Room, by Emma Donoghue

[lesley]   One of the most intriguing and compelling stories I’ve ever read. Experiencing this odd story from the perspective of a 5 year old is the only way we could approach it in this innocent way – without the world’s intrusion. I couldn’t put it down from the beginning through the middle. The ending is a bit anticlimactic (not sure it could be any other way), but probably necessary all the same.  And, having to shift to considering other’s perspectives (ma’s, grandma, the public) is very jarring and disconcerting, much as it is for Jack.

Available as ebook and audiobook on Libby/Overdrive

The $64 Tomato, by William Alexander

[lesley]  Not a new book, but the nearly-perfect read for the winter when your garden and sometimes your mind are lying fallow.  You’ll laugh out loud at his trials and tribulations growing fruit, heirloom tomatoes and fighting off insects and woodchucks.  The included recipes are a nice bonus.

Available as ebook and audiobook on Hoopla and as ebook on Libby/Overdrive.

Let’s Take the Long Way Home, by Gail Caldwell

[lesley]  I should admit my bias upfront — I love memoirs about friendships or relationships.  I loved The Best Day the Worst Day by Donald Hall and Joan Didion’s A Year of Magical Thinking.  Also About Alice by Calvin Trillin and Truth and Beauty, Ann Patchett’s memoir of her friendship with Lucy Grealy.   This book by Gail Caldwell about her friendship with Caroline Knapp (who also wrote hauntingly beautiful memoirs) as well as their friendships with their dogs lives up to the high standards of the others listed above.  I wished I was on their walks with them, and sometimes almost felt like I was.  This memoir did a great job of celebrating an intimate friendship between women and subtly showing the differences from relationships between women and men.  It’s easy to see that Caldwell’s life is richer for having had this friendship and mine is too for having read about it.

Available as an audiobook on Hoopla and as an ebook on Libby/Overdrive.

Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg

[Tricia] This is a fascinating book! Funny and sad, immensely interesting.

Available as an ebook on Libby/Overdrive.

Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman

[Tricia]

Fascinating, beautifully written book about the impact of the death of two young people on their wedding day on both of their families.  I resisted reading it at first because the premise sounded too upsetting, but the story really is about the two families, and what happens to them in the aftermath, and it is so well told.  I thought it was a really good book.

Father of the Rain by Lily King

[Tricia]

A very moving book that follows the life of Daley, starting as a young girl and continuing through adulthood, and the impact of her intense,  complicated relationship with her father, who is an alcoholic.  The writing in insightful and honest.  Really well done.

Available as an ebook on Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive.