Staff Picks
LibraryReads for May 2021
- Sarah C.
- Monday, April 26, 2021
Collection
Each month, LibraryReads lists the top upcoming titles recommended by librarians across the country. All these books will be published in May 2021, so stay ahead of the curve and get on the holds list now!
While Justice Sleeps
A Novel
Published in 2021
"An inside-Washington thriller about an ambitious law clerk thrown into a life-or-death treasure hunt with major national implications when the Supreme Court justice she works for slips into a sudden coma"-- Provided by publisher.
The Newcomer
Published in 2021
"The New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Beach Reads, delivers her next page-turner for the summer in The Newcomer. IN TROUBLE AND ON THE RUN . . . After she discovers her sister Tanya dead on the floor of her fashionable New York City townhouse, Letty Carnahan is certain she knows who did it: Tanya's ex; sleazy real estate entrepreneur Evan Wingfield. Even in the grip of grief and panic Letty heeds her late sister's warnings: "If anything bad happens to me-it's Evan. Promise me you'll takeMaya and run. Promise me." So Letty grabs her sister's Mercedes and hits the road . . . WITH A TRUNKFUL OF EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE . . . . . . and her wailing four-year-old niece Maya. Letty is determined to out-run Evan and the law, but run to where? Tanya, awoman with a past shrouded in secrets, left behind a "go-bag" of cash and a big honking diamond ring-but only one clue: a faded magazine story about a sleepy mom-and-pop motel in a Florida beach town with the improbable name of Treasure Island. She shedsher old life and checks into an uncertain future at The Murmuring Surf Motel. THE NO VACANCY SIGN IS FLASHING, & THE SHARKS ARE CIRCLING . . . And that's the good news. Because The Surf, as the regulars call it, is the winter home of a close-knit flock of retirees and snowbirds who regard this odd-duck newcomer with suspicion and down-right hostility. As Letty settles into the motel's former storage room, she tries to heal Maya's heartache and unravel the key to her sister's shady past, all while dodgingthe attention of the owner's dangerously attractive son Joe, who just happens to be a local police detective. Can Letty find romance as well as a room at the inn-or will Joe betray her secrets and put her behind bars? With danger closing in, it's a raceto find the truth and and right the wrongs of the past"-- Provided by publisher.
Mary Jane
A Novel
Published in 2021
"Almost Famous meets Daisy Jones and the Six in this funny, wise and tender novel about a fourteen-year-old girl's coming of age in 1970s Baltimore, caught between her straight-laced family and the progressive family she nannies for - who happen to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer"-- Provided by publisher.
Hour of the Witch
Published in 2021
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 'The Flight Attendant,' the enthralling story of a young Puritan woman who marries the wrong man and soon finds herself caught up in the violence and hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials"-- Provided by publisher.
The Bookshop of Second Chances
A Novel
Published in 2021
"An utterly heartwarming debut novel filled with fresh starts, unexpected love, and Scottish charm, perfect for readers of Evvie Drake Starts Over. Thea Mottram is having a bad month. Her husband of nearly twenty years has just left her for one of her friends, and to top it off, she is let go from her office job--on Valentine's Day, of all days. Bewildered and completely lost, Thea doesn't know what to do. But when she learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away--leaving her his home anda hefty antique book collection--she decides to leave Sussex for a few weeks. Escaping to a small coastal town where no one knows her seems to be exactly what she needs. Almost instantly, Thea becomes enamored with the quaint cottage, comforted by its cozy rooms and shaggy, tulip-covered lawn. The locals in nearby Baldochrie are just as warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person she can't seem to win over is bookshop owner Edward Maltravers, to whom she hopes to sell her uncle's antique novel collection. His gruff attitude--fueled by an infamous, long-standing feud with his brother, a local Lord--tests Thea's patience. But bickering with Edward proves oddly refreshing and exciting, leading Thea to develop feelings she hasn't felt in a long time. As shefollows a thrilling (yet terrifying) impulse to stay in Scotland indefinitely, Thea realizes that her new life may quickly become just as complicated as the one she was running from"-- Provided by publisher.
People We Meet on Vacation
Published in 2021
"What happens when best friends with nothing in common come together, fall apart, and fall in love? The Vacationers meets When Harry Met Sally..., from the author of Beach Read When Poppy met Alex, there was no spark, no chemistry, and no reason to thinkthey'd ever talk again. Alex is quiet, studious, and destined for a future in academia. Poppy is a wild child who only came to U of Chicago to escape small-town life. But after sharing a ride home for the summer, the two form a surprising friendship. After all, who better to confide in than someone you could never, ever date? Over the years, Alex and Poppy's lives take them in different directions, but every summer the two find their way back to each other for a magical weeklong vacation. Until one trip goes awry, and in the fallout, they lose touch. Now, two years later, Poppy's in a rut. Her dream job, her relationships, her life--none of it is making her happy. In fact, the last time she remembers feeling truly happy was on that final, ill-fated SummerTrip. The answer to all her problems is obvious: She needs one last vacation to win back her best friend. As a hilariously disastrous week unfolds and tensions rise, Poppy and Alex are forced to confront what drove them apart--and decide what they're willing to risk for the chance to be together"-- Provided by publisher.
The Woman with the Blue Star
Published in 2021
Inspired by the harrowing true stories of those who hid from the Nazis in the sewers, this emotional testament to the power of friendship follows Ella, an affluent Polish girl, as she helps Sadie and her pregnant mother survive despite the worsening dangers of the war.
Arsenic and Adobo
Published in 2021
"The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes-one that might just be killer.... When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead momentsafter a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case. With the cops treating her like she's the one and only suspect, and the shady landlord looking to finally kick the Macapagal family out and resell the storefront, Lila's left with no choice but to conduct her own investigation. Armed with the nosy auntie network, her barista best bud, and her trusted Dachshund, Longanisa, Lila takes on this tasty, twisted case and soon finds her own neck on the chopping block..."-- Provided by publisher.
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island
Published in 2021
"Sometimes all you need is one person to really see you. Piper Parrish's life on Frick Island-a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay-is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her beloved husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom'scrab boat capsized and his body wasn't recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper? Anders Caldwell's career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he'd rather hoped he'd bea national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and cover their boring annual Cake Walk fundraiser, he stumbles upon a much more fascinating tale: an entire town pretending to see and interact with a man who does not actually exist. Determined it's the career-making story he's been needing for his podcast, Anders returns to the island to begin covert research and spend more time with the enigmatic Piper-but he has no idea out of all the lives he's about to upend, it's his that will change the most. USA Today bestselling author Colleen Oakley delivers an unforgettable love story about an eccentric community, a grieving widow, and anoutsider who slowly learns that sometimes faith is more important than the facts"-- Provided by publisher.
The Guncle
A Novel
Published in 2021
"From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer"-- Provided by publisher.
Project Hail Mary
A Novel
Published in 2021
The sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission to save both humanity and the earth, Ryland Grace is hurtled into the depths of space when he must conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.