Atonement by
In the summer of 1935 Briony Tallis misinterprets a moment's flirtation between her sister and the son of a servant. A crime occurs soon after, the repercussions of which are followed through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the 20th century. 351 pages.
At the Water's Edge by
Americans Madeline & Ellis go to Scotland to find the Loch Ness monster. Their goal is to impress Ellis' father who failed when he tried. Maddie finds more than Nessie while in Scotland. 354 pages.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - YA by
Autistic Christopher is blamed for the death of a neighbor's dog and sets out to find the real killer. His inspiration is Sherlock Holmes. 226 pages.
The Girl on the Train by
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning, flashing past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stopping at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. Their life, as she sees it, is perfect ... until she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but now everything is changed. Rachel goes to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good? 323 pages
Incendiary by
Distraught over the deaths of her husband and son in a suicide bombing at a London soccer match, a woman writes a letter to Osama bin Laden to persuade him to abandon his terror campaign. 237 pages.
The Little French Bistro by
Marianne is stuck in a loveless, unhappy marriage. After forty-one years, she has reached her limit, and one evening in Paris she decides to take action. Following a dramatic moment on the banks of the Seine, Marianne leaves her life behind and sets out for the coast of Brittany, also known as "the end of the world." Here she meets a cast of colorful and unforgettable locals who surprise her with their warm welcome, and the natural ease they all seem to have, taking pleasure in life's small moments 311 pages.
A Man Called Ove by
Ove is a curmudgeonand has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him 'the bitter neighbor from hell'. Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship.which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations. 337 pages.
Me Before You by
Louisa takes a good caring for wheel-chair bound Will who is moody and bossy. But Louisa refuses to treat him with kid gloves. They have nothing in common but help each other in this love story. 369 pages.
Romancing the Dark in the City of Light - YA by
A troubled American teen, living in Paris, is torn between two boys, one of whom encourages her to embrace life, while the other--dark, dangerous, and attractive--urges her to embrace her fatal flaws. 276 pages.
The Tiger's Wife by
Remembering childhood stories her grandfather once told her, young physician Natalia becomes convinced that he spent his last days searching for "the deathless man," a vagabond who claimed to be immortal. As Natalia struggles to understand why her grandfather, a deeply rational man would go on such a farfetched journey, she stumbles across a clue that leads her to the extraordinary story of the tiger's wife. 353 pages.
Between Shades of Gray - YA by
In 1941 15-yr old Lina, her mother and brother are taken by Soviet secret police and sent to Siberia. Lina was preparing for art school & now uses her art as messages, hoping to contact her father who is in prison. 490 pages.
Just Another Jihadi Jane - YA by
A novel about friendship, faith, and alienation, Just Another Jihadi Jane tells the tale of Islamist radicalization from the inside. Two children of Muslim immigrants in England's industrial north--thoughtful Jamilla and rebellious Ameena--become best friends, and find in religion and social media a community as welcoming and encouraging as their public education is estranging. The two girls leave England and join the Islamist cause in Syria. The intellectual and emotional poverty as well as the violence they find there creates a story as gripping as it is heart-wrenching. 230 pages.
Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist) by
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN OF THE YEAR * NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 *A USA TODAY TOP TEN OF 2017 * JULY PICK FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR-NEW YORK TIMES BOOK CLUB NOW READ THIS * FINALIST FOR THE 2018 DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE Roxane Gay's Favorite Book of 2017, Washington Post NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER * WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER * WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER In this gorgeous, page-turning saga, four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan, exiled from a home they never knew. "There could only be a few winners, and a lot of losers. And yet we played on, because we had hope that we might be the lucky ones." In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant--and that her lover is married--she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home, and to reject her son's powerful father, sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations. Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan's finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee's complex and passionate characters--strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis--survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history. *Includes reading group guide*
Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen by
Raucous twin sisters Moonie and Mei Ling Wong are known as the “double happiness” Chinese food delivery girls. United in their desire to blossom into somebodies, the Wong girls fearlessly assert their intellect and sexuality, even as they come of age under the care of their dominating, cleaver-wielding grandmother from Hong Kong.
Salmon fishing in the Yemen by
When a Yemeni sheik wants to bring salmon fishing to his desert, Fred is pressured by British officials to do the project. This is a project of faith and the results are surprising. 323 pages.
Welcome to Lagos by
Welcome to Lagos is a high-spirited novel about aspirations and escape, innocence and corruption. Full of humor and heart, it offers a provocative portrait of contemporary Nigeria that marks the arrival in the United States of an extraordinary young writer. 293 pages.
Euphoria by
Anthropologist Bankson is on the verge of suicide. Then he encounters the famous and controversial American anthropologist Nell Stone and her wry and mercurial Australian husband, Fen. This book is based on the life of Margaret Mead. 261 pages.
The Rosie Project by
If you watch The Big Band Theory Don Tillman will remind you of Sheldon. In this Australian novel Don, a professor, has a plan to find a wife! His very organized plan does not account for Rosie.
Into the Beautiful North by
Inspired by The Magnificent Seven, 19 yr. old Nayeli leaves her small Mexican village for the US. She needs to find 7 men to help fight the nasty drug-dealers attacking the village. 338 pages.
Prayers for the Stolen by
Born in a rural Mexico region where girls are disguised as boys to avoid the attentions of traffickers, Ladydi dreams of a better life before moving to Mexico City, where she falls in love and ends up in a prison with other women who share her experiences.