Beyond the Bestsellers: Spring 2011 Issue

Middletown Thrall Library invites you to branch out... Beyond the Bestsellers: Interesting Fiction and Authors Often Not Found on Bestseller Lists - Spring 2011 Edition

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Past Issues

Missed a past issue of Beyond the Bestsellers? Click below for previous BTBs and more reading recommendations:

We invite you to consider any of the titles below the next time you're looking for something interesting to read. To learn more about a book and check on its availablity within the library system, click a title link below.

You can also click on an author's name to see if any additional titles by that author are available in the library system.

Some book records in the library catalog have additional links you can click to learn more about the book and the author. Some titles even have chapter excerpts that you can read online!

Scroll down and browse by genre to begin!

General Fiction

Galore - Michael Crummey. Readers who enjoy William Faulkner and the magical realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez will relish this gorgeously written novel set in the fishing village of Paradise Deep, Newfoundland.
An Atlas of Impossible Longing - Anuradha Roy. This lyrical gem is a multigenerational tale focusing on a family in twentieth century Bengal. Filled with vivid descriptions, humor, and heartache, it will satisfy readers who want to immerse themselves in a story.

Other titles to consider:

Historical Fiction

The Raven's Bride - Lenore Hart. Hart, whose parents were inspired by Poe when naming her, has created a richly imagined account of the relationship of Edgar Allen Poe and his cousin Virginia "Sissy" Clemm whom he marries when she is just thirteen.
Madame Tussaud - Michelle Moran. A story of the French Revolution, this historical follows Mademoiselle Marie Grosholtz to Paris where she tutors the sister of Louis XVI in sculpting and makes models of his court. Well-developed characters add to the pleasure of this leisurely paced and elegant novel.

Other titles to consider:

Mysteries

Past Tense - Catherine Aird. Britain's Calleshire County detectives Sloan and Crosby must make the connection between the recent death of wealthy Josephine Short in the local nursing home and the discovery of the body of a young woman floating in the River Alm. This entry in the slyly amusing series is sure to please fans and newcomers.
The Dangerous Edge of Things - Tina Whittle. A dead woman has been found in a car parked across the street from the house of Tai Randolph's brother Eric. Eric, an industrial psychologist for a security firm, has taken a cruise to the Bahamas, and his business card is found the victim's car. Tai, who recently moved to Atlanta to run the family gun store she and Eric inherited, sets out to clear his name. This series debut is fresh, funny, and exciting.

Other mysteries to consider:

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Up Against It - M. J. Locke. Sci-fi fans will delight in this debut thriller set in a space colony. Asteroid colony Phoecia has a water crisis possibly created by a Martian crime syndicate, and its computer systems have been infiltrated by an artificial intelligence gone rogue.

Other titles to consider:

Thrillers

The Trinity Six - Charles Cumming. The members of Cambridge Five betrayed Britain by acting as a KGB cell before, during, and after World War II. Sam Gaddis, a history professor and unsuccessful author of many works on modern Russia, agrees to help his journalist friend Charlotte, who thinks she may be able to access the memoirs of a possible sixth member of the ring. When Charlotte dies, Gaddis, anxious for the money a story like this could bring him, tries to carry on her work. This thriller is as riveting as it is realistic. Kirkus calls it "an instant classic."

Other thrillers to consider: