Discover December’s Library Reads

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Every month, librarians and library staff throughout the country select their top ten favorite new releases. Library Reads celebrate both established authors and exciting newcomers writing in a variety of genres. We'll highlight a few notable Library Reads picks for the month, which you can check out from AAPLD. Find the complete list of December's Library Reads here.

 

Historical Fiction

Circus Train book cover, night sky with train silhouetteThe Circus Train - Amita Parikh Lena Papadopoulos has never quite found her place within the circus, even as the daughter of the extraordinary headlining illusionist, Theo. Brilliant and curious, Lena yearns for the real-world magic of science and medicine, despite her father's overprotection and the limits her world places on her because she is disabled. Her unconventional life takes an exciting turn when she rescues Alexandre, an orphan with his own secrets and a mysterious past. Over several years, as their friendship flourishes and Alexandre trains as the illusionist's apprentice, World War II escalates around them. When Theo and Alexandre are contracted to work and perform in a model town for Jews set up by the Nazis, Lena becomes separated from everything she knows. Forced to make her own way, Lena must confront her doubts and dare to believe in the impossible--herself.

A must-read for fans of The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, The Circus Train will take readers on a heart-wrenching and spectacular two-decade journey across Europe. When all is lost, how do you find the courage to keep moving forward?

Thriller

Book Cover with close-up of a glamorous woman against a dark backgroundSomeone Had To Do It - Amber and Danielle Brown Brandi Maxwell is living her dream as an intern at the prestigious Manhattan fashion house Simon Hanson. Except “living the dream” looks more like scrubbing puke out of couture dresses worn by hard-partying runway models and putting up with constant microaggressions from her white colleagues, who think her braids “don’t fit with the culture” at Simon Hanson.

When Brandi snags an invite to an exclusive party at the home of Simon himself, she’s excited to meet his daughter, Taylor, a style influencer whose taste she loves. But at the party, she accidentally overhears something she can never un-hear. And her life shatters.

Taylor Hanson has everything…and is this close to losing it all. Her dictator of a father—who, as far as she’s concerned, is responsible for her mother’s death—has threatened to donate her entire inheritance to a wildlife charity if she fails her next drug test. Taylor wants the money that’s rightfully hers. Wouldn’t it be terrible if something happened to Simon?

All she needs is the perfect person to take the fall for it…

 

Fiction

Ms. Demeanor book cover with cartoon woman wearing a pantsuit, falling through the skyMs. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman - Jane Morgan is a valued member of her law firm--or was, until a prudish neighbor, binoculars poised, observes her having sex on the roof of her NYC apartment building. Police are summoned, and a punishing judge sentences her to six months of home confinement. With Jane now jobless and rootless, trapped at home, life looks bleak. Yes, her twin sister provides support and advice, but mostly of the unwelcome kind. When a doorman lets slip that Jane isn't the only resident wearing an ankle monitor, she strikes up a friendship with fellow white-collar felon Perry Salisbury. As she tries to adapt to life within her apartment walls, she discovers she hasn't heard the end of that tattletale neighbor--whose past isn't as decorous as her 9-1-1 snitching would suggest. Why are police knocking on Jane's door again? Can her house arrest have a silver lining? Can two wrongs make a right?