FCPL collections staff are looking forward to an enticing list of new titles arriving this spring.
By the FCPL New Book Nerds (a.k.a. the Technical Operations Team)
March
Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-deceiving Brain by Shankar Vedantam (Nonfiction)
Host of NPR's “Hidden Brain” Vedantam argues that, paradoxically, deceiving ourselves and others can also play a vital role in human success and well-being.
A Shot in the Arm by Don Brown (Children’s Nonfiction)
A graphic novel history of vaccinations, from smallpox to COVID-19, from multi-award-winning author Brown.
Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas (Teen Fiction)
Thomas’s Cemetery Boys released in 2020 received great acclaim. His new novel, a spin on Peter Pan, is expected to be just as engaging and well received.
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo (Teen Science Fiction)
The latest in the popular novels of the Grishaverse (the setting of the upcoming Netflix adaptation of Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series, which has wrapped filming and is scheduled for release this year).
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Fiction)
Ishiguro’s first novel since being awarded the Nobel prize in 2017, this thrilling book offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator and explores the fundamental question: What does it mean to love?
The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Fiction)
The long-awaited new novel from one of America's most highly-regarded contemporary writers, The Committed follows the unnamed Sympathizer as he arrives in Paris in the early 1980s with his blood brother Bon. The pair try to overcome their pasts and ensure their futures by engaging in capitalism in one of its purest forms: drug dealing.
April
Did I Say That Out Loud? by Kristin van Ogtrop (Nonfiction)
A hilarious and deeply insightful take on the indignities of middle age and how to weather them with grace — from the former editor-in-chief of Real Simple.
Broken (in the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson (Biography)
Lawson, a humorist known for her great candor in sharing her struggle with mental illness (Furiously Happy), explores her experimental treatment of transcranial magnetic stimulation with brutal honesty and humor.
Merci Suarez Can’t Dance by Meg Medina (Children’s Fiction)
Sequel to the Newbery Award winner Merci Suarez Changes Gears.
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams (Fiction)
Inspired by actual events, Williams delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story set during the height of the women's suffrage movement and with the Great War looming.
The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas (Fiction)
This book is about finding one's way into a future that wasn't the future one planned, and the ways that fate intercedes when we least expect it.
Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri (Fiction)
Lahiri's first novel since 2013's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Lowland tells the story of a woman who wavers between stasis and movement, between the need to belong and the refusal to form lasting ties.
Malice by Heather Walter (Fantasy)
The villain takes center stage in Walter's superlative debut, a refreshing spin on Sleeping Beauty.
May
How We Can Win: Race, History and Changing the Money Game That’s Rigged by Kimberly Jones (Nonfiction)
A breakdown of the economic and social injustices facing Black people and other marginalized citizens inspired by author (I’m Not Dying With You Tonight) and activist Kimberly Jones’ viral video “How can we win?”
We All Play by Julie Flett (Picture Book)
This wonderful book celebrates diversity and the interconnectedness of nature through an Indigenous perspective, complete with a glossary of Cree words for wild animals (author/artist Flett is Cree-Métis).
Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater (Teen Fantasy)
Printz Award-winning author Stiefvater is sure to deliver with her second book in the Dreamer Trilogy and follow-up to Call Down the Hawk.
June
The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore (Nonfiction)
From the author of Radium Girls comes the true story of Elizabeth Packard, who was committed to an insane asylum by her husband in 1860. She spent years fighting to free herself and other sane inmates — and effected lasting change.
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict (Fiction)
The story of an extraordinary woman, hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books and artwork for his newly-built Pierpont Morgan Library, and the lengths to which she must go to protect a secret.
Plus, Romance genre lovers should be on the lookout for books from authors Beverly Jenkins, Rosie Danan, Jeaniene Frost, Kate Clayborn, J.R. Ward, Tessa Dare, Amanda Quick, Alisha Rai, Talia Hibbert, LaQuette, Helen Hoang and Sarah MacLean.
Connect with the Technical Operations Team and FCPL’s My Perfect Read advisors online for more recommendations and personalized suggestions.