What your WCC library staff have been reading for fun!
Cora:
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon: “An epic high fantasy standalone about the politics and divisiveness of religion and dragons. At over 800 pages, it weaves plotlines of honor, duty, friendship, love, and forbidden magic while navigating vast cultural shifts and differences that mimic our world.”
Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid: “A shorter-length standalone that brings gothic horror and tender whimsy together in a Eastern European-inspired fantasy setting described as a ‘fairytale with teeth’. Expect ballet, creatures, weird magic, strained family dynamics, and forbidden love.”
Emily:
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley: “A genre-bending speculative romance that follows an unnamed civil servant tasked with monitoring a time-traveling 19th-century Arctic explorer, only to find herself caught in a web of bureaucracy, desire, and ethical uncertainty. For those that enjoy slow-burn romance, speculative fiction and philosophical explorations of time, colonialism, and identity.”
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong: “A powerful collection of essays that blends memoir, cultural criticism and history to reflect on the Asian American experiences through the lens of racial consciousness and emotional truth. For those that interested in racial identity, intersectionality, and raw, poetic writing.”
Brett:
The Pearl by John Steinbeck: “A tragic ending which I will never forget.”
Frankenstein: The First Two Hundred Years by Christopher Frayling: “An excellent compilation of history and visual representation for Mary Shelly’s gothic horror masterpiece.”
abby:
The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton: “The luxury of living a life without a murder at the end of it.” A confusing and engaging murder mystery, and also a lightweight study of justice. A murder board of this book would like an owl pellet, so just take this one to the beach, refill your iced tea, and get ready to savor the (multiple) reveals.”
The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo: “One of the best-known Japanese murder mystery authors in his day, like the American Ellery Queen or British Agatha Christie. This is the first of his many novels featuring a young, crazy-haired amateur detective, Kosuke Kindaichi. It’s a Locked Room-style mystery to boot, which means that death occurs.” without a clear way in or out of a space — a fun puzzle and a peek into mid-20th century Japanese culture.
Ro:
To Shape a Dragons Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose: “Alt history American dragons.”
The Witch and the Tsar by Olesya Salnikova Gilmore: “Alt history Russian Baba Yaga.”
Yarrow:
Good Girl by Aria Aber: “Torn between her Afghan and German identities and grieving the loss of her mother, a young woman escapes and comes of age in the night clubs of Berlin. I loved this debut novel by poet Aria Aber, which explores how the nightlife helps us define and lose ourselves at once.
When Crack Was King: A People’s History by Donovan X Ramsey: “A compassionate exploration of the crack epidemic, told through the eyes of four people who experienced it firsthand: a dealer, an addict, the child of an addict, and the former mayor of Baltimore. Wonderful narrative nonfiction that helps contextualize our world today.”
Heather:
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo: “A self-centered stuffed rabbit takes a harrowing journey and discovers the meaning of love.”
Lying Awake by Mark Salzman: “A Carmelite nun with a brain tumor has seizure-induced visions that make her feel closer to God, but what will happen if she has the tumor removed? Will her visions continue, and does her faith extend beyond her ability to have them?”
The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold: “In a fantasy world based on the culture of medieval Spain, a noble who was betrayed and sold into slavery becomes embroiled in a page-turning plot involving royalty, gods, and magic.”
Silence by Shusaku Endo: “In 17th-century Japan, a Jesuit priest arrives seeking information about the fate of his mentor. He encounters violence that turns his faith upside-down and causes him to question his previous views on the (supposed) glory of martyrdom. This book was made into a 2016 film directed by Martin Scorsese.”
Fox in Sox by Dr. Seuss: “The tongue-twisting masterpiece from a master of children’s literature. Read it out loud as fast as you can.”