The Library Vault

It’s that time of year! The MOST wonderful time of year. It’s summer (reading season) everyone! 2023 has been such a great year for book publications. It’s so hard to choose just a few books per category! I know the summer is winding down, so grab one of these books and get reading.

General Fiction:
1. Yellowface by RF Kuang
Yellowface is about a young white author who steals the manuscript of her dead Asian friend, finishes it, and publishes it as her own. This book takes white privilege to a sinister level. It is a multi-layer, complex conversation about cultural appropriation and the publishing industry. I read this in one sitting. Highly recommend!

2. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Contrary to the title, this isn’t a happy-go-lucky book. The basic summary I can give is exes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation. It’s not just about the romance. This book tackles the way adult friendships and relationships change over time. The setting in Maine is also such a vibe — you’ll be planning your trip up as soon as you start reading this book.

3. The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand
It’s summer, so reading a Hilderbrand is a must. Her new release isn’t a book I’ve been hearing rave reviews about, so I recommend you check out last year’s smash hit The Hotel Nantucket. This story contains multiple points of view from those who work at the Hotel Nantucket, which has been renovated and revived after a tragic fire back in 1922. Everyone who has read this and spoke to me about it absolutely gushed over their love for it. If you haven’t read it yet, better late than never!

4. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
The hold list for this book is one of the longest I’ve seen in a while at the library, so add your name ASAP if the summary catches your attention! Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. If Oprah selected this for her book club, it’s obviously going to be good.

Historical Fiction:
1. The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
I was a huge fan of The Personal Librarian, so when I saw MB and VCM had another book coming out this summer, I couldn’t contain my excitement. This is a novel about the extraordinary partnership between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune—an unlikely friendship that changed the world. Little is known or discussed about this dynamic friendship, so I’m glad these women are having their stories told. I learned so much about both women and the struggles and triumphs they faced together and separately in a time where they challenged the status quo for women.

2. The Beach at Summerly: A Novel by Beatriz Williams
Set and told in dual timelines (1946 and 1954), this novel is a well-researched exploration of love and redemption against the backdrop of post–World War II New England. Shortly after World War II, a young woman named Emilia falls for the prized son of a wealthy family and finds herself caught in a web of international espionage.

3. Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
 Lady Tan’s Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today. This novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See is inspired by the true story of a 15th century Chinese female physician.

4. Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke
Flags on the Bayou is an engaging, action-packed narrative set in 1863 in Civil War era Louisiana that includes a duel that ends in disaster, a brutal encounter with the local Union commander, repeated skirmishes with Confederate irregulars led by a diseased and probably deranged colonel, and a powerful story of love blossoming between an unlikely pair. As the story unfolds, it illuminates a past that reflects our present in sharp relief. As a Civil War buff, this book called out to me the second I read the summary. It’s got mystery, thrills, history, and romance. What more can you ask for?

Romance:
1. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Controversial opinion, but I loved this novel far more than anything else Ali Hazelwood has published for adults (her YA debut coming out in November was SO well done, be on the lookout for that). Love, Theoretically reflects on the intensity of academia and backstabbing nature of relationships between rival physicists. Elsie is a complicated character that reveals the personality switching so many women have to do to feel like they fit the mold of what is expected of them and fit others needs before their own. The love story was full of well-written banter, some spicy open door romance, and electric chemistry. Check out this BookTok/Bookstagram sensation today!

2. The Nanny by Lana Ferguson
The spice in this book will have you blushing and peaking over your shoulder to make sure no one else can see what you’re reading. Lana Ferguson’s debut The Nanny was so well done and so fun to read. It offers the following tropes: single dad x nanny, age gap, forced proximity, and second chance romance. This is very much an open door romance so you’ll be getting some serious spice. If closed door romance is more of your thing, I’d skip this book. But if you love yourself some spice and well-written characters, this is the book for you.

3. Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon
When Chandler Cohen meets a cute stranger at a bar and agrees to have a one night stand with him, she’s more than willing to forget about it when the night is less than spectacular. That is, until she has to write the memoir for said cute stranger. Chandler’s determined to keep their partnership as professional as possible, but when she admits to Finn (cute stranger) their night together wasn’t as mind-blowing as he thought it was, he’s distraught. He intrigues her enough that they strike a deal: when they’re not working on his book, Chandler will school Finn in the art of satisfaction. This was such a fun, open door romance with amazing mental health and Jewish representation.

4. Flawless by Elsie Silver
Your cowboy romance era is coming your way! This is a stereotypical cheesy small town, enemies to lovers, forced proximity romance that has BookTok and Bookstagram absolutely hooked. The entire Chestnut Springs series is available on Kindle Unlimited/Amazon. I gave in and purchased Flawless based on the ratings friends in the bookstagram community gave this book. Was it actually cheesy? Yes. BUT it was so fun to read and the romance was easy to enjoy. The spice was great too. This was another open door romance. Check it out today at the Russell Library in our new romance section!

5. In The Likely Event by Rebecca Yarros
If you fell for Rebecca Yarros after reading Fourth Wing, you need to check out this newly released contemporary romance! When Izzy Astor gets on a plane to go home, she isn’t expecting much. Then she spots her seatmate, who is anything but ordinary. Nate Phelan sports dark hair, blue eyes, and a deliciously rugged charm that Izzy can’t resist. Their connection is undeniable. Izzy never believed in destiny before, but she does now. Just ninety seconds after takeoff, their plane goes down in the Missouri River. Their lives change. They change. Nate goes on to a career in the military while Izzy finds her way into politics. Despite a few chance encounters over the years, the timing never feels right. Then comes a high-stakes reunion in Afghanistan, where Nate is tasked with protecting Izzy’s life.

Mystery/Thriller:
1. Zero Days by Ruth Ware
It’s Ruth Ware, I don’t think I need to say anymore than that. Put your hold on this book asap!

2. Drowning by T.J. Newman
For those who loved Newman’s debut Falling, you need to check out Drowning! Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside, including engineer Will Kent and his eleven-year-old daughter Shannon who are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives.

3. Pink Lemonade Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
Beloved New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Culinary Mystery Joanne Fluke delivers the twenty-eighth mouthwatering Hannah Swensen Mystery! The Tri-County Summer Solstice Celebration has come to town, and even among local artisans, athletes, and marching bands, Hannah attracts fans of her own while serving lip-smacking pink lemonade desserts. But the mood sours when a body turns up, leading revelers to wonder if the festivities mark both the longest day of the year and the deadliest . . .

4. Only The Dead by Jack Carr
If you love political thrillers, Jack Carr is your guy. Navy SEAL James Reece faces a devastating global conspiracy in this high-adrenaline thriller that is ripped from the headlines. In 1980, a freshman congressman was gunned down in Rhode Island, sending shockwaves through Washington that are still reverberating over four decades later. Now, with the world on the brink of war and a weakened United States facing rampant inflation, political division, and shocking assassinations, a secret cabal of global elites is ready to assume control. And with the world’s most dangerous man locked in solitary confinement, the conspirators believe the final obstacle to complete domination has been eliminated. They’re wrong.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy:
1. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
As someone who typically doesn’t read a lot of fantasy, I was shocked by how fast I became obsessed and absorbed by this book. The world building was so well done and the characters so well written. The romance was everything an enemies-to-lovers x forced proximity romance could give and then some. I will shout this from the top of the Russell Library (somehow) if I have to in order to get anyone reading this to READ THIS BOOK. Fans of romantasy (like A Court of Thorns and Roses) will gravitate towards this instantly. In a nuthsell, the plot of this book follows a young woman in a magical military college fight to become a dragon rider when the odds are stacked against her at each trial she faces. Believe me, dragon riding is not for the faint of heart.

2. Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs
In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection—a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power. The cover is absolutely gorgeous! Even if I didn’t know what the book was about, I’d read it based on that cover alone.

3. Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, Immortal Longings is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games. This is New York Times Bestselling author Chloe Gong’s adult debut and I’m so excited about this. Her YA duologies are fantastic. I enjoyed Foul Lady Fortune immensely. I recommend checking out her YA books to get a taste of her writing and world building if you can’t grab a copy of Immortal Longings right away.

4. In The Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Ever popular T.J. Klune is back with another bestseller inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure.

Horror:
1. The Only One Left by Riley Sager
This is probably more of a thriller than pure horror, BUT I was definitely left horrified by the wildness of this novel. While I heard so many mixed reviews, I took a gamble and decided to read it anyway and I am so glad I did. Easily a five star read for me. The Lizzie Borden vibes set in Maine will give you some must needed chills in this hot summer weather. The twists were insane and completely unexpected for me in some cases. The story goes as follows: In 1983, Kit McDeere lost her job as a home-health aide when one of her patients died under suspicious circumstances. Kit is given one last opportunity of employment, a job that will require her to care for Lenora Hope, the longtime suspect in the murder of her whole family. She accepts the job working at Hope’s End, a decaying mansion on a cliff, but soon suspects things are not as they appear. Secrets, lies, and deception run amuck in Hope’s End. Who actually killed the Hope family? Will Kit find the answers before the decrepit mansion collapses?

2. The Militia House by John Milas
Military horror is easily now one of my favorite sub-genres. The novel is set in Afghanistan in 2010 following the day to day life of Corporal Loyette and his soldiers on deployment. Their daily life has been monotonous, which is mirrored by the slow pacing of the first half of the book. However, at the mention of a haunted site (where a massacre of Soviet soldiers occurred in 1989) called the Militia House, curiosity gets the better of Loyette and his fellow Marines. They enter the Militia House where they find strange unaccountable writings and are plagued by nightmares. That’s when things start to go from bad to worse for Loyette. I loved the way the pacing of the second half, which really picks up, mirroring the intensity of the haunting and PTSD pairing we see in this book. This horror book was very much rooted in the realities of war, especially PTSD, even in those who did not have actual combat experiences. If you enjoy reading military fiction or non-fiction, I highly recommend this. The author is a veteran and served in Afghanistan in 2010, much like our MC (main character).

3. The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay
A masterpiece of literary horror and psychological suspense, The Beast You Are is a fearlessly imagined collection from one of the most electrifying and innovative writers working today. If you liked The Pallbearers Club or A Head Full of Ghosts, I highly recommend this collection of short stories. The title novella, “The Beast You Are,” is a mini epic in which the destinies and secrets of a village, a dog, and a cat are intertwined with a giant monster that returns to wreak havoc every thirty years.

4. Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This is one of my most highly anticipated horror picks of the year! From the New York Times bestselling author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film—and awakens one woman’s hidden powers. Moreno-Garcia is definitely a horror author to check out if you’re looking to get into the genre.

Non-Fiction:
1. Follow Me To Hell: McNelly’s Texas Rangers and the Rise of Frontier Justice by Tom Clavin
This gave me all the old west, gun-slinging cowboy vibes I didn’t know I needed. This read like fiction, which is something I love when I’m reading non-fiction. Clavin is an expert at weaving together history. In turbulent 1870s Texas, the revered and fearless Ranger Leander McNelly led his men in one dramatic campaign after another, throwing cattle thieves, desperadoes, border ruffians, and other dangerous criminals into jail or, if that’s how they wanted it, six feet under. They would stop at nothing in pursuit of justice, even sending 26 Rangers across the border to retrieve stolen cattle―taking on hundreds of Mexican troops with nothing but their Sharps rifles and six-guns. The nation came to call them “McNelly’s Rangers.”

2. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
This book has been turned into a film on Apple TV starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert DeNiro, among other famous actors and directed by Martin Scorsese. In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case.

3. Better Living Through Birding by Christian Cooper
In Better Living Through Birding, Cooper tells the story of his extraordinary life leading up to a now-infamous incident in Central Park and shows how a life spent looking up at the birds prepared him, in the most uncanny of ways, to be a gay, Black man in America today. From sharpened senses that work just as well at a protest as in a park to what a bird like the Common Grackle can teach us about self-acceptance, Better Living Through Birding exults in the pleasures of a life lived in pursuit of the natural world and invites you to discover them yourself.

4. Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hotdogs by Jamie Loftus
Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs is part investigation into the cultural and culinary significance of hot dogs and part travelog documenting a cross-country road trip researching them as they’re served today. From avocado and spice in the West to ass-shattering chili in the East to an entire salad on a slice of meat in Chicago, Loftus, her pets, and her ex eat their way across the country during the strange summer of 2021. It’s a brief window into the year between waves of a plague that the American government has the resources to temper, but not the interest.

Biography:
1. Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page
I didn’t really know much about Elliot Page, but felt compelled to read this memoir and see what all the hype was about. I really enjoyed this and read it in one sitting. Full of intimate stories, from chasing down secret love affairs to battling body image and struggling with familial strife, Pageboy is a love letter to the power of being seen. With this evocative and lyrical debut, Oscar-nominated star Elliot Page captures the universal human experience of searching for ourselves and our place in this complicated world.

2. King: A Life by Jonathan Fig
Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.—and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself. He casts fresh light on the King family’s origins as well as MLK’s complex relationships with his wife, father, and fellow activists.

3. Crying in the Bathroom: A Memoir by Erika Sanchez
Growing up as the daughter of Mexican immigrants in Chicago in the ‘90s, Erika L. Sánchez was a self-described pariah, misfit, and disappointment—a foul-mouthed, melancholic rabble-rouser who painted her nails black but also loved comedy and dreamed of an unlikely life as a poet. Twenty-five years later, she’s now an award-winning novelist, poet, and essayist, but she’s still got an irrepressible laugh, an acerbic wit, and singular powers of perception about the world around her. In these essays about everything from sex to white feminism to debilitating depression to the redemptive pursuits of spirituality, art, and travel, Sánchez reveals an interior life that is rich with ideas, self-awareness, and perception—that of a woman who charted a path entirely of her own making.

4. A Patriot’s Promise: Protecting My Brothers, Fighting for My Life, and Keeping My Word by Senior Master Sergeant (Ret.) Israel “DT” Del Toro Jr.
An inspiring memoir of promises kept, overcoming obstacles, and what it means to sacrifice for others, written by a Special Warfare Operator with the Air Force. When Israel “DT” Del Toro, Jr.’s Humvee rolled over a roadside IED in Afghanistan, he had one thought as he lost consciousness: I have to keep the promise I made to my dad. DT was orphaned at the age of fourteen, and on the night before his father died, he repeated the promise his dad required: “Take care of your brothers and sisters.” DT’s story was so moving and brilliantly written. He has gone through such trauma and hardship throughout his life and has survived it all with a strength I’ve never seen or read about in a person before. He’s someone I hope to meet one day and thank for all he’s done for veterans who are burn victims and folks with disabilities. BTW, he’s buddies with Prince Harry and George H.W. Bush.

Young Adult:
1. Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Bouley
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper’s Daughter Angeline Boulley takes us back to Sugar Island in this high-stakes thriller about the power of discovering your stolen history. Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is – the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won’t ever take her far from home, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything. I loved this book so much! Was an instant five star read for me. It will teach you a lot about repatriation and how horrendous the process is for tribes trying to bring their ancestors and their items back home.

2. Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
With humor and insight, #1 New York Times bestseller Becky Albertalli explores the nuances of sexuality, identity, and friendship in this timely new novel. Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down. She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends. Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in. Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.

3. Fable by Adrienne Young
A journey on the high seas awaits! I was ensnared by this novel, the first in a series. It was such a fun read that thrusts you into a world of traders, gemstones, and a little bit of magic. After the tragic death of her mother, Fable was ruthlessly abandoned on a dangerous island by her own father and forced to dive off cliffs in search of valuable minerals to trade for food and money. Despite the many obstacles of this seafaring world, Fable manages to save enough copper to barter passage off the island. Her father Saint, a powerful trader, had promised that she would receive her inheritance if she lived to make it off the island. She finds passage on the Marigold, a trading ship with a secretive crew and a handsome helmsman, West, but they’re reluctant to have her on board. However, Fable’s skills with “dredging” and a magical ability to find precious gems soon win over the crew. The reunion with Saint doesn’t turn out the way Fable imagined, and she’s left with nothing but bitterness for him. Then a rival trading company threatens the lives of her fellow crewmen, and Fable finds herself forced to confront Saint to save them all.

4. Never Vacation with Your Ex by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
This novel oozes beach/summer read just by the title alone. The Summer I Turned Pretty meets People We Meet on Vacation in a YA second chance romance where the rules for getting over an ex turn out to be more complicated than they seem. Seventeen-year-old volleyball star Kaylee Jordan lives a life of player rankings, constant training, and a carefully curated social media full of followers watching to see if she’ll go pro out of high school like her famous mom. Her one refuge, and the thing she looks forward to every summer? The vacation her family spends in Malibu with the Freeman-Yus. This year, there’s only one problem: Kaylee and their son, Dean, dated for the past three months, and Kaylee just unceremoniously dumped him. Hoping to spare them the worst summer ever, Kaylee comes to Dean with her unconventional solution: she’s going to walk him through her rules for getting over an ex.