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!
Skye’s Picks
House of Salt And Sorrows
Annaliegh and her ELEVEN sisters have grown up in their small town with the entirety of its residents believing the family is cursed! Why? Four deaths in only a short number of years and now the sisters are down to seven. Her older sisters tragically passing so quickly, along with their mother, the girls are in an environment of constant mourning. With death at their door and their stepmother’s announcement of a baby on the way, the house is in an uproar between death and new life. Tired of wasting away and listening to their bubbly stepmother, they discover a door to magical balls each night. When that begins to overcome their daily lives, Annaliegh still has too many unanswered questions and not enough answers. What is really going on in the House of Salt and Sorrows?
Tina’s Picks
The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan
This ambitious and sweeping debut novel explores the fallout of a Malayan woman’s decision to become a spy for the Japanese forces in WWII, unwittingly helping to usher in a brutal occupation with devastating costs for her family. This is a historical perspective we so rarely get to read about—compelling!
Notes from the Porch: Tiny True Stories to Make You Feel Better about the World by Thomas Greene
What a beautiful, comforting book of short essays that make you appreciate the good things in your life. If you want the perfect, feel-good book to give someone, this is it.
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Several times I was told by fellow booklovers that “I had to read this book!”. I’m so happy I did. What a fantastic story this is based on true events. The narrative is interspersed with copies of telegrams and news clippings that actually were posted and the story is built around the Great Depression, the Hurricane of 1938 and the love between humans and animals, in this case, two giraffes. Behind these telegrams and the news clippings, however, is the intriguing story of a young orphan who befriends two giraffes that survived the ocean voyage during the hurricane, ultimately winning over the heart of the man who oversees getting them to the San Diego Zoo from the east coast. The novel is expansive with its descriptions of human nature at its best and at its worst. Truly an amazing story based on an event that captured the nation’s attention as we approached WWII from the depths of disaster of the Depression.
Em’s Pick
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
With all of the recent popularity of James McBride’s ‘The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store’ – I wanted to read some of McBride’s older works. And WOW, ‘Deacon King Kong’ may have been the one to take me out of my “non-fiction era.” Such a captivating storyline and the characters in this book are so complex and well-developed. I had a hard time putting this one down! Would definitely recommend ‘Deacon King Kong’ for those looking to read a novel with lots of twists and turns; each chapter feels like a puzzle piece falling into place.
Wendy’s Picks
The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel
A widow and her sharp-witted teenage daughters cope with the tragic death of their husband/father, while living a nomadic, globe-trotting life. The mother doggedly pursues her career as a paleobiologist, working on the de-extinction of the wooly mammoth! This big hearted, funny and touching book speaks to sexism/patriarchy, personal choices, bioethics, and the familial ties that bind. This is a winner.
Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
As a big Fan of WKK’s stand-alone novels (This Tender Land, Ordinary Grace), I was interested to check out his acclaimed mystery series.This first installment introduces us to the flawed, complex, but likable protagonist, Cork O’Connor. Cork is struggling on a number of levels: he is grieving the loss of a close friend and mentor, his marriage is on the rocks, and he’s trying to redefine his role in this small town now that he is the “former sherriff.” In the midst of all this, the local judge is found dead under suspicious circumstances and a young boy goes missing. Cork uncovers some nasty secrets in the process of his unofficial investigations. A well-paced mystery with interesting characters. I’m in for this series!
