Looking for you next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
For many people in history, and even today, the cold and dark days of winter heralded the beginning of the spooky season. Being cooped up together by the fireplace while the snow and chill winds were outside was the perfect setup for a ghost story. And what can be better than a ghost story in winter? A festive ghost story that celebrates the holiday season!
Charles Dickens is a prolific author for a reason. His incredibly compassionate and intelligent writings showcase his thoughts on living in Victorian society and its shortcomings, and is written in a style that is accessible to everyone. I’ve seen many adaptions of this novella, the best arguably being A Muppet’s Christmas Carol, but I’ve finally gotten around to reading the original piece myself. And let me tell you, it’s a lot more vibrant than the adaptions will show you.
Taking place in Victorian England, the story follows the perspective of Ebenezer Scrooge, a grumpy businessman, who receives a warning from his long dead business partner and other ghosts to change his ways or he will suffer the same eternal fate. Throughout the story, Scrooge sees moments from his past, present, and future that challenge what Scrooge has become and impart lessons of the true meaning of the holidays. Charity and Redemption are major concepts that revolve around all of the prose in the story, and it really pushes the reader to consider how they can help others during the season.
While the adaptions are fun to watch, there’s something about opening up the original novella and seeing the words on the page while cozying up next to holiday decorations that really gets me in the spirit!
This story is available in our collection in book or audiobook formats and on the Libby app as an ebook or audiobook.
*While we are closed for renovations, we can order a copy from another library to lend it to us for your enjoyment!
-Lauren B.
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.’
Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. But Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.
Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.
-Goodreads
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Taking place in a nursing home it brought back memories of The Secret Diary of Hendrick Groen, Age 83.1/4 by Hendrick Groen.
The beginning of Frederick’s adventure is so skillfully managed one would believe it actually happened. The relationships and scenes inside the nursing home were carefully researched by the author. The story line has twists and plot turns that I didn’t expect that kept things interesting. Frederick’s kind heart makes one wish everyone was so forgiving and willing to give people a second chance. He simply trusts people will do the right thing in the end.
He goes out of his way to make people happy and see that their dreams are fulfilled even if it means a bit more effort on his tired old body. He does a little matchmaking during his stay at the nursing home, more than once he has to outrun an amorous old lady, and he helps a dementia patient find peace in his heart in the most magical way. He’s like a Santa Claus of good will.
His gift is listening and making good things happen while having fun and causing some mischief.
Turn off the TV and read this book! You’ll be glad you did.
If you enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman you will enjoy this book.
This book is available to check out from our collection. *While we are closed for renovations, we can order a copy from another library to lend it to us for your enjoyment!
-Cori C.
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Sixty-year-old self-proclaimed tea expert Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy ‘detective’ work on the internet (AKA checking up on her son to see if he’s dating anybody yet).
But when Vera wakes up one morning to find a dead man in the middle of her tea shop, it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Knowing she’ll do a better job than the police possibly could – because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands–Vera decides it’s down to her to catch the killer.
-Goodreads
Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers is the definition of cozy mystery. Vera Wong owns a small quiet tea shop in Chinatown. With few customers and a son who wishes she would just retire and sell the shop already, Vera is lonely and antsy for some excitement in her life. So when she wakes up one day to a dead body in her shop, she immediately jumps into action, outlining the body, looking for clues, and maybe tampering with the evidence…but who can blame her? The police would just muck it up anyway.
So begins a delightfully humorous and heartfelt mystery centered on tea, found family, and secrets.
I was immediately drawn in by Vera’s stubborn and nosey personality. By sheer force of will, Vera manages to not only pull together a remarkably long list of suspects for the murder of the man in her tea shop, but also turn them into a group of misfit friends. Just one problem: One of them is the killer.
This story is funny, well-paced, and full of well-drawn characters who you can’t help but root for—even if one of them is a murderer.
This book is available to check out in our collection as well as via ebook and audiobook on the Libby app.
-Brittney T.
