More about BTB...
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 Plus 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 Issues
Click below for previous BTBs and more reading recommendations:
Free Services
for Booklovers!
- Booklovers Web Guide - Websites, forthcoming titles, book reviews, reading advisories, and more! Also check out our blog and "Booklover's Lane" on our home page.
- eBooks / eAudio / eVideos - Freely download books, audio eBooks, and videos at home! Please be sure to log into the eBooks catalog to search and see all Thrall's offerings!
- Future Title Watch - View monthly lists of notable new titles and future bestsellers!
- Literature & Poetry - Enjoy classic and contemporary writers and poets and much more! Also check out our literary criticism databases
- Novelist Database - Locate books and authors based on ones you like.
- Reader's Advisory Center - Visit our Reference Department and enjoy specialized guides designed to help you locate books and authors you might enjoy reading.
- Random Greats! - Explore randomly selected awarded books and authors!
- RAVES! for Readers - Discover fresh and different books and authors, suggest titles to other readers, and comment on books. You can also quickly check if a book is available in the library catalog!
- Reading Plans - Members of Middletown Thrall Library can request their very own reading plans for free. Tell us what you like to read, and we will present reading suggestions tailored to your tastes!
- Virtual NewsStand - Enjoy easy access to magazine articles and more on the Web.
- Virtual Reference Library - History, culture, religion, and more titles freely available online.
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Beyond the Bestsellers highlights new and notable authors
not often found on bestseller lists.
Discover new books and writers you might enjoy!
To learn more about a book and check on its availablity within the library system, please click or tap on its cover or title.
You can also click / tap an author's name to locate any additional titles by that writer in the library catalog.
General Fiction
 It Ends with Us - Colleen Hoover - Coming from a rough past, Lily is making a fresh start when she falls for neurosurgeon Ryle, who makes an exception to his no-dating policy for Lily. Not all is roses in their whirlwind romance, and when Lily runs into her first love, Ryle begins showing all the warning signs her mother once disregarded. She tries to ignore and justify his actions, but she must learn how hard it is to let go in this heart-wrenching, yet hopeful story. Today Will Be Different - Maria Semple - Eleanor Flood wakes up one day deciding to be her best self, and not the mess she usually feels like. However, life seems to be conspiring against her as she goes from one misadventure to another, from her son faking being sick and her husband hiding secrets to her publisher trying to reach her about a long overdue memoir. Present-day chapters alternate with flashbacks to Eleanor's childhood and relationship with her now estranged sister in this offbeat funny novel from the author of Where'd You Go Bernadette? A Boy Made of Blocks - Keith Stuart - When the stress of raising an eight-year-old with Autism becomes too much for parents Alex and Jody, they decide to try a separation. As Alex's life crumbles around him, his son, Sam, discovers the online building game Minecraft, and suddenly, Alex can connect with his son in a way that he never could before. Alex begins to rebuild his life and relationships in this moving debut.
Other titles to consider:
Historical Fiction
 Mischling - Affinity Konar - This character-driven tale of two courageous girls in the most horrific circumstances is sure to haunt the reader long after the end. Stasha and Pearl are the twin daughters of a Jewish physician during the height of the Holocaust. By virtue of being twins they live, but only to become experiments in Mengele's Zoo. When Pearl disappears, Stasha refuses to succumb to grief and despair. With the help of Feliks, a boy who also lost his twin, Stasha escapes the death march as Auschwitz is evacuated. Together they dream of vengeance and a better life to come. The Last Days of Night - Graham Moore - It is the dawn of the age of electricity in this atmospheric legal thriller by award-winning author and screenwriter Moore. Set in the midst of the "War of Currents" the story follows Paul Cravath, a freshly minted lawyer hired by George Westinghouse to countersue Thomas Edison over who truly invented the light bulb. Determined to win, Cravath enlists the help of notorious eccentric NIkola Tesla, which proves to be more of a challenge than expected. The intense pace of the plot is offset by philosophical questions about the nature of invention in this compelling historical novel.
Other titles to consider:
Horror
 Dead Souls - J. Lincoln Fenn - A bad day leads Fiona Dunn to a bar and a man who claims to be the Devil offering a deal - a wish in exchange for her soul. Thinking it's a joke, or a bad pickup line, Fiona wishes for at-will invisibility to spy on her wayward boyfriend. The next morning she finds a card with the date of sale and space for a favor owed. She, and others who have selfishly sold themselves, live in fear of when the card will be filled, and what unconscionable act they will be called on to do. For fans of Dean Koontz or Stephen King.
Another title to consider:
Mysteries
 The Secrets of Wishtide - Kate Saunders - In the first of a new series, widow Laetitia Rodd supports herself by taking on investigations to "manage and prevent scandal." The clever, resourceful investigator takes on the role of governess to an aristocratic family to look into a potential unsuitable match for the elder son. She uncovers long hidden family secrets and is soon called upon to find a murderer. This delightful mystery is sure to please fans of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple or M.C.Beaton's Agatha Raisin. IQ - Joe Ide - Isaiah Quintabe, or IQ, is an unlicensed investigator from a tough area of LA who takes on the cases the police ignore. His clients pay what they can, which doesn't always pay the bills, forcing IQ to take on cases he would rather not. This time he must track down who is trying to kill a prominent rapper who may also be having a breakdown. The current case is interspersed with flashbacks to IQ's youth and his history with his partner Dodson in this suspenseful, gritty tale of an inner-city Sherlock Holmes. Sun, Sand, Murder - John Keyse-Walker - There's trouble in paradise in this award-winning debut. Special Constable Teddy Creque of Anegada in the British Virgin Islands never expected to have to deal with any real crimes on his peaceful island, but that all changes when the body of a research biologist is found on a remote beach. Teddy uncovers more than he bargained for when he tries to notify the next-of-kin and can find no record of the victim's existence. He must answer the questions "who was this man?" and "what was he really involved with?" in this well-paced, vibrant mystery.
Other titles to consider:
Romance
Science Fiction & Fantasy
 The Queen of Blood - Sarah Beth Durst - In a world where the only one holding back elemental spirits from destroying mankind is the chosen queen, attacks are growing more frequent. Daleina, student at the academy for queen's heirs, is weak in magic, but smart and determined to aid her land. Teamed with disgraced champion Ven, she must find the source of the spirits' restlessness and increased assaults. First in a dark new epic fantasy series, The Queen of Blood is for fans of well-developed characters and strong world-building. Crosstalk - Connie Willis - A simple outpatient procedure is available to increase empathy between romantic partners, and Briddey and Trent decide to try it before getting engaged. Something goes wrong, and rather than being emotionally connected to Trent, Briddey is telepathically bonded to coworker C.B. The unexpected connection leads to a succession of misunderstandings and comic incidences as Briddey discovers the downside of constant communication in this humorous look at the modern obsession with being connected.
Other titles to consider:
Thrillers
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