Staff Fiction Favorites

Maisie Dobbs was a poor girl who worked as a nurse in the Great War. In 1920's London, still carrying emotional battlefield scars, she sets up shop as a private investigator. Her first case leads to murder and exposes wartime secrets still causing harm. Winspear's plotting and depiction of post-WWI Britain will have you devouring pages. - Jocelyn

A love story set in the most brutal of times, The Farming of Bones is one of those books you will read in one or two sittings and think about for the rest of your life. Set in Haiti during the Parsley Massacre of 1937, this book will force you to look at one of the worst moments in history. Danticat’s storytelling is so gripping, you won’t be able to look away. - Jess

A poetic parable of an occupied town which refuses to hear soldiers, Deaf Republic is the most unique and profound anti-war work I’ve ever read. Kaminsky, himself a hard-of-hearing immigrant from Ukraine, re-envisions disability as a powerful act of defiance and silence as “the invention of the hearing.” - Ksenia

Kristoff evokes a brutal and beautiful fantasy world inspired by Venice and Rome, driven by betrayals ancient and awesome, current and political. Mia's life is defined by the moment her father is hung for treason, beginning again with blood and lust as she commits to the path that will help her destroy those who destroyed her family. - Jocelyn

The silky/sinister LA novel always captivates me, and this joy of a read is also loaded with the protagonist’s precarious drinking, her avoidance of adulthood, and her dance with her true potential. Perfect for lovers of Joan Didion’s Play It As It Lays and Nathaniel West’s Day of the Locust. Just ignore the publisher copy on the back of this book; our “dreamy young” heroine doesn’t move between Los Angeles and New York City, she exists stubbornly on the Best Coast. But The New York Times Book Review has it right: “This novel is studded with sharp observations… Babitz’s talent for the brilliant line, honed to a point, never interferes with her feel for languid pleasures.” - Chorel

This timely novel is framed as a college love triangle involving two friends and their new professor, but it’s much more than that. Told from multiple perspectives in Pennsylvania, Berlin and Paris, each storyline presents a nuanced look at loneliness and intimacy. The events take place in 2008, but Berman intelligently grapples with many of today’s #MeToo issues. - Kristi

This beautifully-written debut is set in turn-of-the-20^th-century New York City and seamlessly weaves fantastical elements into the historical setting resulting in a magical story that somehow still feels realistic. Recommended for fans of good writing, The Shadow of the Wind and Spinning Silver. - Stephanie

A Little Life revolves around a diverse group of talented young men in New York City set on establishing their adult lives. With some devastating descriptions of childhood trauma, it can be a difficult read at times but the main character’s suffering finds its balance in the compassion of those who love him. The book offers radiant moments of beauty, warmth and kindness. - Natalie O.

Did Salinger invent wry humor, or just perfect it? Either way, you’re guaranteed to enjoy lots of it in this two-novella collection, which follows a few older siblings of the Glass family (think Franny; think Zooey). Sure to break your heart in the most forgiving of ways. - Jess

This book is a modern classic of satire and what it means to be human. The apocalypse is coming, and a vivid cast of characters will do battle (well, more cause nuisance to each other) in an attempt to either stop or hinder it. The collaboration of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman is seamless, and brilliant creativity and hilarity ensue. Whether you watch the miniseries or not, you won’t regret treating yourself to this book. - Jocelyn