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A year after Nan's best friends Luce, Edie, and Jane disappeared, the town of Saltcedar is still mourning. So is Nan-- or so it seems to everyone else. Saltcedar holds a memorial for the girls at the river to commemorate the anniversary of their disappearance, and during it, a body of one of the girls is found.

A body that is alive, not dead.

Nan should be relieved that one of her besties is still alive. But she's not, because Luce should be dead, and Nan knows this because she is the one who killed them all.

I have been on a bit of a Geraldine Brooks kick lately. Having recently read Horse, I decided to immerse myself in an earlier novel of hers, Caleb’s Crossing (2011).

I really enjoyed The Wandering Season (2025) by Aimie K. Runyan for its blend of magical realism, historical elements, and vivid descriptions of food. Veronica Stratton, a specialty food broker, goes home to visit her family for Christmas and when her sister gives everyone DNA test kits, Veronica receives confirmation of what she has long suspected: she was adopted as an infant.

The Sisters Brothers (2011) by Patrick deWitt is a dip into Westerns that I wasn't expecting to take.

After getting rejected from Harvard and every other Ivy League she applied to, Jenna is tired of being herself. Her cousin, Jessica Chen, seemingly has it all-- including the grades to get accepted into Harvard. After a family dinner leaves her feeling humiliated and not enough for her family, Jenna makes a wish on a shooting star: she wishes that she could be her cousin, Jessica. She doesn't expect to actually wake up as Jessica Chen, with everyone forgetting who Jenna Chen even is-- with the exception of her childhood friend/the boy who broke her heart, Aaron Cai.

Saving Sophie by Ronald H. Balson is a complex and captivating suspense thriller with great characterizations. It is filled with rich historical details and insights into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It takes you on a journey from Chicago to Hawaii to Israel, as Jack Sommers goes to any lengths to rescue his kidnapped daughter.

Did you know New York Times best-selling author, Shelby Van Pelt, wrote part of her book Remarkably Bright Creatures at Wheaton Public Library? Watch Shelby present on her journey as an author at our 2025 Local Author Fest!

The Australian author Geraldine Brooks is known for her sweeping historical novels. A meticulous researcher, she infuses her characters, settings, and plots with a wealth of detail and insight. She typically picks subject matter that has yet to be explored by other novelists, which makes her work interesting and enlightening too.

A Far Better Thing (2025) is a darkly whimsical retelling of A Tale of Two Cities, in which the main characters are 'Mortal Servants of the Faerie Realm', stolen as babies, and their changelings, the people who took their place, their names and their lives.

Emma Donoghue’s latest work of historical fiction, The Paris Express (2025), takes place in 1895 during a single, doomed train ride in fin de siècle France. As the train prepares to depart from Normandy, a large cast of characters is introduced, including both railroad employees and passengers from all walks of life.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell (2018) by Robert Dugoni  is one of my favorite books. I became so attached to the characters that I didn’t want the book to end. The main character, and narrator, Sam Hill, was born in 1957 with a condition called ocular albinism, which made his pupils red. In school, he was ostracized and given the nickname “Devil Boy”.

If you're looking for a fun, fast-paced mystery with heart, humor, and a teapot full of charm, Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) (2025) by Jesse Q. Sutanto should be at the top of your reading list.