Here are a few of the most notable debut novels coming out in September. These have all received positive reviews in library journals. For a longer list, please visit our catalog.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach. But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy — Jacob Greenberg.
Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah — and Jacob — in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze. Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: September 2021”
Posted on Wednesday, September 1, 2021 by Decimal Diver
Left: Jimi Cook, Phomotso Makeke Cook, and Cristi Cook; Right: “Hand Delivered Hope” book cover.
Jimi Cook is a Columbia, MO author who recently came out with his debut book, “Hand Delivered Hope.” The book is the story of how Jimi and his wife Cristi (both professors in orthopaedics at Mizzou) developed Be The Change Volunteers (BTCV), a nonprofit aid organization that builds schools and provides educational resources to forgotten communities around the world. Stories in the book include restoring a genocide ruined Rwandan school for a lost generation of learners, building a floating school on a huge lake in Cambodia, navigating corruption in Kenya, rebuilding relationships in India and many other engaging accounts of resilience and hope. I emailed some interview questions to him, and he was kind enough to take time to write back some answers. Continue reading “Q&A With Jimi Cook, Author of “Hand Delivered Hope””
I started working at the Columbia branch of the Daniel Boone Regional library earlier this year. During the whirlwind of training I’ve learned about a variety of helpful, charming, surprising and useful resources of which I was previously unaware.Continue reading “A Few of My Favorite Things”
A Parsnip Swallowtail butterfly sips nectar from a coneflower. Photo credit Maggie_M
August is not usually considered a great time to be outside in Missouri. The weather is hot and humid. Except for a few wildflowers blooming many plants seem to give up this time of year and wait for cooler weather — not a bad strategy if you ask me. But this August, I’ve noticed a couple bright spots in my outside observations that are worth sharing
Just this morning I saw several species of large, vibrant butterflies on my morning dog walk. The Monarch butterflies are suddenly plentiful, floating around on their orange and black stained-glass wings. There were also Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Parsnip Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) and Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) and many smaller species that I don’t know at a glance. Other insect life is plentiful as well. I frequently see a variety of wasps collecting spiders and other quarry as food for their larvae. An iridescent Rainbow Beetle (Phanaenusvindex), a type of dung beetle, lumbered across the road. The next generation of carpenter bees are emerging and buzzing around, as are many other species of bees (I need to learn more of these). A hawk moth, which imitates hummingbirds and forages during the day, darted between and hovered over flowers. My short walk up the road with my dogs was full of bright surprises. Continue reading “Bright Spots in August”
Here are a few of the debut novels coming out in August. These have all received positive reviews in library journals. For a longer list, please visit our catalog.
When 29-year-old Sunday Brennan wakes up in a Los Angeles hospital, bruised and battered after a drunk driving accident she caused, she swallows her pride and goes home to her family in New York. But it’s not easy. She deserted them all — and her high school sweetheart — five years before with little explanation, and they’ve got questions.
Sunday is determined to rebuild her life back on the east coast, even if it does mean tiptoeing around resentful brothers and an ex-fiancé. The longer she stays, however, the more she realizes they need her just as much as she needs them. When a dangerous man from her past brings her family’s pub business to the brink of financial ruin, the only way to protect them is to upend all their secrets — secrets that have damaged the family for generations and will threaten everything they know about their lives. In the aftermath, the Brennan family is forced to confront painful mistakes — and ultimately find a way forward, together.
Posted on Monday, August 23, 2021 by patron reviewer
“The Bees: A Novel” is a truly imaginative thriller that tracks the life of Flora, a sanitation worker bee of the lowest caste, in the hive system. Disney it is not. Dystopian it certainly is. If you are looking for a breezy read about flowers and insects and nature, look elsewhere. What makes the book so engrossing, though, is the author’s deft use of scientifically accurate details to create a sometimes disturbing though always fascinating tale. (Note: I frequently found myself fact checking on the Internet while reading the book. “Are queen bee larvae fed royal jelly?” Check. “Are wasps predators of bees?” Check. In every instance, the detail was accurate). Instead of making up “facts” to fit the story, the author created a story to fit the facts, which makes it that much more compelling.
Three words that describe this book: Imaginative, dystopian, compelling
You might want to pick this book up if: You are fascinated by bees or enjoy a dystopian thriller.
Posted on Friday, August 20, 2021 by Reading Addict
The Appalachian region of the United States is one of the most unique in the country. The Scots-Irish immigrants that settled the region along with the geographic and economic isolation of the area have created distinctive dialects that sound more like Old English than the common dialects in the rest of the country. Continue reading “Travel Through Story: Appalachia”
Michel Faber’sastounding “The Book of Strange New Things” earned him his first gentlemanly recommendation, and I now vigorously re-recommend reading that story of a missionary on a distant planet to spread religion to aliens. I’m typing today to recommend his newest novel, “D (A Tale of Two Worlds).” This is his first novel that is marketed to children, but at DBRL you’ll find it in adult fiction, and to be sure, like all novels, this one can be read by the literate of all ages. Unlike some novels, it won’t traumatize the young or bore the old. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Michel Faber (Again)”
Posted on Monday, August 16, 2021 by patron reviewer
“Hamnet” is the fictionalized account of Shakespeare’s passionate relationship with his wife Agnes and an investigation of their grief over the loss of a son. The writing is simply gorgeous, and O’Farrell excels and creating intimate portraits and settings you can almost feel. An unforgettable interlude follows the path of a single plague-carrying flea from Alexandria to Stratford and shows the author’s incredible imagination and skill. An outstanding work of historical fiction.
Three words that describe this book: Lush, immersive, moving
You might want to pick this book up if: You love historical fiction, descriptive writing, and enjoy stories of noteworthy literary figures told through the eyes of “secondary” characters.
-Lauren
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
I love talking books. There’s something so magical about sharing a great story with someone; the excitement is palpable. And, sadly, I can not read everything, so journeying through a beloved world with a fellow reader is an excellent way to experience a novel I may never get to dive into personally. Here’s some recommendations of chances to do just that with some authors we all love. Continue reading “Authors and the Books They Love”
