Fall is right around the corner, and with it comes lots of spooky books. Murder, witches, a curse and at least one ghost? Yes, please! These books are those that library staff from all over the country have read and loved enough to share with us. Read on to discover September’s LibraryReads:
“The Marriage Portrait” by Maggie O’Farrell
In 16th-century Italy, teen Lucrezia de Medici passes from her father’s control to her husband’s, with neither considering her a person with a right to her own life. O’Farrell’s poetic writing pulls you into this taled on the likely subject of Robert Browning’s poem “My Last Duchess.” For fans of Geraldine Brooks, Isabel Allende, and Hilary Mantel.
~Diana Armstrong, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
“Spells for Forgetting” by Adrienne Young
Another stunner by Young! When August Salt, the love of Emery Blackwood’s life, returns to clear his name after being accused of killing Lily Morgan fourteen years ago, dark secrets arise in Saiorse Island. The prose flows like the magical elements throughout.
~Suzy Card, Grapevine Library, Grapevine, TX
“The Bullet That Missed” by Richard Osman
The Thursday Murder Club crack open the decade-old death of a journalist who was hot on the trail of a fraud scheme when she was murdered. Another hilarious mystery featuring the quirky (but highly effective) quartet and all their friends. For fans of Julia Chapman and S.J. Bennett.
~Sarah Walker, Indianapolis Public Library, Indianapolis, IN
“Bindle Punk Bruja” by Desideria Mesa
Luna is both a daughter of Mexican immigrants trying to establish herself in the 1920s Kansas City underworld and a bruja, an earth witch who can read emotions and bend others to her will. Complex character relationships enhance this entertaining historical fantasy. For fans of “The Chosen and the Beautiful” and “Gods of Jade and Shadow.”
~Gwen Inman, Anne Arundel County Public Library, Annapolis, MD
- “The American Roommate Experiment” by Elena Armas
- “Ghost Eaters” by Clay McLeod Chapman
- “The Kiss Curse” by Erin Sterling
- “A Merry Little Meet Cute” by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone
- “People Person” by Candice Caty-Williams
- “The Ways We Hide” by Kristina McMorris
