Staff Picks Adult Fiction
August 2023
The Only One Left
by Riley Sager
Kit McDeere is a home health aid and after having a problem with her last assignment she is now left with no choice but to work at Hope’s End, the infamous house where three people were murdered and the lone survivor, Lenora Hope, is Kit’s patient. Most people believe Lenora is responsible for the murders and she has been ostracized and feared the majority of her life. Now, Lenora is in her 70’s, confined to a wheelchair and paralyzed. Her only method of communication is through her typewriter.
A lot of these types of thrillers I am able to anticipate and predict most endings but the amount of twists and turns in the last 100 pages, most of which I did not see coming, caught me off guard.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook
Recommended by: Chris Schultz, Graphics Information Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction
Verity
by Coleen Hoover
Lowen is an author who has carefully spent most of her time under the radar, and she is just coming off of the death of a family member that has taxed her financially and emotionally. One big meeting in Manhattan changes all that, but she’ll have to figure out how to put herself in another woman’s shoes.
She travels to Vermont in hopes of finding information for 3 new books, but she ends up finding a manuscript that makes her question everything.
This book is a quick read. Do not trust anything! The bad guy isn’t always obvious.
Recommended by: Jackie Boyd, Communications Manager
Posted in: Adult Fiction
Florida
by Lauren Groff
Groff tells 11 separate short stories of people in or from Florida finding themselves in less-than-ideal situations. A story of two young sisters struggling to survive after a big storm knocks out power and leaves them stranded and alone stands out. Several of the stories include or follow the theme of alcoholic, inept, absent, or threatening fathers and father-figures.
Recommended by: Jackie Boyd, Communications Manager
Posted in: Adult Fiction
July 2023
The Boyfriend Candidate
by Ashley Winstead
Posted in: Adult Fiction
The Lost Letter
by Mimi Matthews
Posted in: Adult Fiction
Everyone in my Family has killed Someone
by Benjamin Stevenson
Posted in: Adult Fiction
A Psalm for the Wild-built
by Becky Chambers
One day a traveling tea monk named Dex runs into a robot. No one has seen a robot in centuries after they left to live in the wilds after gaining self-awareness. Humans promised to leave the robots be until they were ready to interact with humans again. That time is now, and the story unfolds as our robot wishes to learn the answer to a simple but complex question. “What do people need?” Dex doing their best to answer that question, as they struggle with finding the answer for themself. It’s an insightful, funny, and peaceful little novel about purpose and what drives us to do the things we do, even when we seemingly already have everything we need.
This book is available in the library and on Hoopla as an e audiobook.
Recommended by: Abigail Kearns, Adult Services Assistant
Posted in: Adult Fiction
Under the Whispering Door
by T. J. Klune
The book follows Wallace as he is picked up by a grim reaper at his own funeral and taken to a strange teashop/house in the middle of the woods where some of the newly and not so newly dead reside as they learn to be at peace with their own passings. Here Wallace learns to accept his death by learning to accept his choices in life. It is a charming ride with a cast of likeable characters, even the ones that take time to warm up to. Both very funny and uplifting while being a somber take on moving on once it’s our time. It, like a good cup of tea, will warm you up inside by the time you’re done with it.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive as an ebook.
Recommended by: Abigail Kearns, Adult Services Assistant
Posted in: Adult Fiction
June 2023
Transmetropolitan
by Ellis Warren
Transmetropolitan is a comic that mixes dark futurology with gallows humor and biting satire. Set in a cyberpunk transhumanist dystopia known simply as The City. The comic follows gonzo journalist Spider Jerusalem, a chain-smoking infomaniac compelled to reveal the corruption of The City at all costs. Spider along with his body guard Channon Yarrow and assistant Yelena Rossini, delve into some of the future world’s eeriest conspiracies. Through their independent and controversial news column “I hate it here” Spider lambasts the City with the Truth. This comic is not for the faint of heart. It can be crude and insensitive and is ripe with explicit language. But beyond the grime lay a fantastic story about truth, courage, and doing the right thing but maybe not the way society would prefer the right thing be done. 11/10 would read over and over again. A favorite of actor Patrick Stewart, who at one point requested playing the part of Spider Jerusalem.
This book is available on Hoopla as an ebook
Recommended by: Patrick Deitche, Senior Patron Services Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction
The Bear and the Nightingale
by Kathleen Arden
Set in medieval Russia, this semi-historical fiction centers on Vasilisa, a young girl with the uncanny ability to see spirits. Vasilisa encounters many spirits from Russian folklore, but none more prominent than Morozko the winter demon, better known as Father Frost. To Vasilisa, these spirits are part of their heritage and livelihood; however, these spirits and their stories soon become anathema when Orthodox Christianity deems these spirits to be demons. An adventurous tale full of magic, witches, and Russian folklore. Strongly recommended to those who enjoyed Circe by Madeline Miller or to those looking for a frosty fantasy for the hot summer days.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Patrick Deitche, Senior Patron Services Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction