Andrew Miller’s The Land in Winter

This is a powerful and quietly devastating historical novel that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize late last year. I was immediately intrigued when I read the description so requested it be added to our system. Thanks so much to Julie for purchasing it! I am so glad that she added it and that I had (and others will have) the chance to read it.

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Exploring Genres: Romance

Stuck in a reading rut? Want to expand your reading horizons in 2026? You’re in luck! Every month this year, we will be delving deep into popular genres at the library. If you’re already a fan, find readalike suggestions for popular authors and ideas for similar genres to explore. If you’re brand new to the genre in question, you will find a helpful explanation of the hallmarks of the genre, a breakdown of its most common subgenres, and explanations of what readers find so appealing about the most popular authors writing those types of books. A little late for Valentine’s Day but let’s explore romance for February!

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Book Buzz: Romance in Time for Valentine’s Day, Family Drama in Italy, Funny Spy Thrillers, Western Action, Atmospheric Mysteries, 18th Century Silver Mines, Stonehenge, Food Nonfiction, and Butler Memoirs

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For February, we’re looking at a summery closed-door romance, a romantasy, a literary novel about a family unraveling family secrets, a comedic spy thriller, a Western based on an amazing true story, two newer mysteries with a strong sense of place, new historical fiction, and nonfiction centering on food and/or royal service.

Continue reading “Book Buzz: Romance in Time for Valentine’s Day, Family Drama in Italy, Funny Spy Thrillers, Western Action, Atmospheric Mysteries, 18th Century Silver Mines, Stonehenge, Food Nonfiction, and Butler Memoirs”

Exploring Genres: Suspense

Stuck in a reading rut? Want to expand your reading horizons in 2026? You’re in luck! Every month this year, we will be delving deep into popular genres at the library. If you’re already a fan, find readalike suggestions for popular authors and ideas for similar genres to explore. If you’re brand new to the genre in question, you will find a helpful explanation of the hallmarks of the genre, a breakdown of its most common subgenres, and explanations of what readers find so appealing about the most popular authors writing those types of books. First up, suspense!

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Book Buzz: Contentious Divorces, Tribal Elections, Obituary Writers, Science Fiction Espionage Thrillers, Tiger Castles, Gangsters, the Cherokee, and Rogers

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For November, we’re looking at rich people behaving badly, a heated tribal election on a Anishinaabe reservation, the humorous tale of an obituary writer falsely declared deceased, new science fiction and fantasy releases, a novel on audiobook about the infamous Virginia Hill, a history of the Cherokee Nation, and nonfiction about Rogers, Arkansas, just the next county over.

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Kay Chronister’s The Bog Wife

Love gothic horror? Don’t love horror but want to read something suitably spooky for Halloween? You have come to the right place! Kay Chronister’s haunting, atmospheric The Bog Wife is most definitely horror but not of the blood-and-guts slasher variety.

Thanks so much to Kelli for suggesting the book to me! I enjoyed it very much!

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Jo Harkin’s The Pretender

Thanks so much to Julie for kindly adding this book to the collection at my request! It is an unusual and compelling novel that I highly recommend for fans of historical fiction, particularly the early Tudor period! If you know your history, you probably see the word Tudor and think of Queen Elizabeth I or her father Henry VIII and his six wives. And you’d be right, but if you really know your history, you may also think of Henry’s father, Henry VII. This novel is set during Henry VII’s reign and the late War of the Roses and focuses on Lambeth Simnel, a little-known claimant to the throne.

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Book Buzz: Horror, Historical Fiction, Eleanor Roosevelt, Picasso, Montana, Experimental Suspense, The Prairie, Hawaii, Spinach, and a Safari Gone Wrong

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For October, we’re looking at vampire horror, historical fiction spanning the 1800s and 1900s, literary fiction, a twisty new suspense novel with an unusual premise, ecologically themed nonfiction, a story of a spinach empire, and an audiobook about a safari that takes a murderous turn.

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Book Buzz: Espionage, Curses, Romance, Surreal Historical Mystery Sequels, Contemporary Mystery Debuts, Audiobooks, and Healthy Nonfiction Reads

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For September, we’re looking at a new-ish contemporary espionage thriller series, this year’s If All Arkansas Read the Same Book pick, romances and mysteries–both historical and contemporary, audiobooks in a range of genres, and nonfiction on healthy living.

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Community Book Read: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby is the book for the CAMALS Foundation’s second annual Community Book Read. The novel was first released on April 10, 1925, so it is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Read more to find out how you can get a free copy and participate in the fun.

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