Cozy Fantasy

If you’re looking for a feel-good story with low stakes, let me recommend cozy fantasy! Cozy fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy that focuses more on community and familial relationships. Think of these as slice-of-life reads where emotional development of relationships is central. You might be asking: well, what about conflict? This is harder to nail down in cozy fantasies. Conflict levels vary between different cozy fantasy novels, but the important thing to remember is that these books need to have strong cozy emotional energy and low stakes. Cozy fantasy prioritizes relationships and relaxing settings over sweeping battles and epic quests.

Want to try a cozy fantasy? Check out the list below. This is by no means a complete list of all the cozy fantasy available within our collection, so please contact us if you would like more suggestions! As of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publishers.


The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski

Ever since the untimely death of their parents, Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that rest in the swirls of ginger, cloves, and cardamon that lie at the bottom of their customers’ cups. Their days at the teashop are filled with talk of butterflies and good fortune intertwined with the sound of cinnamon shortbread being snapped by laced fingers.

That is, until the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions. As Anne’s magic begins to develop beyond that of her sisters’, Beatrix’s writing attracts the attention of a publisher, and Violet is enchanted by the song of the circus—and perhaps a mischievous trapeze artist threatening to sweep her off her feet—it seems a family curse that threatens to separate the sisters is taking effect.

With dwindling time to rewrite their future and help three other witches challenge their own destinies, the Quigleys set out to bargain with Fate. But in focusing so closely on saving each other, will they lose sight of themselves? – Atria Books


Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

It’s bad enough waking up in a half-destroyed evil wizard’s workshop with no eyebrows, no memories, and no idea how long you have before the Dread Lord Whomever shows up to murder you horribly and then turn your skull into a goblet or something.

It’s a lot worse when you realize that Dread Lord Whomever is… you.

Gav isn’t really sure how he ended up with a castle full of goblins, or why he has a princess locked in a cell. All he can do is play along with his own evil plan in hopes of getting his memories back before he gets himself killed.

But as he realizes that nothing – from the incredibly tasteless cloak adorned with flames to the aforementioned princess – is quite what it seems, Gav must face up to all the things the Dread Lord Gavrax has done. And he’ll have to answer the hardest question of all – who does he want to be?

A high fantasy farce featuring killer moat squid, toxic masculinity, an evil wizard convocation, and a garlic festival. All at once. All in all, Dread Lord Gavrax has had better weeks. – Titan Books


Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill

Beneath the still surface of a lake lurks a monster with needle sharp teeth. Hungry and ready to pounce.

Jenny Greenteeth has never spoken to a human before, but when a witch is thrown into her lake, something makes Jenny decide she’s worth saving. Temperance doesn’t know why her village has suddenly turned against her, only that it has something to do with the malevolent new pastor.

Though they have nothing in common, these two must band together on a magical quest to defeat the evil that threatens Jenny’s lake and Temperance’s family, as well as the very soul of Britain. – Orbit


I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

Dragons are common in the backwater kingdom of Bellemontagne, coming in sizes from mouse-like vermin all the way up to castle-smashing monsters. Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (who would much rather people call him Robert) has recently inherited his deceased dad’s dead job as a dragon catcher/exterminator, a career he detests with all his heart in part because he likes dragons, feeling a kinship with them, but mainly because his dream has always been the impossible one of transcending his humble origin to someday become a prince’s valet. Needless to say, fate has something rather different in mind… – S&S/Saga Press


Shoestring Theory by Mariana Costa

The kingdom of Farsala is broken and black clouds hang heavy over the arid lands. Former grand-mage of the high court, Cyril Laverre, has spent the last decade hiding himself away in a ramshackle hut by the sea, trying to catch any remaining fish for his cat familiar, Shoestring, and suppressing his guilt over the kingdom’s ruin. For he played his part – for as the king, Eufrates Margrave, descended further and further into paranoia, violence and madness, his grand-mage – and husband – Cyril didn’t do a thing to stop him.

When Shoestring wanders away and dies one morning, Cyril knows his days are finally numbered. But are there enough left to have a last go at putting things right? With his remaining lifeblood, he casts a powerful spell that catapults him back in time to a happier period of Farsalan history – a time when it was Eufrates’s older sister Tig destined to ascend to the throne, before she died of a wasting disease, and a time when Cyril and Eufrates’s tentative romance had not yet bloomed. If he can just make sure Eufie never becomes king, then maybe he can prevent the kingdom’s tragic fate. But the magical oath he made to his husband at the altar, transcending both time and space, may prove to be his most enduring – and most dangerous – feat of magic to date…

Featuring a formidable great aunt, a friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, an awkward love quadrangle and a crow familiar called Ganache, this charming story is imminently easy to read and sure to satisfy fans of fanfiction who like their fantasy lite. – Angry Robot


The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

Tao is an immigrant fortune teller, traveling between villages with just her trusty mule for company. She only tells “small” fortunes: whether it will hail next week; which boy the barmaid will kiss; when the cow will calve. She knows from bitter experience that big fortunes come with big consequences…

Even if it’s a lonely life, it’s better than the one she left behind. But a small fortune unexpectedly becomes something more when a (semi) reformed thief and an ex-mercenary recruit her into their desperate search for a lost child. Soon, they’re joined by a baker with a “knead” for adventure, and—of course—a slightly magical cat.

Tao starts down a new path with companions as big-hearted as her fortunes are small. But as she lowers her walls, the shadows of her past close in—and she’ll have to decide whether to risk everything to preserve the family she never thought she could have. – Ace

This title is also available in large print.

Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan

“You can’t just keep doing what you’re doing and wait for it to turn into something happy. You kind of have to look for the happy things along the way.”
― Annabel Monaghan, Summer Romance

When Ali Morris’s husband ask for a divorce a year after her mother dies, Ali is understandably distraught. Not because she particularly cares that her marriage is over, but the audacity of her husband to divorce her while she’s grieving instead of helping her through it. After they have been separated for a year, it shouldn’t be a surprise when he suggests they finalize their divorce, but yet again she’s caught off guard.

Ali’s day job as a professional organizer should mean that her home and her life are pretty put together, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Her life is a mess. Her friends and her three children are concerned about her lack of wearing hard pants and her increasing pattern of wearing the same dirty sweatpants out in public. When one day she decides to take off her wedding ring and put on a pair of overalls, her only plans are to take her dog to the dog park. Imagine her surprise when she meets someone. Well actually, her dog picks this stranger out of the crowd and marks him for her by peeing on him and soaking his shoe. Ethan and Ali immediately hit it off. He looks at her like she is brave, young, and has her life together. The more time they spend together, the more Ali works to find her spark. A summer romance may be just what she needs to get out of this rut. What harm can come from that?

This romance was exactly what I needed. What hooked me was that the characters were older, aka in their late 30s with established careers and families. The character growth portrayed by the main characters and some of the supporting characters was a breath of fresh air. I found myself laughing, crying, and cheering them on, the whole range of emotions throughout this book. I can’t wait to read to more by this author!

This title is also available in large print.

Man o’ War by Cory McCarthy

“Not all trans people started out feeling like a different gender trapped in their skin. Some find themself a little at a time, a door inside that unlocks and reveals new doors, and new doors after that, and so on.”
― Cory McCarthy, Man o’ War

Living in a small landlocked Midwestern town, McIntyre, a seventeen year old Arab American swimmer struggles to figure out who they are in Cory McCarthy’s 2023 Stonewall Honor Book, Man o’ WarMcIntyre isn’t happy. As the inconsistently best swimmer on their high school team, they have always had swimming to fall back on, but their family and friends’ situation is something else entirely. Their relationship with their mom is rocky, their dad is present but quiet, but their brother is close by to help, although he’s dealing with his own issues. Their best friend is off and on again because McIntyre doesn’t always pick the best partners, relationship wise.

While on the annual class field trip to SeaPlanet, McIntyre runs into Indigo ‘Indy’ Watts, someone they used to go to elementary school with. Indy, an affirmed queer person, sparks something in McIntyre, leading them out of the closet and on a journey of self-discovery that spans years chronicled throughout this book. Follow McIntyre over a few years as they work to see who they are and, most importantly, who they want to become. McIntyre must also learn how to be true to themselves in spaces where other people don’t perceive them the way they view themself.

Interested in this book? Man o’ War is the September 2025 See YA Book Club selection. We will be discussing this book on Wednesday, September 3rd at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue branch. For more information about future See YA book picks, visit our website.

See YA Book Club

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Stop by the service desk for more information.

September 3 – Man O’War by Cory McCarthy

October 1 – A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

November 5 – Rez Ball by Byron Graves

December 3 – Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Inspired by Austen

Are you a Jane Austen fan? Do you like books inspired by Jane Austen? If so, we have a great list for you! I have gathered a list of books inspired by Jane Austen (think Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, or Sense and Sensibility) that were published in 2023, 2024, and 2025. This is by no means a complete list of all books inspired by Jane Austen! If you’re looking for more or have a favorite that you would like to share, let us know in the comments.

As of this writing, all titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publisher.


Emma of 83rd Street by Audrey Bellezza

In this witty and romantic debut novel, Jane Austen’s Emma meets the misadventures of Manhattan’s modern dating scene as two lifelong friends discover that, in the search for love, you sometimes don’t have to look any further than your own backyard.

Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse has lived twenty-three years in her tight-knit Upper East Side neighborhood with very little to distress or vex her…that is, until her budding matchmaking hobby results in her sister’s marriage—and subsequent move downtown. Now, with her sister gone and all her friends traveling abroad, Emma must start her final year of grad school grappling with an entirely new emotion: boredom. So when she meets Nadine, a wide-eyed Ohio transplant with a heart of gold and drugstore blonde highlights to match, Emma not only sees a potential new friend but a new project. If only her overbearing neighbor George Knightley would get out of her way.

Handsome, smart, and successful, the only thing that frustrates Knightley more than a corked whiskey is his childhood friend, Emma. Whether it’s her shopping sprees between classes or her revolving door of ill-conceived hobbies, he is only too happy to lecture her on all the finer points of adulthood she’s so hell-bent on ignoring. But despite his gripes—and much to his own chagrin—Knightley can’t help but notice that the girl next door is a woman now…one who he suddenly can’t get out of his head.

As Emma’s best laid plans collide with everyone from hipster baristas to meddling family members to flaky playboy millionaires, these two friends slowly realize their need to always be right has been usurped by a new need entirely, and it’s not long before they discover that even the most familiar stories still have some surprises. – Gallery Books


Good Fortune by C.K. Chau

A whip-smart and charming debut novel that brilliantly reimagines Pride and Prejudice, set in contemporary Chinatown, exploring contemporary issues of class divides, family ties, cultural identity, and the pleasures and frustrations that come with falling in love.

When Elizabeth Chen’s ever-hustling realtor mother finally sells the beloved if derelict community center down the block, the new owners don’t look like typical New York City buyers. Brendan Lee and Darcy Wong are good Chinese boys with Hong Kong money. Clean-cut and charismatic, they say they are committed to cleaning up the neighborhood. To Elizabeth, that only means one thing: Darcy is looking to give the center an uptown makeover.

Elizabeth is determined to fight for community over profit, even if it means confronting the arrogant, uptight man every chance she gets. But where clever, cynical Elizabeth sees lemons, her mother sees lemonade. Eager to get Elizabeth and her other four daughters ahead in the world (and out of their crammed family apartment), Mrs. Chen takes every opportunity to keep her investors close. Closer than Elizabeth likes.

The more time they spend together, the more conflicted Elizabeth feels…until a shocking betrayal forces her to reconsider everything she thought she knew about love, trust, and the kind of person Darcy Wong really is. – HarperVia


Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg

The only thing worse than hating your boss? Being attracted to her.

Liz Baker and her three roommates work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that’s on the verge of shutting down—until it’s bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians. Liz knows she’s lucky to still have a paycheck but it’s hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent “frivolous use.” When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her listicles, she knows that it’s only a matter of time before her impulsive mouth gets herself fired.

But as Liz and Daria wind up having to spend more and more time together, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria—she’s funny, thoughtful, and likes the way Liz’s gender presentation varies between butch and femme. Despite the evidence that Liz can’t trust her, it’s hard to keep hating Daria—and even harder to resist the chemistry between them.

This page-turning, sexy, and delightfully funny rom-com celebrates queer culture, chosen family, and falling in love against your better judgment. – Dial Press Trade Paperback


Meet the Benedettos by Katie Cotugno

An A-list movie star moves to Los Angeles—next door to a family of five eligible sisters—in this irresistible novel where The Kardashians meets Pride and Prejudice, from the NYT bestselling author of Birds of California

Every family is complicated, and the Benedettos are no exception. A few years after a reality TV show skyrocketed them to pop-culture fame, the five twentysomething sisters are living together in their parents’ crumbling McMansion, nearly broke and teetering towards rock-bottom. Lilly, the sensible second-eldest sister, is all too aware that her family is viewed as a spectacle, but she’s focused on holding herself and her family together, and unlike her siblings she tends not to care what the world thinks.

The Benedettos’ fortunes finally appear to be brightening when Charlie Bingley, the dashing star of Captain Fantastic, moves into their Los Angeles neighborhood with his friend Will Darcy in tow. It isn’t long before Charlie falls for the warm and lovely eldest sister, June. Lilly has no such luck: the arrogant and judgmental Will Darcy, a man plagued by his own private demons, seems ready to clash with her at every turn–yet the two can’t seem to stay away from each other. And while the Benedettos’ matriarch sets to work encouraging a potential match between Charlie and June, there are plenty of others in the community who are determined to steer these eligible young men away from a ridiculous family of reality show has-beens… – Harper Perennial


Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

A sparkling second-chance romance inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion…

Nada Syed is stuck. On the cusp of thirty, she’s still living at home with her brothers and parents in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood of Toronto, resolutely ignoring her mother’s unsubtle pleas to get married already. While Nada has a good job as an engineer, it’s a far cry from realizing her start-up dreams for her tech baby, Ask Apa, the app that launched with a whimper instead of a bang because of a double-crossing business partner. Nothing in her life has turned out the way it was supposed to, and Nada feels like a failure. Something needs to change, but the past is holding on too tightly to let her move forward.

Nada’s best friend Haleema is determined to pry her from her shell…and what better place than at the giant annual Muslim conference held downtown, where Nada can finally meet Haleema’s fiancé, Zayn. And did Haleema mention Zayn’s brother Baz will be there?

What Haleema doesn’t know is that Nada and Baz have a past—some of it good, some of it bad and all of it secret. At the conference, that past all comes hurtling at Nada, bringing new complications and a moment of reckoning. Can Nada truly say goodbye to once was or should she hold tight to her dreams and find their new beginnings? – Berkley


Once Persuaded, Twice Shy: A Modern Reimagining of Persuasion by Melodie Edwards

This modern reimagining of Persuasion is full of witty banter, romantic angst, and compelling characters as it captures the heart of the classic Jane Austen novel.

When Anne Elliott broke up with Ben Wentworth, it seemed like the right thing to do . . . but now, eight years later, she’s not so sure.

In her scenic hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Anne is comfortable focusing on her successful career: filling her late mother’s shoes as town councilor and executive director of her theater company. She certainly keeps busy as the all-around wrangler of eccentric locals, self-centered family members, elaborate festivals, and the occasional attacking goose. But the more she tries to convince herself that her life is fine as is, the more it all feels like a show—and not nearly as good as the ones put on by her theater company. She’s the always responsible Anne, always taken for granted and cleaning up after other people, and the memories of happier times with Ben Wentworth still haunt her.

So when the nearby Kellynch Winery is bought by Ben’s aunt and uncle, Anne’s world is set ablaze as her old flame crashes back into her life—and it’s clear he hasn’t forgiven her for breaking his heart. A joint project between the winery and Anne’s theater forces both Ben and Anne to confront their complicated history, and as they spend more time together, Anne can’t help but wonder if there might be hope for their future after all. – Berkley


Puck & Prejudice by Lia Riley

From the author of Mister Hockey comes a sizzling marriage of convenience romance between a pro hockey player who accidentally travels back in time to Regency Era England and the brazen contemporary of Jane Austen he just can’t help but fall for…

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a modern single man in possession of a hockey jersey may be exactly what a Regency woman needs to avoid the shackles of marriage…

Goalie for the Austin Regals, Tucker Taylor is benched due to health issues. So he decides to visit his sister in England. But an accidental plunge into an icy pond thrusts him back to 1812 where he comes face to face with a captivating blue-eyed woman who regards him as if he’s grown two heads.

Lizzy Wooddash dreams of a life surrounded by books, engaging conversation, the presence of literary icons like Jane Austen, and… nary a husband in sight. But in Regency England, only widows like her cousin Georgie enjoy freedom and solitary pursuits, unencumbered by expectations. The only way to quickly become a widow is by marrying a dying man or killing a perfectly healthy one, neither of which Lizzy desires.

A visitor from the future might just be the husband of her dreams. Once married, they can figure out how to return Tucker to his proper time, and his absence—aka death—will make Lizzy the widow she always dreamed of becoming. Yet as sparks ignite, they soon realize that matters of the heart rarely adhere to carefully laid plans. Can their love stand the test of time, or will Lizzy get exactly what she wanted…as well as a broken heart? – Avon


Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne

Two sisters roll up their sleeves to run a dilapidated inn but must learn to work with the locals in this deliciously spicy novel inspired by Sense and Sensibility.

There’s never a good time to learn you are your father’s secret child—especially not at the reading of his will. With their father’s affairs laid bare and Nora’s sensible reputation in tatters due to a viral video scandal, she and her free-spirited sister have nothing left but a rustic inn in the middle of nowhere and each other. What’s more, they need to revamp the inn before Labor Day or they lose it all. Nora hasn’t even knocked the traveling dust off last season’s designer boots when she’s confronted with three problems:

1. She really should have watched more HGTV.
2. She hasn’t seen another Black person for miles.
3. A tall, dark stranger has already staked a claim on their property.

Native Abenaki eco-tour guide Ennis “Bear” Freeman has seen hapless tourists come and go. When he spots two pampered city girls at his unofficial headquarters, he expects them to catch a flight out of the inhospitable coastal Maine backwoods within a week’s time. But Nora, turns out, is made of sterner stuff. And as she rolls up her sleeves to breathe new life into the inn, she unwittingly reignites a flood of emotions inside of Bear that he had very intentionally suppressed.

Their connection is electric, their desire palpable. But Bear’s silence about his mysterious past might turn out to be the one thing that sends Nora packing. – Berkley

Pictures of You by Emma Grey

“The endless, haunting, unchangeable dance of all that was said and unsaid as life pushes you further from the opportunity you lost to make things right.”
― Emma Grey, Pictures of You

Emma Grey’s newest novel, Pictures of You, is a dual narration from the view points of Evie and Drew as they work to figure out their new normal in the wake of a tragic accident. While trying to figure out how I wanted to review this book, I realized that this would have to be vague as the premise of this book relies on readers going in a bit blind.

Imagine waking up in the hospital and having absolutely no idea how you ended up there. This is what happens to Evie Hudson. Desperately wanting to get back to normal, Evie’s instincts tell her to reach out to the people that she can remember, only to find that their contact information has disappeared from her phone. What happened to her? A tragic accident must have been the cause, but why can’t Evie remember? And where are her family and friends? Why aren’t they at her bedside? And why is her life so different than how she thought it would turn out? Evie must work through her shocking present to figure out what went so wrong in her past.

This is a romance with some mystery elements, full of twists and turns that will have you almost needing to take notes to follow along with the story (in a good way). As I mentioned earlier, this novel is told from two separate points of view: Evie and Drew. In addition to being told from their points of view, this is also dual timeline, flashing back and forth between the present and the past, following each characters’ life decisions and highlighting their changing relationship dynamics (I warned you this would be vague). Trigger warnings: mental abuse, narcissism, and toxic relationships. While I enjoyed how deep this book went, there were times when I needed to step away and take a breath. The plot and storylines were well-developed, but at times I felt like the main problems would be solved if they simply talked openly face-to-face. I’m still glad I read it!

Oprah’s Latest Book Club Pick: The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Join Bestsellers Club to have certain celebrity book club picks automatically put on hold for you: Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush Hager, and Oprah Winfrey. 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 these titles automatically put on hold for you.


Oprah Winfrey’s latest selection is The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb.

Curious what The River is Waiting is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that’s before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves? – S&S/Marysue Rucci Books

This title is also available in large print.


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

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

“A few students who were being trained to analyze crime scenes, pore over witness testimony, and track serial killers. What trouble could we possibly get into?”
― Jennifer Lynn Barnes, The Naturals

Cassandra Hobbes, known as Cassie, has been a natural at reading people for as long as she can remember. Growing up, her mother noticed her natural skills and started training her. Now Cassie is 17 and her mother has been missing for five years. Five years ago, Cassie walked into her mother’s dressing room at the theater where she was performing and stumbled upon a bloody and destroyed crime scene. Sadly her mother was never found. Cassie has spent the last five years living with her father’s family, feeling like she doesn’t completely fit in.

While at work one day, she is approached by a young man who leaves behind a card from someone at the FBI. Cassie eventually calls the number and learns that the FBI has started a classified program that uses talented natural teenagers to crack cold cases. Cassie was flagged in the system and they would like her to join. When Cassie arrives at her new home, the teens she meet have gifts as unique as her own. One can read emotions, one can detect lies, one is a walking encyclopedia, while the last is a profiler just like Cassie. As her training progresses and Cassie gets to know the other teens, she realizes that there is something off about everyone involved in the program: they all have secrets they want to stay hidden. The two agents in charge of the program are assigned to an active case involving a killer who isn’t afraid of danger. Cassie and the others are not allowed to help on active cases, but the Naturals soon find themselves drawn to help. Their curiosity quickly turns necessary as the killer escalates and the team must use all of their skills to survive.

Jennifer Lynn Barnes wrote my favorite young adult series, The Inheritance Games. When I discovered The Naturals series, I knew that this was right up my alley. This is a fast-paced and fun read (feels weird to say that about a book with murderers, but there you go!). Watching the characters’ relationships grow was intriguing as they all have complicated backstories and their own reasons for wanting to keep secrets. Cassie’s new life couldn’t be more different than her old one, but she feels more seen and understood amongst her fellow naturals. The suspense was built naturally, while the twist completely sucked me in. My only issue was the romance subplot. This author is a fan of love triangles, but the romance here seemed forced and didn’t add much to the story. All in all, I still gave this read five stars!

Naturals series

  1. The Naturals (2013)
  2. Killer Instinct (2014)
  3. All In (2015)
  4. Bad Blood (2016)

Twelve – A Naturals Novella

June’s Celebrity Book Club Picks

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! 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 A Family Matter by Claire Lynch for her June pick.

Curious what A Family Matter is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

1982. Dawn is a young mother, still adjusting to life with her husband, when Hazel lights up her world like a torch in the dark. Theirs is the kind of connection that’s impossible to resist, and suddenly life is more complicated, and more joyful, than Dawn ever expected. But she has responsibilities and commitments. She has a daughter.

2022. Heron has just received news from his doctor that turns everything upside down. He’s an older man, stuck in the habits of a quiet existence. Telling Maggie, his only child—the person around whom his life has revolved—seems impossible. Heron can’t tell her about his diagnosis, just as he can’t reveal all the other secrets he’s been keeping from her for so many years.

A Family Matter is a heartbreaking and hopeful exploration of love and loss, intimacy and injustice, custody and care, and whether it is possible to heal from the wounds of the past in the changed world of today. – Scribner


Reese Witherspoon has selected The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King for her June pick.

Curious what The Phoenix Pencil Company is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

In this dazzling debut novel, a hidden and nearly forgotten magic—of Reforging pencils, bringing the memories they contain back to life—holds the power to transform a young woman’s relationship with her grandmother, and to mend long-lost connections across time and space.

Monica Tsai spends most days on her computer, journaling the details of her ordinary life and coding for a program that seeks to connect strangers online. A self-proclaimed recluse, she’s always struggled to make friends and, as a college freshman, finds herself escaping into a digital world, counting the days until she can return home to her beloved grandparents. They are now in their nineties, and Monica worries about them constantly—especially her grandmother, Yun, who survived two wars in China before coming to the States, and whose memory has begun to fade.

Though Yun rarely speaks of her past, Monica is determined to find the long-lost cousin she was separated from years ago. One day, the very program Monica is helping to build connects her to a young woman, whose gift of a single pencil holds a surprising clue. Monica’s discovery of a hidden family history is exquisitely braided with Yun’s own memories as she writes of her years in Shanghai, working at the Phoenix Pencil Company. As WWII rages outside their door, Yun and her cousin, Meng, learn of a special power the women in their family possess: the ability to Reforge a pencil’s words. But when the government uncovers their secret, they are forced into a life of espionage, betraying other people’s stories to survive.

Combining the cross-generational family saga and epistolary form of A Tale for the Time Being with the uplifting, emotional magic of The Midnight Library, Allison King’s stunning debut novel asks: who owns and inherits our stories? The answers and secrets that surface on the page may have the unerasable power to reconnect a family and restore a legacy. – William Morrow

This title is also available in large print.


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

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka is a slow-paced, meditative but short book about what happens when a routine is thrown off course for a woman experiencing dementia.

In the first half of the book, Alice takes comfort in her daily lap swimming. The other swimmers around her keep an eye on Alice as they follow their own routines. Through simple vignettes of the swimmers, readers get a sense of the community, culture and norms of this secluded, underground swimming pool. One day, a crack appears at the bottom of the pool. As the crack changes and grows, the swimmers become increasingly alarmed, except Alice who continues in her routine. Finally, the crack causes the pool to shut down and the swimmers disperse, most never to cross paths again.

The second half of the book focuses solely on Alice and how her dementia gets rapidly worse without the daily lap swimming. She is moved into a nursing home. Her memories of her childhood and early parenthood become as real to her as the present. Alice’s daughter is ready to form a bond just as her health declines.

This is not the book for readers looking for a compelling, character-driven story. It does, however, provoke a range of emotions, from regret to reconciliation, and yes, even moments of humor. I would recommend The Swimmers to anyone who is looking for a short read that never falls short on metaphor, imagery and beautiful prose.

The Swimmers is available from the Davenport Public Library in regular print and large print as of this writing.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

“Sometimes, a book can change your life. It’s hard to explain that to someone who doesn’t read, or who has never felt their heart bend so strongly toward a story that it might just snap in two. Some books are a comfort, some a reprieve, others a vacation, a lesson, a heartbreak.”
― Ashley Poston, A Novel Love Story

Eileen Merriweather loves romance. As a professor of literature at a local college, she spends the school year teaching courses on history’s greatest romance writers. When her own relationship falls apart and her best friend suggests they both join a book club, Eileen is skeptical at first. She doesn’t want to be reminded of what she’s lost. However after their first meeting, Eileen is smitten. The Super Smutty Book Club members quickly become her friends. One week every year, the club members book a cabin in the Hudson Valley in New York where they read smutty books and celebrate the romance series that they all initially bounded over – the Quixotic Falls series. This year, Eileen is beyond ready for a break. When the club members start dropping out of the trip, she gets worried. When her best friend Pru is the last to drop out, Eileen decides she is going to take the trip alone.

Her trip to the Hudson Valley starts easily, but quickly devolves. Her car starts making weird noises shortly after she starts the trip and eventually completely breaks down in the middle of a thunderstorm in a small town. Eileen takes refuge in a bookstore much to the chagrin of the grumpy, yet sexy, owner. This quaint town seems very familiar to her. As it turns out, Eileen has landed in Eloraton, the town of her favorite book series, Quixotic Falls. It is everything she ever imagined, from the sweet honey taffy, the burnt burgers at the local bar, and the grumpy possum that lives in the cafe.

The longer Eileen stays, the more the town seems off. Nothing has changed in years, nothing has moved on, and the town is trapped. Ever since the author died suddenly in a tragic car accident before finishing the fifth and final book, Eloraton and its residents have been left in a limbo. Eileen quickly decides that she was brought to Eloraton to help it move on, to help the town and its residents find the endings that the author was never able to finish. She’ll do anything to give these characters the endings they deserve.

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston is a standalone novel, but there are characters from some of her other standalone titles that make appearances in this book. While the romance between the two main characters happened a little too quickly for me (complete strangers to falling in love in less than five days!), the plot was intriguing enough and was something that I hadn’t read before, so I kept with it! This cozy warm read had me rooting for all of the characters to get their happy ending.

This title is also available in large print.