From the Bookshelf

Window on Women

NONFICTION

1. “The Power of Women: A Doctor’s Journey of Hope and Healing” by Denis Mukwege (2021)

From a Nobel laureate, world-renowned doctor, and noted human rights activist, comes an inspiring clarion call-to-action to confront the scourge of sexual violence and better learn from women’s resilience, strength and power.

2. “Black Widow: A Sad-Funny Journey Through Grief for People who Normally Avoid Books with Words Like ‘Journey’ in the Title” by Leslie Gray Streeter (2020)

Tender, true, and endearingly hilarious, “Black Widow” is a story about the power of love, and how the only guide book for recovery is the one you write yourself.

3. “Smile: The Story of a Face” by Sarah Ruhl (2021)

A playwright with Bell’s palsy begins an intense decade-long search for a cure while simultaneously grappling with the reality of her new face; one that, while recognizably her own, is incapable of accurately communicating feelings or intentions.

4. “Every Day is a Gift” by Tammy Duckworth (2021)

The Iraq War veteran and U.S. Senator traces her impoverished childhood, her decision to join the Army, the months spent recovering from the attack that shot down her helicopter and nearly took her life, and her subsequent mission of serving in elected office.

5. “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World” by Katharine Hayhoe (2021)

The chief scientist of the Nature Conservancy argues that when it comes to changing hearts and minds about climate change, facts are only one part of the equation. We need to find shared values in order to connect our unique identities to collective action. This is not another doomsday narrative about a planet on fire. It is a multilayered look at science, faith, and human psychology.

FICTION

6. “A Lowcountry Bride” by Preslaysa Williams (2021)

A talented dress designer leaves New York to care for her father in Charleston, S.C., and accepts a job at a local wedding gown shop only to find herself falling for the store’s owner.

7. “The Sweetness of Water” by Nathan Harris (2021)

With candor and sympathy, debut novelist Nathan Harris creates an unforgettable cast of characters, depicting Georgia in the violent crucible of Reconstruction. Equal parts beauty and terror, “The Sweetness of Water” is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love amid the most harrowing circumstances.

8. “The Heirloom Garden” by Viola Shipman (2020)

After moving to Grand Haven, Mich., with her traumatized veteran husband, Abby bonds with her reclusive next-door neighbor over a shared love of flowers that they cultivate together, discovering hope and healing along the way.

9. “The Happy Ever After Playlist” by Abby Jimenez (2020)

After adopting a rescue puppy to help her get her life back on track two years after losing her fiancé, Sloan clashes with the mischievous pup’s original owner, Jason, a rising musician who challenges Sloan to make difficult choices.

10. “Everyday Madness” by Susan Midalia (2021)

“Everyday Madness” occurs when you are a vacuum cleaner-salesman facing redundancy, and your wife of nearly 40 years fills your days and nights with incessant chatter. But when Gloria suddenly and alarmingly stops talking, the silence is more than 59-year-old Bernard can bear. Is there still hope for Bernard and Gloria on the other side of silence?

— LARA LUCK, collection development supervisor