Reading Lists

Age of Miracles

By Karen Thompson Walker
This is a debut novel about a young girl coming of age in a world that is changing in ways no one could imagine. Julie is 14 and coping with bullies, finding a best friend, and having her first boy friend while the entire earth is changing-the earth's revolution has started to slow down, and no one knows how long each day or each night will be. How you maintain normalcy while the entire world is literally changing each day is the imaginative premise of this book-and the author pulls it off beautifully. Check Our Catalog

Beneath the Shadows

By Sara Foster
This is another debut novel; this one is written by an English author and takes place in Yorkshire. Grace has moved with her husband Adam and their infant daughter, Millie, to an isolated Yorkshire cottage which her husband has inherited. Shortly after they move in, Adam takes Millie out for a walk-and he never returns. Millie is safe in her carriage, found outside the cottage, but Adam has vanished without a trace. A year later, Grace returns to the cottage to sell it or rent it-and she is determined to find out what has happened to her husband. She is sure that he did not leave her voluntarily. You will get to put the pieces of the puzzle together as the novel moves to its climactic ending. Check Our Catalog

Gone Girl

By Gillian Flynn
Nick's wife mysteriously disappears on their fifth wedding anniversary-and all signs point to Nick as a wife-killer. As Nick starts to try to defend himself, the plot just gets thicker and thicker. Told from the point of view of the two main characters, this psychological suspense novel will keep you turning its pages. You really will want to find out just what is really going on here-and this is one couple you may never forget! Check Our Catalog

The Light Between Oceans

By M. L. Stedman
Another debut novel, this one takes place in Australia, where the author was born and raised. It takes place after World War I, when Tom, a decorated soldier filled with "survival" guilt, takes a job on an isolated island as a lighthouse keeper. Prior to arriving on the island, he meets Isabel, a bold and brave woman who is willing to share his isolated life. They marry and all is well until Isabel suffers two miscarriages and a 7 month stillbirth. When a boat drifts onto their rock and they find that it contains a dead man and an infant, Isabel convinces steadfast Tom that he need not report the accident, and they can raise the infant as their own. Tom initially agrees, but his need to be truthful leads to consequences which change everyone's life. No one is all right or all wrong in this novel. This would be a great "book club" book with lots to discuss here. Check Our Catalog

Rescue

By Anita Shreve
This is a gentle sad story about people who try to do their best, but sometimes their best is not enough to keep them from causing pain to the ones they love the most. Peter, an aspiring EMT, rescues Sheila, a beautiful woman who has wrecked her car while driving drunk. They fall in love, have a child, and Peter feels he has "rescued" her. Unfortunately, Sheila begins to drink again, and Peter is forced to raise their young daughter, Rowan, on his own. When Rowan, as a young adult, shows signs of alcoholism, Peter seeks out his ex-wife to see if she can help Rowan. What he finds will touch your heart. Check Our Catalog

Testimony

By Anita Shreve
This is a story "torn from the headlines." A headmaster at a prestigious private New England boarding school is shocked when he views a video of students from his school with a 14 year old girl involved in "inappropriate behavior." Each chapter is told from the point of view of a particular character, and each character gives their "testimony" of what happened. How everyone's lives are changed by the actions of these young people is sad and disturbing, but a strong read. Check Our Catalog

The Space Between Us

By Thrity Umrigar
Bhima has spend her whole life serving Serabai and her family in India. They are as close as sisters, each one knowing the secrets of the other one, but they are separated by the fact that one is servant and one is master. Their different places in life are made even more dramatic when both have pregnant family members-Serabai's daughter is pregnant by her very successful husband, and Bhima's grand-daughter, the first one to go to university, becomes pregnant by a man whose identity she won't reveal and is forced to drop out of school, breaking Bhima's heart. Everyone's life changes as the secrets in each family are revealed. Check Our Catalog

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

By Carol Rifka Brunt
Another debut novel, this book takes place in a short space of time in 1986 and 1987, when June, who is 14, and in love with her favorite uncle, Finn, finds out that he is dying from AIDS. Finn is the only one who really understands June, and his death leaves her bereft. After he dies, she is contacted by his special friend, Toby, whom she never met when Finn was alive. June's life is again changed as she works through her grief with Toby and finds out more about who she is and how strong, capable and lovable she can be, even without Finn. Check Our Catalog