Looking for you next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese
A stunning and magisterial new epic of love, faith, and medicine, set in Kerala and following three generations of a family seeking the answers to a strange secret. -Goodreads
I was bewitched by this book, lost for days listening to it on my Libby App. The author read the book and his voice allowed me to feel a sympathy and connectiveness I may not have felt if I had simply read it. The characters were believable, Verghese’s detail to medicine and art made the story come alive. I highly recommend this book.
This book is available in our collection as well as through the Libby app with your library card.
-Cori C.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
A poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined.
Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths. -Goodreads
This is my second time reading Anxious People (for a book club) and it was just as good as the first time around. If you’re a fan of Fredrik Backman and/or his novel A Man Called Ove, you’ll enjoy this one.
Backman does an excellent job weaving a full cast of diverse characters into a cohesive narrative as their lives intersect in an unexpected way. While each character is very different and quite flawed, they all become endeared to the reader and to each other. Backman manages to tackle the heartache and tragedy of real human experiences—including grief, addiction, divorce, and more—without making it too heavy or too sentimental.
Since it had been some time since my first read, I had actually forgotten some of the twists this story took. If you’re looking for a funny and heartwarming read this season with a touch of mystery, I can’t recommend this one enough.
This book is available in our collection as well as through the Libby app with your library card.
-Brittney T.
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
First of the Aurelian Cycle Trilogy
In this first installment of an excellent political fantasy trilogy, best friends Annie and Lee were children when a revolution changed everything in Callipolis. While both are orphan’s with tragic origins, their pasts could not be more opposite. Annie’s lowborn family were killed by the old regime, and Lee’s highborn family were killed in the revolution by the reformists. However, tricky their history, Annie and Lee have bonded over their acceptance into the governing class of dragon-riders. A class the old regime kept from highborn alone. But a new tournament to see who will lead Callipolis’s new military leaves Annie and Lee pitted against each other. Will their friendship survive the tournament? How will their carefully developed friendship survive the sudden rise of survivors of the old regime?
My thoughts:
This book (and the entire trilogy!) was absoltuley fantastic. In fact, I think it may make the top 5 books I’ll read this year. A well crafted political fantasy that depicts revolution, gray areas in ruling and governing, the tricky spots that leaders get put into in times of turmoil, and much more.
While I was expecting a fun dragon riding book, I was not expecting the emotion this book brought out in me. At times I was laughing out loud with my favorite chracters, crying when they were faced with pain, and angry with the turn of events (many times, be prepared!) But in addition, the dragons were very cool. In other common dragon books, riders and their dragons communicate with thoughts and words, but in Fireborne, they communicate with emotions and visions. The bonds the rider’s have with their dragons is beautifully done.
The main female protagonist and her dragon, Antigone sur Aela, will go down as an all time favorite character and duo. If you make it through the entire trilogy, I imagine you’ll enjoy her character development as much as I did!
I hope you give this book a shot, and if so–come find me to discuss!
Favorite Line:
“They watch us kneel, they see the back of our heads, and they think we’ve given in. They don’t realize you can think from your knees just as well from your feet.”
This book is available to check out from inter-library loan.
-Marie S.
