April 2015 Library Reads List

Visit LibraryReads for more information about how this list was created, and to view favorites from previous months!

At the Water’s Edge: A Novel
by Sara Gruen

“Set in Loch Ness, right in the middle of WWII, a foolish group of rich Americans arrive in search of the famous monster. Narrator Maddie must make sense of the circumstances that have brought her to this wild locale. Only then can she discover the strength she needs to make her own decisions. Enjoy a delightfully intriguing cast of characters and the engaging style of storytelling that has made Gruen so popular.”

- Paulette Brooks, Elm Grove Public Library, Elm Grove, WI

The Royal We
by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

“This delightful spin on the story of Prince William and Kate Middleton is the perfect beachy, weekend read for anyone who loves love stories with a healthy dose of humor. Here, Will and Kate are replaced by Nick and Bex–he’s the heir to the British throne, she’s the American who effortlessly steals his heart. Can they weather many obstacles to find their Happily Ever After? Part fairy tale, part cautionary tale, the novel is pure fun from start to finish.”

- Donna Matturri, Pickerington Public Library, Pickerington, OH

A Desperate Fortune
by Susanna Kearsley

“While transcribing an old manuscript of a young girl’s diary, Sara decodes an account of Jacobite spies. Long before, Mary Dundas gets involved in a mission which makes her confidante to the King of Scotland in exile. And along the way, both women fall for men they know little about. Kearsley is a master at seamlessly blending stories from two time periods. Readers who enjoy a little puzzle solving with their historical fiction will be rewarded.”

- Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX

The Dream Lover: A Novel
by Elizabeth Berg
Published: 4/14/2015 by Random House
ISBN: 9780812993158

“George Sand leaves her estranged husband and children to embark on a life of art in bohemian Paris. A talented writer who finds monetary and critical success, Sand adopts a man’s name, often dresses as a gentleman and smokes cigars. Through her writing, politics, sexual complexities and views on feminism, Sand is always seeking love. This novel has spurred me to learn more about George Sand, a woman truly ahead of her time.”

- Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield, MA

Still the One
by Jill Shalvis
Published: 4/7/2015 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780425270189

“Oh Jill Shalvis, how I love thee! Although all the books in this Animal Magnetism series have strong heroines, this one is the absolute best. And chemistry–wowza, it’s intense. The novel brings a focus on two important social issues: the lack of funding available for those who need physical therapy, and the fact that service dogs who do not pass their certification should not be thrown away. I fell in love and learned something at the same time. Instant classic.”

- Amanda Brown, Roanoke Public Libraries, Roanoke, VA

Inside the O’Briens: A Novel
by Lisa Genova

“The O’Briens are an Irish Catholic family living in Boston. Joe, the father, is a cop, and when he is diagnosed with Huntington’s, he must somehow tell his wife and four grown children and learn to live with the disease. I couldn’t put the book down for too long. Genova made me feel as if I was part of the family. I loved the way she developed her characters with style and warmth.”

- Valerie Giambona, Secaucus Public Library, Secaucus, NJ

House of Echoes: A Novel
by Brendan Duffy

“Eager to get out of the big city, Ben and Caroline Tierney purchase a large, old house upstate hoping to renovate it into a hotel. However, their house, called The Crofts, has a dark, mysterious past, and terrifying secrets begin to threaten the family. This wonderfully eerie and atmospheric debut novel is a great recommendation for fans of Bohjalian’s The Night Strangers and McMahon’s The Winter People.”

- Sara Kennedy, Delaware County District Library, Delaware, OH

The Precious One: A Novel
by Marisa de los Santos

“Taisy hasn’t seen her father since he dumped her family and started another one 17 years ago. An unexpected invitation to write his biography returns her to her hometown, and gives her a rare chance to knit together a broken web of relationships. Like all de los Santos’ books, The Precious One features smart, funny characters who form an unconventional family. It’s luminous and heartwarming, without an ounce of sap.”

- Heather Bistyga, Anderson County Library, Anderson, SC

The Bone Tree: A Novel
by Greg Iles

“Based on a real series of unsolved murders from the civil rights era in Louisiana, and the crusading journalist who uncovered the story, Iles’ novel shines a bright light of truth upon one of America’s darkest secrets. Iles’ compelling writing makes this complex tale of good versus evil a must-read for those who love thrillers, and those who want to learn a little bit of American history not normally taught in school.”

- Ellen Jennings, Cook Memorial Public Library, Libertyville, IL

Where They Found Her: A Novel
by Kimberly McCreight

“Molly Sanderson is covering a feature for the Ridgedale Reader that not only stirs up her recent grief over a stillborn child, but secrets that have been kept hidden for over two decades in this northern New Jersey college town. As the stories of four different women unfold, a new piece of the puzzle is revealed. Chilling and gruesome at times, this is a novel with characters who will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.”

- Jennifer Winberry, Hunterdon County Library, Flemington, NJ

April 2015 Book Discussions

Here's what we're reading this month...

BOOK CLUBBERS
Thursday, April 2, 2015 @ Harnish
Start Time: 7:00 PM
Frog Music
by Emma Donoghue

A novel based on an unsolved murder in 1876 San Francisco. Summer of 1876: San Francisco is in the fierce grip of a record-breaking heatwave and a smallpox epidemic. Through the window of a railroad saloon, a young woman called Jenny Bonnet is shot dead. The survivor, her friend Blanche Beunon, is a French burlesque dancer. Over the next three days, she will risk everything to bring Jenny's murderer to justice--if he doesn't track her down first. The story Blanche struggles to piece together is one of free-love bohemians, desperate paupers, and arrogant millionaires; of jealous men, icy women, and damaged children. It's the secret life of Jenny herself, a notorious character who breaks the law every morning by getting dressed: a charmer as slippery as the frogs she hunts.

SPINE-CRACKERS BOOK DISCUSSION
Friday, April 3, 2015 @ Harnish
Start Time: 1:15 PM
Z : a novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
by Therese Fowler

A tale inspired by the marriage of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald that follows their union in defiance of her father's opposition and her abandonment of the provincial finery of her upbringing in favor of a scandalous flapper identity that gains her entry into the literary party scenes of New York, Paris and the French Riviera.

BOOKALICIOUS
Monday, April 13, 2015 @ Village Vintner
Start Time: 7:00 PM
The Selection
by Kiera Cass

Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illéa, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illéa's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.

CLASSICS BOOK CLUB
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 @ Harnish
Start Time: 7:00 PM
The Painted Veil
by W. Somerset Maugham

Set in the 1920s. A young English couple, Walter a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman, get married for all the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai. Kitty falls in love with someone else. When Walter discovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China that is being ravaged by a deadly epidemic. He takes his wife along and their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.

NITE READERS BOOK CLUB
Thursday, April 16, 2015 @ Harnish
Start Time: 7:00 PM
Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks

This gripping historical novel is based on the true story of Eyam, the "Plague Village," in the rugged mountain spine of England. In 1666, a tainted bolt of cloth from London carries bubonic infection to this isolated settlement of shepherds and lead miners. A visionary young preacher convinces the villagers to seal themselves off in a deadly quarantine to prevent the spread of disease. The story is told through the eyes of eighteen-year-old Anna Frith, the vicar's maid, as she confronts the loss of her family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit love. As the death toll rises and people turn from prayers and herbal cures to sorcery and murderous witch-hunting, Anna emerges as an unlikely and courageous heroine in the village's desperate fight to save itself.