FICTION
All adults here by Emma Straub. A funny and keenly perceptive novel about the life cycle of one family – as the kids become parents, grandchildren become teenagers, and a matriarch confronts the legacy of her mistakes.
The ancestor by Danielle Trussoni. A bewitching gothic novel of suspense that plunges readers into a world of dark family secrets, the mysteries of human genetics, and the burden of family inheritance.
The astonishing life of August March by Aaron Jackson. An irrepressibly optimistic oddball orphan is thrust into the wilds of postwar New York City after an extraordinary childhood in a theater. (Think Candide by way of John Irving, with a hint of Charles Dickens.)
Beach read by Emily Henry. A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever after.
Big summer by Jennifer Weiner. A poignant and unputdownable novel about the power of friendship, the lure of frenemies, and the importance of making peace with yourself through life’s ups and downs.
Blindside by James Patterson. The mayor of New York has a daughter who’s missing and in danger. Detective Michael Bennett has a son who’s in prison. The two strike a deal.
The book of V by Anna Solomon. A kaleidoscopic novel intertwining the lives of three women across 3 centuries as their stories of sex, power, and desire finally converge in the present day.
The business of lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey. In this road trip across L.A. there are deep conversations, adult situations, and a sweet love story at every turn.
Close up by Amanda Quick. Welcome to Burning Cove, California where 1930s Hollywood glamour conceals a ruthless killer….
Dance away with me by Susan Phillips. Two people determined to withdraw from society instead discover the power of human connection in this deeply felt romance.
The goodbye man by Jeffery Deaver. Reward-seeker Colter Shaw infiltrates a sinister cult after learning that the only way to get somebody out…is to go in.
Guests of August by Gloria Goldreich. Five families come together for a summer vacation that will change their lives forever in this tale of love, loss, and hope.
The henna artist by Alka Joshi. In 1950s Jaipur, a young woman who escaped an abusive marriage and started a new life is confronted by her husband.
Hideaway by Nora Roberts. A family ranch in Big Sur country and a legacy of Hollywood royalty set the stage for this suspense novel.
The house on Fripp Island by Rebecca Kauffman. When two families – one rich, one not – vacation together off the coast of South Carolina, little do they know that someone won’t be returning home.
How much of these hills is gold by C Pam Zhang. Set against the twilight of the American gold rush, two siblings are on the run in an unforgiving landscape – trying not to just survive but to find a home.
How to pronounce knife by Souvankham Thammavongsa. Spare, unsentimental, and distilled to riveting essentials, these stories honor the surreal, funny, often wrenching realities of trying to build a life far from home.
The jetsetters by Amanda Ward. When Charlotte wins a Mediterranean cruise, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to reconnect with her adult children. Each character’s dysfunctions run deep, and each plot twist threatens to sink their sanity, resulting in a funny, moving tale of the complications of familial love.
The last trial by Scott Turow. A brilliant courtroom chess match about a celebrated criminal defense lawyer and the prosecution of his lifelong friend – a doctor accused of murder.
The love story of Missy Carmichael by Beth Morrey. Here is a love story of the most important kind: that of coming to love oneself through accepting and returning the love of others – be it people or dogs.
Murder at the Mena House by Erica Neubauer. Well-heeled travelers from around the world flock to the Mena House Hotel – an exotic gem in Cairo where cocktails flow, adventure dispels the aftershocks of World War I, and deadly dangers wait in the shadows.
The murder of twelve by Jessica Fletcher. Jessica takes on an Agatha Christie-style mystery when she finds herself stranded in a hotel during a blizzard with 12 strangers and a killer in their midst.
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. A compelling what-might-have-been: what if Hilary Rodham HADN’T married Bill Clinton?
The second home by Christina Clancy. Told through the eyes of 3 siblings, this title captures the ache of nostalgia for summers past and the powerful draw of the places we return to again and again. It is about second homes, second families, and second chances.
The shooting at Château Rock by Martin Walker. When a local’s troubling death is linked to a Russian oligarch and his multinational conglomerate, Chief Bruno faces one of his toughest cases yet, one that brings together a French notary and a rock star – and of course, Bergerac red and white.
The sight of you by Holly Miller. A romantic and page-turning novel that poses a heartbreaking question: Would you choose love, if you knew how it would end?
A tender thing by Emily Neuberger. Set under the dazzling lights of late 1950s Broadway where a controversial new musical pushes the boundaries of love, legacy, and art.
Three things I know are true by Betty Culley. Life changes forever for Liv when her older brother, Jonah, accidentally shoots himself with the gun of his best friend’s father.
A week at the shore by Barbara Delinsky. This explores how lives and relationships are forever changed when 3 sisters reunite at their family Rhode Island beach house.
NEW DVDs
The lighthouse (2019) starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe
Little women (2019) starring Saoirse Ronan and Emma Watson
Doctor Sleep (2019) starring Ewan McGregor and Rebecca Ferguson
Roma (2018) starring Marina de Tavira
Star Wars: the rise of Skywalker (2019) starring Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill
1917 (2019) starring George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman
NEW NONFICTION
The age of Phillis by Honoree Jeffers. A collection of original poems speaking to the life and times of Phillis Weatley, a Colonial America-era poet brought to Boston as a slave.
Dark mirror by Barton Gellman. A well-documented account on the far-reaching impact of US domestic surveillance and the resulting intrusions of privacy.
A delayed life by Dita Kraus. A story of survival that is rare in its coverage of life before and after the Holocaust, addressing the difficult question of what comes after such a tragedy.
Dirt by Bill Buford. A hilariously self-deprecating, highly obsessive account of the author’s adventures in the world of French haute cuisine, for anyone who has ever found joy in cooking and eating food with their family.
Dress your best life by Dawnn Karen. How to use fashion psychology to take your look – and your life – to the next level.
Home is a stranger by Parnaz Foroutan. Unmoored by the death of her father and disenchanted by the American Dream, Foroutan leaves Los Angeles for Iran, 19 years after her family fled the religious police state brought in by the Islamic Theocracy.
In the name of God by Selina O’Grady. A groundbreaking book on the history of religious tolerance and intolerance that offers an essential narrative to understanding Islam and the West today.
Kooks and degenerates on ice by Thomas Whalen. Here to celebrate the 50th anniversary – it’s Bobby Orr, the big bad Boston Bruins, and the Stanley Cup championship that transformed hockey.
Rental style by Chelsey Brown. This doubles as a décor piece and handy design guide and shows readers how to decorate and organize small, rented spaces on a budget.
Sigh, gone by Phuc Tran. For anyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong, this shares an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation woven together with poignant themes from beloved works of classic literature. The author now lives in Portland, Maine.
24 by Willie Mays. A memoir by the Baseball Hall of Famer told in 24 chapters to correspond with his well-known uniform number.
Warhol by Blake Gopnik. The definitive bio of a fascinating and paradoxical figure, one of the most influential artists of his – or any – age.
Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.
