Your guide to a summer of books with exciting locales, thrilling adventures, mysteries and more
Travel the world this summer, even if you’re staying home. Whether you’re on a hammock in your backyard or sitting by the community pool, you can travel near and far with a book. This past year welcomed all kinds of new releases, from page-turning thrillers to thought-provoking memoirs and everything in between. To help you find the perfect read, we asked local library staff and indie booksellers to recommend some of their favorite titles of 2020 and 2021.
See the world
These recommended recent releases highlight different places and cultures throughout the world during both the past and the present.
One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston, published June 2021.
After moving to New York City to finish her college degree, August finds family, romance and herself in an unexpected place: the subway.
Recommended by: Alexa Moore, Circulation & Reader Services Librarian at Amherst Town Library. “August grows into her own throughout this story with the help of so many wonderful people, with a true representation of New York City serving as the backdrop.”
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles, published February 2021.
An intersection of two stories about two women from different places and times: in 1939, Odile is living her dream of working as a librarian at the American Library in Paris, until the Nazis march into town and threaten everything she holds dear; in 1983, Lily, a lonely teenager living in rural Montana, develops a unique bond with the reclusive elderly woman next door.
Recommended by: Amy Lapointe, Library Director at Amherst Town Library. “Interesting history — the 1939 storyline is based on true events — and themes of friendship, love and betrayal are a winning combination.”
West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge, published February 2021.
A 105-year-old man recounts his incredible tale, based on real events, of driving two giraffes that survived the New England hurricane of 1938 across the country to California, where they were given a new life as the first giraffes at the San Diego Zoo.
Recommended by: Dianne Hathaway, Library Director at Goffstown Public Library. “This is a beautifully written book with characters that come alive.”
A Measure of Belonging: Writers of Color on the New American South, edited by Cinelle Barnes, published October 2020.
Writers living and working in the South reflect on the contemporary South and the complex challenges of race in southern culture in this collection of essays.
Recommended by: Dianne Hathaway, Library Director at Goffstown Public Library. “This is an important work in understanding the experiences of others in a place far removed from New Hampshire.”
As Far As You’ll Take Me by Phil Stamper, published February 2021.
After graduating high school, Marty leaves his small home town in Kentucky to pursue a career playing oboe in London, England.
Recommended by: Emily Fortin, Teen and Information Services Librarian at Dover Public Library. “This is a sweet coming of age story, and you’ll be rooting for Marty as he finds his way in a new country.”
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen, published October 2020.
Young Tien and his first-generation immigrant mother bond over a shared love of fairy tales as Tien seeks the right language to come out to his family as gay, and his mother looks back on memories of fleeing Vietnam and the connections she left behind.
Recommended by: Aidan Sonia-Bolduc, librarian at Dover Public Library. “A beautiful comic about overcoming differences in culture and language for the sake of a mother and child’s love.”
Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams, published June 2021.
No one knew why the diplomatic Digby family defected to Russia in 1948. Four years later, Ruth, the twin sister of Iris Digby, is sent undercover by the CIA to retrieve them.
Recommended by: Willard Williams, co-owner of The Toadstool Bookshops in Nashua, Peterborough and Keene. “High stakes, high adventure and moral quandary — it’s a true page-turner. Yes, Beatriz is my niece-in-law, but there’s no bias on this one.”
The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane by Kate O’Shaughnessy, published March 2020.
Eleven-year-old Maybelle sets out on a RV road trip to Nashville with her neighbor and the local bully, where she plans to compete in a singing contest being judged by the father she never met.
Recommended by: Patty Falconer, Children’s Librarianat Dover Public Library. “This summer adventure brings Maybelle lots of discoveries about herself and others.”
* The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest by Mark Synnott, published April 2021.
Synnott, a Jackson, New Hampshire, resident, tells the story of his 2019 expedition to try to find out whether explorers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine ever reached the summit of Mount Everest before they disappeared in 1924.
Recommended by: Susan Dunker, Adult Services Librarian at Dover Public Library. “A great book for a hot day; you’ll appreciate reading about the freezing temperature the climbers endure.”
The Bombay Prince by Sujata Massey, published June 2021.
Perveen Mistry, India’s first female solicitor, battles conflicting religious and gender roles in 20th-century India as she investigates the death of a young Parsi student who had come to her for legal advice not long before.
Recommended by: Barbara Tosiano, Library Director at Hampton Falls Free Library. “While the series is entertaining, it is also insight into cultures and customs about which the reader might not be familiar.”
The Searcher by Tana French, published October 2020.
Ex-cop Cal Hooper looks forward to a quiet retirement when he moves from Chicago to a small town in the West of Ireland, but instead finds himself trying to find a missing person and discover the mystery behind a series of mutilations of local sheep.
Recommended by: Caitlin Loving, Assistant Director at Bedford Public Library. “I drop everything else I’m reading the minute French has a new book out. I read an advance copy of the book last summer, and I was completely transported.”
From the River to the Sea: The Untold Story of the Railroad War That Made the West by John Sedgwick, published June 2021.
The true story of William Palmer of the Rio Grande railroad and William Strong of the Santa Fe railroad, who were both determined to expand their rail lines into the American southwest in the 1870s.
Recommended by: Willard Williams, co-owner of The Toadstool Bookshops in Nashua, Peterborough and Keene. “Well-told. It was a history unknown to me.”
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, publishedOctober 2020
In 18th-century France, Addie, a young girl destined for an arranged marriage that she doesn’t want, makes a deal with the devil that spares her from the marriage but costs more than she bargained for.
Recommended by: Kathy Growney, Library Director at Griffin Free Public Library in Auburn. “A great read for people who are romantic at heart and enjoy a book with a bit of magical realism, historical fiction and an unexpected but satisfying ending.”
The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley, published May 2021.
A man steps off a train into a 19th-century French colony in England, with a mysterious postcard in his possession and no memory of who he is.
Recommended by: Hope Garner, Paralibrarian II at Griffin Free Public Library in Auburn. “This book manages to include time travel, alternative reality and historical events. … It was fascinating and unpredictable.”
* I Have Struck Mrs. Cochran with a Stake: Sleepwalking, Insanity, and the Trial of Abraham Prescott by Leslie Lambert Rounds, published October 2020.
The story of a brutal murder that took place in rural Pembroke, New Hampshire, in 1833.
Recommended by: Tim Sheehan, Library Director at Pembroke Town Library. “Readers who enjoy true crime and local history will enjoy this book.”
Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sis, published January 2021.
Picture book tells the little-known story of Nicholas Winton, a man who saved the lives of nearly 700 children trapped in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during the Holocaust.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “A great way to learn more of those troubling times … [and of] another hero.”
The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts, published June 2021.
In 1954, after losing her farm in Maine, Annie Wilkins, with no money and no family, set out on a two-year-long pilgrimage across America to achieve her lifelong dream of seeing the Pacific Ocean.
Recommended by: Holly Williams, co-owner of The Toadstool Bookshops in Nashua, Peterborough and Keene. “The world was different then, but Annie Wilkins’ journey is still an inspiring one today.”
* Spirit of Place: The Making of a New England Garden by Bill Noble, published May 2020.
Noble, a self-taught garden designer, offers a guide to creating a garden in the New England landscape.
Recommended by: Hope Garner, Paralibrarian II at Griffin Free Public Library in Auburn. “This book is full of inspirational photos and great ideas from his own garden in Vermont.”
Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America’s Cheap Goods by Amelia Pang, published February 2021.
The true story of an Oregon mom who is compelled to act after she finds a letter inside a package of Halloween decorations, written by a sweatshop worker in China pleading for help.
Recommended by: Amy Hanmer, Information and Technology Librarian at Manchester City Library. “This true life mystery/adventure inspires us to speak out and to stop supporting products from authoritarian countries that don’t value human life.”
Color your world
Mythographic Color and Discover: Frozen Fantasies: An Artist’s Coloring Book of Winter Wonderlands by Fabiana Attanasio, published January 2021.
Adult coloring book filled with magical ice castles, snowy landscapes and wintery fantastical beings, and challenges to find secret items hidden in the pictures.
Recommended by: Yvonne R. Loomis, Information and Technology Librarian at Manchester City Library. “Yes, folks thought that the adult coloring phase was over, that is, until we were all in lockdown with time and stress on our hands. So consider this unusual and fun coloring book as a tool for self-care and relaxation.”
Fiction
The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult, published September 2020.
As the plane Dawn is on is about to go down, the thoughts that come rushing to her mind are not of her husband, but of a man whom she hasn’t seen for 15 years.
Recommended by: Amy Lapointe, Library Director at Amherst Town Library. “Picoult explores the choices that alter the course of your life, [with] fascinating side information about death and dying and ancient Egypt. This is Picoult’s most complex book and, in my opinion, one of her best.”
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson, published March 2021.
Abigail is on her honeymoon on a secluded island with her new millionaire husband when a secret from her past upends her marriage and puts her life in danger.
Recommended by: Amy Bain, Library Assistant at Baker Free Library in Bow. “Rip-roaring thrillers/mysteries are my summer go-to … and Peter Swanson is my new favorite thriller writer. You won’t soon forget this story.”
Exit by Belinda Bauer, published January 2021.
Felix, a British man in the second half of his life and a member of an inconspicuous group that helps terminally ill people die with dignity, makes a horrible mistake with a ripple of consequences.
Recommended by: Susan Dunker, Adult Services Librarian at Dover Public Library. “A delightfully quirky story that will keep your heart pumping throughout.”
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, published March 2020.
The story of the family William Shakespeare left behind when he went to London to write, produce and perform plays.
Recommended by: Susan Dunker, Adult Services Librarian at Dover Public Library. “A beautifully written and fascinating novel about possibly the greatest author of all time.”
* The Languid Belly of the Beast by J.S. Carter Gilson, published September 2020.
In the second installment of the Deep Space Cargoist series by Nashua’s own Carter Gilson, old flames are rekindled and new dangers abound as cargoist Inez Stanton sets out to deliver a revolutionary-for-hire deep into the heart of the Free Earth’s capital.
Recommended by: Mary Ellen Carter Gilson, Reference Librarian at Nashua Public Library. “The writing is snappy, the characters are engaging, and the story just pulls you right in. … Yep, [the author] is my husband, but the books really are great!”
* Margreete’s Harbor by Eleanor Morse, published April 2021.
Set in the 1960s, the story follows a family that moves from Michigan to a rural coastal town in Maine to care for an aging mother.
Recommended by: Katharine Nevins, owner of MainStreet BookEnds of Warner. “This wonderful Maine author beautifully intertwines dealing with Alzheimer’s, the pressures of marriage and work and the struggles unique to families during the Vietnam era.”
The Newcomerby Mary Kay Andrews, published May 2021.
On the run from her sister’s murderer, Letty tries to build a new life for herself and her niece and questions whether her new love interest, a local police detective named Joe, can be trusted.
Recommended by: Kathy Growney, Library Director at Griffin Free Public Library in Auburn. “This book is a perfect beach read — a well-written mystery with just a splash of romance and a happy ending.”
The People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry, published April 2021.
The dynamic between best friends Poppy and Alex starts shifting toward romance when they meet up for their 10th traditional summer trip.
Recommended by: Joanna Meighan, Library Assistant at Hampton Falls Free Library. “Summer is the perfect time for romance, and this book does not disappoint. Emily Henry’s characters are relatable, and the story is light and breezy.”
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth, published October 2020.
In 1902, a series of mysterious deaths at The Brookhants School for Girls leads to a curse on the school that no one can seem to unravel.
Recommended by: Alexa Moore, Circulation & Reader Services Librarian at Amherst Town Library. “This creepy and intriguing story kept me turning the pages … and the horror elements will keep you looking over your shoulder. This book will stick with you.”
Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo, published March 2021.
The second book in a fantasy duology following a young king as he battles a dark power growing inside him.
Recommended by: Hope Garner, Paralibrarian II at Griffin Free Public Library in Auburn. “Ms. Bardugo is fun and easy to read. She takes the reader into her universe quickly, like J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter series.”
Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan, published June 2020.
A modern take on E.M. Forster’s 1908 novel A Room with a View that follows Lucie, a 19-year-old biracial woman who finds herself torn between two men and two cultures in a land of decadence and privilege.
Recommended by: Hope Garner, Paralibrarian II at Griffin Free Public Library in Auburn. “Mr. Kwan also wrote the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy. I consider his books a classic beach read —humorous and quickly read.”
Should We Stay or Should We Go by Lionel Shriver, published June 2021.
After seeing the long and taxing decline of their own parents’ physical and mental capacities toward the end of their lives, a healthy couple in their 50s make a pact to die with dignity and leave the world together once they turn 80. Fast-forward three decades, and the time has come, but they’re having second thoughts.
Recommended by: Amy Bain, Library Assistant at Baker Free Library in Bow. “This is the most difficult book to describe, but the most mesmerizing. Each chapter depicts a different outcome … and every outcome seems meant to be.”
The Smash-Up by Ali Benjamin, publishedFebruary 2021.
This modern take on Edith Wharton’s 1911 novel Ethan Frome is based on the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the rage it causes Zo and her group of fellow activists All Them Witches and the toll it takes on her marriage to husband Ethan.
Recommended by: Susan Dunker, Adult Services Librarian at Dover Public Library. “I read Ethan Frome in high school and found this story to be a great complement to that excellent book.”
Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi, published August 2020.
With a suicidal mother and a brother who died of a heroin overdose, Gifty, a Ghanaian immigrant working on a Ph.D. in neuroscience at Stanford, struggles to make sense of the suffering in the world and begins to question the evangelical faith in which she was raised.
Recommended by: Carol Luers Eyman, Outreach and Marketing Librarian at Nashua Public Library. “A moving account of a young woman’s attempt to achieve her own goals amid family strife.”
Nonfiction
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, published April 2021.
A memoir centered on the author’s relationship with her mother and her journey of self-discovery following her mother’s death.
Recommended by: Danielle Arpin, Library Assistant at Pelham Public Library. “Zauner does not hold back her complicated feelings about her family and her own identity.”
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard, published May 2021.
Simard, a forest ecologist, explores the lives of trees and their critical role in the circle of life and reflects on the connection between trees and her personal journey of self-discovery.
Recommended by: Katharine Nevins, owner of MainStreet BookEnds of Warner. “Simard tells her own story and the research that has forever changed how we view forests and their preservation. A very important book and a must-read for us all.”
Olive, Mabel and Me: Life and Adventures with Two Very Good Dogsby Andrew Cotter, published October 2020.
Sports commentator Andrew Cotter tells the story of how his two dogs, Olive and Mabel, became part of his family and captured the hearts of people around the world with viral videos of their antics.
Recommended by: Susan Dunker, Adult Services Librarian at Dover Public Library. “As a dog-lover and owner of a few Labradors over the years, I found it really hilarious and touching. It’s a rare dog book where the dogs don’t die in the end.”
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee, published February 2021.
The author explores issues of income inequality, the Great Recession, environmental degradation and more to refute the idea that economic and social progress for one group is only possible at the expense of another.
Recommended by: Carol Luers Eyman, Outreach and Marketing Librarian at Nashua Public Library. “While the book exposes shameful racist practices that have, in fact, affected people of all colors, the final chapter presents hopeful suggestions for creating a more equitable society.”
Food
The Chef’s Garden: A Modern Guide to Common and Unusual Vegetables – With Recipes by Lee Jones, published April 2021.
A recipe book featuring a wide variety of vegetable-based dishes, with chapters divided by different plant families.
Recommended by: Hillary Nelson, Bookseller at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. “The real glory of this book, to me, is the gorgeous photography. Who knew beet marshmallows could look so delicious? Or that there is a super-cute tuber called oka that looks kind of like a Pokemon and grows like potatoes?”
The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food: Step-By-Step Vegetable Gardening for Everyoneby Joseph Tychonievich, published February 2021.
An easy-to-navigate guide for newbie vegetable growers that includes tips on how to find the best planting location, which vegetables are the easiest to grow, how to water, how to protect the plants from pests and more.
Recommended by: Bre’Anna Beard, Adult Services Assistant at Merrimack Public Library. “This book is both beautifully illustrated and very informative, and it’s an excellent reference for anyone looking to start their own vegetable garden.”
How to Grill Vegetables: The New Bible for Barbecuing Vegetables over Live Fire by Steven Raichlen, published April 2021.
A recipe book with 115 creative dishes centered around grilled veggies.
Recommended by: Amy Bain, Library Assistant at Baker Free Library in Bow. “If you are trying to limit your intake of meat, this is the book for you. Vegetables are the stars of these dishes and always taste better when kissed by fire and smoke.”
Graphic novel
* The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptationby F. Scott Fitzgerald, illustrated and adapted by K. Woodman Maynard, published January 2021.
Woodman-Maynard, originally from Concord, gives new life to the 1925 classic.
Recommended by: Ryan Clark, Bookseller at Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord. “The illustrations are lovely, with a soft and warm color palette that is aesthetically pleasing to look at while still capturing the roaring-twenties-jazz-age tale of obsession and wealth and class.”
Stuck Together by Brian “Smitty” Smith, published in September 2020.
The first book in the children’s graphic novel series Pea, Bee & Jay, which follows the adventures of a pea, a bee and a blue jay.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “Very colorful, unique, simple, funny books for kids to enjoy.”
Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh, published February 2021.
Three mermaids turn themselves into humans so that they can go out drinking at the beach bars, only to realize the next morning that they don’t know how to return to their mermaid form.
Recommended by: Angela Sylvia, Library Technician at Bedford Public Library. “Kat Leyh’s vibrant art fills the mermaid trio and the human friends they make with distinct, lively personalities.”
Children’s
* Becoming a Good Creature by Sy Montgomery, with contributions by Rebecca Green, publishedSeptember 2020.
Picture book adaptation of Montgomery and Green’s 2018 book How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals looks to animals for lessons about friendship, compassion and sharing the Earth.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “A fascinating story [for] kids to learn about our world … and [how] to be a good citizen of the world.”
The Dirt Book: Poems about Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Kate Cosgrove, published June 2021.
Collection of poetry explores the ecosystem of dirt and the animals that inhabit it.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “I love it because it’s written as a ‘vertical’ book, giving the sense of going down, [and] includes lots of fun facts and thought-provoking poems.”
* Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden, published May 2021.
The Vermont-based author’s second middle-grade novel follows four seventh-graders struggling to affirm their identity as their families’ expectations of them are in direct conflict with who they are and who they want to become.
Recommended by: Katharine Nevins, owner of MainStreet BookEnds of Warner. “Such an important book for our times and one that every school should take up.”
The Lights and Types of Ships at Night by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Annie Dills, publishedOctober 2020.
Educational picture book explores different types of ships.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “Simple yet factual and beautiful.”
* On the Farm by David Elliott, illustrated by Holly Meade, originally published March 2008, re-released as a picture book in April 2021.
Picture book adaptation of Elliott’s 2008 book of the same name evokes the sights and sounds of a traditional country farm through poetry and illustrations.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “Awesome, feel-good poems that bring you to the farm.”
* Once Upon Another Time by Charles Ghigna & Matt Forrest Esenwine, illustrated by Andres F. Landazabal, published March 2021.
Picture book, written in poetry, explores the natural world of the past and present.
Recommended by: Katharine Nevins, owner at MainStreet BookEnds of Warner. “Co-authored by Warner’s own Matt Forrest Esenwine, here is a wonderful picture book about the world before humans, inviting children to marvel in the magic that once was and to preserve and protect our only Earth.”
Someone Builds the Dream by Lisa Wheeler, published March 2021.
A look at how things are made and the work it takes to build a civilization.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “A very creative way to show children how things are done from the bottom up [and that] things don’t magically appear. I like that it gets them to think about what they might want to do.”
Wild Outside: Around the World with Survivorman by Les Stroud, illustrated by Paul Barr, published March 2021.
A wilderness survival guide for kids, with practical skills and activities to try at home.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “I love the idea of getting kids more involved outside and learning how to survive without being plugged in.”
Young adult
City Spies by James Ponti, published March 2020.
The first book in Ponti’s middle-grade series of the same name, which follows a group of five delinquent kids recruited by a spy agency.
Recommended by: Sue Matott, Children’s Librarian at Pillsbury Free Library in Warner. “It was so well-written. I didn’t want to stop reading, and it kept me wondering how it would turn out.”
Legendborn by Tracy Deon, published September 2020.
Arthurian legends and Southern Black Girl Magic converge in this contemporary fantasy, which follows Bree, a student at a residential program for high schoolers, as she grieves the death of her mother.
Recommended by: Alexa Moore, Circulation & Reader Services Librarian at Amherst Town Library. “This book has a little bit of a slow start, but once I began to learn about Bree, her family, and her power, I was hooked.”
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, published September 2020.
Avery Grambs receives a mysterious inheritance from Tobias Hawthorne, a billionaire she never knew, but can only keep it under the condition that she reside at the Hawthorne estate. There, she and the Hawthorne brothers work to solve a series of riddles to discover why she was named heiress.
Recommended by: Alexa Moore, Circulation & Reader Services Librarian at Amherst Town Library. “This book was impossible to put down and kept me guessing until the very end.”