International Settings – January Giveaway

Books can transport us to far-off places. Whether it’s learning about somewhere new or reading a tale about a place we’ve been, stories with international settings give readers a chance to travel within their imagination. Enter the giveaway below to win copies of these books and travel to Wales, Poland, Sudan, India, and England!

The Snow Hare by Paula Lichtarowicz

Location: Wales & Poland

Is it possible to fall in love at the edge of life?

Lena has lived a long, quiet life on her farm in Wales, alongside her husband and child. But as her end approaches, buried memories begin to return. Of her childhood in Poland, and her passion for science. Of the early days of her marriage, reluctant wife to an army officer. Of the birth of her daughter, whose arrival changed everything.

Memories less welcome return, too. Her Polish village, transformed overnight by the Soviets, and the war that doomed her entire family to the frigid work camps of the Siberian tundra. And buried in that blinding snow, amongst the darkness of survival, the most haunting memory of all: that of an extraordinary new love.

Exploring motherhood, marriage, consequences, and our incredible human capacity for hope, The Snow Hare is the story of a woman who dares to love and to dream in the face of impossible odds, and of the peace we each must make with our choices, even long after the years have gone by.

Ghost Season by Fatin Abbas

Location: Sudan, Africa

A mysterious burnt corpse appears one morning in Saraaya, a remote border town between northern and southern Sudan. For five strangers on an NGO compound, the discovery foreshadows trouble to come. South Sudanese translator William connects the corpse to the sudden disappearance of cook Layla, a northern nomad with whom he’s fallen in love. Meanwhile, Sudanese American filmmaker Dena struggles to connect to her unfamiliar homeland, and white midwestern aid worker Alex finds his plans thwarted by a changing climate and looming civil war. Dancing between the adults is Mustafa, a clever, endearing twelve-year-old, whose schemes to rise out of poverty set off cataclysmic events on the compound.

Amid the paradoxes of identity, art, humanitarian aid, and a territory riven by conflict, William, Layla, Dena, Alex, and Mustafa must forge bonds stronger than blood or identity. Weaving a sweeping history of the breakup of Sudan into the lives of these captivating characters, Fatin Abbas explores the porous and perilous nature of borders—whether they be national, ethnic, or religious—and the profound consequences for those who cross them. Ghost Season is a gripping, vivid debut that announces Abbas as a powerful new voice in fiction.

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff

Location: India

Geeta’s no-good husband disappeared five years ago. She didn’t kill him, but everyone thinks she did–no matter how much she protests.
But she soon discovers that being known as a “self-made” widow has some surprising perks. No one messes with her, no one threatens her, and no one tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It’s even been good for her business; no one wants to risk getting on her bad side by not buying her jewelry.

Freedom must look good on Geeta, because other women in the village have started asking for her help to get rid of their own no-good husbands…but not all of them are asking nicely.

Now that Geeta’s fearsome reputation has become a double-edged sword, she must decide how far to go to protect it, along with the life she’s built. Because even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry.

Showstopper by Peter Lovesey

Location: Bath, England

The cast and crew of a hit British TV show is rumored to be cursed—but are these spooky deaths coincidences or murder? It’s up to Bath detective Peter Diamond to find out.

Since the start of the hit TV show Swift in 2013, its cast and crew have been plagued by misfortune. First, a star actress pulls out of the show before it begins—and by 2019, there have been multiple injuries by fall, fire, or drowning; two deaths; and two missing persons cases.

The popular media around Bath, England, quickly decides it’s a curse, but is it as simple as that? Is someone behind these fishy incidents? Peter Diamond, Chief Superintendent of the Avon and Somerset Murder Squad, is on the case, and he’ll start by looking for the two currently missing men. But while the investigation is underway, the producer of the show goes missing, complicating already complex matters even further.

Unfortunately, Peter’s boss, Georgina, is pushing retirement on him; he may be forced to retire if he can’t solve the case. Will this be the end for Peter Diamond?

MWA Grand Master Peter Lovesey’s 21st installment in the award-winning series delivers an enticing, fast-paced murder mystery that will leave readers guessing at every turn.

Annotations from the publishers

–Post by Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Giveaway

Enter your name here for a chance to win ARCs of the books mentioned in this post. One entry per person. Drawing will be held approximately 7 days after this post.

ARCs are “advanced reading copies.” These are free copies of a new books given by a publisher to librarians and other reviewers before the book is printed for mass distribution.

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

These are a few of the bestselling fiction and nonfiction books of 2022. Add them to your reading list and place one on hold through our online catalog or one of our apps!

Verity by Colleen Hoover  – A struggling writer accepts a job offer she can’t refuse. – Mystery/Thriller

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover – A successful businesswoman falls for a good looking neurosurgeon but can’t stop thinking about a past love. –Contemporary Romance

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid – The secret life of a celebrity revealed. – LGBT, Historical Fiction, Romance

And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham –  Addresses Lincoln’s evolving views of slavery up to his time in the White House. – Nonfiction, History, Biography

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – A chemist in the 1960s becomes the unexpected host of a famous cooking show. – Historical fiction, feminism, humor

Atomic Habits by James Clear – Realistic strategies for forming good habits, breaking bad ones, and changing behaviors – Self Help

Fairy Tale by Stephen King – A high school student acquires the keys to an alternate world where good and evil are at odds. –Fantasy/Horror

The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama – Former First Lady shares strategies and wisdom to adapt and overcome challenges. – Self Help, Memoir, Inspirational

Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks – A woman escaping an abusive relationship tries to start a new life in a new town. – Contemporary Romance

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy – Memoir of a former child actor and her struggle with a controlling mother – Biography, Memoir

The Book Lovers by Emily Henry – A literary agent and an editor go from enemies to lovers  after many chance encounters. –New Adult, Contemporary Romance 

The Maid by Nita Prose – A cozy mystery about a charming hotel maid who is thrust into a whodunit – Mystery, Thriller

The Boys from Biloxi John Grisham –  Two boys from immigrant families in the 1960s grow up friends but are later at odds in the courtroom. – Crime, Suspense, Legal Thriller

– Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Throughout 2022, Colleen Hoover has topped the bestselling charts with novels like Verity and It Ends With Us. She’s all over BookTok and social media. Her books are so in demand that we can’t keep them on our shelves! If you are waiting to get your hands on a CoHo book or if you have read everything she has published so far, give one of these similar authors a try.

Courtney Cole: High drama, relationship dilemmas, flawed characters, steamy romance

Christina Lauren: Contemporary romance, love/hate relationships, new adult fiction

Sorensen, Jessica: New adult fiction, contemporary romance, drama, steamy relationships

K.A. Tucker: Conflicted characters, some suspense, obstacles in relationships, drama, contemporary romance, new adult fiction

Rebecca Serle: Character-driven, romance, relationships, engaging, love triangles

Penelope Douglas:  Romance, opposites attract, new adult, high drama, moody

Helen Hoang:  Complex characters, steamy romance, difficult relationships, secrets

Anna Todd: New adult fiction, contemporary romance, high drama, engaging storylines, love triangles

Also, check our small collection of Colleen Hoover titles available now on Hoopla with your Fondulac District Library card. There’s no wait time on these!

– Post by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Biographies & Memoirs – December Giveaway

Whether it is a famous celebrity, an infamous criminal, or someone you’ve never heard of, biographies and memoirs open a window into worlds we may have never known. Alternatively, the journey may be a familiar one that we can relate to and know we are not alone. Here are new and upcoming biographies and memoir that explore a wide variety of the human experience.

An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville by Reza Aslan

Little known in America but venerated as a martyr in Iran, Howard Baskerville was a twenty-two-year-old Christian missionary from South Dakota who traveled to Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1907 for a two-year stint teaching English and preaching the gospel. The Persian students Baskerville educated in English in turn educated him about their struggle for democracy, ultimately inspiring him to leave his teaching post and join them in their fight against a tyrannical shah and his British and Russian backers. “The only difference between me and these people is the place of my birth,” Baskerville declared, “and that is not a big difference.”

In 1909, Baskerville was killed in battle alongside his students, but his martyrdom spurred on the revolutionaries who succeeded in removing the shah from power, signing a new constitution, and rebuilding parliament in Tehran. To this day, Baskerville’s tomb in the city of Tabriz remains a place of pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of Iranians visit his grave to honor the American who gave his life for Iran. Indeed, Baskerville’s life and death represent a “road not taken” in Iran. Baskerville’s story, like his life, is at the center of a whirlwind in which Americans must ask themselves: How seriously do we take our ideals of constitutional democracy and whose freedom do we support?

Sink: A Memoir by Joseph Earl Thomas

Stranded within an ever-shifting family’s desperate but volatile attempts to love, saddled with a mercurial mother mired in crack addiction, and demeaned daily for his perceived weakness, Joseph Earl Thomas grew up feeling he was under constant threat. Deemed too unlike the other boys to ever gain the acceptance he so desperately desired, he began to escape into fantasy and virtual worlds, wells of happiness in a childhood assailed on all sides.

In a series of exacting and fierce vignettes, Thomas guides readers through the unceasing cruelty that defined his circumstances, laying bare the depths of his loneliness and illuminating the vital reprieve geek culture offered him. With remarkable tenderness and devastating clarity, he explores how lessons of toxic masculinity were drilled into his body and the way the cycle of violence permeated the very fabric of his environment.

Even in the depths of isolation, there were unexpected moments of joy carved out, from summers where he was freed from the injurious structures of his surroundings to the first glimpses of kinship he caught on his journey to becoming a Pokémon master. Sink follows Thomas’s coming-of-age towards an understanding of what it means to lose the desire to fit in—with his immediate peers, turbulent family, or the world—and how good it feels to build community, love, and salvation on your own terms.

Jersey Breaks: Becoming an American Poet by Robert Pinsky

Candid, engaging, and wry, Jersey Breaks offers an intimate self-portrait and a unique poetic understanding of American culture.

In late-1940s Long Branch, a historic but run-down Jersey Shore resort town, in a neighborhood of Italian, Black, and Jewish families, Robert Pinsky began his unlikely journey to becoming a poet. Descended from a bootlegger grandfather, an athletic father, and a rebellious tomboy mother, Pinsky was an unruly but articulate high school C student, whose obsession with the rhythms and melodies of speech inspired him to write.

Pinsky traces the roots of his poetry, with its wide and fearless range, back to the voices of his neighborhood, to music and a distinctly American tradition of improvisation, with influences including Mark Twain and Ray Charles, Marianne Moore and Mel Brooks, Emily Dickinson and Sid Caesar, Dante Alighieri and the Orthodox Jewish liturgy. He reflects on how writing poetry helped him make sense of life’s challenges, such as his mother’s traumatic brain injury, and on his notable public presence, including an unprecedented three terms as United States poet laureate.

The Family Outing: A Memoir by Jessi Hempel

Jessi Hempel was raised in a seemingly picture-perfect, middle-class American family. But the truth was far from perfect. Her father was constantly away from home, traveling for work, while her stay-at-home mother became increasingly lonely and erratic. Growing up, Jessi and her two siblings struggled to make sense of their family, their world, their changing bodies, and the emotional turmoil each was experiencing. And each, in their own way, was hiding their true self from the world.

By the time Jessi reached adulthood, everyone in her family had come out: Jessi as gay, her sister as bisexual, her father as gay, her brother as transgender, and her mother as a survivor of a traumatic experience with an alleged serial killer. Yet coming out was just the beginning, starting a chain reaction of other personal revelations and reckonings that caused each of them to question their place in the world in new and ultimately liberating ways.

Annotations from the publishers

–Post by Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Giveaway

Enter your name here for a chance to win ARCs of the books mentioned in this post. One entry per person. Drawing to be held approximately 7 days after this post.

ARCs are “advanced reading copies.” These are free copies of a new books given by a publisher to librarians and other reviewers before the book is printed for mass distribution.

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria.