February Recommendations

All the books listed here are available at the library. Stop in, give us a call, or use the online catalog to place a hold and check one out. All book descriptions are provided by the publisher on the back of the book, on Goodreads, or through the library catalog.

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with different romance genres! Contemporary, historical, and fantasy romance compiled here:

Contemporary:

Rom-Commers by Katherine Center
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava
Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan
Better than Revenge by Kasie West

Rom-Commers by Katherine Center: Emma Wheeler has finally caught her big break, screenwriting with The Charlie Yates, her writing idol. Leaving her sister in charge of her father’s caretaking duties, she moves to LA for six weeks for the writing gig of a lifetime, rewriting Charlie’s terrible rom-com screenplay. She is determined to convince him that love stories matter, and real life might turn out to be more romantic than fiction. Available on Boundless (audio/e-book) and Libby (audio/e-book)

Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava: After thirty-seven rejections, Ember decides that no one wants Native American Ember and answers the ethnicity question on her next application with “half-lie.” After getting the job, and beginning a secret relationship with Danuwoa the IT guy, her lies begin to snowball. Available on Boundless (audio/e-book) and Libby (e-book)

Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan: Yasmen and Josiah had a love that was supposed to last forever. When life delivered a devastating blow, they realized that wasn’t the case. Years later, Yasmen is finding joy again and has a rhythm co-parenting and running a business with Josiah. But like magnets, they are always drawn to each other. They’re beginning to wonder if they could be even better the second time around. Available on Boundless (audio/e-book) and Libby (e-book)

Better Than Revenge by Kasie West: After her football-obsessed ex-boyfriend, Jensen, steals her idea and lands her dream spot on the school podcast team, Finley feels betrayed. She recruits Jensen’s nemesis Theo to help her find revenge and take his spot on the football team. Soon, the two discover their connection runs deeper than football.

Historical:

Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton
Queen Bee by Amalie Howard
A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin
Bombshell by Sarah MacLean

Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love by India Holton: Rival ornithologists Beth and Devon are forced to team up to capture the rare caladrius bird and win the prestigious Birder of the Year competition. Beth is determined to resist Devon’s roguish charm, while Devon can’t help but fall for Beth’s brilliance and bravery. But as danger and deception arise in their hunt, keeping their distance becomes impossible. Available on Boundless (e-book).

Queen Bee by Amalie Howard: Three years after her best friend betrayed her and her reputation was ruined, Ela is ready for revenge. She decides to disguise herself and infiltrate London’s elite, accidentally reuniting with the only boy she’s ever loved. Ela must choose between love and vengeance in this young adult Regency-era romp. Available on Boundless (e-book).

Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin: Katie Talbot has twelve weeks to save her family from ruin. Known for never backing down from a challenge, she decides she must find a wealthy husband and prepares to join the London season. Worldly Lord Radcliffe soon figures out her plan and vows to stop it at all costs, until his relationship with Katie takes a turn. Available on Boundless (audio/e-book)

Bombshell by Sarah MacLean: Used to being in the middle of scandals, no one thinks twice about Sesily Talbot when she lures a gentleman into the gardens beyond the Mayfair ballroom. No one but Caleb Cahoun who has spent years trying not to notice his best friend’s sister. Someone needs to keep Sesily from tumbling into trouble during her dangerous escapades, and Caleb is beginning to realize he might not want to forget about her. Available on Boundless (e-book) and Hoopla (audio/e-book).

Fantasy:

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson
Bewitched by Laura Thalassa

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson: Looking for answers, Keyanna travels to Scotland to dig into her late father’s secretive past. After repeating her father’s mistakes, Key ends up being saved by Lachlan who has his own secrets to keep. As Key begins developing strange powers it becomes clear that Lachlan might have answers to her biggest questions. Available on Boundless (audio/e-book) and Libby (e-book)

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross: In this young adult enemies-to-lovers novel, Iris and Roman are rival journalists who find a magical connection through their writing. As they continue to grow closer, they have to face the depths of hell and a war among gods together. Available on Boundless (audio/e-book), Libby (audio/e-book), and Hoopla (audio).

Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson: Tress has always lived on her island home in the emerald sea, washing windows and collecting cups from sailors traveling to faraway lands. When her only friend Charlie goes missing, she decides she’s going to start an adventure of her own to get him back. Available on Boundless (audio/e-book), Libby (e-book), and Hoopla (audio/e-book/dramatized)

Bewitched by Laura Thalassa: As Selene attempts to awaken her magic to be accepted into Henbane Coven, she encounters a supernatural force that begins devouring her memories. She soon discovers she has awakened an ancient evil, Memnon the Cursed. She begins her studies at Henbane, only to become entangled in a dangerous plot, making her rely on Memnon for answers.

Books featuring black authors, characters, and stories, for Black History Month.

A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib
Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper
The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Vibration Cooking by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib: A reflection of the connections between Black performance and American culture highlighting the layers of politics, love, grief, and history. Taking a look at large and small performances, Abdurraqib writes a lyrical series of essays. Available on Boundless (e-book)

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper: Too often, Black women’s anger is caricatured into something ugly and destructive. Cooper shows us there is more to it than that, and eloquent rage is often what makes black women so powerful. Cooper argues that feminism, friendship, and faith in one’s own superpowers are all we really need to become heroes. Available on Boundless (e-book) and Hoopla (audio).

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray: When Althea is arrested along with her husband, her family goes from one of the most respected in town to utter disgrace. As Althea awaits her fate, her two younger sisters have to come together to care for their sister’s teenage daughters.

Barracoon: the Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston: Written with compassion and honesty, Zora illustrates the tragedy of slavery and the legacy the Atlantic slave trade left that continues to haunt us all. This powerful book explores Zora’s interview and time spent with Cudjo Lewis, the only person alive to tell the story of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves. Available on Boundless for adults (audio) and young readers (audio/e-book), Libby (e-book), and Hoopla for adults (audio/e-book) and young readers (audio/e-book).

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones: Embodying the American Dream and settling into the newlywed life, Celestial and Roy find themselves ripped apart by unimaginable circumstances. This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. Available on Boundless (audio/e-book), Libby (audio/e-book), and Hoopla (e-book).

Vibration Cooking or the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor: At the age of nineteen, Vertamae began traveling and discovered foods and cultures from all over the world. This cookbook/memoir is focused on its message of food as a source of pride and validation of black womanhood and black “consciousness raising.” Available on Hoopla (e-book).

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson: In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever? Available on Boundless (audio/e-book), Libby (e-book), and Hoopla (audio/e-book).

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams: Fiction. Queenie is a Jamaican British woman living in London, not quite fitting into either culture. While working at a national newspaper, she is constantly comparing herself to her middle class coworkers. In a series of questionable decisions, she begins wondering who she is and what she’s doing. Available on Boundless (e-book)