Tag: fiction

Children’s Books about Moving Away

- Stephanie Leave a comment

If you’re looking for children’s books about saying goodbye, moving house, or change, I have gathered a list of picture books published in 2024 and 2025 that deal with these topics. These books can help with managing the anxiety and stress of leaving the familiar for something new. As of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers.

Anything by Rebecca Stead, illustrated by Gracey Zhang

What’s more powerful than a secret wish? A wish you say out loud.

Anything paints a tender picture of a father and daughter moving into a new home. Dad brings a birthday cake for the new apartment to celebrate their new beginning and tells his daughter she can wish for anything (or, more precisely, ‘three Anythings’). Over the course of the day, she wishes for some of her favorite things, including a rainbow and ‘the biggest slice of pizza in the whole world.”

But she keeps some of her wishes inside. Because what she really wants is to go back home to their old apartment, with its big blue bathtub and space in the closet for hide-and-seek. When she finally admits this last wish, her dad takes her on a journey, and by the book’s final pages, she is home . . .in every way that matters. – Chronicle Books

A Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III

What if you moved into a new house and found a secret guidebook? Look inside buildings and search for surprises in this enthralling, interactive book of maps.

In A Book of Maps for You, a young cartographer leaves a one-of-a-kind gift behind for the kid moving into his old house. He’s drawn and annotated maps of all the neighborhood places of interest—no playground, reading nook, or chicken coop left uncharted.

During a big move, a child can feel a lot of pressure to be excited for the future, to open their heart to the place they’re headed. But the roads they’ve been down hundreds of times, the familiar faces, and the house where they know every noisy pipe and leaky faucet all deserve care, too.

A Book of Maps for You honors the homes we leave behind and the ones we haven’t met yet, reminding us that they may just be two sides of the same coin. Lourdes Heuer’s attentive text speaks volumes in each word, and Maxwell Eaton III’s signature detail-rich illustrations call for re-reads to drink in and explore every page. – Neal Porter Books

Being Home by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Michaela Goade

Today is a day of excitement—it’s time to move! As a young Cherokee girl says goodbye to the swing, the house, and the city she’s called home her whole life, she readies herself for the upcoming road trip. While her mother drives, the girl draws the changing landscape outside her window. She looks forward to the end of the journey, where she’ll eat the feast her family has prepared, play in the creek with her cousins, and settle into the new rhythm of home.

With warm, expressive artwork and spare, lyrical prose, the story of a young girl’s move toward rather than away from home unfolds. – Kokila

Home is a Wish written and illustrated Julia Kuo

A deeply moving, gorgeously illustrated picture book about leaving home and finding a new place to fit in, for anyone dealing with a move, to another town or to a new country.

Sometimes we leave home in the mornings, in the evenings, or for much longer. But we always come back.

Home becomes a wish when we move, when the new place isn’t the same. Everything might be different: the sounds, the smell, the people, the weather.

But home isn’t just a place. We carry home in our hearts, and it can grow and change as we do in our lives. With time, new faces become friends, and what is different becomes familiar.

Home can be a wish that comes true.

Like Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away and The Day You Begin, this beautiful exploration of what it’s like to deal with a big change is personal, emotionally resonant, and relatable. With page after lovely page of captivating art, New York Times bestselling illustrator Julia Kuo has created a lasting story about how time, patience, and an open heart can help someone feel at home anywhere in the world. – Roaring Book Press

A Moving Story by Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld, pictures by Tom Booth

A sweet and uplifting story about trying, failing, and never-ending kindness.

With the utmost care, brothers and professional movers Tiny and Pete will move anything anywhere because they know that nothing is too small or too light to wrap up tight and treat just right. But during their biggest move yet, a young panda’s pet turtle goes missing and even the brothers’ efforts might not be enough to save the day.

Full of fun word play and humor, this hopeful and empowering story is sure to move readers to feel big feelings and, most importantly, laugh. Perfect for fans of Ryan T. Higgins and Jory John. – HarperCollins

Space for Everyone by Seina Wedlick, illustrated by Camilla Sucre

This lyrical and heartwarming picture book follows a Nigerian girl who worries about her family’s upcoming move. But she soon realizes that no matter where they go, there will always be room at their kitchen table for her community to gather around.

When Zainab runs down the stairs in the morning, she knows what she’ll find: Papa cooking at the stove, Mama pouring tea, and then everyone gathering around the family table. Neighbors stop by, and there’s plenty of room for them, too. There are so many beloved rituals that happen at the table: homework and crafts, aunties coming to plait hair, and festive gatherings with neighbors and relatives. But soon boxes start piling up around the house, and Zainab worries about the move—will the rituals feel the same in her new home?

In the new house, the family table still feels cozy to sit around. And soon, old neighbors and new friends stop by, and everyone is welcome at the table. Meg Medina’s Evelyn Del Ray is Moving Away meets Peter H. Reynolds’s Our Table in this heartwarming story about how difficult it is to move, but how connecting with community makes everything better. – Random House Studio

A Terrible Place for a Nest by Sara Levine, illustrated by Erika Meza

Juno and his mom have just moved into a new home, and he hates everything about it – the new school, his new classmates, his new room.

Just outside his window, Juno notices a family of mourning doves have started a nest atop the fence, and they seem to be struggling to make it work, too. Sure enough, Juno concludes this new place is a terrible place to build a nest.

But, as winter turns to spring and the doves grow, so does Juno. And while this new place may be scary and sometimes lonely, they will all make it work, together.

Lyrical and hopeful, A Terrible Place for a Nest is a tender and uplifting tale about facing new experiences with empathy and courage. – Roaring Book Press

Welcome Home, Esmerelda by Daniela Ramirez, illustrated by Maribel Lechuga

From a military family, Esmerelda discovers that home is where she’s always welcomed—thanks to music, dance, and the big, unconditional love from her extended family.

An ideal picture book for kindergarteners and 1st graders who are moving, need reassurances during a transition, and could use the reminder that home is family.

Papa’s job in the military has taken Esmerelda and her family all over the world—and yet she’s never lived in the United States. Now she and her family are moving to San Antonio, Texas.

Although many of her extended family members live there, Esmerelda is unsure it’ll feel like home. Even more, she’s unsure she will fit in. Gradually, music and her sweet abuela spark bravery and the realization that home is not always a place—it’s familia.

Heartwarming and hopeful, Welcome Home, Esmerelda will provide reassurance to any kid that while moving and change are difficult, you have the support of loved ones to help you through it. – Charlesbridge

Purrfect Reads

- Stephanie Leave a comment

If you’re a person who loves all things cats and books, have I got a list for you! Below you will find a list of books featuring cats that were published in 2024 and 2025. As of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers. This is by no means all of the books about cats in our system.

The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu

Seven struggling customers are given the unique opportunity to take home a “blanket cat” . . . but only for three days, the time it’ll take to change their lives.

A peculiar pet shop in Tokyo has been known to offer customers the unique opportunity to take home one of seven special cats, whose “magic” is never promised, but always received. But there are rules: these cats must be returned after three days. They must eat only the food supplied by the owner, and they must travel to their new homes with a distinctive blanket.

In The Blanket Cats, we meet seven customers, each of whom is hoping a temporary feline companion will help them escape a certain reality, including a couple struggling with infertility, a middle-aged woman on the run from the police, and two families in very different circumstances simply seeking joy.

But like all their kind, the “blanket cats” are mysterious creatures with unknowable agendas, who delight in confounding expectations. And perhaps what their hosts are looking for isn’t really what they need. Three days may not be enough to change a life. But it might just change how you see it. – G.P. Putnam’s Sons

Cat Fight by Kit Conway

Former zoologist Coralie King now reigns over a different sort of animal kingdom as Queen Bee of Sevenoaks, a wealthy suburb of London. When her husband Adam spots a panther on the hood of his car at one of her exclusive dinner parties, Coralie is quick to reassure her guests that they’re in no real danger. She sees the sighting as the perfect opportunity to revive her career and promote her own ecological endeavors.

New neighbor Emma Brooks doesn’t believe for a second that there’s a big cat in their midst but is all too willing to use the concern as a distraction from her home remodel application that’s been facing scrutiny. Meanwhile, former punk musician Twig Dorsett doesn’t know what to believe. She never thought she’d return to Sevenoaks and be living in her childhood home, but after her daughter became sick, she and her wife traded their Bohemian life in Bali for the security of London suburbia.

As the summer heats up, the frenzy around the big cat sighting reaches a fever pitch when gnawed bones, pawprints, and scratches are discovered. But is the real predator a big cat on the prowl or is the true threat more of the domestic variety? Filled with gasp-worthy twists and turns, Cat Fight is a wickedly entertaining novel of suspense that examines the lengths to which some women will go when they feel caged. – Atria Books

Cat’s People by Tanya Guerrero

Núria, a single-by-choice barista with a little resentment for the “crazy cat lady” label, is a member of The Meow-Yorkers, a group in Brooklyn who takes care of the neighborhood’s stray cats. On her volunteering days, she starts finding Post-it notes left by a secret admirer in an area where her feeds her favorite stray—a black cat named Cat. Like most felines, he is both curious and observant, so of course he knows who the notes are from. Núria, however, is clueless.

Are the notes from Collin, a bestselling author and self-professed hermit with a weakness for good coffee? Are they from Lily, a fresh-out-of-high school Georgia native searching for her long-lost half sister? Are they from Omar, the beloved neighborhood mailman going through an early midlife crisis? Or are they from Bong, the grieving widower who owns Núria’s favorite bodega?

When Cat suddenly falls ill, these five strangers find themselves bonding together in their desire to care for him, and discover that chance encounters can lead to the meaningful connections they’ve all been searching for. – Delacorte Press

A Pose Before Dying by Alex Erickson (book 1 in the Cat Yoga Mystery series)

Finding this killer will be a real stretch . . .

Ashley Branson has a lot to prove with her new cat yoga studio, A Purrfect Pose. It’s a place for humans to find inner wellness—and adopt adorable cats from the local shelter. It’s also a chance for Ash to run her own life, out from under her overbearing mother and a stifling relationship. So far, so successful. Until she discovers one of her new clients, a much-disliked college professor, dead in her studio, locked in child’s pose . . .

To make matters worse, Ash’s hapless always-in-trouble brother, Hunter, instantly becomes the cops’ prime suspect. Determined to clear his name and save her business, Ash does a deep lunge into the surprising—and strange—connections the victim had with her other clients. But countless suspects, contradictory leads, not to mention people desperate to see her studio shut down, mean Ash will have to stretch to the max to outthink a clever killer who’s ready to strike her red in tooth and claw . . . – Kensington Cozies

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda

Tucked away in an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, occasionally challenging yet endearing cats.

Throughout the pages, the power of the human-animal bond is revealed as a disheartened businessman finds unexpected joy in physical labor, a young girl navigates the complexities of elementary school cliques, a middle-aged man struggles to stay relevant at work and home, a hardened bag designer seeks emotional balance, and a geisha finds herself unable to move on from the memory of her lost cat. As the clinic’s patients navigate their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope. – Berkley

Summer in the City by Alex Aster

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“I didn’t fall in love with a version of you, Elle,” he says. “I fell in love with every you.”
― Alex Aster, Summer in the City

Ellie has been a screenwriter for years, but her latest project isn’t shaping up. She has had writer’s block for months, which is not great considering that her screenplay is due at the end of the summer. Her current project is a big budget movie set in New York City, so despite her reservations, Ellie moves back to New York City for the summer. After leaving two years ago, she swore she would never come back and yet here she is. She just might be able to get her screenplay written, that is until she realizes that her neighbor is tech billionaire Parker Warren, the man she made out with in the stairwell two years ago right before she fled New York City for good.

Their relationship is anything but positive, but after a night of hate-fueled writing, Ellie starts to think that he might be able to help her finish her screenplay. It turns out the Parker could use her help too: he needs to fake a relationship that will take the attention off his company’s acquisition. The two agree to spend the summer together, exploring New York City, crossing locations off Ellie’s list and hitting up paparazzi locations where Parker needs to make an appearance with his new girlfriend. This is one summer. Only one summer that will end. They can pretend for that long, but the lines between pretend and real start to blur leaving Parker and Ellie to question this new relationship and what it could really be.

Summer in the City is Alex Aster’s adult debut novel. This was a sizzling steamy read full of quick witted banter. I recommend you read this book if you like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, fake dating, and billionaire romance all set in New York City. This was my first billionaire romance, which was an adjustment. Parker has an incredible amount of money that he spends however he wants, seemingly on whatever strikes his fancy. That plays into the story significantly, but still took an adjustment. However I found the characters likable and the chemistry off the charts. Four stars from me!

“There are moments in life, I think, that make you grateful you didn’t just stay in your room.”
― Alex Aster, Summer in the City

Online Reading Challenge – August Wrap-Up

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Hello Fellow Challenge Readers!

How did your reading go this month? Did you read a classic? Share in the comments!

I read our main title: Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. Published in 1956, Giovanni’s Room is the story of David, a young man living in Paris in the 1950s. Waiting for his fiancée Hella to return from a trip to Spain, David starts an affair with an Italian bartender named Giovanni. Said affair spans several months. Giovanni is passionate and clever, but something seems off. Soon the two find themselves living together in Giovanni’s small room. David begins to feel stifled, while Giovanni repeatedly says that he won’t survive if David leaves him. During this time, David reflects on a homosexual affair he had in his adolescence and the impulses he has been struggling to repress for years. David is caught in a conflict between heterosexual and homosexual love, between desire and conventional morality. When Hella returns, David again struggles with the life he envisions for himself (and Hella) and with his homosexuality. The three impacted parties (Giovanni, David, and Hella) are humans with flaws whose decisions end up altering their lives forever.

I chose to listen to the audiobook narrated by Matt Bomer with an introduction by Kevin Young, but I highly recommend you read this book in any format that you can get your hands on. The writing style and imagery are gorgeous. The prose was laden with love, highlighting a depth of emotion portrayed beautifully throughout the book. Although I enjoyed the book, the main character was decidedly not my favorite and was hard to love. David was incredibly selfish, only worried about himself, and unlikable. The relationships he was in were toxic, but I had hopes throughout that David would grow by the end. Sadly, he did not. I had a rough time getting through this book, but I’m glad I did as it hooked me in completely with about 45 minutes left in the story. If this is on your to-read list, give it a go and let me know what you think.

Next month, we will be reading young adult literature!

In addition to following the Online Reading Challenge here on our Info Cafe blog, you can join our Online Reading Challenge group on Goodreads and discuss your reads!

What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon

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“I can change. I can find myself a thousand different times, and I’m not done yet.”
― Rachel Lynn Solomon, What Happens in Amsterdam

When Dani Dorfman’s life in California spirals out of control, her boyfriend cheats on her, and she is fired from her job, Dani does something drastic: she applies for a job in Amsterdam. Dani has never felt like her life has a purpose, so when she all of a sudden has no job, no boyfriend, and no place to leave, why not apply for a job across the world? When she gets the job, she is shocked, but is ready to start a new chapter.

After arriving in Amsterdam, Dani tries to settle into her new life. By the end of her first week, everything that can go wrong seems to go wrong. Her job isn’t what she expected and her apartment is a disaster, leaving Dani lost and feeling alone. Riding her bike, her life changes when she crashes into her high school ex-boyfriend, the ex-boyfriend that she hasn’t seen since he moved back to Amsterdam after his exchange program ended. You see, Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student that Dani’s family hosted when they were both in high school. This innocent exchange situation turned into forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup over text that has bothered Dani for years.

Bumping into Wouter was not what she expected. The two start up a tentative friendship, but there’s still chemistry zipping between the two. When Dani’s life in Amsterdam falls apart and she loses her job, Wouter proposes a deal: Dani needs a visa and Wouter needs to be married to inherit his family’s home, so why don’t the two do a marriage of convenience? The two will get what they need (Dani getsa visa, a place to live, and time to find a new job, while Wouter gets his family home). After a year, the two can divorce and go their separate ways. Right? This arrangement may prove harder than expected. After all, in order to prove it’s a real marriage, Dani has to move into his apartment. That’s only natural. Enter forced close proximity and feelings, once dormant, rush to the surface again.

This second change romance, marriage of convenience, forced proximity novel was an absolutely gorgeous listen. When I first started listening to What Happens in Amsterdam, I was thrown off by Wouter’s Dutch accent, but he grew on me. I loved the world that the author created, describing the idyllic Amsterdam area and the other places the two visit. This is a slow burn, open door romance, meaning the spice happens on page. I have yet to read a book by Rachel Lynn Solomon that I haven’t enjoyed!

“I took this art class freshman year of college where we had to imitate the style of different artists. When we got to Van Gogh, the teacher went on about how sunflowers weren’t very common to paint at the time. They were rough and coarse, and other artists preferred more delicate flowers. But that’s exactly why Van Gogh liked them. And it’s just never left me the idea of creating something lovely from something that isn’t typically viewed that way.”
― Rachel Lynn Solomon, What Happens in Amsterdam

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

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Family secrets live at the center of Molly Knox Ostertag’s newest graphic novel, The Deep Dark. A mix of fantasy and romance, Ostertag has written a deeply emotional story of identity, grief, trauma, family, and loss all from the point of view of a high school student with serious adult responsibilities.

Everyone has secrets and high school senior Magdalena Herrera has many. Her secret just happens to be deadly and hidden in the dark basement of her family home. Mags and her family have been keeping this secret for decades, keeping friends at bay while they keep this secret safe and away from others. Mags spends her day working a part-time job, going to school, caring for her sick grandmother, and making out with a girl who already has a boyfriend. Mags wishes that she could have a happy, shiny life, but she is drawn to the basement every night to have her energy drained by her secret.

Mags has been isolated in her small desert community for years, seeming to have everything under control, while really she is slowly unraveling. When childhood friend Nessa walks back into her life, Mags begins to come out of her shell. Nessa brings hope for the future, but her motives aren’t entirely pure. Nessa remembers certain things from their shared past that she has questions about, putting the future that Mags has just started hoping for into question. Quickly Mags realizes that while she wants to be with Nessa, she has to stay behind with her secret without anyone’s help. Mags can’t afford to get attached or be distracted. When Mags’ darkness becomes too big for her to manage, she must decide what she is willing to sacrifice. Will she bring her secret fully into the open or will she remain locked in the dark with her secret, unable to live her life to the fullest?

This queer story with monstrous elements had me hooked from the start with unique page layouts and mixed use of black and white, and color. This is actually the second time I have read this book. This re-read allowed me to catch some foreshadowing that I missed my first read. The tension hit me harder on my second read. This is a story of learning to love and accept the darkest parts of yourself, even when they are angry and have the power to hurt you. Don’t let grief hold you back from overcoming your demons and learning to let other people love all of you no matter what.

Meet Me in Italy: Books Set in Italy

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Italy with its rich culture and history has been the backdrop and inspiration for many stories throughout history. Whether to prepare for a trip or to just mentally immerse yourself into the country through the pages of a book, here are some recommendations available here at Davenport Public Library! All descriptions are provided by the publisher.

The pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will gather to cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election. They are holy men. But they are not immune to the human temptations of power and glory. And they are not above the tribalism and factionalism that consumes humanity. When all is said and done, one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on Earth

 

 

 

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home. But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything Lina knew about her mother, her father — and even herself. People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Eternal By Lisa Scottoline

Enter the Rome of Eternal, where Elisabetta, Marco, and Sandro grow up as best friends, despite their differences. Elisabetta is a feisty beauty who dreams of becoming a novelist, Marco a handsome cyclist with a secret, and Sandro a Jewish mathematics prodigy. Soon their friendship ripens to romance, and Marco and Sandro vie to win Elisabetta. Meanwhile war threatens the world, and Mussolini leads Italy down a dark path. Harsh restrictions against Italian Jews take legal root, blocking Sandro from finishing his studies. Marco, who works at the local Fascist office, fears that his party is destroying his best friend, but his loyalty is torn. Caught in the middle, Elisabetta struggles to survive as her life crumbles around her. Then the Nazis invade Rome, and a shocking historical event decides the fate of the threesome, once and for all.

Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley

Fashion means everything to Violet Luciano; so does finishing design school. When she lands a summer internship at an up-and-coming fashion brand in Rome, she knows she’s got to bring her A game. The interns will be competing against each other: whoever creates the best fashion design will be offered a job at a New York label. Violet is at the top of her class, but she’s one of the only students who’s approaching thirty. Chasing her dream has left her broke and buried in student debt. Winning is the only option. At a café in Rome, Violet accidentally knocks into someone’s table, ruining the man’s laptop and drink. He is understandably irate. Violet buys Matt an apology coffee, but there is instant animosity between them. Later, the interns discover they’ll be staying in the lavish villa of an eccentric professor and at their welcome dinner, Violet discovers that Matt (evil café Matt) is Matteo, the professor’s son. They’re horrified to be living together, and their angry/witty antics carry on through daily run-ins, chic fashion parties and adventures through Rome. Eventually, their mutual dislike begins to give way to undeniable chemistry.

Call Me By Your Name by Andrè Aciman

Andre Aciman’s Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliffside mansion on the Italian Riviera. Each is unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, when, during the restless summer weeks, unrelenting currents of obsession, fascination, and desire intensify their passion and test the charged ground between them. Recklessly, the two verge toward the one thing both fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy. It is an instant classic and one of the great love stories of our time.

 

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

In the first volume of Patricia Highsmith’s five-book Ripley series, that we are introduced to the suave Tom Ripley, a young striver seeking to leave behind his past as an orphan bullied for being a “sissy.” Newly arrived in the heady world of Manhattan, Ripley meets a wealthy industrialist who hires him to bring his playboy son, Dickie Greenleaf, back from gallivanting in Italy. Soon Ripley’s fascination with Dickie’s debonair lifestyle turns obsessive as he finds himself enraged by Dickie’s ambivalent affections for Marge, a charming American dilettante, and Ripley begins a deadly game.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

A prominent classicist explores ancient Rome and how its citizens adapted the notion of imperial rule, invented the concepts of citizenship and nation, and made laws about those traditionally overlooked in history, including women, slaves, and criminals.

 

 

 

 

 

Always Italy by Frances Mayes

This lush guide, featuring more than 350 glorious photographs from National Geographic, showcases the best Italy has to offer from the perspective of two women who have spent their lives reveling in its unique joys. In these illuminating pages, Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun and many other bestsellers, and New York Times travel writer Ondine Cohane reveal an Italy that only the locals know, filled with top destinations and unforgettable travel experiences in every region. From the colorful coastline of Cinque Terre and the quiet ports of the Aeolian Islands to the Renaissance architecture of Florence and the best pizza in Rome, every section features insider secrets and off-the-beaten-path recommendations (for example, a little restaurant in Piedmont known for its tajarin, a pasta that is the perfect bed for the region’s celebrated truffles). Here are the best places to stay, eat, and tour, paired with the rich history of each city, hillside town, and unique terrain. Along the way, you’ll make stops at the country’s hidden gems–art galleries, local restaurants, little-known hiking trails, spas, and premier spots for R&R. Inspiring and utterly unique, this vivid treasury is a must-have for anyone who wants to experience the best of Italy.

Any more recommendations? Leave them in the comments below!

 

Spent: A Comic Novel by Alison Bechdel

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One of my favorite graphic novelists, Alison Bechdel, has just released a new book, Spent: A Comic Novel. If her name sounds familiar, Bechdel is known for writing Dykes to Watch Out For, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama, and The Secret to Superhuman Strength. Bechdel’s previous works take place in the past, while Spent, in contrast, takes place mostly in the present. This fictionalized memoir includes some true parts of her life, but isn’t quite the truth. Regardless, this comic novel is a breath of fresh air, reminding readers that even though you can’t do everything, you can do something.

In Spent, Alison Bechdel is running a pygmy goat sanctuary in Vermont, alongside her partner Holly. Holly is becoming increasingly famous online for her wood videos, while Alison is struggling to find a purpose. She has projects she should be working on, but instead finds herself preoccupied with the news, worrying about climate change and obsessing over a populace on the verge of civil war, among other things. Alison decides that the way she can help humanity realize its misdeeds is to write a self-critical memoir about her own privilege and greed. While Alison tries to find motivation to work, she and Holly spend time with their friend group, watching a TV series based on Alison’s first book. If you have read Dykes to Watch Out For, you will recognize their friends as characters from that strip. Holly goes viral with a wood-chopping video sending Alison into an envy spiral. Why is she feeling this way? Why won’t anyone accept her writing, so she can save the world already? Alison, Holly, and their friends work through their individual struggles, while turning to each other for help and guidance. Capitalism, ethics, and politics are three of the major themes in Spent with each character juggling their own lives amidst a larger world landscape.

Fake Dating Young Adult Romances

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In the 1990s, I watched many movies with fake dating tropes geared to young adults. Think She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Drive Me Crazy. It should come as no surprise that as an adult, I still love the fake dating trope, especially in books. To satisfy my younger self, I have created a list of young adult romances with fake dating tropes. This is not a complete list, instead these are the ones that caught my eye first! As of this writing, all of these books are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions provided by the publishers.

Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

No one loves musicals more than Riley Morris—her dream is to be a Broadway director. But when the spring show is canceled, Riley has to figure out a way to bring it back. Easier said than done—she’s stuck working at her dad’s game store. The place that means more to him than his family does.

Riley can’t waste time at a dead-end job when her entire future is resting on making a name for herself. So she convinces her co-worker Nathan Wheeler—the floppy-haired, glasses-wearing guy she barely knows from school—to help her. In exchange, she’ll help him make his gamer-girl crush jealous. Plus it won’t hurt to show her egotistical ex, Paul, just what he’s missing without her.

Soon Riley and Nathan are “a couple,” and people seem to believe it. But selling the ruse means joining Nathan’s role-playing game. To Riley’s surprise, the game is almost fun. And even more surprising, flirting with Nathan doesn’t require as much acting as she thought it would. . . . – Delacorte Press

Fake Dates and Mooncakes by Sher Lee

Dylan Tang wants to win a Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making competition for teen chefs—in memory of his mom, and to bring much-needed publicity to his aunt’s struggling Chinese takeout in Brooklyn.

Enter Theo Somers: charming, wealthy, with a smile that makes Dylan’s stomach do backflips. AKA a distraction. Their worlds are sun-and-moon apart, but Theo keeps showing up. He even convinces Dylan to be his fake date at a family wedding in the Hamptons.

In Theo’s glittering world of pomp, privilege, and crazy rich drama, their romance is supposed to be just pretend . . . but Dylan finds himself falling for Theo. For real. Then Theo’s relatives reveal their true colors—but with the mooncake contest looming, Dylan can’t risk being sidetracked by rich-people problems.

Can Dylan save his family’s business and follow his heart—or will he fail to do both? – Underlined

Frankly in Love by David Yoon

Two friends. One fake dating scheme. What could possibly go wrong?

Frank Li has two names. There’s Frank Li, his American name. Then there’s Sung-Min Li, his Korean name. No one uses his Korean name, not even his parents. Frank barely speaks any Korean. He was born and raised in Southern California.

Even so, his parents still expect him to end up with a nice Korean girl–which is a problem, since Frank is finally dating the girl of his dreams: Brit Means. Brit, who is funny and nerdy just like him. Brit, who makes him laugh like no one else. Brit . . . who is white.

As Frank falls in love for the very first time, he’s forced to confront the fact that while his parents sacrificed everything to raise him in the land of opportunity, their traditional expectations don’t leave a lot of room for him to be a regular American teen. Desperate to be with Brit without his parents finding out, Frank turns to family friend Joy Song, who is in a similar bind. Together, they come up with a plan to help each other and keep their parents off their backs. Frank thinks he’s found the solution to all his problems, but when life throws him a curveball, he’s left wondering whether he ever really knew anything about love—or himself—at all.

In this moving debut novel David Yoon takes on the question of who am I? with a result that is humorous, heartfelt, and ultimately unforgettable. – G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating  by Adiba Jaigirdar

Everyone likes Hani Khan – she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they don’t believe her, claiming she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship… with a girl her friends can’t stand – Ishu Dey.

Ishu is the polar opposite of Hani. An academic overachiever, she hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for university. Her only problem? Becoming head girl is a popularity contest and Ishu is hardly popular. Pretending to date Hani is the only way she’ll stand a chance of being elected.

Despite their mutually beneficial pact, they start developing real feelings for each other. But some people will do anything to stop two Bengali girls from achieving happily ever after. – Hachette

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan

Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way:

  • She’s landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog.
  • Her crush, the dreamy diving pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the princess of the park. But Lou’s never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after.
  • Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, has always been up for anything, but she’s decidedly not on board when it comes to Lou’s quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou’s scheme to get close to Nick.
  • And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland—ever—unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

Jennifer Dugan’s sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love—and themselves—in unexpected people and unforgettable places. – G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

I’ll Pretend You’re Mine by Tashie Bhuiyan

Summer Ali has been making a name for herself in the music industry for years, slowly but surely climbing the charts—but the world doesn’t know her stage parents are the ones who molded her entire public persona. Finally eighteen, Summer breaks free of their control and focuses on creating her own path.

Upon running into writer’s block, Summer grows eager to take any opportunity to shake things up—even if it means agreeing to a PR stunt with child-actor-turned-playboy, Jules Moradi, famous for his tabloid escapades.

At first, Jules keeps his distance, maintaining professional boundaries. But as time passes, his walls come down, and Summer uncovers who he is beyond his reputation, and it’s someone more like her than she ever realized. As the lines blur between fake and real, Summer begins questioning who she is and what she wants—and if her dreams are worth sacrificing her heart. – HarperCollins

Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick

Twelve days of fake dates. Two holidays. One chance to convince everyone they’re in love.

Arden James is Hollywood’s hottest teen actor. Infamously reckless, she’s a constant in the tabloids. But when her messy reputation costs her an audition for her dream role, Arden and her publicist make up a lie to flip the script. Only, for the lie to work, she’ll have to head home for the holidays for the first time in four years.

Caroline Beckett has spent those last four years shining up a stellar portfolio that will get her into a top journalism program and convincing herself she could not be less interested in what her former best friend and first crush has been up to since she left without a word. But when Arden suddenly shows up at her doorstep with the promise of a real byline in Cosmopolitan in exchange for a write up on their “secret romance” and twelve snow-covered holidates in their Christmas-obsessed hometown, Caroline can’t help but be tempted into playing along.

It should be easy enough to stand each other for twelve days to make their dreams come true, right? But when old feelings start to bubble up, so do new holiday wishes that might just have Arden and Caroline falling faster than that Christmas Eve snow… – Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Meet Cute Diary by Emery Lee

Noah Ramirez thinks he’s an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There’s just one problem—all the stories are fake. What started as the fantasies of a trans boy afraid to step out of the closet has grown into a beacon of hope for trans readers across the globe.

When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah’s world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn’t have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah’s life, and the pieces fall into place: Drew is willing to fake-date Noah to save the Diary. But when Noah’s feelings grow beyond their staged romance, he realizes that dating in real life isn’t quite the same as finding love on the page.

In this charming novel by Emery Lee, Noah will have to choose between following his own rules for love or discovering that the most romantic endings are the ones that go off script. – Quill Tree Books

August’s Celebrity Book Club Picks

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Bestsellers Club is a service that automatically places you on hold for authors, celebrity picks, nonfiction picks, and fiction picks. Choose any author, celebrity pick, fiction pick, and/or nonfiction pick and The Library will put the latest title on hold for you automatically. Select as many as you want! Still have questions? Click here for a list of FAQs.

It’s a new month which means that Jenna Bush Hager and Reese Witherspoon have picked new books for their book clubs! While Reese and Jenna generally announce a new title each month, Oprah’s selections are more sporadic. Reminder that if you join Bestsellers Club, you can choose to have their selections automatically put on hold for you.

Jenna Bush Hager has selected My Other Heart by Emma Nanami Strenner for her August pick.

Curious what My Other Heart is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

A missing child, two girls in search of their true identities–a stunning novel of mothers, daughters and best friends

In June 1998, Mimi Truang is on her way home to Vietnam when her toddler daughter vanishes in the Philadelphia airport.

Seventeen years later, two best friends in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania, discuss their summer plans before college. Kit, with the support of her white adoptive parents, will travel to Tokyo to explore her Japanese roots. This dizzying adventure offers her a taste of first love and a new understanding of what it means to belong.

Sabrina had hoped to take a similar trip to China, but money is tight. Her disappointment subsides, however, when she meets a bold, uncompromising new mentor who prompts Sabrina to ask questions she’s avoided all her life. Meanwhile, Mimi purchases a plane ticket to Philadelphia. She finally has a lead in her search for her daughter.

When Mimi, Kit, and Sabrina come face to face, they will confront the people they truly are, in this tremendously moving novel that is propelled to its astonishing climax in a way you will never forget. – Pamela Dorman Books

Reese Witherspoon has selected Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan for her August pick.

Curious what Once Upon a Time in Dollywood is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

A playwright must grapple with her difficult year and writer’s block while falling for the single dad living next door in this emotional debut novel from Ashley Jordan.

Eve Ambroise may be a rising star playwright, but her personal life is falling part. Desperate for a fresh start, she breaks up with her fiancé, cuts off her parents, and heads to the Tennessee mountains. But keeping up the lie that she’s just on a writing retreat becomes near impossible when faced with the well-meaning townspeople and a neighbor who has just as much baggage as she has.

Coming off a contentious custody battle, Jamie Gallagher is restructuring what his life looks like as a single dad, and spending more days at his cabin makes his new “free time” a little less empty. Especially when he meets the beautiful—and prickly—woman next door. The last thing he needs is a new romance to shake up his family dynamics even more, but there’s something about Eve.

What starts out as a fling quickly becomes more serious, and it’s not long before Eve is running scared once again. She’s loved and lost in every possible way, and risking it one more time could finally break her. But like the fireflies that fill the mountains around them, Jamie’s and Eve’s lives keep falling into sync. A fairy-tale ending could be in the cards, but only if the new couple can get out of their heads and put their hearts first. – Berkley

Oprah has selected Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo for her latest pick.

Curious what Bridge of Sighs is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

Lucy is sixty years old and has spent his entire life in Thomaston, New York. Like his late, beloved father, Lucy is an optimist, though he’s had plenty of reasons not to be—chief among them his mother, still indomitably alive. Yet it was her shrewdness, combined with that Lynch optimism, that had propelled them years ago to the right side of the tracks and created an “empire” of convenience stores about to be passed on to the next generation.

Lucy’s oldest friend, once a rival for his wife’s affection, leads a life in Venice far removed from Thomaston. In fact, the exact nature of their friendship is one of the many mysteries Lucy hopes to untangle in the “history” he’s writing of his hometown and family. And with his story interspersed with that of Noonan, the native son who’d fled so long ago, the destinies building up around both of them (and Sarah, too) are relentless, constantly surprising, and utterly revealing. – Vintage

Join Bestsellers Club to have Oprah, Jenna, and Reese’s adult selections automatically put on hold for you!