For Readers: Blog

Reading that beats the springtime view out your window

Whether walking your neighborhood or gazing out your window, the views right now are irresistible and getting greener by the day. Which got us thinking about the delightfully green covers of several standout books. 

Despite the old saying, you really can tell a lot about a book by its cover. And that's by design: Publishers use the cover to draw readers in. These gorgeous green covers may well catch your eye and get you reading, but the writing will keep you captivated. Whatever your go-to genre, we’ve got a "green" read for you!

The Paris Hours by Alex George is a literary trip through a single day in 1927 Paris. A former maid, a journalist, a refugee, and an artist: four seemingly normal residents, weighed down by their pasts and personal losses, go about their day before their surprising connection is revealed. You’ll be swept along by these complex and vivid characters, especially if you tune into the audiobook version to really experience all four standout voices. [e-book | print | audiobook]

In The Perfect Guests, Emma Rous weaves a twisty story of family secrets centered around a crumbling manor house. A struggling actress is hired to play a character at a murder mystery weekend at the manor, but what is supposed to be a game seems startlingly real. Meanwhile, readers also get a glimpse of an orphaned teenager, drawn into another dangerous game thirty years ago at the manor. Twists unfold left and right in both timelines in this Gothic murder mystery. [e-book | print | audiobook]

The interconnected stories of Pitchaya Sudbanthad’s Bangkok Wakes to Rain span eras and a range of emotions. Some stories feature recurring characters while others follow nameless figures through the streets. All paint an authentic and distinctive picture of Bangkok through the ages. Sudbanthad’s lyrical writing and unique cast of characters make for a challenging but rewarding read. [e-book | print | audiobook]

Fans of quirky family dramas will fall in love with the Gogarty family and their shenanigans in Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman. All three generations of the feisty Irish family bring their own dysfunction to the table, from the shoplifting matriarch to the sullen teen. Despite the ups and downs they all face, this is a charming light read laced through with humorous moments. [e-book | print]

A haunted house story never gets old, and Riley Sager brings new life to the classic trope in Home Before Dark. Inheriting an old house should be a dream come true for interior designer and home flipper Maggie. Unfortunately, it’s the allegedly haunted house that propelled her father to fame after he wrote a memoir about the family's brief and traumatic time there during Maggie’s childhood. Determined to separate fact from fiction and fill in the gaps in her memory, Maggie returns to the house and moves ahead with renovations, no matter the cost. [e-book | print]

Heartbreaking yet inspiring, The Book Collectors by Delphine Minoui chronicles the true story of peaceful rebels who saved countless books from destruction and made a secret library during the Syrian Civil War. Amidst bombings and devastation, young survivors of the bloodshed collected and repaired books they found in the rubble. Moved by their efforts, journalist Minoui documents the story of these quiet heroes and the sanctuary they created for anyone looking to hope for a better future. [e-book | print]

—Laura