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Fiction

Ties That Tether

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Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Nigerian-born, Canadian-raised Azere has always felt a conflict between what her family expects of her and what her own heart desires. At twelve years old, she made a promise to her dying father that she would marry another Edo man and to never forget her culture. She had always had every intention of keeping that promise, especially with her mother strongly encouraging Azere’s efforts by constantly matchmaking for her. However, one night Azere finds herself particularly frustrated with yet another of her mother’s failed setups and indulges in the company of Raphael Castellano: tall, handsome, and…white. Azere insists on leaving their relationship as a one-night-stand but their relationship suddenly and unexpectedly becomes extremely serious when she discovers she is pregnant with his child. Despite her mother’s strong disapproval, Azere is undeniably drawn to the charming Raphael and finds herself wrestling with a core question: can she successfully keep him in her life without compromising her Nigerian culture? Ties That Tether is a heartfelt examination of one woman’s struggle between what she thinks she is supposed to do and what her heart is telling her to do.

Find it in the catalog!

The Shadows Between Us

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The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Young Adults, Adults

Alessandra is the second daughter and must wait until her older sister is engaged before she can attend any royal social gatherings.  While she waits for her turn, she plots.  She wants to marry the Shadow King and then kill him so that she can take over the kingdom.  She plans how she is going to catch the eye of the King – what she will wear and how she will act.  When she does, she soon learns that she is not the only one trying to kill him.  She gets to know him and even begins to like him.  Liking the King was not part of her plan.

Alessandra is not your ordinary noblewoman.  She likes to design her own outfits and she doesn’t follow society’s rules.  She does as she pleases which includes having some relationships before she is married.  She is determined to do her own thing and her goal is to change the way women are made to follow the rules made by men.  And, if someone displeases her, she just might kill them.

Someone on Good Reads described this as a “Slytherin Romance” and I think that is a good description.  You want to hate Alessandra because she is so unapologetically evil, but you like her anyway.  She knows what she wants and she is going to get it!

Find it in the catalog.

Anna Dressed in Blood

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Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Format: Book and Eaudiobook
Who it’s for: Teens

Tis the spooky season, which I believe calls for something about the things that go bump in the night. I found that in Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake. It is the first of its ghostly series, and put eloquently: “It’s the old boy-meets-girls story. if the boy is a wry, self-destructive ghost hunter bent on avenging his father and the girl is a homicidal ghost trapped in a house full of everyone she’s ever murdered.” – Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of Red Glove.

It’s perfect for people who want a light and easy paranormal read that happens to be a teen urban fantasy, rather than a teen urban fantasy that has paranormal elements. I like ghost stories, and while this one isn’t particularly scary (in my opinion. You may find otherwise.), it does manage to be fun, full of magic, a bit of mystery, and interesting characters. Find it in the catalog!

Meddling Kids

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Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
Format: eBook, Book
Who it’s for: Adults

In 1977, a group of precocious kid detectives and their dog solved the case of the Sleepy Lake monster. The culprit turned out to be, as was common in their cases, an old man in a mask. He would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those meddling kids!

Years later the “Blyton Summer Detective Club” are all grown up, but only barely functioning. One committed suicide, one is a college drop out, one has been in and out of jail, and one has been in and out of psychiatric wards. Turns out they’ve all been haunted by the Sleepy Lake monster case. The truth is: they didn’t actually solve it. Yes, there was a masked man in the abandoned mansion on Deboen Isle, but there were also real live monsters that permanently unsettled them, and they’ve had enough. They are reuniting to solve the case once and for all.

When they return to their charming hometown in the Pacific Northwest they find it’s not as idyllic as their childhood memories. Otherworldly horror lurks around every corner, and only they, and their loyal dog (twice removed from their original dog), can stop it.

This book is basically Scooby-Doo meets H.P. Lovecraft meets Twin Peaks and I thought it was great. The writing style is unique, laden with meta references to popular kid detective and classic sci-fi tropes. If you love stories about young detectives, Lovecraftian horror, or small towns where things are not as they seem, you should definitely check this out from the library, or electronically on OverDrive, today!

The Happy Ever After Playlist

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The Happy Every After Playlist by Abby Jimenez
Who it’s for: Adults
Format: eBook

After two years of grieving for her fiancé, Sloan finds a lost dog that steals her heart.  Sloan tries to contact Tucker’s owner with no luck, so she is hopeful that she will get to keep him.  Unfortunately, just when she thinks Tucker is hers to keep, his owner, Jason, contacts her and he definitely wants his dog back.  Jason is on a music tour in Australia and so the two decide that Sloan will keep Tucker until his return.  A long distance romance starts to develop between them.

When Jason returns, they quickly develop a relationship.  However, is Sloan ready to give her heart to another after losing her fiancé?  With Jason’s music career taking off, will they be able to stick together while he is on tour?

This was a fun, flirty romance with lots of heart.  A great escape during quarantine.  This is a standalone romance, but you may want to read about Sloan’s friend, Kristen, first in, The Friend Zone. 

Find the eBook of The Happy Ever After Playlist on Overdrive/Libby and The Friend Zone on Overdrive/Libby.

The Moon Within

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The Moon Within by Aida Salazar
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Celi Rivera has many questions. What should she do about these new feelings she has for her classmate Iván? How should she best support her closest friend as they experiment with their gender expression? And will her mother really insist on throwing her a traditional moon ceremony when Celi’s first period arrives? This lyrical novel in verse does a fantastic job of portraying that lifechanging and magical, yet incredibly awkward, prepubescent time in one’s life when it feels like there are more questions than answers. Like its forebear, Judy Blume’s Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, this book would be an indisputably beneficial and relatable read for any person who has ever had questions about growing up.
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