For Readers: Blog

Leap year reads

It’s a leap year, so you know what that means: one more day to spend reading! Try one of these reads with time-related storylines to get you in the mood for your bonus day. 

Western meets mystery meets science fiction in Lee Goldberg’s Calico, a gripping read about a detective banished to the desert. Booted from the LAPD, Beth McDade ends up investigating two seemingly unrelated cases for the sheriff’s office in an old mining town. What should be straightforward cases have confusing ties to the town’s 1800s history, leading to a mind-bending journey to discover the truth. You’ll be rooting for the flawed but relatable detective to figure out this time-twisty crime. [e-book | print]

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a witty and offbeat romance about what happens when love walks into your life—or rather, when you walk into the subway car where your love is stuck in a time loop. August just wants a stable, normal life in New York, but instead she finds Jane,  a charming punk rocker stuck in time from the 1970s. August decides to find a way to free Jane, finding her place in the world along the way. [e-book | print | audiobook]

Half Life by Jillian Cantor is a thought-provoking story about how a single moment can change a life’s trajectory. This dual-timeline story follows the astonishing accomplishments of Marie Curie, while also reimagining how her life could have looked if she stayed in Poland and married her first love instead of embarking on her scientific career. Cantor has created an engaging and descriptive tale of the wildly different paths in store for an independent woman at the turn of the twentieth century. [e-book | print]

For a somewhat odd but completely compelling family saga, try Time's Mouth by Edan Lepucki. It all starts with a teenager who has the gift—or curse—to travel back to earlier moments in her life. As Ursa runs away from her family, she sets into motion a lyrical multigenerational tale about tumultuous family relationships, intergenerational trauma, and even cults, all set amongst the vividly depicted backdrop of mid-twentieth century California. [e-book | print]

Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister is a twisted take on Groundhog Day. After witnessing her teenage son stab someone, Jen goes to bed devastated and wakes up to find she’s reliving the day of the murder. Each day, she wakes up further back in time, desperately searching for the moment that set her son on the track to cold-blooded murder. Even if she can pinpoint the life-changing trigger, is she powerless to stop fate from unfolding? [e-book | print]

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi takes place in a magical coffee shop, where a specific chair has the power to transport you through time. In this moving read, four visitors take turns in this time-traveling seat to revisit their past. For as long as it takes for their cup of coffee to cool, they reconnect with lost loved ones and right old wrongs. Though it deals with grief, heartbreak, and regret, this is ultimately a warm and uplifting tale. [e-book | print]

⏤Laura