This Month in Adult Books: March 2022

Reading recommendations for adults
March 10, 2022
Featured Title
True Biz by Sara Novic
This coming of age novel set at River Valley School for the Deaf follows a year of profound change for a teacher and two of her students. February is worried that both the school and her marriage will shut down. Charlie, one of her students, is a new transfer student who has a Cochlear implant and does not know ASL. Austin is assigned to be her mentor to help her adjust. His family has been part of the Deaf community for generations, and his new sister has been born hearing. In their narrative, Novic, herself a member of the Deaf community, offers a moving story of resilience that is not to be missed.



New & Upcoming
Bestselling author John Searles returns to shelves after a long absence in April with Her Last Affair, a twisty psychological suspense novel exploring the intertwined lives of three people. If that sounds a bit too creepy to you, check out Cartographers by Peng Shepard, an engrossing tale involving maps, murders, and rooms that are not there, perfect for fans of Erin Morgenstern. If that is still too much, then Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus would be perfect. It’s the story of a chemist in the 1960’s who inadvertently becomes the star of a TV cooking show.
   
Check This Out!
A recommended list of books for readers wanting to know more about Russia and Ukraine.  
 
 
What We’re Reading
We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
This literary thriller starts out hard and bleak, but slowly but surely pulls the reader in with a firm and determined grasp. It’s the book’s characters that drive the reader’s interest, particularly a young teen named Duchess in all of her foul mouthed and furious glory. The book takes place in a small coastal town, the residents of which are still dealing with the tragic aftermath of an accident decades earlier. Though Duchess was not yet born, the trauma of that incident nonetheless touches on nearly every aspect of her life and ultimately contains the power to destroy all she’s ever known. The one flaw in the book is the California setting, which was not well researched or drawn by the author. But in this book the setting is only a bare frame for the characters and their stories. Nothing here is truly bad, instead, this is a story that touches on the gray areas, the space between good and evil. It leaves the reader with much to ponder, making this an excellent selection for book groups. 

For More Reading Suggestions:
  • 14 New Books Coming in March from The NYT
  • March’s Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels from BookMarks
  • Best rom-coms for March from USA Today
  • The Best New Crime Fiction Coming Out This Month from CrimeReads
  • The March 2022 List from LibraryReads