On Thursday evenings at 7pm, the Adult Service Librarians host Book Chat. It’s an informal virtual gathering to talk about books with other readers. All genres are covered, and here are some of the authors or titles that were discussed this week. The links connect to the eLibraryNJ holding of the title, and you will have to sign into your account (or create one) in order to borrow the book. Some are audiobooks, and some have wait lists. If you don’t want to get put on a wait list, there may be books by the same author that you can try.
Hoopla may also have copies of some of these titles, but those links can’t be shared. Learn more about Piscataway Public Library’s ebook offerings here. Please reach out to us via email or Chat Reference from the Library homepage if you need help accessing eLibraryNJ. Email us as well if you would like a link to next week’s remote meeting.
Louise Penny, author: Penny writes mysteries set in Canada featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. She has been praised for developing great characters in this series. You may want to read them in order to follow some minor plot lines.
Djinn Patrol and the Purple Line, by Deepa Anappara: Drawing on real incidents and a series of disappearances in metropolitan India, this is the story of three young friends scouring the dangerous corners of the city to find their missing classmate.
Apeirogon, by Colum McCann: One of them is Israeli and one of them is Palestinian, but the main characters come together after each loses a daughter in the conflicts. This rich novel follows two men through a life of turmoil and efforts to find peace.
A Woman is No Man, by Etaf Rum: The story of a daughter’s discovery of the truth behind family secrets, this debut has received strong praise. The main character, Deya, is an 18-year old Arab living in Brooklyn.
The Most Fun We Ever Had, by Claire Lombardo: At over 500 pages, this book is an investment. It is a worthy investment of time, though, as it follows one family through decades of love, loss, conflicts and resolutions.
Girl Waits with Gun, by Amy Stewart: Set here in NJ and researched in several NJ Libraries, this book is the first of the Kopp Sisters series. It is based on the true story of one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs, in the early decades of the Twentieth Century.
The Boston Girl, Anita Diamant: Another book set in the early Twentieth Century, but this time in Boston, Diamant introduces readers to Addie Baum. Addie is born in 1900 and the story follows her coming of age in parallel to many changes in American society and politics during her lifetime.
Patricia Briggs, author: If you are a fan of urban fantasy and stories about supernatural shapeshifters, check out books by Briggs. She has two main series, Alpha & Omega and Mercy Thompson. Briggs is highly rated on Goodreads.
Golden in Death, JD Robb: Nora Roberts writes mysteries under this alter-ego. If you like a long series, this book is number fifty in this futuristic suspense series featuring detective Eve Dallas.
Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson: If you prefer nonfiction, Pulitzer Prize-winning Wilkerson writes of the migration of black Americans from the South to the North and West. Wilkerson’s book is praised for the breadth of its narrative, the beauty of the writing, the depth of its research.
The Widow Cliquot, by Tilar J. Mazzeo: This history tells of the Champagne empires in France and the women who saved it during the great wars.