Library Reads: February 2018

It’s Library Reads day! That means three things here on RA for All:

1. I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
2. I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it is the older lists where you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about Library Reads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any Library Reads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.

So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books. 

Before we get to the current list, here are a couple of notes about the February 2018 list specifically. 

First, props to my friend and multiple time contributor to the blog, Alissa Williams for getting the lead review! 

Second, I was an early reader and promoter of An American Marriage. This book is absolutely amazing! I already loved Tayari Jones’s Silver Sparrow and use it as one of my sure bet backlist titles frequently, but An American Marriage exceeded my already high expectations. All my feelings are in this post which was a companion to my Read N Rave appearance at ALA Annual back in June and includes readalikes. 

February 2018 LibraryReads List

The Great Alone: A Novel

by Kristin Hannah

Published:2/6/2018 by St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9780312577230

“Leni and her troubled family embark on a new way of life in Alaska’s wilderness in 1974 – hoping this is finally the solution for her troubled, POW father. In Alaska, Leni and her family are tested and when change comes to their small community her father’s anger threatens to explode and divide the town. This is a beautifully written novel, descriptive and engaging with well-developed characters and a strong sense of place.”

Alissa Williams, Morton Public Library, Morton, IL

An American Marriage

by Tayari Jones

Published: 2/6/2018 by Algonquin Books
ISBN: 9781616201340

“Celestial and Roy are newly married professionals leaning in to a bright future when Roy is convicted of a crime he did not commit. This is not a heroes vs. villains tale with a tidy resolution. It is a complicated, messy, moving, and thought-provoking story about love, family, and the wide-reaching effects of incarceration. Book clubs get ready!”

Jennifer Alexander, St. Louis County Library, St. Louis, MO

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The French Girl

by Lexie Elliott

Published: 2/20/2018 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780399586934

“Six friends from Oxford University spend an idyllic week in the French countryside that ends with a missing neighbor, the enigmatic Severine. Fast forward ten years and Severine turns up. Or rather her skeleton does in a well on the property. All six friends are suspects. Will the loyalties hold and who put Severine in the well? This is a fun, taut thriller.”

Jennifer Dayton, Darien Library, Darien, CT 

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Force of Nature: A Novel

by Jane Harper

Published: 2/6/2018 by Flatiron Books
ISBN: 9781250105639

“When Detective Falk learns that an informant went missing during a corporate team building exercise in the bush, he realizes that she tried to call him in the middle of the night. Harper once again creates a compelling, fast-paced, and atmospheric mystery set in a remote wilderness area of Australia. Perfect for fans of Nevada Barr and Paul Doiron. Highly recommended.”

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

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Surprise Me: A Novel

by Sophie Kinsella

Published: 2/13/2018 by The Dial Press
ISBN: 9780399592881

“Kinsella’s newest heroine has met and married Mr. Right – now how to spend the next 68 years? When Sylvie launches Project Surprise Me, she just might find that there’s always more to learn about the ones you love. Told in Kinsella’s trademark charming, relatable style.”

Ariel Kurst, Great River Regional Library, St. Cloud, MN

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Tarnished City

by Vic James

Published: 2/6/2018 by Del Rey
ISBN: 9780425284124

“Tarnished City, a contemporary fantasy with a healthy dose of world-building, is just as disturbing as its predecessor, Gilded Cage. I couldn’t resist diving deeper into the dark world of Equals and Slaves. James has pushed the characters in new ways, which makes the story riveting, intense, dark, and completely entrancing.”

Monicah Fraterna, La Porte Public Library, La Porte, IN 

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As Bright As Heaven

by Susan Meissner

Published: 2/6/2018 by Berkley
ISBN: 9780399585968

“Beautifully written, heartbreaking story of four women in Philadelphia in 1918 during the Spanish Flu. I loved this book, as I have other books by Meissner and would highly recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction.”

Cathy Branciforte, Ramsey Free Public Library, Ramsey, NJ

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How to Stop Time

by Matt Haig
Published: 2/6/2018 by Viking
ISBN: 9780525522874

“Even though there is something extraordinary about Tom Hazard and his aging process the problems and insights he experiences as he goes through life, are universal. Love, memory, and time play tricks on us all as this novel illustrates so exquisitely. This is an engaging,sweeping love story with all the elements of a great historical/time travel novel. For fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife and Life After Life.” 

Mary Coe, Fairfield Woods Branch Library, Fairfield, CT 

Summer Hours at the Robbers Library: A Novel

by Sue Halpern

Published: 2/27/2018 by Harper Perennial
ISBN: 9780062678966

“Kit is a librarian who closes herself off from emotions and people until she meets Sunny, assigned to the library for community service. Add in a group of regulars in the library and the result is an absorbing story of developing friendships and the unveiling of secrets. Kit’s story unfolds as we meet many quirky characters in this story of love, loss, and hope.”

Ellen Firer, Merrick Library, Merrick, NY 

Educated: A Memoir

by Tara Westover

Published: 2/20/2018 by Random House
ISBN: 9780399590504

“In her memoir, Westover recounts her childhood growing up in a strict Mormon family, ruled by an erratic father, and living off the grid in Idaho. Westover compellingly sketches her years growing up, her relationships with siblings, encounters in the town nearby, and the events that eventually drove her to leave and pursue formal education. For fans of Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle.”

Andrea Gough, Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA