Looking for you next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb
I’ve always enjoyed mysteries and thrillers in the movies, and for this month, I’m pushing myself to read more of them apart from Stephen King. I always opt for stories that are tied to the season or a holiday. Imagine my delight when I found a mystery and thriller that was an entertaining read while also a fun Thanksgiving story!
This is the first time I’ve read J.D. Robb, one of Nora Robert’s pseudonyms, and I can attest that this read is gripping. Weaving crime, psychological depth, and even romance is a monumental task, however it is easily achieved in this novel, all the while having a cozy backdrop of the holidays, specifically Thanksgiving. The novel follows Eve Dallas as she navigates both the chaos of hosting Thanksgiving while also solving a murder. However the twist, one among many, is that the murderer is already known, it’s who will be in danger next!
This book is a continuation in a long series, and I’m sure that there are references to previous events that I did not pick up on, but I did not feel left out or lost while reading. In fact, I might actually check out the previous installments just to read it more! I feel like there aren’t enough Thanksgiving stories out there, and this was a fun read to enjoy before all the festivities begin. If you’re into cop shows and appreciate a strong but balanced female lead character, this will be a fun read for you!
This book is available in our collection and as an ebook on the Libby app.
-Lauren B.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Genre: Historical Fiction
James McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store opens with the discovery of a skeleton in a well in a small town. This introduction to the Chicken Hill area of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, sets up a sense of mystery as the narrative jumps back nearly 50 years to explore the town, its secrets and its people.
Chicken Hill is a vibrant community of immigrants, Jewish and black people, resulting in a mix of characters with intertwined lives and shared histories. This novel tells their stories with affection, humor, and occasionally some level of vexation with the world when a deaf boy in town is left without a mother and the state looks to take him into their custody.
It’s a story about people who are struggling and their ambitions, successes and disappointments. In this compassionate, life-affirming and often funny novel, McBride explores what it means to be in a community and to live in the margins of “white” American.
This book came highly recommended by a friend.
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store has a wonderful complicated plot. McBride takes his time developing each character within many storylines giving you time to decide which one to root for or you can root for all of them. I quickly became interested in the story of the wife Chona and her Jewish husband Moshe Ludlow. When she insists on adopting and hiding the runaway deaf boy Dodo, the conflict between cultures and races becomes intense.
Sometimes McBride’s long descriptions of his characters would make me a little crazy but just when I thought I might put the book down, a new event would take place and I’d be completely hooked again. McBride loves language, people and the interesting, compassionate, quirky, frightening things they do within the capriciousness of life. It was a pleasure to have had the opportunity to read this.
This book is available to check in our collection and on the Libby app as an ebook or audiobook.
-Cori C.
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
A reimagining of Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare’s most famous villainess, giving her a voice, a past, and a power that transforms the story men have written for her. -Goodreads
Wow. I loved this book. (Shoutout to Melissa for the recommendation!) This is my first book by the author Ava Reid, and I am adding her other titles to my TBR after this.
Lady Macbeth is a retelling of the classic Shakespeare play Macbeth. I’ve never read Macbeth but I did read the plot synopsis when I started this so I could have some reference to the major storyline. Just with that summary, I enjoyed seeing where Reid took the story and where it both followed and diverged from the original work—especially the ending, which I think feels more fitting.
Roscilla (Lady Macbeth) is a young foreign bride who has been declared witch-marked. Men avert their gaze from her eyes and she wears a veil to protect them from her unearthly powers. I love how Reid centers the story on her and how, despite being a victim in many ways, she is also a morally grey and complicated character.
She is clever but also naive.
Bold but also scared.
A victim and a villain.
I loved how Reid walked this line of sympathetic female character and a victim of her own malicious machinations. There is a real tension and underlying commentary laced throughout on women’s fragile place in the world, both their power and powerlessness within the confines of a male-ruled society, and the dangers of embracing or revealing female power.
I also liked how this makes the reader grapple with agency—Roscilla does many terrible things both on her own and at the behest of her father and then her husband. Roscilla herself wrestles with what this means about her soul and her own character and how much she can even place blame on the men for her own actions. Of course, in many cases you might argue that she did all those things out of self preservation—particularly from the sexual violence of her husband. I think it’s an interesting examination of the female position and what one might do to stay alive.
Aside from the larger plot points and themes, I absolutely loved the gothic atmosphere of the book. I felt like I was in the cold, damp castle in Scotland. The dark magic and violent underpinnings of the story made this a perfect read for a cold fall night.
I started reading the physical book but then switched to audio so I could read it even faster.
This book is available via ebook on the Libby app.
-Brittney T.