"Books We Love" is NPR's list of our favorite 2021 reads. Here we present four suggestions from the romance genre.
Author: Morgan, Peter, 1963- creator. Colman, Olivia, actor. Menzies, Tobias, 1974- actor. Bonham Carter, Helena, 1966- actor. Anderson, Gillian, 1968- actor.
Published: 2021 2020
Call Number: CROWN SEASON 4
Format: Video disc
Summary: At the end of the 70s, Charles is still unmarried and England's first female Prime Minister locks horns with the Queen, causing some unrest among the entire country. As Margaret Thatcher leads England into the Falklands war and a prince courts a "commoner", the Lady Diana Spencer, the country may unite under a fairytale ending but the royal family's division grows wider.
Author: Collet-Serra, Jaume, 1974- film director. Davis, John, 1954- film producer. Fox, John (Producer), film producer. Flynn, Beau, film producer. Johnson, Dwayne, 1972- film producer, actor.
Published: 2021
Call Number: JUNGLE
Format: Video disc
Summary: A riverboat captain takes a scientist and her brother through a jungle in search of the Tree of Life. Come along on a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank's questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila, his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities, possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank, and their fate and mankind's hangs in the balance.
Author: Morgan, Peter, 1963- creator. Colman, Olivia, actor. Menzies, Tobias, 1974- actor. Bonham Carter, Helena, 1966- actor. Anderson, Gillian, 1968- actor.
Published: 2021 2020
Call Number: CROWN SEASON 4
Format: Video disc
Summary: At the end of the 70s, Charles is still unmarried and England's first female Prime Minister locks horns with the Queen, causing some unrest among the entire country. As Margaret Thatcher leads England into the Falklands war and a prince courts a "commoner", the Lady Diana Spencer, the country may unite under a fairytale ending but the royal family's division grows wider.
Author: Collet-Serra, Jaume, 1974- film director. Davis, John, 1954- film producer. Fox, John (Producer), film producer. Flynn, Beau, film producer. Johnson, Dwayne, 1972- film producer, actor.
Published: 2021
Call Number: JUNGLE
Format: Video disc
Summary: A riverboat captain takes a scientist and her brother through a jungle in search of the Tree of Life. Come along on a rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank's questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila, his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities, possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank, and their fate and mankind's hangs in the balance.
Author: Andrews, Robin George, author.
Published: 2022
Call Number: 551.21
Format: Books
Summary: "An exhilarating, time-traveling journey to the solar system's strangest and most awe-inspiring volcanoes. Volcanoes are capable of acts of pyrotechnical prowess verging on magic: they spout black magma more fluid than water, create shimmering cities of glass at the bottom of the ocean and frozen lakes of lava on the moon, and can even tip entire planets over. Despite their reputation for destruction, volcanoes are inseparable from the creation of our planet. Super Volcanoes revels in the incomparable power of volcanic eruptions past and present, Earth-bound and otherwise, and explores how these eruptions reveal secrets about the worlds to which they belong. Science journalist and volcanologist Robin George Andrews describes the stunning ways in which volcanoes can sculpt the sea, land, and sky, and even influence the machinery that makes or breaks the existence of life. Traveling from Hawaii, Tanzania, Yellowstone, and the ocean floor to the moon, Venus, and Mars, Andrews explores cutting-edge discoveries and lingering scientific mysteries surrounding these phenomenal forces of nature"--
Author: Akpan, Uwem, author.
Published: 2022
Call Number: F AKPAN
Format: Books
Summary: "A daring first novel in the great picaresque tradition--both buoyant comedy and devastating satire--by the author of the best-selling story collection Say You're One of Them. Ekong Udousoro is a Nigerian editor undertaking a reckoning with the brutal recent history of his homeland by curating a collection of stories about the Biafran War. He is thrilled when a publishing fellowship gives him the opportunity to continue his work in Manhattan while learning the ins and outs of publishing. But while his sophisticated colleagues meet him with kindness and hospitality, he is soon exposed to the industry's colder, ruthlessly commercial underbelly, boorish and hostile neighbors, and--beneath a superficial cosmopolitanism--a bedrock of white cultural superiority and racist assumptions about Africa, its peoples, and worst of all, its food. Haunted by the devastating darkness of civil war and searingly observant about the myriad ways that tribalism defines life everywhere from the villages of Africa to the villages within New York City, New York, My Village is nevertheless full of heart, hilarity, and hope"--
Author: Golding, Melanie, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F GOLDING
Format: Books
Summary: While investigating the brutal attack on Gregor, a seemingly single man, DS Joanna Harper discovers that her estranged daughter Ruby is somehow involved in this case that is steeped in Celtic mythology. In a small seaside town a little girl is found alone; a woman arrives for her, and authorities release the pair, believing it to be an innocent case of a toddler running off. A man is found bludgeoned and left for dead in his apartment; the discovery of children's toys raises more questions than answers. Gazing into Gregor's apartment, Ruby discovers his secret family: his unusually silent daughter and his mentally unstable wife, Constance, who insists that she is descended from the mythological Selkies. She begs Ruby to aid in finding the sealskin that Gregor has hidden from her, making it impossible to return to her people. When DS Joanna Harper's investigation into Gregor's assault leads her to CCTV footage of the mother-daughter pair from town, she realizes she knows the woman almost as well as she knows herself: it's her estranged daughter, Ruby. No matter the depth of Ruby's involvement, Harper knows she will choose her daughter over her career. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Berens, Abra, author. Berger, EE, photographer. Engelman, Lucy, illustrator. Lipscombe, Adrian, writer of foreword.
Published: 2021
Call Number: 641.6
Format: Books
Summary: "A practical guide to cooking grains, beans, seeds, and legumes, with 140+ recipes and 160+ variations"-- "Make grains the easiest, healthiest, and most exciting stars on your table. Grist is the only grain and legume cookbook you need. Abra Berens, a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Chef: Great Lakes and the author of Ruffage, shares more than 300 recipes and variations, plus substantial reference information to help you discover the next great grain. Grist includes more than 125 recipes for 29 different types of grains, legumes, and seeds that, in combination with vegetables and lean proteins, are the stars of the healthiest, most variable, and most satisfying meals--many of them gluten free. New and seasoned home cooks will want to reference this guide to start building a repertoire of approachable, big-on-flavor recipes. Home cooks will be attracted to the reference quality of the book, its beauty (more than 100 photos and 30 illustrations) and heft (125 recipes + 300 variations = 448 pages), as well as the great writing, relatable voice, author authority, unique recipe style, extensive variations, and gorgeous photography and illustrations." -- Provided by Publisher.
Author: Gabaldon, Diana, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F GABALDON
Format: Books
Summary: "It is 1779 and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna, her husband, Roger, and their children on Fraser's Ridge. Having the family together is a dream the Frasers had thought impossible. Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell's teakettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split and it won't be long until the war is on his doorstep"--
Author: Okorafor, Nnedi, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F OKORAFOR
Format: Books
Summary: When everything goes wrong on a trip to the local market, AO, a woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations, must race against time across the deserts of Northern Nigeria with a Fulani herdsman named DNA in a world where everything is streamed. Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her, these initials have always stood for Artificial Organism. AO has never really felt...natural, and that's putting it lightly. Her parents spent most of the days before she was born praying for her peaceful passing because even in-utero she was "wrong." But she lived. Then came the car accident years later that disabled her even further. Yet instead of viewing her strange body the way the world views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is: a woman with a ton of major and necessary body augmentations. And then one day she goes to her local market and everything goes wrong. Once on the run, she meets a Fulani herdsman named DNA and the race against time across the deserts of Northern Nigeria begins. In a world where all things are streamed, everyone is watching the "reckoning of the murderess and the terrorist" and the "saga of the wicked woman and mad man" unfold. This fast-paced, relentless journey of tribe, destiny, body, and the wonderland of technology revels in the fact that the future sometimes isn't so predictable. Expect the unaccepted.
Author: Childs, Laura, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: LP F CHILDS
Format: Large print
Summary: "Tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier, Drayton Conneley, are catering a Victorian Christmas party at a swanky mansion in downtown Charleston. Drucilla Heyward, the hostess, is one of the wealthiest women in town. The Grande Dame has brought the cream of Charleston society together to reveal that she is planning to give her wealth away to various charitable organizations. However, before she can make the announcement, Theodosia finds her crumpled unconscious in the hallway. It looks like the excitement has gotten to the elderly woman-- except that there is a syringe sticking out of her neck."--Back cover.
Author: Patterson, James, 1947- author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F PATTERSO
Format: Books
Summary: "Alex Cross enters the final battle with the all-knowing genius who has stalked him and his family for years. Dr. Alex Cross and Detective John Sampson venture into the rugged Montana wilderness--where they will be the prey. They're not on the job, but on a personal mission. Until they're attacked by two rival teams of assassins, controlled by the same mastermind who has stalked Alex and his family for years. Darkness falls. The river churns into rapids. Shots ring out through the forest. No backup. No way out. Fear no evil."--
Author: Child, Lee, author. Child, Andrew, 1968- author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: LP F CHILD
Format: Large print
Summary: "Jack Reacher is back in the brand-new, page-turning thriller from acclaimed #1 bestselling authors Lee Child and Andrew Child. Reacher isn't one to back down from a fight. And when a shadowy crew raises the stakes, he won't hesitate to teach them a lesson: When you pick a fight with Reacher, you're better off dead"-- Jack Reacher is heading west, walking under the merciless desert sun, when he comes across a Jeep crashed into the only tree for miles around-- a woman slumped over the wheel. Michaela Fendon, an army veteran turned FBI agent, has been trying to find her twin brother, who might be mixed up with Dendoncker and his dangerous people. Reacher offers to help, but taking on Dendoncker may be the riskiest job of his life. It's the kind of game in which the loser is always better off dead. -- adapted from back cover
Author: Henry, Patti Callahan, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F HENRY
Format: Books
Summary: "From the bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis comes another beautiful story inspired by C. S. Lewis's ability to change the world and captivate hearts--including those of a terminally ill boy and his logic-driven sister"-- Megs Devonshire is brilliant with numbers and equations, on a scholarship at Oxford, and dreams of solving the greatest mysteries of physics. The younger brother she loves with all her heart doesn't have long to live. When George becomes captivated by a brand-new book called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and begs her to find out where Narnia came from, there's no way she can refuse. Megs soon finds herself taking tea with the Oxford don and his own brother, imploring them for answers. What she receives instead are more stories, stories of Jack Lewis's life, which she takes home to George. Why won't Mr. Lewis just tell her plainly what George wants to know? The answer will reveal to Meg many truths that science and math cannot.
Author: Karl, Jonathan, 1968- author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: 973.933
Format: Books
Summary: The chief Washington correspondent for ABC News examines the turbulent final weeks and months of the Trump presidency and what it means for the future of the Republican Party. As the reporter who has known Donald Trump longer than any other White House correspondent, Karl tells the story of Trump's downfall, complete with riveting behind-the-scenes accounts of some of the darkest days in the history of the American presidency. Packed with on-the-record interviews with central figures in this drama who are telling their stories for the first time, this is a definitive account of what was really going on during the final weeks and months of the Trump presidency-- and what it means for the future of the Republican Party. He has been taunted, praised, and vilified by Trump-- and now Karl finds himself in a singular position to deliver the truth. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Grisham, John, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: LP F GRISHAM
Format: Large print
Summary: In The Whistler, Lacy Stoltz investigated a corrupt judge who was taking millions in bribes from a crime syndicate. She put the criminals away, but only after being attacked and nearly killed. Three years later and approaching 40, she is tired of her work for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct and ready for a change. Then she meets a mysterious woman who is so frightened she uses a number of aliases. Jeri Crosby's father was murdered 20 years earlier, in a case that remains unsolved and that has grown stone cold. But Jeri has a suspect whom she has become obsessed with and has stalked for two decades. Along the way, she has discovered other victims.
Author: Roberts, Steven V., 1943- author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: B ROBERTS
Format: Books
Summary: Cokie Roberts' husband Steve Roberts reflects not only on her many accomplishments, but on how she lived each day with a devotion to helping others. For Steve, Cokie's private life was as significant and inspirational as her public one. Her commitment to celebrating and supporting other women was evident in everything she did, and her generosity and passion drove her personal and professional endeavors. Cokie had many roles in her lifetime: Daughter. Wife. Mother. Journalist. Advocate. Historian. Reflecting on her life, those closest to her remember her impressive mind, impish wit, infectious laugh, and the tenacity that sent her career skyrocketing through glass ceilings at NPR and ABC. They marvel at how she often put others before herself and cared deeply about the world around her. When faced with daily decisions and dilemmas, many still ask themselves the question, "What Would Cokie Do?" In this loving tribute, Cokie's husband of 53 years and bestselling-coauthor Steve Roberts reflects not only on her many accomplishments, but on how she lived each day with a devotion to helping others. For Steve, Cokie's private life was as significant and inspirational as her public one. Her commitment to celebrating and supporting other women was evident in everything she did, and her generosity and passion drove her personal and professional endeavors. In Cokie, he has a simple goal: "To tell stories. Some will make you cheer or laugh or cry. And some, I hope, will inspire you to be more like Cokie, to be a good person, to lead a good life."
Author: Kestrel, James, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F KESTREL
Format: Books
Summary: "December 1941. America teeters on the brink of war, and in Honolulu, Hawaii, police detective Joe McGrady is assigned to investigate a homicide that will change his life forever. Because the trail of murder he uncovers will lead him across the Pacific, far from home and the woman he loves; and though the U.S. doesn't know it yet, a Japanese fleet is already steaming toward Pearl Harbor." -- As the Japanese fleet heads undetected towards Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Honolulu police detective Joe McGrady is assigned to a homicide case that will take him across the pacific and change his life forever.
Author: Roberts, Nora, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F ROBERTS
Format: Books
Summary: "A new epic of love and war among gods and humans, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Awakening. The world of magick and the world of man have long been estranged from one another. But some can walk between the two-including Breen Siobhan Kelly. She has just returned to Talamh, with her friend, Marco, who's dazzled and disoriented by this realm-a place filled with dragons and faeries and mermaids (but no WiFi, to his chagrin). In Talamh, Breen is not the ordinary young schoolteacher he knew her as. Here she is learning to embrace the powers of her true identity. Marco is welcomed kindly by her people-and by Keegan, leader of the Fey. Keegan has trained Breen as a warrior, and his yearning for her has grown along with his admiration of her strength and skills. But one member of Breen's bloodline is not there to embrace her. Her grandfather, the outcast god Odran, plots to destroy Talamh-and now all must unite to defeat his dark forces. There will be losses and sorrows, betrayal and bloodshed. But through it, Breen Siobhan Kelly will take the next step on the journey to becoming all that she was born to be"--
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