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The River of No Return
by Bee Ridgway
In the year 1812, Lord Nicholas Falcott vanished in the midst of battle. He reappeared some 200 years later, only to be told by a mysterious Guild governing time travel that he could never go back. Thus begins Bee Ridgway’s The River of No Return, an exhilarating tale of secret skills, abstruse agendas, the nefarious Mr. Mibbs--and possibly saving the world. When Nick finds his new present colliding with his old life in Austen’s England, he must decide where his loyalties lie without becoming too distracted by his lovely, enigmatic childhood friend Julia. The satisfying ending sets readers up for future installments along the river of time. This thrilling novel is sure to delight fans of time travel, romance, and Downton Abbey alike.
--Jean Ward, MLIS, Approvals |
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A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
by Anthony Marra
In his first novel, Anthony Marra employs a style reminiscent of Tolstoy to explore the aspects of human nature that allow us to both survive and perpetuate violence and isolation, to both create and sever the ties of family and friendship. Three families discover their life histories and futures are intricately intertwined as tragic events unfold over the course of five days in a small village during the Second Chechen War. When little Havaa’s father is taken by Russian soldiers, neighbor Akhmed’s only hope is to hide her in a nearby hospital run by Sonja, a Russian doctor. Meticulously researched, Marra takes the reader deep into the post-communist reality of the Caucasus where national and regional conflict, deeply rooted ethnic and religious tensions, deprivation, disappearances, and trafficking of women and weapons affect everyone. Those who were captivated by The Tiger’s Wife will be similarly engaged with A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Readers will also be inspired to look for related nonfiction titles thanks to Marra’s bibliography. I recommend this novel for historical fiction collections.
--Sarah Forzetting, MS, MLS, Collection Development |
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The One-Way Bridge
by Cathie Pelletier
The One-Way Bridge is a quaint story of small-town life in Mattagash, Maine that digs below the surface of the impending first snow to uncover all sorts of introspection, misunderstanding, and loneliness amongst its quirky inhabitants. Among these characters, there is a drug dealer returning home to the town of his heritage, living in a trailer and driving a convertible with a broken top, a disappointed housewife with a know-it-all mother and a much-divorced sister, and an attractive but wizened café owner, who seems to keep it all together. It takes one seemingly ridiculous incident of competing male bravado between a struggling, widowed Vietnam vet and a reluctantly retired, misguided postal carrier to get the women to set the town straight and return it to the nurturing neighborly place that it once was. I recommend this novel for all library fiction collections.
--Dana Juriew, MILS, Collection Development
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The Andalucian Friend
by Alexander Söderberg
Sophie Brinkmann is a hospital nurse who befriends a male patient. After he is released, their relationship deepens, and it becomes apparent that he is the head of an international crime organization, and Sophie is now a target. What follows is a fast-paced and intricate plot that involves a rival gang, corrupt police officers, and Sophie’s teenage son; the reader will be racing to the end to see how it all comes together. I highly recommend this exciting debut for public libraries, especially those where Scandinavian thrillers are popular.
--Shannan Rosa, MSLS, Collection Development |
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The Other Typist
by Suzanne Rindell
It’s 1923, and Rose Baker is a rather plain, by-the-book young woman working as a typist at a police precinct in New York City. Her life is boring and routine until a new typist is hired. Odalie Lazare is mysterious and charismatic. At first Rose is repulsed by Odalie’s modern ways and her charm, but she soon finds herself enchanted, and a friendship of sorts blossoms. While questions remain about Odalie’s mysterious past, Rose finds herself a fiercely devoted confidant nonetheless. That is, until a person from Odalie’s past resurfaces and challenges everything Rose has come to believe about her friend. With a nod to Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Other Typist is a magnificent debut that offers even more twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down and can’t wait to read more from Suzanne Riddell.
--Linda Arrington |
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Southern Cross the Dog
by Bill Cheng
In his debut novel, Bill Cheng provides a beautiful, gritty, and bittersweet portrait of protagonist Robert and those who come and go in his life. Robert’s story is told with vivid, illustrative language that gives the reader unique, yet connected journeys through floods of the Mississippi Delta, life in the Jim Crow South, and survival in the changing swamplands of the Gulf. With both a clear picture of the past and eerie notes of the present, Cheng crafts bold chapters from different moments in Robert’s life and tells a cohesively woven narrative, despite the large lapses in time. The beautiful language and imagery paired with an often heart-breaking and melancholy story make for a unique and unusual pairing worth reading and absorbing more than once.
--Raquel Hamias |
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A Week in Winter
CD and Library Edition CD
by Maeve Binchy, read by Rosalyn Landor
Chicky Starr has been living in New York for several years when she decides to return home to the west of Ireland and transform an old house into a boutique hotel. She enlists the assistance of relatives: her nephew, a juvenile delinquent in the process of turning his life around, and her niece, who has left an unsatisfying job in London. The hotel welcomes its first guests, including a pair of doctors reeling from tragedy, a nurse and her difficult future mother-in-law, a young Swedish accountant whose real love is Irish music, a librarian recovering from a disastrous affair with a married man, and others. Each main character receives his or her own chapter so that the narrative resembles a series of interlinked short stories. By the time we get to the end, hearts are mended, lessons are learned, and lives are changed in classic Binchy style. Rosalyn Landor narrates with a gentle Irish brogue that is easily understood by American listeners, and she differentiates well among the characters, adding to the warm and pleasant nature of the story. Listening to this audiobook was a bittersweet experience, sweet with the enjoyment of a new Binchy novel and bitter with the knowledge that it will be her last, since she passed away last year. Highly recommended for public libraries.
--Shannan Rosa, MSLS, Collection Development |
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