Librarians at Baltimore County Public Library are always ready to share recommendations to help you discover your next great read. For more book suggestions, join us for our Virtual Books and Conversation on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m. Find information on this and other book-related programs on our events page. bcpl.info/events-and-programs
“How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay”
by Jenny Lawson
Even if the author wasn’t longtime popular blogger and memoirist Jenny Lawson, the title would be enough to catch the reader’s eye. With everything going on in the world today, it’s comforting to read a self-help book that provides you with actionable items that will help you feel better, or at least okay. Lawson, who publicly struggles with both her mental and physical health, shares tips that have helped her get through her lowest points and stay creative. Short chapters can be read out of order, and her signature absurd personal anecdotes, offbeat outlook and ability to find humor in the worst places make this a standout. Lawson will never be accused of toxic positivity — she’ll give you some real, practical tools to get through dark, uncertain times. — Paula Gallagher
“A Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams”
by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Wife to the second president and mother to the sixth, Abigail Adams holds an unusual and well-documented place in American history. When writing “A Founding Mother,” the authors relied on Adams’ trove of over 1,000 letters of correspondence to realistically portray Adams, a principled and capable woman with a front-row seat to the birth of our nation. From the Boston Tea Party and pestilence through the Revolutionary War and White House years as first lady, the woman sometimes referred to as Mrs. President remained a trusted confidante and advisor to her husband and a fierce defender of home, family and women. Celebrate the 250th signing of the Declaration of Independence by visiting our Arbutus Branch on Tuesday, June 23, at 6:30 p.m. to hear Stephanie Dray discuss Abigail Adams and her contributions to our country’s formative years and her continuing legacy.
— Lori Hench
“Crooks: A Novel About Crime and Family”
by Lou Berney
Meet the Mercurio family: For parents Buddy and Lillian, it’s a match made in heaven for a couple whose first date included a mob shakedown at a casino. Five children later, the Mercurios hightail it out of their Las Vegas home in the dead of night, finding anonymity in staid Oklahoma City. Their children, Jeremy, Alice, Ray, Tallulah and baby brother Piggy, start out stealing bikes as a sibling bonding activity but scatter in pursuit of careers, which include bodyguard/enforcer, serial gigolo and romance scammer, cutthroat lawyer, acrobatic thief in a Russian crime ring … and college professor. The real story here is one about family — an unusual family whose definition of “a job” is different than yours or mine. It’s also about moral ambiguity, how right and wrong are not equivalents to legal or illegal and the strength of family ties. Enjoy this rollicking read!
— Lori Hench
“The Foursome”
by Christina Baker Kline
Fans of historical fiction will devour Kline’s latest, “The Foursome,” which recounts two of the most fascinating courtships and marriages of the mid-19th century. World-famous conjoined twins Chang and Eng Bunker arrive in Wilkes County, North Carolina, with a plan to settle down, marry and raise families. Sarah and Addie Yates, daughters of a once prominent family, are charmed by the self-educated, worldly brothers who quickly establish themselves as successful businessmen. Beautiful, gregarious Addie immediately catches the eye of the more outgoing Chang, while quiet, introspective Sarah believes reserved, less talkative Eng is only settling for her. Based on the true story of the women who were her distant relatives, Kline brings the pre-Civil War period alive, as she imagines the difficulties and joys of their unusual relationships.
— Paula Gallagher
