Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
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Family Spirit by Diane McKinney-Whetstone
Diane McKinney-Whetstone’s latest character-rich, page-turner blends her signature style with a little magic in her depiction of the Maces, a vibrant family of Philadelphia clairvoyants with issues.
Ayana has inherited the Knowing gene that the Maces believe have been passed down to at least one girl child in every generation from as far back as they can trace. But her mother has tried to convince her that she is nothing like those weird Mace women. To keep the peace, Ayana lies to everyone—to the Maces, insisting she’s never felt a Knowing, to her mother about participating in the rituals, and to herself about her relationship with a man who helps her recover time and time again from the mania she experiences after seeing into the future. Ayana’s aunt Lil, banned from the Mace home decades ago after violating a sacred vow, has returned to Philadelphia for a medical procedure. She settles into the chaos of her brother’s home where Ayana, a failing college senior, has also returned.
After a harrowing premonition, Ayana must decide whether to deepen family schisms by enlisting her aunt’s help, even as she learns the shocking details of Lil’s breech.
Meanwhile Nona, the woman writing the novel, becomes more of a participant than creator as her own drama is deftly interspersed throughout, as she too yields to the power of the Mace family and its indomitable spirit.
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Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill
Gentill (The Mystery Writer) pays homage to Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express with this suspenseful novel set in the present day. Bestselling crime fiction writer Joe Penvale and his twin sister, Meredith, are excited for the trip of a lifetime–traveling on the Orient Express train from Paris to Istanbul. Joe has recently finished intense medical treatment for cancer, so he and Meri hope that the trip will furnish much-needed rest and rejuvenation–and perhaps the classic setting will inspire Joe to write again. After meeting a handful of intriguing fellow passengers, the siblings are shocked when the cabin next door is discovered bathed in blood (but no corpse in sight). Then part of the train is quarantined due to an alarming new COVID variant, and several passengers who work in law enforcement are enlisted to help keep the peace. As the train’s body count rises, Joe, Meri, and the other passengers race to catch a killer before it is too late.
VERDICT Gentill’s latest is a fun, modern mystery/thriller with classic charm. The author’s own recent battle with cancer adds authenticity to the narrative and the portrayal of Joe. – Library Journal Review
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For The Record by Emma Lord
Two years ago, Mackenzie Waters and Sam Blaze were at the top of their careers with their respective bands, Thunder Hearts and Candy Shard, but just when they were about to acknowledge that something more was brewing underneath their legendary rivalry, the two bands abruptly broke up for different reasons. Now Mackenzie is recovering from a surgery that has permanently changed the sound of her voice, and Sam is out of the spotlight, quietly raising the son he didn’t know existed until recently. When Mackenzie and Same are abruptly thrust back into the spotlight, their shared record label insists that they record a joint comeback album to try and recapture the magic of their one cowritten hit song. Can they let go of their longstanding rivalry and finally admit that their chemistry extends past their songwriting abilities? Lord (The Break-Up Pact) makes Mackenzie’s struggles feel real, and well-drawn secondary characters leave plenty of room for potential expansion of the Thunder Hearts/Candy Shard universe.
VERDICT Readers will be cheering for Mackenzie and Sam in this fun second-chance romance. – Library Journal
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Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run by Peter Ames Carlin
The roots of a career-making album. Fifty years on, Bruce Springsteen’s third album, Born To Run, seems as natural, essential, and American as the Mississippi River. But as music biographer Carlin (The Name of This Band Is R.E.M., 2024, etc.) explains, its creation was clouded with uncertainty, as was its creator. Though Springsteen’s first two albums received plenty of critical acclaim, sales were weak, and he was close to being dropped by his label, Columbia Records. His live band was in transition, as was his management–he invited Jon Landau, a well-connected rock critic, into his camp following a review that concluded, “I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Carlin’s book generally runs through the album song by song, which is an effective strategy: “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” lets Carlin explore the E Street Band’s evolution, “Jungleland” Springsteen’s meticulous approach to composition and production, the anthemic title track his ruthless self-editing as a lyricist. (Manager Mike Appel was so high on the last song he released a bootleg single of it to radio, risking the ire of Columbia suits.) Unlike his R.E.M. book, which suffered from lack of access to the band members, this book is bolstered by interviews with Springsteen himself, some drawn from his 2012 biography but also more recent ones, as well as footage of Springsteen’s obsessive retakes in the studio. To the last, he remained uncertain of what he’d accomplished–he almost scrapped the album just before its release date–and it’s to Carlin’s credit that he’s more interested in the uncertainty than delivering a hagiography.Born To Run was a triumph, installing Springsteen in rock’s canon, but this book thrives in exploring the hard work that preceded it. An admirably comprehensive study of a masterpiece and its creation. – Starred Kirkus Review
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The Witch’s Orchard by Archer Sullivan
A ninth generation Appalachian herself, Archer Sullivan brings the mountains of North Carolina to life in The Witch’s Orchard, a wonderfully atmospheric novel that introduces private investigator Annie Gore.
Former Air Force Special Investigator Annie Gore joined the military right after high school to escape the fraught homelife of her childhood. Now, she’s getting by as a private investigator and her latest case takes her to an Appalachian holler not unlike the one where she grew up.
Ten years ago, three little girls went missing from their tiny mountain town. While one was returned, the others were never seen again. After all this time without answers, the brother of one of the girls wants to hire an outsider, and he wants Annie. While she may not be from his town, she gets mountain towns. Mountain people. Driving back into the hills for a case this old—it might be a fool’s errand. But Annie needs to put money in the bank and she can’t turn down a case. Not even one that dredges up her own painful past.
In the shadow of the Blue Ridge, Annie begins to track the truth, navigating a decade’s worth of secrets, folklore of witches and crows, and a whole town that prefers to forget. But while the case may have been buried, echoes of the past linger. And Annie’s arrival stirs someone into action.
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are usually published on Wednesdays, unless Monday is a holiday and then they are published later in the week.
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
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Information on the four library catalogs
The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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 content on 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.
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Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/
The Hoopla Catalog features on demand 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 companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile devices, smart TVs & media streaming players.
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Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en
The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.
The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!
You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).
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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.
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Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
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Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 