Need a hot read for your cold November nights? Look no further than this month’s Library Reads list. Suspense, fantasy, historical fiction, biography — there’s something for every reader’s taste or mood, including new titles from Lee Child, Wally Lamb, Zadie Smith, Michael Chabon and more. Here are books publishing next month that librarians across the country recommend.
“Faithful” by Alice Hoffman
“With only a touch of her usual magical realism, Hoffman crafts a tale that still manages to enchant. In ‘Faithful,’ a young girl who survives a car accident that almost kills her best friend spends the next decade doing penance to try and alleviate her guilt. Despite her best efforts to avoid it, love, hope and forgiveness patiently shadow her as she slowly heals. Shelby is a complex character, and through her internal growth, Hoffman reveals that she is a person worthy of love, a bit of sorcery that readers will hold dear. Simply irresistible.”
– Sharon Layburn, South Huntington Public Library, Huntington Station, NY
“The Fate of the Tearling” by Erika Johansen
“It’s been fascinating to watch the Tearling saga evolve into a riveting blend of fantasy and dystopian fiction with characters developing in unexpected but satisfying ways into people I really care about. With the introduction of new characters in the town, a third timeline is woven into the story, leading to a plot twist that I did not see coming at all. This book has given me lots to think about — community, leadership, the use and abuse of power — and makes me want to reread all three books.”
– Beth Mills, New Rochelle Public Library, New Rochelle, NY
“Night School: A Jack Reacher Novel” by Lee Child
“Child goes back to the well and gives readers another glimpse into Jack Reacher’s past as a military cop — and what a worthwhile trip it is. It’s 1996, and after Reacher receives a Legion of Merit medal, he’s sent to “Night School” with two other men, one from the FBI and another from the CIA. Soon the trio learns that they’ve been selected for a covert mission. Child layers his page-turning story with careful and sometimes dryly humorous details.This suspense series keeps getting better — it’s a joy to read.”
– Elizabeth Eastin, Rogers Memorial Library, Southampton, NY
And now the rest of the best for your holds-placing pleasure:
- “When All The Girls Have Gone” by Jayne Ann Krentz
- “I’ll Take You There” by Wally Lamb
- “Swing Time” by Zadie Smith
- “Victoria: The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire” by Julia Baird
- “Moonglow” by Michael Chabon
- “Normal” by Warren Ellis
- “Orphans of the Carnival” by Carol Birch
