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BTB is published quarterly.
Free printed copies of BTB are available at Middletown Thrall Library. Check out our Booklovers Web Guide for sites especially helpful to readers: book clubs, reading groups, book discussions, reviews, reading advisories, publishers, bookstores, and more! Keep up with forthcoming titles and new authors by visiting our Booklovers Blog. Looking for something "good" to read? Or is there a book you really like and want to tell others about? Check out Thrall's own free RAVES! service for readers. Have you tried NOVELIST yet? Find books and authors based on ones you like. Login using your Thrall Library card. Looking for suggestions? Stop by our Readers' Advisory Center by Reference or ask a librarian for recommendations on what you might like to read next. Also check out our Random Reads and Random GREATS pages for random popular and awarded titles, authors, as well as topics you might find interesting. Click here to view current bestseller lists and other award-winning books. Previous IssuesClick below for previous BTBs and more reading recommendations:
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Welcome to Beyond the Bestsellers! This is where we highlight
new and notable authors and titles not often found on bestseller lists.
We invite you to explore "BTB" to discover books and writers of possible interest to you.
To learn more about a book and check on its availablity within the library system, click on a title below.
You can also click on an author's name to find any additional titles by that author in the library system.
We invite you to explore "BTB" to discover books and writers of possible interest to you.
To learn more about a book and check on its availablity within the library system, click on a title below.
You can also click on an author's name to find any additional titles by that author in the library system.
Jump to:
For even more reading possibilities, browse...
General Fiction
Building Stories - Chris Ware
Building Stories is ostensibly a graphic novel that tells the stories of the residents of a Chicago apartment building; there's an unmarried woman in her early 30s, a bitter married couple, and an elderly landlady. Instead of a linear narrative, it is a collection of a variety of visual materials with no clear order. The striking images blend with unusual texts, creating a unique reading experience. Equal parts surreal and mundane, Building Stories is a philosophical goodie bag without comparison.
This is How it Ends - Kathleen MacMahon
Bruno Boylan, after losing his job at a large financial company, travels to Ireland to explore his family's history. While there, he meets and falls in love with Addie, an out-of-work architect who recently lost a child and is initially skeptical of Bruno. As the two spend time together, she finds Bruno to be the first man to truly respect her. Their romance blossoms and grows into a marriage interrupted all too soon by tragedy.
Historical Fiction
The Orchardist - Amanda Coplin
Set in Washington state during the dawn of the 20th century, The Orchardist tells the story of a man who has tended an orchard for 50 years, since his mother brought him and his sister there as children. He one day finds two pregnant girls on his land; they are starving escapees of a brothel owned by a cruel opium addict. When the brothel owner comes looking for them with a gang of thugs, the orchardist must protect them.
The Stockholm Octavo - Karen Engelmann
In eighteenth-century Sweden, Emil Larsson, a drinker and gambler content with his life as a bachelor, is shown a mysterious spread of eight cards by a fortune teller. The cards supposedly show eight people who will help in to become wealthy and loved. Inspired by the people shown in the cards, Emil finds himself linked to opposing sides in a revolutionary conflict and an array of unusual characters.
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Something Red - Douglas Nicholas
This gripping, poetic page-turner weaves a tale of magical realism set in medieval England. The hero is a woman known as Mistress Molly, an Irish musician, medicine woman, and warrior. After being exiled from Ireland, she treks across the countryside with a motley band of companions during the winter. While seeking shelter in a castle, her party learns of a bestial shape-shifter in their midst.
Mysteries
The Prophet - Michael Koryta
After the violent death of their sister in the small town of Chambers, Ohio, the Austin brothers grew emotionally distant. When another young girl is murdered under similar circumstances years later, they reunite, and their familial connection inspires them to try to find the killer as they contend with a strained relationship filled with distrust and guilt.
The Blackhouse - Peter May
Fin Macleod, a detective who grew up on the Gaelic speaking Isle of Lewis, off the coast of Scotland, is called upon to investigate a murder in his hometown that bears a strong resemblance to one in Edinburgh years earlier. In the process of determining if this is the work of a serial killer or a copycat, the detective spends time reflecting on his past. Chapters alternate between past and present, slowly revealing more detail about the inhabitants of the island and their connection to Macleod.
Thrillers
Black Fridays - Michael Sears
This thriller delves into the underworld surrounding high-finance. It starts with Jason Stafford, an unscrupulous trader who was just released from prison, being hired to look into the records of a trader who died under mysterious circumstances. He soon finds himself embroiled in a violent web of intrigue involving the shady goings-on of powerful organizations ranging from investment firms to the FBI.
