Blog

This is a long book, over 30 hours, but worth every minute. It's the story of Jake Epping. His friend Al has found a time portal to September 9th, 1958. Al has been using it to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. But now Al is dying. He shows the portal to Jake and convinces him to take over the project. What could possibly go wrong?

Plenty. The portal has rules. First, while everyone else is whatever age they were in 1958, Jake is still aging normally. Second, the past doesn't want to be changed. The bigger the change, the bigger the resistance to change. Third, every trip through the portal erases any changes made during previous trips. Jake has to start from scratch each time he enters the portal.

Stephen King did a great job researching Lee Harvey Oswald. Jake has to be sure he's got the right man.And then there's Sadie.

Check out 11/22/63 (2011) today. You can read or listen to the book via Overdrive.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future, The Road (2006) follows a father and his young son heading south on a mostly deserted road, pushing a shopping cart with all their belongings. Any human they encounter is a threat to either steal their food or worse, to eat them as food. Every second is a fight for survival, and barely a page goes by where there is not a description of hunger. The father's sole purpose is to keep his son alive.

I would recommend this Cormac McCarthy title to readers of dystopian fiction.

Check out our list Welcome to Dystopia for more ideas.

The Road is available as an ebook on Overdrive and audiobook on Hoopla.

Two men, one Palestinian and one Israeli. Two young daughters lost to the violence which is sadly prevalent in their part of the world. These two men from opposite sides of the conflict manage to come together and forge a friendship in their common hope for peace.

Colum McCann writes in an interesting format, offering up what at first might seem random facts or short anecdotes. It did take me a few pages to get into it, but it was definitely worth it to see how everything comes together, how the facts and fiction intertwine to create a deeply moving narrative. Not only was this beautifully written, it was also very educational, giving me insights into an ongoing conflict and a way of life so very different to mine.

Apeirogon (2020) is longlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize. Read the book on Overdrive. 

Pregnant by her high school art teacher, Izzy Poole decides to join the Infinite Family Project because of the stability it will provide her and her newborn son, Cap. The project is the idea of Dr. Preston Grind and billionaire Brenda Acklen. Basically, ten families with babies agree to live together for ten years and raise the children communally, with the kids not knowing who their real mothers and fathers are for the first several years.

Izzy finds herself fitting in well with the rest of the parents, but starts to develop feelings for Dr. Grind. Not surprisingly, cracks begin to form in the relationships between other participants, too. Will Dr. Grind succeed in his vision of forming lifelong bonds, i.e. families made of people who aren't related?

Perfect Little World(2020) is an intriguing story about an unusual community and the moral compromises that keep it together. Check out this Kevin Wilson novel today—borrow the ebook or audiobook instantly via Hoopla or Overdrive.

Tom and Karen Krupp live a happy married life until the night of Karen's accident. Suddenly, Karen has no recollection of her crash or why she had been speeding in the worst part of town on the night of a mysterious man's murder. Karen's uncertainty has placed her under suspicion of murder and the police have started coming around. Tom starts to question if his wife is really the person he believes her to be, and their marriage slowly begins to spiral. With the police at their door and a curious neighbor across the street, the Krupps' happy life begins to hang by a thread.

A Stranger in the House (2017) by Shari Lapena is a fast-paced psychological thriller. Visit Overdrive to read the ebook or listen to the audiobook. For more stories in this vein, check out our lists: Psychological Suspense and Domestic Thrillers.

This is a charming story of city girl Jen whose family leaves the big city for the country and farm life. If farm life was not bad enough for a city girl, Jen also has two new stepsisters who live in her room every weekend. Stepping Stones (2020) centers on Jen and her sisters' life on the farm and their time spent at the farmer's market. Jen and her new sisters learn about the hard work it takes to run a farm and to be part of a family that sticks together. Overall, Lucy Knisley's story is uplifting and will appeal to readers of books like Smile and Roller Girl. 

Miles Vorkosigan is a military cadet about to be stationed to his first assignment. His father is a famous general and has a long list of accomplishments. Miles isn't so lucky; at first look, he is seen as a failure by his peers due to the physical abnormality he was born with. He must work harder, think harder, and be better to get the recognition he feels he deserves.

The world in The Vor Game (1990) by Lois McMaster Bujold is an expansive one with a rich history and backstory around it. Miles is very sarcastic but endearing in what he wants and expects from others. If you are looking for a great series that has an interesting main character and world, then this is a good option to explore.

Listen to the book on Hoopla today.

Violent, passionate, heartbreaking, heartwarming, suspenseful—all of this and more. Lydia and her 8-year-old son Luca escape a massacre where 16 family members are shot and instantly killed at a Quinceanera party. In shock and running from a drug cartel leader who orchestrated the annihilation of their family, they head to El Norte. With no plan, they follow migrants to the train and learn of the unspeakable dangers that await them in their quest to escape certain death.

As they struggle through their journey, they encounter some very unsavory individuals. Each day brings new threats and always the danger of being caught. In spite of the constant peril, Lydia and Luca cross paths with a few fellow migrants who touch their hearts forever. American Dirt (2020) touches the hearts of readers, who will get caught up in the minute to minute survival of Jeanine Cummins' well drawn characters.

Oprah Winfrey chose American Dirt as an Oprah's Book Club selection. Oprah sat down with the author to discuss the controversy around the book.Visit Overdrive to read the book or listen to the audiobook today.

Liza, Maggie, and Tricia are the daughters of famous American writer William Sweeney. When he passes away, they reunite at the family home in Connecticut to sort out his affairs. Liza, the oldest, lives with her husband, Whit, and their teenage twins. Middle daughter Maggie is an artist who has floundered as an adult. Youngest Tricia is a successful lawyer in New York. While mourning their father and trying to unearth his memoir (due to his publisher), the women learn that they have another sister, Serena, whom William learned about a month before he died.

The Sweeney Sisters (2020) is the story of the four over the course of a summer as they come to terms with the secret, bond, and move forward. An engaging novel, perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand and readers who love novels about family relationships.

Check out Lian Dolan's latest novel. Listen to the audiobook or read the ebook through Overdrive today.

Piranesi is the sole inhabitant of a gigantic, mysterious 'house' with endless rooms full of statues and an ocean in the lower levels which surges upstairs during high tides. Written in the form of his journal, Piranesi guides us through his beloved labyrinthine house and introduces us to 'The Other,' a sporadic visitor to the house and the only other living human being in this world...or so he thought.

Susanna Clarke's lyrical and hypnotic writing pulls you into Piranesi's world, enveloping you in the mystery of the house and the question of how he came to be there. Piranesi (2020) is for fans of The Starless Sea and The Bedlam Stacks.

Check out the ebook on Overdrive.

This story, which is told by several characters, is hard to put down once you read the first few chapters. Lucy Wakefield is an ordinary woman, who gets what she wants out of life. There is one thing, however, that life does not give her: a child. After separating from her husband, she does something unthinkable: she takes a 4-month-old baby girl from a shopping cart and ends up raising her as her own. She manages to keep her horrible secret for over 20 years.

What follows is a ripple effect, which alters the lives of so many people. Whether the reader agrees with the way the story ends up or not, this novel is a definite thought-provoking, fast paced page turner.

Check out What Was Mine (2016) by Helen Klein Ross today.

You can also listen to the audiobook on Hoopla or read the eBook on Overdrive.

Growing up in a house that always had a dachshund made me pick up this book. Little did I know that it would affect me the way it did.

The beauty of this book is in reading it. I went in knowing nothing about it, and was happy I didn't. It is a story about Teddy and Lily, his dachshund, and the "octopus" attached to Lily's head. The bond between Lily and Ted will resonate long after you finish. I highly suggest having tissue nearby.

I loved this unique, quirky, charming, and yes, heartbreaking story of a beloved dog. Steven Rowley's Lily and the Octopus (2016) was magical from beginning to end.

Listen to the book on Overdrive today.

If you loved The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, pick up The Roommate (2020) by debut author Rosie Danan.This steamy romantic comedy will give you all the feels for the charming couple.

Respectable socialite Clara has always followed the rules and avoided scandal...until her longtime crush invites her to move cross-country. She impulsively heads to LA, and is blindsided by the news that he's sublet his room. Enter Josh, who is her opposite in every way—and, surprise, an adult film star. Together, they start a business to combat the negative realities of the adult entertainment industry and to empower women and their partners.

Clara and Josh grow together personally and professionally in this entertaining escape. For more fun reads, check out our recently updated list of Romantic Comedies.

Claire and Eva both have reasons for wanting to disappear, so when they happen upon each other at the airport, they decide to take the other person's flight. However, when one of the planes crashes, the danger they thought they were leaving isn't far behind.

The Last Flight (2020) by Julie Clark is a great readalike for The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine, The Passenger by Lisa Lutz, and Peter Swanson.

Borrow The Last Flight instantly from Hoopla today.

Kate is a tough, smart, and determined FBI Special Agent on the hunt for the elusive Nick, an international thief and charming con man. She finally catches him, but he talks her FBI boss into letting him work for them. And he's to be Kate's partner on her next mission: stopping a crooked banker on a private island.

Fighting bodyguards, pirates, and each other, the action is pretty farfetched, but it's so much fun you won't mind. This is fiction after all.

The Heist (2013) is a fast-paced and entertaining adventure, but it's the fun kind, not the gripping white knuckle kind. The flirty sexual tension between Kate and Nick help keep this story light.

The Heist is the first book in the Kate O'Hare and Nicholas Fox series written by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg.

Narrator Scott Brick is a solid storyteller and a pleasure to listen to—visit Overdrive to listen to the audiobook or read the ebook today.