Every month we let you know what we’ve been reading and our monthly recommendations. You’ll get to see new titles with fabulous reviews from the Bay Books team. We’re sure you’ll love these fantastic books just as much as we do. We recommend a wide range of genres and themes. So get ready to explore more books!
Tina’s Picks
Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse
This may be the first historical fantastical I’ve ever picked up to read but I’m so glad I did. The title hooked me immediately! Set in a fictional Colorado mining town in the 1880’s, what is being mined, or rather, ‘harvested’, are the remains of a dead angel. Rebecca Roanhorse is finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, Lambda, and Locus awards, based on her book “Black Sun”. You don’t have to read “Black Sun” to enjoy this but if you’re a “I gotta read this in order” kind of booklover, pick it up also!
This ticks all the boxes for me: old, historic NYC museum, a scholar dedicating his life to uncovering the secrets of renaissance occult and astrology, a summer intern who is no stranger to death but a stranger to herself. She arrives at the MET for her internship but is told it has been cancelled. A knock on the window by a renaissance scholar and she has a job. Is it fate that brought her to this moment or chance? What happens when your introverted beliefs take you over and give you guidance and direction? I can’t wait for her next novel to come out.
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Everything that is said about this book is true—except that is should not be banned. It is not for every age but it is extremely informative and will nothing more than help to create understanding of many, many emotions and trials that trans people go through. Indeed, anyone questioning their body will learn from this and isn’t that everyone at some stage of their life? It is a graphic novel and some of the photos might be disconcerting to some but it is a novel meant to be discussed and not read in isolation for judgmental reasons or out of shame.
A surprise, indeed!
I had read that Colleen Hoover wrote in many genres, even though she had been cautioned against doing so early in her career but she responded, “If I want to, who’s to stop me if it’s what I like to do?” (or something like that) and I loved the attitude, so I read this novel of hers. It has the element of paranormal, suspension of belief, and weird love. I started it and finished it the same day and was a bit exhausted when I finished. Never saw the ending coming at all. I think Hoover made the right decision going her way.
Marshall’s Picks
Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano
Very fun suspense thriller about a struggling single mom and novelist who, while pitching a story to her agent, gets mistaken for a contract killer. As much as she needs the money, she attempts to turn down the job but the woman will not take no for an answer. While trying to find a way out of the situation, Finlay accidentally completes the assignment. Sort of. Somehow this all works its way into her next novel… and, of course, there’s a hunky policeman. Be warned, the last line will make you want to read the sequel immediately. (Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead)
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Considered by many to be one of the best books of 2022, Lessons in Chemistry is by turns funny and heartbreaking. Elizabeth Zott is a chemist who finds herself hosting a cooking show in the early 1960s. Applying her knowledge of chemistry to cooking, she becomes a cultural phenomena. Despite her fame, she is torn between a desire to return to research and bringing up her daughter as a single mom. Soon to be a streaming series on Apple TV.
The Corcoran “Cork” O’Connor Series by William Kent Krueger
This Edgar Award-Winning series begins with former sheriff Cork O’Connor struggling to get over the events that led to his leaving his position in Iron Lake. Set in Aurora, Minnesota near the Canadian border. Part Obijwe himself, Cork must navigate the constant friction between the reservation and the town. Meanwhile, his wife Jo works as the counsel for the tribe. You can begin the series with the first book… or, you can jump in with the prequel Lightning Strike which features Cork as a twelve-year-old paperboy.
