Top Library Recommended Titles for November

LibraryReads, the nationwide library staff-picks list, offers the top 10 November titles public library staff across the country love:

Favorite
Artemis: A Novel by Andy Weir (Crown, $27, 9780553448122). "Weir's second book does not disappoint! The setting is Artemis, a city on the moon where a young woman named Jazz is a smuggler and a courier trying to eke out a living. Adventure unfolds as Jazz is asked to do a different sort of job by her millionaire employer. He asks her to sabotage the mining operation that provides the city's entire oxygen requirements. She works out a plan, but several calamities befall and all is not what it seems. Jazz must risk her life to save the city that is her home. A fast paced adventure from start to nail-biting finish!" --Cynde Suite, Bartow County Library, Cartersville, Ga.

The City of Brass: A Novel by S.A. Chakraborty (Harper Voyager, $25.99, 9780062678102). "A wonderful fantasy debut set in an 18th century Cairo and featuring a young woman, Nahri, who has no relatives and who lives by her wits as a con artist. Her odd supernatural healing talents and ability to understand and speak languages come in handy as she struggles to survive day by day while trying to save up money for medical training. Unfortunately, during one job, she accidentally calls up inimical ifrits and a wily, handsome djinn that turn her life upside down. Action packed, with interesting folklore and an evocative setting." --Ann-Marie Anderson, Tigard Public Library, Tigard, Ore.

The Story of Arthur Truluv: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg (Random House, $26, 9781400069903). "Arthur meets Maddy when he's visiting his dead wife in the cemetery; he eats lunch there every day. Maddy is a high school senior who's got a hopeless crush on a jerk. Warm-hearted Arthur reaches out to Maddy in a totally open way, as Maddy's parents seem uninvolved at best. The Story of Arthur Truluv is one of those rare coming-of-age novels that is just as much about the end of life as it is about growing up." --Michelle Beckes, Tulsa City County Library, Tulsa, Okla.

The Library at the Edge of the World: A Novel by Felicity Hayes-McCoy (Harper Perennial, $15.99, 9780062663726). "Much like a cup of tea and a cozy afghan, The Library at the Edge of the World is the perfect book to hunker down with. Prepare to be transported to coastal Ireland with Hannah Casey as she moves back to her hometown after a wrenching divorce and becomes the local librarian. Hannah's daily challenges include dealing with an abrasive mother, an infuriating building contractor, and noise in the library. A series of events leads Hannah to help rally the community to come together, changing the town, the library, and Hannah. Hayes-McCoy does a fine job capturing the characters and the setting. I look forward to reading more in this series." --Elizabeth Angelastro, Manilus Library, Manilus, N.Y.

Someone to Wed by Mary Balogh (Berkley, $7.99, 9780399586064). "Someone to Wed is the third in Balogh's Regency era Wescott series. Wren has lived her life hiding from society due to a prominent birthmark. Alexander inherits a title and a pile of debts. Wren and Alexander decide to embark on a marriage of convenience as a way to resolve their issues. This is a charming story of two people falling in love and finding their happily ever after, while resolving emotional issues along the way. A well written story with glimpses of characters from previous books in the series." --Shayera Tangri, Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, Calif.

The Midnight Line: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child (Delacorte Press, $28.99, 9780399593482). "Jack Reacher is an honorably discharged U.S. Army major who has a strong sense of justice. After the end of a romance, Reacher's response is to get on a bus and ride it to wherever it is going. At a rest stop along the way, he spots a small West Point class ring in the window of a pawnshop. His gut tells him the soldier who worked hard to achieve it wouldn't give it up easily. In search of answers, he discovers a drug ring, a disfigured woman, and a couple of murders in a desolate area of Wyoming. Like the other installments in the Reacher series, this is another page turner!" --Valerie Osborne, Bangor Public Library, Bangor, Me.

Future Home of the Living God: A Novel by Louise Erdrich (Harper, $28.99, 9780062694058). "Future Home of the Living God explores the possibility of evolution reversing and is told from the perspective of a pregnant woman who is writing a journal to her unborn child. Along the way we meet her adoptive parents, her birth mother, and she reports on society unraveling and detaining pregnant women. Erdrich provides compelling characters and a strong storyline about a near future in this piece of innovative dystopian fiction." --Ian Stade, Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis, Minn.

Heather, the Totality by Matthew Weiner (Little, Brown, $25, 9780316435314). "Mark and Karen start a seemingly charmed life that becomes even more so with the birth of their gifted daughter Heather. Things take an alarming turn when renovations begin in their building. They have always known how special their daughter is, but will Heather see that there is danger lurking outside the world they have created for her when others become captivated by her gifts? Weiner has an insight into human nature that most of us would rather not admit exists and he takes you down a dark road that you don't want to travel, but somehow can't turn back." --Selena Swink, Lake Public Library, Lake, Miss.

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser (Metropolitan Books, $35, 9781627792769). "This book, written by the editor of the Library of America edition of the Little House books, is a thoroughly researched biography of not only Laura Ingalls Wilder, but of her daughter, Rose. Using unpublished manuscripts, letters, financial records, and more, Fraser gives fresh insight into the life of a woman beloved to many. Intensively researched, this is definitely a fascinating read, and one that I plan on reading again--maybe the next time I re-read the Little House series." --Jennifer Ohzourk, St. Louis Public Library, St. Louis, Mo.

The Shadow District: A Thriller by Arnaldur Indridason (Minotaur, $25.99, 9781250124029). "Indridason introduces a new crime series featuring a retired detective. The Shadow District skillfully weaves two mysteries together. In present time, an elderly man's death, first thought to be due to natural causes, is later revealed as a murder. While unofficially investigating, Konrad discovers a link to a cold case involving the strangulation of a young woman and a surprising connection to Konrad's own childhood. With nicely tense pacing and a vivid portrayal of life in modern and wartime Iceland, fans of atmospheric investigations will undoubtedly welcome Indridason's latest offering." --Sharon Layburn, South Huntington Public Library, Huntington Station, N.Y.

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