| By Gale Staff |
Life stories, seemingly day-to-day circumstances, and choices made – those issues are often at the core of readers’ favorite stories. How often we’ve all thought “there’s a book here” when we contemplate our own lives. This month we’re highlighting three titles that delve into the stories of individuals who have critical choices to make that will deliver long-lasting ramifications. Enjoy!
American Spy, by Lauren
Wilkinson
ISBN: 9781432867843
Inspired by true events, this thriller unravels Marie Mitchell’s complicated past as she contemplates her present and the consequences of her job with the FBI. A bright young woman relegated to processing paperwork, she’s delighted to become an intelligence officer on a shadowy task force. “Recruiting and running informants was about cultivating their trust,” Marie says. “To do that I found it worked best to lie frequently to them.” Serving as bait for a foreign revolutionary leader, Marie struggles between matters of her heart and her honor.
“This urgent and adventurous novel will delight fans of literary fiction and spy novels alike.”
– Publishers Weekly
“American Spyupdates the espionage thriller with blazing originality.”
– Entertainment Weekly
Cygnet, by Season Butler
ISBN: 9781432863630
Coming-of-age tales don’t get more curious than Cygnet. At seventeen-years-old, Kid’s parents have left her with Grandma Lolly; they’ve broken their promise to “return soon” and Lolly has since died. Kid is alone on tiny Swan Island, home to the “Wrinklies” – unfriendly seniors who have left the mainland to create an alternative community where only the elderly are welcome. Kid’s presence unnerves them and they want nothing more than her gone.
“Butler has created an appealingly rich world with quirky, flawed characters and a dramatic landscape …a potent and finely calibrated novel.”
– Publishers Weekly
“A unique debut from a promising writer.”
– Kirkus Reviews
Trust Exercise, by Susan Choi
ISBN: 9781432867058
David and Sarah are like countless others – high school teenagers madly, obsessively, in love. Their passion catches the attention of Mr. Kingsley, the acting teacher at their highly competitive performing arts school. Magnetic and manipulative, Kingsley protectively wraps his students in a bubble to encourage their pursuit of music, movement, and particularly, their acting classes. Two decades later, readers are privy to the dramatic spiral of events that led to dark consequences that have lasted a lifetime.
“Book groups, meet your next selection.”
– NPR
“Fiercely intelligent, impeccably written, and observed with searing insight, this novel is destined to be a classic.”
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Large print titles are available to purchase through Thorndike Press and through all major wholesalers.