More about BTB...
BTB is published quarterly.
Free printed copies of BTB are available
at Middletown Thrall Library.
Check out our Booklovers Web Guide
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Stop by our Readers' Advisory Center
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for recommendations on what you
might like to read next.
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and
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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.
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Previous Issues
Click below for previous BTBs and more reading recommendations:
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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
 The Ash Family - Molly Dektar -
Literary Fiction. An atmospheric debut about the cost of belonging.
Rather than go to college, Berie runs away with a man she meets at a bus stop to a off-grid commune dedicated to ceasing all behavior that harms the earth.
Easily swayed by the enigmatic leader, Berie, rechristened Harmony, throws herself into working on the farm and denouncing her former life in the"fake world". She thinks she has found a place where she belongs, but danger lurks and her new friends begin disappearing.
Try it if you like: American Pastoral or The Girls.
 When You Read This - Mary Adkins -
General Fiction.
A bittersweet story of coping with loss told through email, texts and blog posts.
A mere four months after a cancer diagnosis Iris dies, leaving behind her no-nonsense sister Jade and her close friend and boss Smith. When a new intern at Smith's PR firm finds a note from Iris instructing Smith to publish her heretofore unknown blog as a book, Smith is determined to see her final request fulfilled. The grief-stricken Jade is furiously opposed to releasing her sister's personal thoughts to the world, but as she and Smith correspond they begin to find healing for their bereavement.
Try it if you like: Where'd You Go Bernadette, Attachments, or Interestings.
Other titles to consider:
Historical Fiction
 Courting Mr Lincoln - Louis Bayard -
Biographical Fiction. Two adults navigate the unknown and rocky territory of courtship while trying to balance the expectations of society.
Vivacious, intelligent and a bit rebellious, Mary Todd is on the brink of old maidenhood when she comes to Springfield to stay with her sister. Looking for a potential husband, Mary is initially attracted to merchant Joshua Speed, but she finds herself more compatible with his roommate Abraham Lincoln. While an eloquent speaker in the statehouse, Lincoln is awkward and bumbling in his attempts to woo Mary. As Joshua tutors him in navigating polite society and the ups-and-downs of courting a lady, he feels like he is losing his close friend.
Try it if you like: Unique reflections on historical figures and those important to them.
 We Must Be Brave - Frances Liardet -
Historical Fiction. A moving story of motherhood, loss and how a child changes everything.
Ellen Parr has accepted her life without children, going so far as to say she does not want any. That all changes when five-year-old Pamela is left on a bus after being evacuated from bombings in Southampton in 1940. Little Pamela transforms Ellen's life, becoming the daughter she never had. Their happiness is cut short when Pamela's relatives are found and take her home three years later. Ellen grieves the loss, getting through the pain with the help of her husband and the other residents of their small village. Thirty years later a young, lonely boarding school student reminds Ellen of Pamela, changing her life again.
Try it if you like: The Light Between Oceans, or We Were the Lucky Ones.
Other titles to consider:
Mysteries
 A Gentlewoman's Guide to Murder - Victoria Hamilton -
Historical Mystery.
A gritty Regency mystery with an independently-minded sleuth eager to break free from the constrains of societal expectations.
Genteel spinster Emmeline St. Germaine has a secret identity or two. She writes a popular gossip column as the Rogue and moonlights as the masked vigilante Avengeress, rescuing young female servants from employers who exploit them. When the man she saves a scullery maid from is later found murdered, the press is quick to blame the Avengeress. Determined to protect her alter-ego and live her own life, Emmeline must find the real killer.
Try it if you like: Anne Perry's Charlotte and Pitt series.
 In the Dark - Cara Hunter -
Procedural.
A slow-burning, tension-filled case with an air of authenticity cleverly revealed through interrogation and interview transcripts, emails and news broadcasts.
A renovation accident in a semidetached home leads to the discovery of a traumatized woman and toddler being held captive in a secret room in the basement next door. The woman refuses to speak with detectives and does not match any missing persons report. With nothing else to go on the owner of the home, William Harper is arrested. All evidence points toward Harper, but the retired professor is physically frail and suffering from dementia. When the body of a long missing woman is found, investigators must look into the possibility the two cases are connected.
Try it if you like: Tana French or Sophie Hannah.
Other titles to consider:
Romance
Titles to consider:
Sci-Fi / Fantasy
 Early Riser - Jasper Ffforde -
Speculative Fiction / Dystopia.
A darkly absurd, offbeat, yet credible, tale of a world where winters are so extreme that humans hibernate, with an underlying layer of social commentary on dreams, sleep and capitalism.
It is Charlie Worthing's first year as a Winter Consul, charged with maintaining order as the world sleeps until spring. He finds himself stuck in Sector 12 after Slumberdown, where he falls for the artist Brigitta, who may or may not be dead, and gets caught up in the bitter feud between Chief Consul Tocatta and head of HiberTech security Aurora. Rumours of a viral dream point to a possible HiberTech conspiracy and Charlie must navigate the other winter dangers of roaming bands of aristocratic Villains, the probably mythical Wintervolk, and the hungry Nightwalkers as he tries to find the truth.
Try it if you like: John Scalzi, Douglas Adams, or Terry Pratchett.
 The City in the Middle of the Night - Charlie Anders -
Social Sci-fi.
A thought-provoking adventure in a conflicted world with real-world resonance.
The dying planet January was colonized long ago, but now only two cities survive. Located on the light-side of the planet, Xiosphant is a blazing city of eternal sunlight governed by strict rules, harsh punishments and a rigid social hierarchy. Disillusioned with society, some think of revolution. One of the rebels, Sophie is sentenced to exile on the impossibly cold dark-side of the planet. She is saved from certain death by a sentient native creature that humans view as a dumb beast, and develops a psychic bond and friendship with the creature. Sophie reunites with the rebels and falls in with a group of smugglers where she meets Mouth, the last survivor of a nomadic race. Together they must face how humans have changed the world and look for a way forward.
Try it if you like: Left Hand of Darkness, Dune, or Hyperion.
Other titles to consider:
Thrillers
 Bluff - Jane Stanton Hitchcock -
Crime.
A witty comedy-of manners where an unassuming, underestimated, aging socialite seeks revenge by killing the wrong man.
"Mad" Maud Warner was once a wealthy woman, until financial planner Burt Sklar defrauded her family and squandered the fortune. No one took notice of his schemes until Maud walks into the Four Seasons, shoots Sklar's lunch companion and walks out. With age comes a certain amount of obscurity, and Maud uses this to her advantage as she hides out in the world of underground poker. Her poker playing has taught her planning and bluffing, and Maud plans to play the long game to get back at Sklar. The shooting was just the first step.
Try it if you like: strong middle-aged female characters who are not to be underestimated.
Other titles to consider:
Beyond the Bestsellers
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