For Readers: Blog

Judge a book by its cover

Next time you’re browsing the shelves for a new book, don’t overthink it! If there’s a cover that catches your eye, give it a try. Here are a few great recent releases that had cover art we couldn’t resist.

Nathan Harris follows up his Oprah Book Club debut, The Sweetness of Water, with another post-Civil War story: Amity. Siblings June and Coleman are no longer enslaved, but find their fortunes still tied to their old master and his family, the Harpers. When June is taken out west by Mr. Harper, Coleman heads to Mexico to try to recover his sister and free her from Harper’s grip. With equally strong plotting and characters, this is a captivating story about what family and freedom truly mean. [e-book | print | audiobook]

The Sunflower Boys by Sam Wachman is a moving coming-of-age-story set in Ukraine. Twelve-year-old Artem has a fairly normal life with his younger brother on their grandfather’s farm, though their father has been abroad for years and Artem is grappling with feelings for his male friend. His childhood is shattered when war suddenly erupts, and Artem must keep his brother alive and reunite with his family, making for a timely story about loss, resilience, and sexuality. [e-book | print | audiobook]

In J. R. Dawson’s emotional The Lighthouse at the Edge of the World, Chicago is home to a lighthouse that serves as a waystation for those headed to the afterlife, where Nera’s father ferries souls across the lake. Unfortunately, the lighthouse’s power is fading, ghosts are appearing across the city, and somehow a living person has made it to the waystation. Nera joins forces with the stranger to smooth things over for the living and dead, finding solace in each other along the way. [e-book | print]

Readers who like realistic but flawed characters and complicated relationships should try Aisha Muharrar’s debut Loved One. Jumping back and forth in time, this witty examination of grief, love, and friendships follows two women processing the unexpected death of their apparently shared ex, looking back at their relationships, and declaring a truce to try to recover his prized possessions. [e-book | print | audiobook | large type]

Life, and Death, and Giants by Ron Rindo is a stirring small-town story about an unusual boy born into an Amish community in Wisconsin. Raised by his strict grandparents, Gabriel proves to be a gifted child, both in skill and his remarkable height. As he grows into a standout athlete, opportunities to play sports draw Gabriel beyond his close-knit community into the greater world. Readers will be rooting for this likeable and kind main character. [e-book | print | audiobook | large type]

Dinner With King Tut by Sam Kean gives readers a front-row seat to the fascinating adventures of experimental archeologists as they try to recreate what life was like for our distant ancestors. From brewing ancient Egyptian beer to creating and testing prehistoric beds to giving historic tattoo techniques a try, these bold scientists put their all into immersing themselves into everyday history. Ranging from delightful to dangerous, these enlightening experiments offer valuable and entertaining insight into the past. [e-book | print | audiobook]

⏤Laura