is a cute, wholesome story about family, love, and loss. The writing is beautiful with vivid imagery and interesting point of views. Highly recommend!
Audience: Adult/General Content
Also available as a Digital E-Book, Digital Audiobook, in Large Print, and as a 12-copy Book Club Kit.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
by
"Riveting, heart-wrenching, and full of Old Hollywood glamour, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is one of the most captivating reads of 2017." --BuzzFeed "The epic adventures Evelyn creates over the course of a lifetime will leave every reader mesmerized. This wildly addictive journey of a reclusive Hollywood starlet and her tumultuous Tinseltown journey comes with unexpected twists and the most satisfying of drama." --PopSugar In this entrancing novel "that speaks to the Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor in us all" (Kirkus Reviews), a legendary film actress reflects on her relentless rise to the top and the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine. Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn's luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn's story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways. "Heartbreaking, yet beautiful" (Jamie Blynn, Us Weekly), The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is "Tinseltown drama at its finest" (Redbook): a mesmerizing journey through the splendor of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means--and what it costs--to face the truth.
This novel is great for fans of stories featuring Old Hollywood glam, secret love affairs, and strong lead women characters. It follows the events that take place when aging Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo decides to tell her life story and publish a memoir, but will only do it if Monique Grant, a relatively unknown reporter - is the one to write it for her. As the two get to know each other, more and more secrets from Evelyn's life spill out.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Related media: Loosely connected to Daisy Jones & The Six by the same author.
Available as E-book and CD Audiobook.
The Song of Achilles
by
A New York Times Bestseller "At once a scholar's homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art....A book I could not put down." --Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House A thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War from the bestselling author of Circe A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer's enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller's monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction's brightest lights--and fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.
A thoughtful retelling of a classic story, Madeline Miller weaves a new perspective on the story of the Greece’s mythological hero in The Song of Achilles! This story will immerse readers in the human experience of the Trojan War as it explores the backstories and relationship of Achilles and Patroclus. Experience the revival of this legendary story with new insights provided through the point of view of Patroclus who humanizes his demigod counterpart and fills in the missing pieces of their story from beginning to end.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Broken Harbor
by
The mesmerizing fourth novel of the Dublin murder squad by New York Times bestselling author Tana French Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, the brash cop from Tana French's bestselling Faithful Place, plays by the book and plays hard. That's what's made him the Murder squad's top detective--and that's what puts the biggest case of the year into his hands. On one of the half-built, half-abandoned "luxury" developments that litter Ireland, Patrick Spain and his two young children are dead. His wife, Jenny, is in intensive care. At first, Scorcher and his rookie partner, Richie, think it's going to be an easy solve. But too many small things can't be explained. The half dozen baby monitors, their cameras pointing at holes smashed in the Spains' walls. The files erased from the Spains' computer. The story Jenny told her sister about a shadowy intruder who was slipping past all the locks. And Broken Harbor holds memories for Scorcher. Seeing the case on the news sends his sister Dina off the rails again, and she's resurrecting something that Scorcher thought he had tightly under control: what happened to their family one summer at Broken Harbor, back when they were children. With her signature blend of police procedural and psychological thriller, French's new novel goes full throttle with a heinous crime, creating her most complicated detective character and her best book yet.
Detective Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy investigates a brutal family murder in a troubled suburban development, uncovering dark secrets and personal demons along the way. Tana French crafts a gripping psychological thriller that explores the complexities of human nature. A must-read for fans of atmospheric and thought-provoking crime fiction.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Part of French's interconnected Dublin Murder Squad series, but they can be read in any order.
The Thursday Murder Club
by
A New York Times bestseller | Soon to be a major motion picture from Steven Spielberg at Amblin Entertainment "Witty, endearing and greatly entertaining." --Wall Street Journal "Don't trust anyone, including the four septuagenarian sleuths in Osman's own laugh-out-loud whodunit." --Parade Four septuagenarians with a few tricks up their sleeves A female cop with her first big case A brutal murder Welcome to... THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet weekly in the Jigsaw Room to discuss unsolved crimes; together they call themselves the Thursday Murder Club. When a local developer is found dead with a mysterious photograph left next to the body, the Thursday Murder Club suddenly find themselves in the middle of their first live case. As the bodies begin to pile up, can our unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer, before it's too late?
The Thursday Murder Club is the first in a cozy-mystery series that follows a group of spunky and diverse retirees who meet up weekly to discuss unsolved murders until they are faced with a real one right in their retirement village that needs solving. With short chapters and lots of action, this book is one of those that is hard to put down until you're finished. Great for fans of cozy-mysteries, murder-mysteries and found-family friend groups that stick together no matter what.
Audience: Adult/General Content
Book 1 of the Thursday Murder Club series.
The City of Brass
by
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Library Journal | Vulture | The Verge | SYFYWire Step into The City of Brass, the spellbinding debut from S. A. Chakraborty, an imaginative alchemy of The Golem and the Jinni, The Grace of Kings, and Uprooted, in which the future of a magical Middle Eastern kingdom rests in the hands of a clever and defiant young con artist with miraculous healing gifts. Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of eighteenth-century Cairo, she's a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trades she uses to get by--palm readings, zars, and a mysterious gift for healing--are all tricks, both the means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles and a reliable way to survive. But when Nahri accidentally summons Dara, an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior, to her side during one of her cons, she's forced to reconsider her beliefs. For Dara tells Nahri an extraordinary tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire and rivers where the mythical marid sleep, past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises and mountains where the circling birds of prey are more than what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass--a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. In Daevabad, within gilded brass walls laced with enchantments and behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments run deep. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, her arrival threatens to ignite a war that has been simmering for centuries. Spurning Dara's warning of the treachery surrounding her, she embarks on a hesitant friendship with Alizayd, an idealistic prince who dreams of revolutionizing his father's corrupt regime. All too soon, Nahri learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. After all, there is a reason they say to be careful what you wish for . . .
City of Brass is the first book of a trilogy which follows Nahri, an Egyptian orphan and charlatan in 18th century Cairo. Though Nahri does possess an extraordinary gift for healing, stealing and swindling through fake palm readings and rituals is the only way she's able to keep a roof over her head. However, everything changes when she accidently summons a Djinn during one of her exorcisms and finds herself wrapped up in a world of magic she could have never imagined. This series is a fantastic read for fans of high fantasy and political intrigue. I personally loved the rich world building centered around Middle Eastern history, culture, and mythology which is uncommon in the fantasy genre. The characters and their motivations are complex and compelling, keeping me glued to the book to find out what would happen next. Reading this for my book club was super fun, so I definitely recommend reading and discussing this book with friends!
Audience: Adult/General Content
Related media: The Daevabad Trilogy.
Also available as a Digital E-book and Physical Audiobook.
Daughter of the Forest
by
Daughter of the Forest, the first book in Juliet Marillier's award-winning Sevenwaters Trilogy. Lovely Sorcha is the seventh child and only daughter of Lord Colum of Sevenwaters. Bereft of a mother, she is comforted by her six brothers who love and protect her. Sorcha is the light in their lives, they are determined that she know only contentment. But Sorcha's joy is shattered when her father is bewitched by his new wife, an evil enchantress who binds her brothers with a terrible spell, a spell which only Sorcha can lift--by staying silent. If she speaks before she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk and their queen, the Lady of the Forest, she will lose her brothers forever. When Sorcha is kidnapped by the enemies of Sevenwaters and taken to a foreign land, she is torn between the desire to save her beloved brothers, and a love that comes only once. Sorcha despairs at ever being able to complete her task, but the magic of the Fair Folk knows no boundaries, and love is the strongest magic of them all...
This story is a retelling of "The Wild Swans" by Hans Christian Andersen. Sorcha our main character must save her brothers from the evil enchantment they are under. To do so Sorcha must not speak while she completes the quest set to her by the Fair Folk. Kidnapped by enemies of Sevenwaters she is taken to a foreign land. This story has adventure, love, betrayal, heartbreak and endurance. I very much enjoyed Juliet Marillier's retelling of this fairy tale.
Audience: Adult/General Content.
Related media: Book 1 of the Sevenwaters Series.
Throne of Glass
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The first book in New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's sweeping fantasy saga - now available in hardcover with a new look to match the series!When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the king's champion and be released from prison.Her name is Celaena Sardothien.The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. And a princess from a foreign land will become the one thing she never thought she'd have again: a friend. But something evil dwells in the castle--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying, horribly, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the source of the evil before it destroys her world.
This book is the start of an action packed series, full of magic, fantasy, and romance. If you're a fan of the "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series, or "Fourth Wing" you will love this series.
Audience: Young Adult/Teens
Book 1 of Throne of Glass series.
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