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FICTION

Any dream will do by Debbie Macomber.  As Shay Benson begins her life anew by building a relationship with Pastor Drew, her brother’s return threatens to undo it all.

Caroline: Little House revisited by Sarah Miller.  Peeling back the layers of Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie, this reveals another side of Caroline Ingalls, Wilder’s mother.  Not to be missed by Wilder’s grown-up fans or those who enjoy historical fiction.

Crime scene by Jonathan Kellerman.  Clay Edison, a deputy coroner and former star athlete, investigates a possible murder.

The Cuban affair by Nelson DeMille.  Set in 2015 during the early days of the thaw between the US and Cuba – a line from the novel perfectly describes this page-turner:  “Sex, money, and adventure.  Does it get any better than that?”

Don’t let go by Harlan Coben.  Coben explores the big secrets and little lies that can destroy a relationship, a family, and even a town in this powerful thriller.

Enigma by Catherine Coulter.  Agents Savich and Sherlock race against the clock to catch an international criminal and solve the enigma of the man called John Doe.

The followers by Rebecca Wait.  A struggling single mother falls under the spell of a charismatic cult leader, but her rebellious 12 year old daughter isn’t quite so gullible.

 A gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.  A Russian count undergoes 30 years of house arrest.

Glass Houses by Louise Penny.  Penny shatters the conventions of the crime novel to explore what Gandhi called the court of conscience – a court that supersedes all others.

The golden house by Salman Rushdie.  A modern American epic set against the panorama of contemporary politics and culture – a hurtling, page-turning mystery that is equal parts The Great Gatsby and The Bonfire of the Vanities.

The last Tudor by Phillippa Gregory.  The youngest Grey sister, Mary, is left to face her ruthless cousin, Queen Elizabeth.

A legacy of spies by John LeCarre.  The undisputed master returns with a riveting new book – his first Smiley novel in more than 25 years.

The locals by Jonathan Dee.  Here are the dramas of the 21^st century America – rising inequality, working class decline, a new authoritarianism – played out in the classic setting of some of our greatest novels: the small town.

My absolute darling by Gabriel Tallent.  A remarkably self-sufficient 14 year old girl must fight to save herself from her abusive survivalist father.

North Haven by Sarah Moriarty.  A portrait of the family scars and faults passed along the generations, brilliantly capturing life on the Maine coastline, where time seems to stand still even as the water never stops moving.

The punch escrow by Tal Klein.  Fans of hard SF and time travel will enjoy this imaginative debut.

The right time by Danielle Steel.  The author Alexandra Winslow, writing under the pseudonym Alexander Green, creates a double life that isolates her.

Robert B. Parker’s The hangman’s sonnet by Reed Coleman.  This Jessie Stone novel involves a reclusive folk singer.

Secrets in death by J.D. Robb.  Lt. Eve Dallas must separate rumors from reality when a woman who traffics in other people’s secrets is silenced.

Seeing red by Sandra Brown.  The TV journalist Kerra Bailey and former federal agent John Trapper join forces to expose a web of conspiracy behind a hotel bombing in Dallas.

Sleeping beauties by Stephen King and Owen King.  The authors tell the highest of high-stakes stories: what might happen if women disappeared from the world of men?

The store by James Patterson.  Two NY writers go undercover to expose the secrets of a powerful retailer.

Strange practice by Vivian Shaw.  Fans who enjoy gaslamp fantasies will appreciate how Shaw brings her Victorian monsters into the modern age.

We shall not all sleep by Estep Nagy.  Set on a small Maine island, this is a richly told story of American class, family, and manipulation – a compelling portrait of a unique and privileged WASP stronghold on the brink of dissolution.

Y is for yesterday by Sue Grafton.  Yesterday was for youthful indiscretions.  Today is for consequences.

NONFICTION

After the eclipse by Sarah Perry.   A mother’s murder, a daughter’s search.  In a fierce memoir of a mother’s murder outside of her daughter’s bedroom in rural Maine, a daughter’s coming-of-age in the wake of immense loss, and her mission to know the woman who gave her life.

Dying: a memoir by Cory Taylor.  This slender volume brings a fresh point of view to end of life care, the concept of having a sense of control over the unknown, and the role of chance in life.  This deep meditation is beautifully written and destined to be an important piece of conversation surrounding death.

The far away brothers by Lauren Markham.  The deeply reported story of identical twin brothers who escape El Salvador’s violence to build new lives in California – fighting to survive, to stay, and to belong.

A farewell to ice by Peter Wadhams.  Based on five decades of research and observation, this is a haunting and unsparing look at the melting ice caps and what their disappearance will mean.

Feeling Jewish by Devorah Baum.  A young critic offers an original, passionate, and erudite account of what it means to feel Jewish – even when you are not.

The four tendencies by Gretchen Rubin.  The indispensable personality profiles that reveal how to make your life better (and other peoples lives better too).

Install your own solar panels by Joe Burdick.  Designing and installing a photovoltaic system to power your home.

Madness by Sam Sax.  An astounding debut collection of poems – Winner of the 2016 National Poetry Series Competition.  In this collection, Sax explodes the linkage between desire, addiction, and the history of mental health.

Nomadland by Jessica Bruder.  A book about low-income Americans (mostly seniors) eking out a living while driving from locale to locale for seasonal employment.

The plant paradox by Steven Gundry.  Most of us have heard of gluten – a protein found in wheat that can cause widespread inflammation in the body.  Americans spend billions on gluten-free diets in an effort to protect their health.  But what if we’ve been missing the root of the problem?

Quakeland by Kathryn Miles.  A journey around the US in search of the truth about the threat of earthquakes leads to spine-tingling discoveries, unnerving experts and ultimately the kind of preparation that will actually help guide us through disasters.

The republic for which it stands by Richard White.  This offers a fresh and integrated interpretation of Reconstruction and the Gilded Age as the seedbed of modern America.

This blessed earth by Ted Genoways.  Both a concise exploration of the history of the American small farm and a vivid, nuanced portrait of one family’s fight to preserve their legacy and the life they love.

What happened by Hillary Clinton.  The former secretary of state relates her experience as the first woman candidate nominated for president by a majority party and reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history.

What I found in a thousand towns by Dar Williams.  A beloved folk singer presents an impassioned account of the fall and rise of the small American towns she cherishes.

Why Buddhism is true by Robert Wright.  Neuroscience and psychology findings are used to support Buddhist practice and meditation and show how it holds the key to moral clarity and enduring happiness.

Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.