Category Archives: Popular

Staff Picks for November

We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer
Foer picks apart, step by step, our planet’s bleak outlook, and how out of control population, human excess, individual and political ignorance, pollution, and consumption of factory-farmed animals have contributed to the problems of climate change. His major focus is on what we as individuals and the world can do to save itself for generations to come. (Foer was selected for One Book One Town in Fairfield in 2011 with his book Eating Animals.) ~KC

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
During the summer of 1932 circumstances force four orphans to flee Minnesota and journey in search of a better life. This is an adventure story wrapped within a novel of historical fiction. As the lead character advises, this narrative contains: killing and kidnapping, courage and cowardice, love and betrayal, but most of all hope. Recommended for fans of Before We Were Yours and Where the Crawdads Sing. ~HM

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald
If Grand Central Station is one of your favorite landmarks, you might enjoy this story of romance between a working man and an uncommon society girl. Joe, a worker in Grand Central, meets a beautiful young woman who seems somehow out of place. As he tries to help her, he is pulled into a mystery that is inseparable from the station itself. ~BJS

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Psychological Thrillers and the Adult Summer Reading Code!

The Adult Summer Reading Code is: Penny
For more information about our Summer Reading Programs for all ages, please click here.

MY LOVELY WIFE
By Samantha Downing
“Happily married to the love of your life but, yeah, after 15 years getting a little bored? Here’s a solution from the couple at the heart of Downing’s debut: getting away with murder.” ~Library Journal
A Staff Favorite!

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

GONE TOO LONG
By Lori Roy
“Seven years after ten-year-old Beth vanishes from her Georgia home, Imogene Coulter is burying the Klan leader father she has tried to deny. On the day of the funeral, she finds a child locked in the basement of his hideout, a discovery that links her to the long-gone Beth.” ~Library Journal
Another Staff Favorite!

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM
By Peter Swanson
“Her bipolar disorder under control, illustrator Henrietta and her husband enjoy a new house outside Boston with a nice little studio for her out back. But she’s a bit obsessed with unsolved crimes, and she can’t help but notice that a sports trophy perched on a shelf at the neighbors’ house looks just like one that vanished from the home of a young man killed two years earlier…” ~Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

IF SHE WAKES
By Michael Koryta
“Slowly emerging from the coma she’s been in since a black cargo van rammed the car she was using to transport a visiting professor, killing him, Maine college senior Tara Beckley is targeted by a ruthless young hit man.” ~Kirkus

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Pop Fiction and the Adult Summer Reading Code!

The Adult Summer Reading Code is: Penny
For more information about our Summer Reading Programs for all ages, please click here.

DISAPPEARING EARTH
By Julia Phillips
“Phillips’s exquisite descriptions of the desolate landscape and the “empty, rolling earth” are masterful throughout, as is her skill at crafting a complex and genuinely addictive whodunit. This novel signals the arrival of a mighty talent.” PW
A Staff Favorite!

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

MRS. EVERYTHING
By Jennifer Weiner
“Weiner’s talent for characterization, tight pacing, and detail will thrill her fans and easily draw new ones into her orbit. Her expert handling of difficult subjects—abortion, rape, and racism among them—will force readers to examine their own beliefs and consider unexpected nuances. Weiner tugs every heartstring with this vivid tale.” PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE HOMECOMING
By Andrew Pyper
“Brilliantly constructed and absolutely mesmerizing, this could very well be the best book yet by the author of such acclaimed novels as The Demonologist (2013) and The Damned (2015).”~Booklist
Another Staff favorite!

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

CITY OF GIRLS
By Elizabeth Gilbert
“Gilbert’s beguiling blend of comedy and gravitas brings to mind other smart, funny, nimble, and vital novels about early- or mid-twentieth-century women swimming against the tide.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

World War II Recommended Reading

June 6, 2019 marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings and the Battle of Normandy. The library has a wonderful collection of World War II novels and non-fiction. The following are just a few suggested titles. Check back for more recommended reading every week in June.

THE LIGHT OVER LONDON
By Julia Kelly
“This is a bold story of a young woman’s innocence and heartache, and her satisfying discovery of her worth and inner strength.” PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE ALLIES: ROOSEVELT, CHURCHILL, STALIN,
AND THE UNLIKELY ALLIANCE THAT WON WORLD WAR II
By Winston Groom
“Groom’s legions of fans will enjoy his novelistic approach to history, and all readers will appreciate the plethora of information he offers about three of the most important personalities of the twentieth century. With plenty of action, romance, intrigue, diplomacy, tragedy, and richly detailed history, The Allies is a strong addition to WWII collections.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE ALICE NETWORK
By Kate Quinn
“A compelling blend of historical fiction, mystery, and women’s fiction, Quinn’s complex story and engaging characters have something to offer just about everyone.” ~Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

DOUBLE CROSS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE D-DAY SPIES
By Ben MacIntyre
“Macintyre effortlessly weaves the agents’ deliciously eccentric personalities with larger wartime events to shape a tale that reads like a top-notch spy thriller.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Staff Picks for May

Winnie’s Great War
by Lindsay Mattick and Josh Greenhut; illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Winnie-the-Pooh had a namesake: Winnie the bear cub of Winnepeg, Canada. This historic middle grade novel tells the story of how Winnie made it to England during WWI. Mattick is the great-granddaughter of the soldier who started the adventure when he met Winnie in 1914. A magical book, beautifully illustrated, perfect to read together with a child. ~LM

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

The Fifteen Wonders of Daniel Green
by Erica Boyce
Daniel Green has spent his adult life making crop circles as part of a secret society that travels the world. When he is hired by a farmer in a small Vermont town to make his 15th circle, his life is changed forever. Great characters and a satisfying ending. ~LQ

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars
by Glendy Vanderah
After conquering breast cancer and losing her mother, a grad student returns to her nesting bird research deep in the Illinois forest where she unexpectedly meets a mysterious child. A truly tender story. ~KC

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

What Was the Best Book You Read in 2017?

Thank you to everyone who participated in our “What is the Best Book You’ve Read This Year” raffle, and congratulations to our raffle prize winners! Two lucky people won bags full of great donated books. Happy reading. Be on the lookout for more raffles coming up throughout the year.

Here are a few of the top picks for “best books read in 2017” submitted by your friends and neighbors:

SAINTS FOR ALL OCCASIONS by J. Courtney Sullivan

“Reminiscent of both Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn and Matthew Thomas’s We Are Not Ourselves… All of Sullivan’s characters leap off the page. You don’t read this book; you breathe it.” –Janet Maslin, “Times Critics’ Top Books of 2017,” The New York Times

If you would like more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE BREAKDOWN by B.A. Paris

“This psychological thriller is even harder to put down than Paris’ 2016 best-seller debut Behind Closed Doors; schedule reading time accordingly.… With two in a row, Paris moves directly to the thriller A-list.” ―Booklist

If you would like more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

GRANT by Ron Chernow

“A stupendous new biography…Fascinating and immensely readable…. uncommonly compelling and timely…. Chernow’s biography is replete with fascinating details and insight­ful political analysis, a combination that brings Grant and his time to life…. put Grant on your must-read list.” —BookPage

If you would like more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

SOMETHING LIKE HAPPY by Eva Woods

“Something like Happy is inspiration in a bottle. Author Woods uses her novel- inspired by a social-media hashtag-to explore the exhilaration of new friendship, the power of loss, and the evergreen tendrils of hope.” –Booklist

If you would like more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Forgetting Time

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Title: The Forgetting Time

Author: Sharon Guskin

Publisher: Flatiron Books, February 2016

Summary/Review: A gripping and dramatic novel about holding on to – and letting go of – memories.  Janie is doing her best to raise her son Noah as a single mom, but there are some mysterious things about him that make it so difficult.  Their paths will cross with Jerome Anderson, a psychology professor who is struggling with a medical diagnosis that signifies the end of his career and, ultimately, his life.  As they try to help each other, they are never quite sure if they are doing more harm than good.  Sharon Guskin’s debut is both powerful and thought-provoking.

Who will like this?: Someone who loves inter-connecting stories.

If you like this, try this: If you liked the author’s writing, this is a debut – but be on the lookout for more to come!  If you’re interested in a similar subject, try Kate Atkinson’s “Life After Life” or, for a spookier take, SJ Watson’s “Before I Go to Sleep”.

Recommended by: Mary C, Reference Librarian

If this looks like something you’d like to read, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or to place a hold!

What Alice Forgot

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Title:  What Alice Forgot

Author:  Liane Moriarty

Publisher:  Amy Einhorn Books, 2011; Penguin Audio, 2011

Summary/Review:  After taking a tumble off a spinning bike and being knocked unconscious, Alice Love awakes thinking it’s 1998 and that she’s 29 expecting her first child. What a shock it is when she’s told it’s a decade later and she’s pushing 40 with three kids.

Unable to recall the last ten years of her life, Alice is surprised to find out that she’s one of those do-it-all moms who is involved in tons of school activities, incredibly organized, and totally fit.  Unfortunately she’s so focused on her life that she has little regard for those around her (and quite frankly, she’s not such a nice person).  Even harder to grasp—she’s separated from her husband Nick. Once the perfect couple, she can’t comprehend what could have caused them to lose their love for each other.

As names of people are mentioned and flashes of memories come into Alice’s mind, she is unable to place them.  Caught between her younger simpler self and her older supercharged self, she has to examine the fragments of her life to determine who she really is and what is most important to her.

Alice’s sister and grandmother not only provide commentary on what is happening but also reveal heart-felt stories of their own.

Who will like this book: Anyone who enjoys trying to figure out the pieces to put the whole story together.

If you like this, try this:  Big Little Lies and The Husband’s Secret, also by the author.

Recommended by: Sharyn, Circulation

If this looks like something you’d like to read, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or to place a hold

Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

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Title: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

Author: Katarina Bivald

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, June 2015

Summary/Review: If you are looking for a heartwarming, charming and cozy read, that involves a small town bookstore, this is the book for you! Amy from Broken Wheel, Iowa and Sara from Sweden develop a wonderful correspondence about the books they have read and they mail books back and forth that they want to share with each other. They form a wonderful long distance friendship and Amy asks Sara to visit her old farming town so they can meet and talk books in person. The only problem is the day Sara arrives happens to be the day of Amy’s funeral.

The town adopts Sara immediately and insists that she stay for her two month visit. Broken Wheel is an old farming town that has seen better days and many people have left. The main street is filled with abandoned storefronts and is only one block long! Sara decides to take Amy’s books and open a bookshop and then the magic ensues.

You will laugh out loud, you will recognize the characters and you will shed a tear or two but mostly you will be sad that this book has to end.

Who will like this book:  Anyone looking for a charming quirky read who loves books.

If you like this, try this:  “The Little Paris Bookshop” by Nina George, “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” by Gabrielle Zevin, and “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café” by Fannie Flagg

Recommended by: Claudia, Technical Services

If this looks like a book you’d like to read, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or to place a hold!

Did You Ever Have a Family?

[Cover]

Title: Did You Ever Have a Family?

Author: Bill Clegg

Publisher:  Gallery/Scout, September 2015

Summary/Review: Bill Clegg’s devastatingly beautiful fiction debut is portrait of a community in the aftermath of an unspeakable tragedy.  June Reid, the broken woman at the epicenter of the novel, is struggling with a loss so profound she is unable to see beyond her grief, unaware that it has touched many people, uniting them in a web of sorrow, guilt, anger, love, and healing.

Clegg tells their stories with heartbreaking sensitivity and insight; it is an important and timely work as so many communities find themselves facing real-life tragedies today.  I absolutely loved this book.

Who will like this book?: Someone looking for a somber and heartbreaking book which is focused more on the after-effects of a tragedy than the mystery surrounding it.

If you liked this, try this: Bill Clegg has written memoirs before, but this is his debut novel.  If you like his writing style (and want to know more about him) then they might be worth a try.

Recommended By: Mary C, Reference Librarian

If this looks like a book you’d like to try, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or to place a hold!