Staff Choices

 Shiner is an luminous debut novel, set in the truly "off the grid" mountains of West Virginia, where coal mining jobs are disappearing and locals now turn more often to opioids than moonshine to dull their pain. At its heart, this is a story of the power of female relationships, both mother/daughter and friendships, and how these connections help the characters survive the abject poverty and despair of their lives.

The central character is Wren, a young teen, living in a ramshackle cabin with no indoor plumbing and a shed full of snakes. She is the daughter of Ruby, her beloved but downtrodden mother, and Briar Bird, her serpent-handling preacher father. Local legend has it that Briar survived a lightening strike, and awoke from this accident with mystical religious powers. He is madly in love with his wife and tolerates his daughter, but his paranoia of the outside traps them in a life of almost total seclusion.

The true love of Ruby's life, however, is not her husband but her best friend from childhood, Ivy. Despite her own fervent desire to flee the rural mountains for a new future in town, Ivy refuses to leave behind Ruby once she marries Briar. Instead, she finds herself in an equally miserable marriage to a drug addict, with more sons than she can properly care for or afford. When Briar "miraculously" heals Ivy after she accidentally falls into an open fire, a series of even more tragic events will alter the lives of both families.

The beginning and end of the story is told through Wren's voice, as she experiences both devastating loss and the sweetness of first romantic love. Other sections of the novel are told through Ruby, Ivy, and Flynn, a former friend of Wren's parents who is a "Shiner", an illegal moonshine producer and eventual savior for Wren. It is an interesting narrative choice, but I don't think it adds to the novel's strength.

Author Amy Jo Burns's descriptions of the mountain community, its natural beauty and strong inhabitants, are wonderfully evocative. I've read many other books set in Appalachia, but none as memorable or atmospheric as Shiner. The author grew up on the edges of this world, and the authenticity of the world she creates, full of beauty and ugliness, shines through on these pages.

I love a book with good banter, and Romeantically Challenged by Marina Adair does not disappoint. The two main characters, Annie and Emmit, are strong yet flawed and have a realistic chemistry. Even though the story will have you laughing, it also has depth and brings up many real life hardships, such as adoption, grief, and mixed families.  My favorite part was the three dads raising a teenage girl. Sometimes it takes a village! I cannot wait for Levi and Beckett’s story in the next book, Hopeless Romeantic of the When in Room series. I highly recommend this book to all Contemporary Romance fans.

Seventeen year old Noel Crowe arrives in Faha Ireland on the eve of the county getting electricity for the first time. Unstoppable rains, and a stranger looking for a lost love, help to set the tone for this touching coming of age story. Noel is sent to live with his grandparents after he unexpectedly leaves his seminary studies.  Narrated by Noel who is now in his 70's, the story hearkens back to a simpler time in the mid 1950's, and small communities who can all feel the winds of change. The story is a tender written beautiful tale of life, love, longings and growth.

Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, carries on  the tradition of the classic Gothic horror novel, complete with the moldering mansion, hostile caretakers, and the naive outsider who must confront the unknown terror inside.  The heroine in this tale is Noemi Taobada, a beautiful, smart, but spoiled debutante, who must leave glamorous 1950's Mexico City for the remote countryside, where her recently married cousin has been posting strange letters pleading for help from her family. When Noemi arrives at High Point, the dilapidated estate owned by the menacing English family of her cousin's husband, she encounters enemies both human and possibly otherworldly. This highly atmospheric novel starts off slowly, and takes a turn for the seriously bizarre about halfway through. But fans of novels such as Rebecca and The Little Stranger should enjoy this creepy addition to the Gothic genre, made all the more interesting with a Latin American twist.

Funny, irreverent and moving. This is a memoir about a Vietnamese family who barely got out of Saigon in 1975 as told through the eyes of Phuc, the older child in the family. I laughed, I cringed, I sympathized, I looked up words in the dictionary. As Phuc’s family settled into a small Pennsylvania town culture shock for his parents included difficulty in relating to their children now growing up in a country so far removed from Viet Nam. There are some harsh realities that happened as Phuc and his father clash with each other. As Phuc grows older he also has to contend with overt and covert racism around him. Middle school and high school years are challenging to navigate as he tries to find ways to fit in. By high school he has surrounded himself with friends who are supportive allies. This band of brothers also provides avenues for them to get into trouble with some comic retelling. Phuc found a way to fit in but also saw enough in himself to pursue higher education.

 Read Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran if you enjoy reading about another person’s experiences. Fans of Born a Crime by Trevor Noah might also enjoy reading this memoir.

Brit Bennet's second novel, The Vanishing Half, is worthy of all the pre-publication buzz it was receiving. The writing is beautiful, and the story is refreshingly unpredictable. Desiree and Stella Vignes are twins born in Jim Crow- era Louisiana, identical in appearance only. They live in the town of Mallard, really more a settlement of light skinned African Americans, where the residents look down at Blacks with darker skin. Yet, the girls' own father is brutally murdered by a gang of white men, a crime they in part witness as young children. Longing to escape her claustrophobic hometown, bold and impetuous Desiree convinces quiet, studious Stella to run away to New Orleans with her. From here, their lives will take radically different paths. One sister decides to secretly "pass" for white, marrying into wealth and privilege, while the other returns to her mother's home after escaping an abusive marriage. They both carry the burden of these decisions, passing on their guilt to their daughters. The novel also follows the daughters, brilliant, dark-skinned Jude and spoiled, white Kennedy from childhood into adulthood. While ambitious, I didn't enjoy these story arcs nearly as much as the first part of the novel...but I was still happy to go along on the journey. Britt Bennett is amazingly gifted, writing such eloquent words that you want to keep rereading a passage, while at the same time wanting to race ahead to see what will happen next. 

I was lucky enough to read a digital ARC provided from the publisher of Katherine Center's new book, What You Wish For. Though this might not be my favorite Katherine Center book, it still was a pleasant read.  It has some good messages that resonate during a contentious time. Life never is predictable and often filled with turmoil, so it is imperative to find joy wherever you can. There are several extremely important issues such as school shootings,epilepsy, abandonment, and grief that are truly heart wrenching, yet relatable. School librarian, Samantha Casey and principal, Duncan Carpenter, are both struggling with their past yet dealing with their issues in polar opposite ways. Their relationship slowly builds throughout the story and at times is awkward. The Kempner School is unlike any school I've ever experienced and yet wish that I can visit.

I would recommend this book to those who want a story that probes human nature, that’s honest about how people really are, and acknowledges their shortcomings. With Katherine Center books she always shares an essential life lesson and a feeling of hope in her stories. We should all “choose joy”.

Witch trials. In Norway. In the 1600's. Based on true events but a story imagined on how events can lead up to such atrocity and how a community can turn against one another. Out of the blue, a massive, wicked, perfect storm occurred in 1617 that wiped out 40 fishermen from a small seaside town leaving mostly women left to carry on. Indigenous people and Norwegian women became scapegoats when a newly appointed commissioner arrived to oversee this tiny village. Rumors spread and were believed that the freak storm was conjured up by witchcraft. Author Kiran Millwood Hargrave gives us a glimpse of what life might have been like during this treacherous time, what might have happened within this hamlet of women: resilience, survival, friendship, love, short-lived independence and forced betrayal.

The Mercies has appeal for readers of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Madeline Miller's Circe.

Today, on a harsh, windswept promontory in Vardo, Norway, stands an incredible monument dedicated to those who lost their lives.

I love rom-coms and Winfrey does a fabulous job creating a story that will leave you feeling hopeful and with a satisfied smile. This is pure escapism in a time where humor and beating the odds are much needed.  This story is a wonderful follow up to Winfrey's book Waiting for Tom Hanks.  We get a glimpse into past character's lives and build on both Nick and Chloe's unusual relationship. These flawed characters are relatable and their banter is grin-worthy. The supporting characters are funny and add depth to the story while touching on the agonizing reality of Alzheimer's.  The story drives home that even when we are at our most genuine dysfunctional selves, it’s possible for us to be loved for who we truly are.