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Paperback Fiction Recommendations, Summer 2015

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet…” With these two lines, Ng begins an emotional page-turner as the Lee family comes undone by the mysterious death of their beloved daughter. Each must struggle with their own truths and secrets, expectations and disappointments, in a world where race and gender issues play out in constant otherness. Heartbreaking and hopeful, beautifully written, this cinematic debut is a must-read.

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Everything I Never Told You: A Novel By Celeste Ng Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780143127550
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - May 12th, 2015

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami

While Murakami’s new novel reads like a dream or a whispered ghost story, it is also one of the most real-to-life coming-of-age stories I’ve ever read. Thirty-something Tsukuru Tazaki has a pilgrimage to make—both real and into his past—and for all the familiarity of his youth, it becomes a land more foreign than he could ever imagine. Carefully placed, fueled by thoughtfulness and simplicity, this is a beautiful meditation—at once mysterious, devastating and incredibly moving.  —Melinda

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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (Vintage International) By Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (Translated by) Cover Image
By Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (Translated by)
$17.00
ISBN: 9780804170123
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - May 5th, 2015

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

I loved this mashup of historical fiction, classic fairy tale and romance! The story weaves between many different time periods and the stories of several different women. Each story layers beautifully, from Charlotte-Rose’s story of politics and intrigue in the French court, to Margherita’s story of fantastical magic. This book left me feeling renewed and rejuvenated, with a deeper appreciation of the power each of us holds within ourselves. Enjoy!  —Jax

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Bitter Greens: A Novel By Kate Forsyth Cover Image
$24.00
ISBN: 9781250070845
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
(Please note: This book cannot be returned.)
Published: St. Martin's Griffin - May 19th, 2015

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine

Genevieve Valentine’s re-told fairytale is crafted in the best of ways: not only rediscovering the story in a new setting, but in so doing uncovering the darker truths of the tale. In terrifying, heart-breaking, and triumphant measures, Valentine takes us through labyrinths of grey captivity and the bright glow of the underground dance halls of Prohibition-era New York—where everything is both forbidden and promised, and the only way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the night.  —Jocelyn

 

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The Girls at the Kingfisher Club: A Novel By Genevieve Valentine Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781476739090
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: Atria Books - June 30th, 2015

The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

While ultimately about the timeless battle between two otherworldly forces, The Bone Clocks roots itself deeply in the fullness of its characters and each moment’s here and now.  Spanning centuries, the story expertly weaves together a tapestry that is both an epic adventure and a critique on our all-too-real moment in time. This is classic Mitchell: Unfettered intelligence, a broadness of curiosity, and writing so clean the sentences glide forward and then stand still, demanding to be admired.  —Melinda

 

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The Bone Clocks: A Novel By David Mitchell Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780812976823
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks - June 16th, 2015

The Dog by Joseph O'Neill

A New York lawyer immigrates to Dubai to work for the tremendously rich family of a college friend. As the “family officer” in this bizarre desert wonderland, our narrator navigates the strange conflicts signature to modern life. Is his addiction to Googling and Facebooking and Wikiing any more obsessive than all of ours? Is his attachment to his Pasha massage chair so wrong? The Dog is fantastically funny with deep heart. Comically philosophical, smart and minimally sarcastic, it solidifies O’Neill’s place among the literary elite.  —Julia

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The Dog: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) By Joseph O'Neill Cover Image
$16.95
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780307472946
Published: Vintage - June 9th, 2015

Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich

Simon Rich has struck gold in his newest collection, lampooning overbearing moms, millennials, and hipper-than-thou slackers—all lacking direction and humility. I laughed out loud reading the harrowing life of a hamster stuck in a 1st-grade classroom. It’s twisted with sour one-liners and written like he was telling you these stories at a cocktail party in an abandoned warehouse in Williamsburg. Great for fans of B.J. Novak and David Sedaris.  —Louise

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Spoiled Brats (including the story that inspired the major motion picture An American Pickle starring Seth Rogen): Stories By Simon Rich Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316368650
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: Back Bay Books - May 26th, 2015

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom

This novel follows the adventures, lovers and mistakes of two sisters—ambitious, fickle Iris, and mature, practical Eva—through 1940s Hollywood, wealthy and working-class suburbs of New York, and Germany at the end of World War II. Bloom’s unpretentious, effortless writing is quick-paced yet profoundly moving, magical yet matter-of-fact.  —Julia

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Lucky Us: A Novel By Amy Bloom Cover Image
$18.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780812978940
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks - July 7th, 2015

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

A novel written in the form of letters of recommendation? Sounds like a literary stunt, but Schumacher absolutely nails it. While maintaining her formal conceit she perfectly blends satire and real human emotion, offering a sharp (and hilarious) commentary on modern academia through one professor's tired pen and fading sanity. If you’ve ever needed a letter of recommendation or written one, you'll laugh and you’ll cry. I unreservedly recommend Ms. Schumacher for your reading pleasure.  —Rico

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Dear Committee Members (The Dear Committee Trilogy #1) By Julie Schumacher Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9780345807335
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Anchor - June 23rd, 2015

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

I ran a book discussion group for fifteen years. When the members voted for their favorite book over that stretch, this was the winner. Set in India, it’s one of those amazing novels that is both about specific, deeply rendered human beings, and about an entire nation and culture. Think Dickens, think Tolstoy. It’s that good. I don’t cry at the end of books; I did at the end of this one.

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A Fine Balance (Vintage International) By Rohinton Mistry Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9781400030651
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - November 30th, 2001

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