Hi everyone, here are our recommended reads for the week!
*More information on the three catalogs and available formats is found at the end of the list of recommended reads*
–
Weekly Suggested Reading postings are published on Wednesdays.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
–
The Best Way To Bury Your Husband: A Novel by Alexia Casale
After spending twenty years enduring her husband’s abuse, Sally snaps and kills him with a skillet during the COVID-19 lockdown. She’s got plenty of ideas for how to handle the body, but there are two potential issues–how to explain Jim’s disappearance to their adult children, and how to conceal the body from her nosy neighbor Edwina. A few blocks away, Ruth’s husband attacks her, then falls when she rushes away to escape his grasp. Sally discovers Ruth trying to burn his body, and they bond over their shared predicament. They are soon joined by Samira and Janey, who also have abusive husbands to bury. The quartet hatches a plan to conceal the men’s deaths and dispose of their bodies. Casale’s adult debut is a sharp, entertaining, and fast-paced story that’s as much about revenge as it is about sisterhood and liberation. While there are plenty of darkly comic moments and surprising plot twists, domestic violence is presented with frank realism that can be difficult to read. This intoxicating blend of revenge thriller and black comedy will appeal to fans of C. J. Skuse and Helene Tursten. –Booklist Review
–
Blessed Water by Margot Douaihy
Douaihy follows up Scorched Grace with another deliriously enjoyable, relentlessly plotted adventure for chain-smoking “punk nun” Sister Holiday Walsh. Sister Holiday spends her days teaching music at Saint Sebastian’s School in New Orleans, and her nights operating the newly established Redemption Detective Agency alongside former fire inspector Magnolia Riveaux. After a potential client stands the women up for a consultation, they stumble on a priest’s corpse floating in the Mississippi River. They go straight to the police, who hire the Redemption detectives to aid with the investigation. Over a rain-soaked three-day Easter weekend, Magnolia and Sister Holiday uncover a trail of secrets that may be linked to both the murder and the disappearance of the parish’s other priest—and that could mean danger for more clergy members if they don’t act fast. Douaihy is more concerned with Sister Holiday’s faith in this entry (a key subplot involves her preparing to take her final vows), but there’s still plenty of local color and high-stakes action to keep fans of the first book on board, and the mystery itself is even more gripping this time out. This series continues to impress. — Publishers Weekly Review
–
Enchanted To Meet You by Meg Cabot
With this adorable paranormal rom-com, bestseller Cabot (the Princess Diaries series) launches a fun and spooky series set on Connecticut’s Long Island Sound. A few incantation mistakes as a teenager resulted in Jessica Gold’s exclusion from the World Council of Witches (WCW). Now the self-trained witch limits her use of magic to making positive fashion alterations in her retail store in historic West Harbor. That small coastal town is on the brink of celebrating its tricentennial—but handsome newcomer Derrick Winters arrives with a dire warning, claiming West Harbor may not make it to 300. He points out recent flooding, wolf sightings, and other unexplained phenomena as harbingers of what is to come, but also offers some hope, naming Jessica as the “Chosen One” who can identify the “Bringer of Light,” a young girl who will save the town. Game to save her little corner of the world, Jessica must face down her old high school nemesis, a WCW snob, while trying to find her new mentee and get her ready for whatever lies ahead. The townful of quirky characters charms, while mysterious Derrick, who may or may not be sanctioned by the WCW but who is undeniably awesome at pub trivia, makes for a swoony love interest. Readers will be eager for more. –Publishers Weekly
–
The Girls Who Fought Crime: The Untold True Story of the Country’s First Female Investigator and Her Crime-Fighting Squads by Mari Eder
Retired Army major general Eder (The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line) profiles in this colorful account the “tough, intrepid” Mae Foley (1886-1952), who became one of New York City’s first policewomen in 1923. Originally assigned to the so-called “masher squad,” which policed crimes committed by men against women (from pocket-picking to murder), in 1925 Foley was promoted to detective and attached to Manhattan’s 19th Precinct. In 1930 she transferred to the 108th Precinct in Queens, where she investigated the 3X Murders, a still unsolved series of shootings by a killer who signed eerie letters to the press as “3X.” (On one occasion, Foley acted as bait for the killer, but caught a garden-variety mugger instead.) At various points in her career, she raided bootleggers’ stills as part of the squad that enforced the Volstead Act during Prohibition; fought Nazis on Long Island; and kept safe the sex-worker witnesses testifying against gangster Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Eder also describes how Foley stood up for herself and her sister officers against the patriarchy of the police force, where women were held to higher standards than men. Eder’s vivid and raucous narrative brings to life the cops-and-robbers jousting of Prohibition-era New York. Aficionados of the city’s underground history should take a look. — Publishers Weekly Review
–
Misunderstood Vegetables: How to Fall in Love with Sunchokes, Rutabaga, Eggplant and More by Becky Selengut & Clare Barboza
Selengut, a chef, culinary instructor, food journalist, and author of cookbooks, including IACP Book Award finalist Good Fish, believes there is no such thing as a bad vegetable; there are just misunderstood ones. Writing with a dry sense of humor and a zesty enthusiasm, she plays matchmaker between 25 different wallflower vegetables–fava beans, nettles, fennel, beets–and shy cooks who have yet to discover their gastronomic potential. The cookbook is arranged seasonally, with each vegetable receiving an overview providing historic, scientific, and nutritional information, along with tips on purchasing, storing, cooking, and substitutions, followed by a small selection of clearly written recipes featuring the misunderstood vegetable. Gorgeous color photographs and bonuses such as a recipe for homemade ricotta (for the fava bean, sweet pea, and ricotta dip) round out this stellar cookbook. VERDICT Even with the bounty of excellent vegetable-focused cookbooks that are available (such as Deborah Madison’s brilliant Vegetable Literacy and Abra Berens’s thoughtful Ruffage), this effortlessly entertaining and endlessly empowering book deserves its own spot in every kitchen. –Starred Library Journal Review
–
Sisters with a Side of Greens by Michelle Stimpson
Two strong-willed sisters fight their way to forgiveness in this feel-good Southern fiction, for fans of Terry McMillan and KJ Dell’Antonia’s The Chicken Sisters. Rose Tillman and her sister Marvina Nash haven’t spoken in decades—not since Rose sent Marvina $40 to register their business, and Marvina used that money for her own personal purposes. Now retired, Rose wants to open the restaurant they’d once dreamed of. But, to her horror, Rose realizes she’s forgotten their mother’s secret spice mix recipe, known to only one other person in the world. With no other option, Rose embarks on a two-hour drive to Marvina’s house back in Fork City, TX. Marvina has her own version of what caused their falling out, and it’s a far cry from what Rose recalls. Marvina, skeptical and still indignant, but incurably polite, figures she’ll give Rose a chance to speak her piece, before closing the door in her face. As the sisters fight their way to forgiveness, they unpack their complicated past, form an unexpected alliance with a young mother-to-be, and reconnect through the tantalizing aroma of chicken dinners that hold the power to heal—or divide—a community. In a tale rich with Southern charm, Rose and Marvina discover, through fussing, laughter, and tears, that the secret ingredient to a bright future might just be found in facing who they are today—and in forgiving the past to embrace a second chance at sisterhood.
–
A Step Past Darkness: A Novel by Vera Kurian
In 1995, Wesley Falls, Pennsylvania, is controlled by the megachurch Golden Praise, led by charismatic pastor Jim Priess. Local teen Jia Kwon is hiding her psychic visions, unwilling to give the pious townspeople ammunition against her. Then Jia, best friend Padma, top jock Casey, Queen Bee Maddy, bad boy James, and loyal Kelly are assigned to a team history project about the local mine. While exploring, they witness Golden Praise elders tossing six teens into the mine’s virtually bottomless Heart. With that, their focus shifts to discovering the connection between the murders, Golden Praise, and the disturbing aura Jia senses around Priess. After unearthing reality-shaking secrets, they take action and believe that they’ve freed Wesley Falls from evil. But when Jia returns 20 years later to help find a missing person, she finds Maddy’s body and a new minister at Golden Praise who bears an unsettling resemblance to Priess. Jia summons the gang back to Wesley Falls to avenge Maddy and finish what they started as kids. Through flashbacks and the gang’s emotionally powerful reunion, Kurian draws readers in, invoking strong Goonies vibes. Here, as in her debut, Never Saw Me Coming (2023), Kurian creates unforgettable characters, breathless suspense, and original plotting. A must-read for fans of C. J. Tudor and Jennifer McMahon. — Booklist Review
–
Sun Of Blood And Ruin: A Novel by Mariely Lares
Lares makes a triumphant debut with a vivid epic set in an alternate 16th-century colonial Mexico. It stars a mestiza woman known variously by her Spanish name, Leonora; her Nahua name, Tecuani; and her alter ego, Pantera, a defender of Indigenous people who is magically able to transform into a panther and draw superhuman strength from the sun. As she joins forces with an alliance of Indigenous groups calling themselves La Justicia and aiming to fight back against Spanish control, the kinetic fight scenes and deep, complex interpersonal relationships will swiftly draw readers into her world. With the Spaniards persecuting magic and dismissing “the old ways,” it’s up to Pantera to fulfill an ancient prophecy and thereby protect her people. Lares has a talent for historic detail and though there are dozens of Spanish and Nahuatl words that will likely be unfamiliar to many readers, she excels at weaving in enough context to make comprehension easy, including a helpful note on language at the beginning and a glossary at the end. The vast supporting cast is equally well integrated and easy to keep track of despite its size. Interweaving history, mythology, romance, and swashbuckling action, this is a surefire hit. –Starred Publishers Weekly Review
–
Terrace Story by Hilary Leichter
The delightful sophomore effort from Leichter (Temporary) expands on her National Magazine Award–winning story about a magic closet by adding multiple timelines that stretch into the future. When Annie, Edward, and their baby daughter, Rose, are visited by their friend Stephanie in their cramped new apartment, having been forced to move by a rent hike, Stephanie reveals a sprawling terrace behind their closet door, which wasn’t there before. Leichter then switches to the story of George and Lydia, another married couple with a small child, and describes the couple’s unhappiness in novel terms (“They argued about why they were arguing, until every argument collapsed on itself and fit precariously in the bad kitchen cabinet where the miscellany of their marriage languished in obscurity”). In another timeline, Rose, who comes of age in a future on the brink of human extinction, lives on a space station described as a “suburb,” and longs for a lover who’s left on a mission to another suburb. Connecting these threads is Stephanie’s act of manifesting Annie and Edward’s terrace and the reverberations it causes, the details of which Leichter gradually teases out, setting the stage for a deeply satisfying ending. Along the way, there are plenty of wry observations on time and memory (“Then again—most beginnings, apocryphal. Almost always unobserved. Who can remember with any accuracy life’s initial drift toward its final shape?”). Leichter soars with this cogent yet dreamlike tale. –Starred Publishers Weekly Review
–
The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan
Ryan’s latest WWII novel showcases the bravery and tenacity of everyday women during the Blitz. In her trademark fashion, Ryan weaves together the stories of three very different women: Sofie, a Jewish refugee from Germany; Juliet, an empathetic and motivated new deputy librarian; and Katie, a young woman about to start university. Each woman faces a unique hardship, but their stories converge at the Bethnal Green Library, where they find solace in books. As the Blitz forces their community to take shelter in the underground station, the written word brings people together, and Juliet begins lending books from the station. But a string of tragedies threatens to break the fragile hope that the underground library has forged. This is not only a testament to the strength of women during WWII; it is also a love letter to libraries and the boundless knowledge and pleasure they provide. While the individual women’s stories are works of fiction, the story is based on true events that happened in Bethnal Green and around London, adding to the emotional impact of Ryan’s well-researched tale. –Booklist Review
–
Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
–
Have questions or want to request a book?
Feel free to call the library! Our telephone number is 607-936-3713.
–
Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
–
Information on the three library catalogs
Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout/download content to a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks on the go!
All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.
–
Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/
The Hoopla Catalog features instant checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.
Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.
The Hoopla App is available for Android or Apple mobile devices, PCs, Macs*, smart TVs & media streaming players.
–
StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
–
*You must have an active Internet connection to access Hoopla content on a Mac.
–
Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 