Library Reads: September 2013

The top ten books published this month that librarians across the country love.

I am happy to post the first of what will be many lists to come.  Click here for details.

Please spread this list to your patrons. All the fiction titles are on order at my library and we are excited to start suggesting them to patrons.

I have also started a tag for "library reads" which you can use to pull up all lists from now on.  I will post the lists each month with the month and year in the title.  Right now, that might seem gratuitous, but once we have multiple month's worth, these lists will become an awesome backlist tool too. I know a year from now, when I am looking for a "good read" for a patron, I can pull up this September 2013 list and find something on the shelf that another librarian really enjoyed.

But most importantly, please remember that the Library Reads Program is a direct collaboration between publishers and libraries. This is a key partnership whose success helps both sides equally.

As you can tell, I am excited about Library Reads on many fronts.  

Here is the list, with librarian comments from the site:

September 2013 LibraryReads List

Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

Published: 9/10/2013
by St. Martin’s Griffin
ISBN: 9781250030955

“At turns funny, sweet, smart, and sad, Fangirl traces Cath’s journey to independence as she begins college, struggles to have an identity separate from her twin sister, find her voice and passion as a writer and fall in love, maybe, for the first time. As sharp and emotionally resonant as Rowell’s previous novel,Eleanor & Park.”

Stephanie Chase, Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA

How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel

by Louise Penny

Published: 8/27/2013 by Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9780312655471

“The latest novel featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec is as amazing as ever. The internal conflict within the Québec police force that has been building in the series comes to a head, prompting Gamache to retreat to the small town of Three Pines. The combination of fascinating mystery puzzles, exquisitely crafted characters, and gorgeous, gorgeous writing is irresistible.”

Megan McArdle, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA

---

Night Film: A Novel

by Marisha Pessl

Published: 8/20/2013 by Random House
ISBN: 9781400067886

“Scott McGrath has it all — a successful career in journalism, a beautiful wife, and an adorable daughter — until his impulsive, possibly libelous comment about the mysterious film director Stanislav Cordova causes everything to fall apart. Five years later, Cordova’s talented daughter, Ashley, dies from an apparent suicide — or is it? A giant, delicious, juicy read in the noir tradition that cuts across genres.”

Elizabeth Olesh, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY

---

Help for the Haunted: A Novel

by John Searles

Published: 9/17/2013 by William Morrow
ISBN: 9780060779634

“Fourteen-year-old Sylvia slowly unravels deep family secrets after her demonologist parents are gunned down in a deserted church. Creepy, disturbing, and compelling, with gothic overtones and well-drawn characters, Help for the Haunted is definitely one of my favorite suspense novels of the year. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to older teens, and it would also make a terrific movie.”

Robin Beerbower, Salem Public Library, Salem, OR

---

The Returned

by Jason Mott

Published: 8/27/2013 by Harlequin MIRA
ISBN: 9780778315339

“Around the world, people are coming back from the dead and trying to reunite with their loved ones. In a tiny Southern town, Harold and Lucille Hargrave are astonished to have their son Jacob come back to them fifty years after he died. A global government agency at first works to reunite “The Returned” with their families, then later confines them as more and more people come back from the dead. A beautifully written exploration of love and family, community and responsibility, and a perfect book group selection.”

Vicki Nesting, St. Charles Parish Library, Paradis, LA

---

Burial Rites: A Novel

by Hannah Kent

Published: 9/10/2013 by Little, Brown
ISBN: 9780316243919

“Kent has created a first-rate debut novel with beautiful, lyrical passages and characters true to their historical counterparts. The unforgettable story finds convicted killer Agnes Magnúsdóttir awaiting execution and seeking both a reprieve from her dreadful sentence and the possibility of redemption. Burial Rites is an excellent choice for reading groups, especially those who have enjoyed Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace.”

Margaret Donovan, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA

---

Margot: A Novel

by Jillian Cantor

Published: 9/3/2013 by Riverhead
ISBN: 9781594486432

“Can you hide from your past and change who you are? If you try, what do you risk losing? This delicately written novel proposes an alternate fate for Anne Frank’s sister: Margot Frank survives the war, moves to Philadelphia, finds work as a law secretary and assumes the identity ‘Margie Franklin.’ But when the movie version of The Diary of a Young Girl is released and the law firm takes on the case of a Holocaust survivor, Margot’s past and Margie’s carefully constructed present collide. This great book will appeal to reading groups and fans of alternative history, what-if novels and character-centered fiction.”

Janet Lockhart, Wake County Public Libraries, Raleigh, NC

---

Songs of Willow Frost: A Novel

by Jamie Ford

Published: 9/10/2013 by Ballantine Books
ISBN: 9780345522023

“Fans of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet have been eagerly anticipating Ford’s new book. Set in 1920s Seattle, this is the moving story of a young Chinese-American woman who becomes pregnant by her stepfather. With her stunning good looks and lovely voice, Liu supports herself through singing, but difficult circumstances force her to give up her son William for adoption. Flash forward several years: William spots a movie ad featuring the glamorous actress, Willow Frost. Convinced that Willow is his ah-ma, he escapes the orphanage, determined to find her. A memorable journey, and one well worth taking.”

Anne Lee, Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

---

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

by Sheri Fink

Published: 9/10/2013 by Crown
ISBN: 9780307718969

“Through exhaustive interviews and extensive research, Fink offers a spellbinding account of Hurricane Katrina, a disaster which held the staff, patients and families of a New Orleans hospital captive and left thousands of others marooned by rising flood waters in the heart of city. Filled with unforgettable life and death stories, Fink’s fine work of investigative journalism reads like a novel. The book causes you to rethink your opinions about end of life, do-not-resuscitate orders and medical ethics.”

Marilyn Sieb, L.D. Fargo Public Library, Lake Mills, WI

---

A House in the Sky: A Memoir

by Amanda Lindhout & Sara Corbett

Published: 9/10/2013 by Scribner
ISBN: 9781451645606

“Absolutely gripping, harrowing and unforgettable! This well-written memoir is a true testament to the strength of one woman’s spirit and her will to survive in unimaginable circumstances. The family issues that led Amanda Lindhout from her home in Canada to a life of world travel and a career in journalism are as richly detailed and compelling as the brutal account of her fifteen month-long captivity by Somali Islamist rebels in 2008. She tells her story with such vulnerability and honesty that it is a privilege to read it.”

Mary Coe, Fairfield Woods Branch Library, Fairfield, CT