What should we read?
Each month our book club rotates between general fiction, mystery, fantasy, and romance. Take a look at our upcoming candidates and vote on your favorites!
April
Genre: Mystery
The Villa by Rachel Hawkins
"From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense, set at an Italian villa with a dark history, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware."
Best friends Emily and Chess find themselves vacationing at Villa Aestas in Orvieto, but soon learn that those who stayed there in 1974 might have left clues to what really happened to the murdered musician. Perhaps Pierce’s murder wasn’t just a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong... maybe something more sinister was afoot
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
"A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties."
One morning, Vera finds a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn't know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she swipes the flash drive and tucks it safely into her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands.
What Happened to Ruthie Ramirez by Claire Jiménez
"A deeply powerful, raw debut novel that's 'equal measures hilarious and haunting' (Crystal Hana Kim), of a Puerto Rican family in Staten Island who discovers their long‑missing sister is potentially alive and cast on a reality TV show, and they set out to bring her home."
Three years after 13-year-old Ruthy disappears, the Ramirez sisters swear they see her on Catfight, a raunchy reality show. What follows is a family road trip and reckoning that will force the Ramirez women to finally face the past and look toward a future—with or without Ruthy in it.
May
Genre: Fantasy
Keeper of Enchanted Rooms by Charlie N. Holmberg
Writer Merritt Fernsby is surprised when he inherits a remote estate in the Narragansett Bay. Though the property has been uninhabited for more than a century, Merritt is ready to call it home—until he realizes he has no choice. With its doors slamming shut and locking behind him, Whimbrel House is not about to let Merritt leave. Ever.
Hulda Larkin of the Boston Institute for the Keeping of Enchanted Rooms has been trained in taming such structures. She understands the dangers of bespelled homes given to tantrums. She advises that it’s in Merritt’s best interest to make Whimbrel House their ally. To do that, she’ll need to move in, too.
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
"#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride."
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?
Stone Blind by Natalie Hayes
"A fresh take on the story of Medusa, the original monstered woman."
In Stone Blind, classicist and comedian Natalie Haynes turns our understanding of this legendary myth on its head, bringing empathy and nuance to one of the earliest stories in which a woman--injured by a powerful man--is blamed, punished, and monstered for the assault. Delving into the origins of this mythic tale, Haynes revitalizes and reconstructs Medusa's story with her passion and fierce wit, offering a timely retelling of this classic myth that speaks to us today.
June
Genre: Romance
Happy Place by Emily Henry
A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.
They vow to play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?
Friday I'm In Love by Camryn Garrett
Mahalia Harris wants a big Sweet Sixteen like her best friend Naomi.
She wants the super cute new girl Siobhan to like her back.
She wants a break from worrying--about money, snide remarks from white classmates, pitying looks from church ladies . . . all of it.
Then inspiration strikes: It's too late for a Sweet Sixteen, but what if she had a Coming Out Party? A singing, dancing, rainbow-cake-eating celebration of queerness on her own terms. This is a novel about finding yourself, falling in love, and celebrating what makes you you.
The Do-Over by Suzzane Park
Lily Lee is a bestselling author of the How to Be a Supernova At Work series, and her editor wants her to strike while the iron’s hot with a new book, How to Land the Perfect Job. But when Lily is offered a coveted position at a top firm, the employer background check reveals she’s short a few college credits and never actually completed her degree. Unbelievably, her worst nightmare has come true.
Lily returns to her alma mater, reliving her senior year of college ten years later. She enrolls in classes, gets invited to frat parties, eats most of her meals with “dining dollars,” and to make things even more weird and chaotic, she discovers that her computer science TA is her old college boyfriend, Jake Cho.