Staff reviews: FictionLike this list

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• The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore

  Fajardo, Anika

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  This novel is the author's first for adults - it's a beautiful narrative of grief and love and the way those intertwine, beginnings and endings, the wisdom of our elders, and making peace with one's own past and future. - Christie B., Rockford Road…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hollow Kingdom

  a Novel

  Buxton, Kira Jane

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  If you’re looking for something original, a little weird (in the best way), and surprisingly heartfelt, this book is for you. Meet S.T., a domesticated crow who thinks he’s basically human, until his owner starts acting... off. Like,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Long Ships

  Bengtsson, Frans Gunnar, 1894-1954

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  I read this oldie this spring and thought it was so delightful--if the Odyssey was a buddy comedy about Vikings - Mary

• Dept. of Speculation

  Offill, Jenny, 1968-

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  This is a short read that reflects on a woman's struggles with balancing a marital relationship, motherhood, and a writing career. I really liked the vignette-style chapters and almost journal-like nature of the writing - it was thoughtful, clever,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Loved and Missed

  Boyt, Susie, 1969-

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  I cried on the Blue Line reading this but it's not a heavy or maudlin book. Instead, it is a beautiful, funny, warm-hearted book about the highs and lows of being a mother and being a daughter. I can't believe it's only 198 pages. - Emily

• A Spindle Splintered

  Harrow, Alix E.

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  A Spindle Splintered and its sequel A Mirror Mended by Alix E. Harrow. Quick reads that are a fun take on classic fairy tales. Similar to "Every Heart a Doorway" by Seanan McGuire. - Jason

• North Woods

  a Novel

  Mason, Daniel (Daniel Philippe)

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  This book doesn’t fit any one genre. It blends historical fiction with natural history, mystery and magical realism. Not only that, the main character is a piece of land! Over the centuries, people come and go, but the house and the woods remain,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The House on Buzzards Bay

  Murphy, Dwyer

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  I'm a huge Dwyer Murphy fan - I loved the Stolen Coast. Another first-person narrator, but maybe not as reliable. It is like if Jack Torrance from the Shining survived and instead of the Overlook Hotel, it is a gothic haunted beach house.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Daikon

  a Novel

  Hawley, Samuel Jay, 1960-

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  Daikon posits a fascinating bit of alternate history: what if the Japanese had recovered an unexploded American nuke shortly before the attack on Hiroshima? The novel follows a fictional Japanese physicist brought on to examine the bomb, his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lone Women

  a Novel

  LaValle, Victor, 1972-

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  Fans of the movie Sinners who are looking for a book with a similar aesthetic, historical fiction mixed with horror featuring a black protagonist, should pick up Lone Women. Adelaide flees her home in California for a brand-new homestead in Montana…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Lady's Guide to Selling Out

  a Novel

  Franson, Sally

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  Casey Pendergast is the character you'll want to scream at as you're reading, but you can't help but love. Despite her hard-to-please boss Celeste, Casey is finding success at an advertising company in Minneapolis. Celeste gives Casey new…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Beadworkers

  Stories

  Piatote, Beth H., 1966-

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  This collection of stories (and more) gives us pictures of Native American life through stories modern and historic. Piatote is Nez Perce, and writes about kinship and blood, contemporary culture, and history. In one story, she draws a point of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• True Biz

  a Novel

  Nović, Sara, 1987-

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  Sara Novic (Girl at War, America is Immigrants) delivers an exceptional book centered around a deaf school where two teens, Charlie and Austin, are dealing with the complications of being deaf in a hearing society while also are navigating…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Big Time

  Winters, Ben H.

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  I'm a big Ben Winters Fan, ever since I read the Last Policeman trilogy. This is another great book by him. It explores the idea of the commodification of time and how it would disrupt the lives of the people that donate (or have time stolen from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Big in Sweden

  a Novel

  Franson, Sally

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  Local author Sally Franson has delivered a fun, breezy novel about reality TV and Sweden. The main character Paulie gets on a reality TV show set in Sweden that feature Americans competing to meet their Swedish relatives. Paulie and others are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Woman of Light

  a Novel

  Fajardo-Anstine, Kali

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  For readers who enjoy historical fiction, written from the point of view of often overlooked characters. With a focus on women, this book follows five generations of an indigenous Chicano family in the American West. The drama of the story lies in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Poor Deer

  a Novel

  Oshetsky, Claire

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  For fans of eerie magical realism. I read this months ago and it continues to haunt me. - Elisha L., Hosmer Library

• Bright Young Women

  Knoll, Jessica

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  There is a long-standing myth that Ted Bundy was some sort of criminal mastermind who was exceptionally charming, leading him to get away with dozens of murders before he was eventually caught. This book decisively counters that narrative with a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Faculty Lounge

  a Novel

  Mathieu, Jennifer

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  Fans of Abbott Elementary may enjoy this story of a tumultuous year at a Texas high school. At the beginning of the school year, a substitute teacher passes away in the faculty lounge. The rest of the book follows the school year from the…Read moreRead more of this annotation