Middletown Thrall Library invites you to go... Beyond the Bestsellers - Discovering New and Interesting Authors - Spring 2022 Edition

More about BTB...

BTB is published quarterly.

Free printed copies of BTB are available at Middletown Thrall Library.

Check out our Booklovers Web Guide for sites especially helpful to readers: book clubs, reading groups, book discussions, reviews, reading advisories, publishers, bookstores, and more!

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Looking for something "good" to read? Or is there a book you really like and want to tell others about? Check out Thrall's own free RAVES! service for readers.


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Looking for suggestions? Stop by our Readers' Advisory Center by Reference or ask a librarian for recommendations on what you might like to read next.

Also check out our Random Reads and Random GREATS pages for random popular and awarded titles, authors, as well as topics you might find interesting.



Click here to view current bestseller lists and other award-winning books.


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  • Booklovers Web Guide - Websites, forthcoming titles, book reviews, reading advisories, and more! Also check out our blog and "Booklover's Lane" on our home page.
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Beyond the Bestsellers highlights new and notable authors not often found on bestseller lists. Discover new books and writers you might enjoy!

To learn more about a book and check on its availablity within the library system, please click or tap on its cover or title.

You can also click / tap an author's name to locate any additional titles by that writer in the library catalog.





General Fiction

  • When I’m Gone Look for Me in the East - Quan BarryWhen I’m Gone Look for Me in the East - Quan Barry - "Tasked with finding the reincarnation of a great lama-a spiritual teacher who may have been born anywhere in the vast Mongolian landscape-the young monk Chuluun sets out with his identical twin, Mun, who has rejected the monastic life they once shared. Their relationship will be tested on this journey through their homeland as each possesses the ability to hear the other's thoughts."
  • Heartbroke - Chelsea BiekerHeartbroke - Chelsea Bieker - "United by the stark and sprawling landscapes of California's Central Valley... A woman steals a baby from a shelter in an attempt to recoup her own lost motherhood. A phone-sex operator sees divine opportunity when a lavender-eyed cowboy walks into her life. A mother and a son selling dream catchers along a highway that leads to a toxic beach manifest two young documentary filmmakers into their realm. And two teenage girls play a dangerous online game with destiny."
  • What the Fireflies Knew - Kai HarrisWhat the Fireflies Knew - Kai Harris - "...follows KB after her father dies of an overdose and the debts incurred from his addiction cause the loss of the family home in Detroit. Soon thereafter, KB and her teenage sister, Nia, are sent by their overwhelmed mother to live with their estranged grandfather in Lansing, Michigan. Over the course of a single sweltering summer, KB attempts to navigate a world that has turned upside down."
  • The Wonders - Elena MedelThe Wonders - Elena Medel - "Maria moved to the city in 1969, leaving her daughter with her family but hoping to save enough to take care of her one day. Two generations later, in 2018, Alicia was working at the snack shop in Madrid's Atocha train station when it overflowed with protestors and strikers. All women-and so many of them-protesting what? ...[The Wonders] follows Maria and Alicia through the streets of Madrid, from job to job and apartment to apartment, as they search for meaning and stability in a precarious world and unknowingly trace each other's footfalls across time."

Other titles to consider:





Historical Fiction

  • Black Cloud Rising - David Wright FaladeBlack Cloud Rising - David Wright Falade - "By fall of 1863, Union forces had taken control of Tidewater Virginia, and established a toehold in eastern North Carolina, including along the Outer Banks. Thousands of freed slaves and runaways flooded the Union lines, but Confederate irregulars still roamed the region. In December, the newly formed African Brigade, a unit of these former slaves led by General Edward Augustus Wild-a one-armed, impassioned Abolitionist-set out from Portsmouth to hunt down the rebel guerillas and extinguish the threat."

Another title to consider:





Mysteries

  • The Violin Conspiracy - Brendan N. SlocumbThe Violin Conspiracy - Brendan N. Slocumb - "Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian's life is already mapped out. If he's lucky, he'll get a job at the hospital cafeteria. If he's extra lucky, he'll earn more than minimum wage. But Ray has a gift and a dream-he's determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. ...When he discovers that his great-great-grandfather's beat-up old fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach. Together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition...the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Ray will have to piece together the clues to recover his treasured Strad - before it's too late."

Other titles to consider:





Romance

  • Asking for a Friend - Andi OshoAsking for a Friend - Andi Osho - "Forty-something Jemima's life is on track - well, sort of, she just need to bat her ex away for good. Twenty-something Meagan is in the midst of her five-phase plan and is nearly ready for phase three: a relationship. While thirty-something Simi has had more it's not yous than any I dos. These best friends decide it's time to ditch the dating apps and play the love game by their own rules. They're going to ask people out in real life…but only for each other. What could possibly go wrong?"

Other titles to consider:





Sci-Fi / Fantasy

  • Our Lady of Mysterious Ailments - T. L. HuchuOur Lady of Mysterious Ailments - T. L. Huchu - "When Ropa Moyo discovered an occult underground library, she expected great things. She's really into Edinburgh's secret societies - but turns out they are less into her. So instead of getting paid to work magic, she's had to accept a crummy unpaid internship. ...Then her friend Priya offers her a job on the side. Priya works at Our Lady of Mysterious Maladies, a very specialized hospital, where a new illness is resisting magical and medical remedies alike. ...If Ropa can solve the case, she might earn as she learns - and impress her mentor, Sir Callander. Her sleuthing will lead her to a lost fortune, an avenging spirit and a secret buried deep in Scotland's past. But how are they connected? Lives are at stake and Ropa is running out of time."

Another title to consider:





Thrillers

  • Reptile Memoirs - Silje UlsteinReptile Memoirs - Silje Ulstein - "Liv has a lot of secrets. She becomes obsessed with the idea of buying a snake as a pet. Soon Nero, the baby Burmese python, becomes the apartment's fourth roommate. As Liv bonds with Nero, she feels extremely protective, like a caring mother, and she is struck by a desire that surprises her with its intensity. Finally, she is safe. Thirteen years later…Mariam Lind goes on a shopping trip with her eleven-year-old daughter, Iben, who angers her mother by asking for a magazine one too many times. Mariam storms off, leaving Iben in the shop… When she returns home in the evening, her husband is relieved to see her but terrified that Iben isn't also there. Detective Roe Olsvik is assigned to the case of Iben's disappearance; he has just turned sixty and is new to the Kristiansund police department. As he interrogates Mariam, he instantly suspects her-but there is much more to this case and these characters than their outer appearances would suggest."

Other titles to consider:










Beyond the Bestsellers
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