Staff Choices

The first Rizzoli and Isles book in a while and it does not disappoint. Told from several points of view and with multiple storylines, Gerritsen does a good job of keeping momentum on all of them and giving satisfying solutions for all of them. Jane is looking into the murder of a nurse that may be connected to events years earlier. Her mom is driving her crazy convinced first a local teen is in trouble and then that something is up with the new neighbors.

Great mystery and great to catch up with our favorite characters. Looking forward to more in the series.
 

In A Map for the Missing, debut author Belinda Huijuan Tang has created a story that provided me with some insight into aspects of Chinese culture. The story begins in 1993 with Tang Yitian, a young math professor working in America who receives a phone call from his mother informing him that his father is missing. His parents still live in the small rural village in Anhui Province in China where Yitian grew up, a place where he hasn’t been in 15 years. 

Once he returns home, he feels out of place. Memories of his youth come roaring back including the estrangement with his father, the man he now is trying to find. He turns to a friend, Hanwen, he once knew during the days of the Cultural Revolution and who is now married to a mid-level bureaucrat for assistance. The story continues with different timelines of his younger days as well as Hanwen’s and how they helped each other once the government reinstated the gaokao in 1977; a national, grueling, university level exam, one that hadn’t been allowed to take place in a decade. Hanwen has her own story of how she was “sent-down” from her life in Shanghai to the rural province where she met Yitian. 

The plot moves slowly, allowing us to see the characters develop, to see the stoicism that gives them a fortitude to go on to create meaningful lives despite hardships they endured. 

Themes of family, forgiveness, loss, adaptation, internal strength, identity, belonging, regret, and hopefulness. How maturity is something that can only be learned through time and experience. Readers who enjoy a different cultural point of view and a story that slowly unfurls might like to pick up A Map for the Missing. I found it beautiful and moving. 

Renaissance Italy is a world resplendent with art and beauty, but it also can be a harsh world for women. Lucrezia de Medici, the daughter of a grand duke is forced into an unwanted marriage at a very young age. The groom, Alfonso, head of a nearby kingdom, seems to have several sides to his sometimes charming, but eventual ruthless personality. On her wedding day, Lucrezia has been warned by his sister about what her husband is capable of, and as time goes on her suspicions are confirmed. As Lucrezia is forced to sit for a formal portrait, the tension is felt by all those around her. Trouble brews in the kingdom as everyone waits for an heir to be born to solidify the Ferranese dynasty. Lucrezia reaches out to her family for help, but they dismiss her fears. 

The award winning Hamnet showed us the brilliant writing style of Maggie O'Farrell. She astounds with her depth of character and her remarkable sense of setting and place. I for one, felt completely transformed to 1550 Florence, and was kept on the edge of my seat as the plot unfolded. It is an unforgettable story of the strength and resilience of the powerless in the face of the powerful. The Marriage Portrait will stay with you long after you put it down.

I originally saw the Plated Prisoner series on TikTok and was swayed when it was touted to cure an A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) hangover. While I wouldn’t say I was suffering from a SJM hangover having finished that series several months ago, I heartily agree with that claim.  For those that love ACOTAR, and the From Blood and Ash series, this is the one for you (there are hints of both here). It did take me a bit to get into this series, the first book was by far the slowest for me, however world building and character development really benefit from the pace to start. 

Gild is written in first person POV from the main character Auren, the gold-touched favored of King Midas, who is kept in a gilded cage within the palace. Midas rules the Sixth Kingdom of Orea, each kingdom only being able to be ruled by those with magical abilities. Keeping in line with the story of Midas, gold touch is his power. Subsequent novels are written from multiple POV which is helpful once things move out of a singular location. 

These books are full of strong female leads, magic, fae, beasts, secrets, betrayals, triumphs, politics and romance. 

This is an adult dark fantasy romance series.

This is my first time reading Dan Chaon,  The writing is easy, accessible and intelligent. It takes place sometime in the future where there doesn't seem to be a rule of law. The main character, Billy and his trusty dog, Flip traverse the country doing jobs for his mysterious boss. Along the way, his burner phones start ringing and it is a young woman that claims to be his daughter. You don't know who to believe or trust but you tag along for the ride. And what a ride it is! This book is part Mad Max part Elmore Leonard. It's all adventure story. I think it would make a great movie. I do feel it dragged in places but the writing is so smart, I kept with it. It's witty and funny.

The Narrowboat Summer is a delightful surprise. Three women, at pivotal moments in their life, happen to meet by chance because of a barking dog. It is decided that two of them, Sally and Eve, will navigate Anastasia's narrowboat through England's canal system for repairs. A great deal of trust is placed upon each of them as they embark on this adventure through the lock and dam waterways including some long, dark tunnels. As they travel, they meet some eclectic people that recognize Anastasia's boat, and befriend a few of them, too. I was so intrigued by this aspect of the story that I discovered there really is an entire community of people who live this lifestyle, periodically moving their watercraft, exploring new locales. This is a gentle story of fresh beginnings, self-reflection, friendship, humor, kindness, pushing yourself to your limits and finding out what is important to you.

This book is for fans of author Anne Youngson's previous novel, Meet Me at the Museum, and will also appeal to readers who enjoy reading a story that proceeds at a more languid pace.

Sea of Tranquility is another haunting, elegiac novel from the gifted Emily St. John Mandel, that pairs well with her previous work, The Glass Hotel. But Sea of Tranquility, unlike some of her prior novels,  is a true science fiction work, with time travelers, hovercrafts, and moon colonies. It is also very much a novel of Covid-19, as the theme of epidemics recurs throughout the book.
As the author plays with the idea of the time/space continuum, we meet various characters in different centuries (including female author Olive Llewelyn who seems suspiciously like St. John Mandel herself). They are all connected by a disturbing, inexplicable event...and how this fits together unfolds quite brilliantly through the course of the novel.
Despite all the scientific and technological advances of the future, the novel focuses more on the frailty of humans. Diseases can still wipe out huge numbers of the population, mothers still imagine the unspeakable horror of losing a child, petty jealousies still exist between authors. And despite warnings from his shadowy employers, one time traveler with a conscience can decide to save a life, even if it can significantly alter the course of the future.

As Serena Williams closed out her professional tennis career at the US Open this month, I finished listening to Taylor Jenkin Reid’s newest novel, Carrie Soto is Back. I am not a huge tennis fan, but I can appreciate the immense time and heart that goes into being a professional athlete. Reid tells the story of Carrie Soto, a fierce competitor who is determined to win at any cost. She is not well liked, but by the time she retires, she is the greatest player the world has ever seen.  She sacrificed nearly everything to become the best, with her father as her coach. At 37 years old, Carrie makes the shocking decision to come out of retirement in an attempt to reclaim her record. Her comeback is grueling, as she fights her body’s limitations, her competitor’s youth, her critics, and most significantly her doubts.  This story is not just about tennis, but also about a father’s and daughter’s love for one another and various life lessons.

The audiobook was immersive and brought the characters to life. It gave me the sense that I was there with Carrie on her journey to greatness. Taylor Jenkins Reid continues to enlighten me with her characters in unique situations and has cemented herself as one of my all-time favorite authors.

With estrangement, death, an audio recording full of family secrets as well as orders to share a small black cake in the freezer, you have the beginnings of an intriguing story. Before Eleanor Bennett died, her children thought they knew everything there was to know about their rich Caribbean family history. That is until they start listening to the truths unravel, and secrets unfold on the recording she created.

Her daughter Benny and son Bryce struggle to make sense of her complicated past. The cake itself plays an important role in helping them rediscover their family, their history and their culture. Eleanor has always found solace with the knowledge that she can remember the recipe for black cake, the only thing she has left of a tumultuous childhood. Charmaine Wilkerson uses the cake as a way to dig deeper in to the essence of Caribbean heritage and the multi-cultural histories that abound.

Black Cake is a stellar debut novel with rich characters, fast paced scenes and a beloved family recipe that all come together to remind us of the layers that fall in place to create a family history

Joe Ide , bringing  Philip Marlowe to present day L.A in an entertaining mystery.  The mystery is full of some well rounded charactors and some cardboard ones chasing all over Southern California to find laundered money, a kidnapped child, Russian mobsters, Armenian  thugs, a spoiled has been movie actress, a non recovering alcoholic and more. This book is a three ring circus of plots, subplots and side plots. A kitchen sink of tropes...and it all works! A fun read that will have one nostalgic for the time when books were fun.