 I’m a huge fan of S.A. Cosby’s work. His books always hit that perfect balance of grit, heartbreak, and grey morality, and King of Ashes might just be his most powerful one yet. This time, Cosby trades the getaway cars and backroads for something even darker, family legacy and the ways it can drag you down no matter how far you’ve run.
The story follows Roman Carruthers, a man who’s built a successful life in Atlanta after escaping his small Virginia hometown. When his father ends up in a coma after a car crash, Roman goes back home to Jefferson Run to help his siblings keep the family crematorium running. But the homecoming doesn’t go smoothly. His brother Dante is in deep with the local gang, and his sister Neveah is trying to keep the family business running. What starts as a reluctant return turns into a reckoning with everything Roman thought he’d escaped. Cosby writes about family like no one else, love and resentment tangled so tight you can’t tell one from the other. His writing is sharp as ever, filled with moments of shocking violence and deep tenderness. Roman isn’t a traditional hero. He’s flawed, conflicted, and at times infuriating. But he's not giving up on his family. Cosby leveled up again with this one. It’s a crime novel, sure, but also a tragedy about inheritance, shame, and the futility of trying to bury the past when the past already knows you are. Get the book at the library, or download the eBook or audiobook with your SPL card. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian
0 Comments
 About a Boy by Nick Hornby is one of those novels that strolls up to you with a smirk, hands jammed in its pockets, pretending it’s just here to make a few jokes about single men and awkward kids, and then suddenly it hits you right in the feels.
Will Freeman, human equivalent of an unassembled IKEA bookshelf, floats through life collecting shallow pleasures and acting like emotional detachment is a lifestyle brand. He’s the guy who would absolutely call himself “laid-back” when what he really means is “no one has ever held me accountable for anything.” And then, because life is a chaotic raccoon rifling through the dumpster of human fate, along comes twelve-year-old Marcus. This kid has the spiritual vibe of someone who has already lived three lifetimes and all of them were somewhat disappointing. Marcus looks at adults the way you look at a bad Tinder date, confused, betrayed, and reconsidering every decision that led you here. Hornby throws these two misfits together, one who’s allergic to feelings and one who’s drowning in them, and the whole thing becomes this weird, wobbling orbit of reluctant healing. The book is funny, painfully so, but with that undercurrent of “Wow, humans are awful and beautiful and exhausting.” Get the eBook with your SPL card. If you are interested in a print copy, contact us about interlibrary loan. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian  The September House by Carissa Orlando is a haunting in every sense of the word. Margaret buys a beautiful old home with her husband, only to discover it’s filled with screaming ghosts, blood that seeps from the walls each September, and something terrifying in the basement. But instead of running, she stays. She cleans up the blood. She pretends nothing is wrong. When her daughter comes back into the picture, the cracks in Margaret’s carefully managed world start to widen, and the story spirals into something both emotionally raw and deeply unsettling.
Orlando blends supernatural horror with real-world trauma, using ghosts as a metaphor for the things we live with, bury, and pretend not to see. It’s dark, eerie, sometimes funny, and emotionally sharp. If you like horror that lingers and means something, this one’s for you. Get the book at the library or download the eBook or audiobook with your SPL card. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian  In We Do Not Part, Han Kang, now crowned with the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, continues to unravel the raw sinews of the human spirit with her trademark elegance, restraint, and haunting brutality. If you’ve read The Vegetarian or Human Acts, you already know that she is not here to comfort you. She is here to disarm you, to offer silence as indictment of past sins, and pain as a kind of testimony.
This latest novel is perhaps her most distilled expression of sorrow and connection yet. It is a story soaked in grief, not just personal grief, but historical and national grief, a grief that simmers beneath the skin, unnamed and yet entirely felt. Her language is stripped down to the bone, almost surgical in its precision, leaving vast, aching white space between sentences like unspoken truths hanging in the air. At its core, We Do Not Part is about the relationship between two friends. But it’s also about war, memory, intimacy, and the ways violence echoes through generations like a haunting melody. The lines between presence and absence, love and loss, flesh and memory blur. Han Kang does not offer resolution. She never has. But what she does offer is something far more rare: an invitation to sit in discomfort, to witness the beauty in fracture, and to confront the quiet devastation of history without blinking. It is no surprise that the Nobel committee recognized her. Han writes not with ink but with absence, making you feel the ghosts between the words. We Do Not Part is not just a novel, it is a requiem for everything we cannot hold on to, and a prayer for what lingers anyway. A devastating, masterful work. Read it, but don’t expect to emerge unchanged. Her books are always a favorite of mine even though they leave me devastated, and this did not disappoint. Check it out at the library. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian  Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is one of those classic novels that genuinely lives up to the hype. It dives into messy relationships, complicated emotions, and the pressures of society in 19th-century Russia. At the center is Anna, whose intense affair with Vronsky pulls her into a spiral of love, heartbreak, and loneliness.
What makes the book special is how deeply Tolstoy explores his characters. Anna feels real, flawed, and relatable, even if some of her choices are difficult to understand. There's also Levin, a character wrestling with his own questions about life's meaning, providing a thoughtful contrast to Anna's intense storyline. Sure, the book is lengthy, and Tolstoy sometimes spends considerable time discussing farming, politics, or philosophy, which can slow things down. However, these moments teach you a lot about Russian history, politics, and society in the 1870s, adding important layers to the story and making it more than just romantic drama. In the end, Anna Karenina is about real people struggling with love, society, and themselves. It’s the kind of novel you keep thinking about long after you've finished reading it, and it's definitely worth giving a shot. It’s certainly one of my favorite books! Reserve it at the library or get the audiobook or eBook. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian  This book is a heartfelt, emotional story that weaves together history, love, and loss in a really touching way. Set in Seattle, it follows Henry Lee, a Chinese American man who, in 1986, comes across a piece of his past when he learns about belongings found in the old Panama Hotel, items left behind by Japanese American families sent to internment camps during World War II. This discovery brings back memories of his childhood, especially his friendship (and first love) with Keiko, a Japanese American girl.
The story jumps between the 1940s and the 1980s, showing young Henry dealing with racism, family pressure, and the heartbreak of being separated from Keiko. At the same time, older Henry is trying to come to terms with his past and figure out what it all meant. The writing is simple but really effective, and Ford does a great job of making you feel the emotions of the characters. While some parts of the story are predictable, the book has a lot of heart. It’s bittersweet, just like the title suggests, and it sticks with you long after you finish. If you like historical fiction with strong emotional depth, this is definitely worth a read. Get the book at the library! Or if you prefer, download the eBook or audiobook with your SPL card. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian  After 30 years in prison for causing a child's death, Vincent King is finally released. He went to jail at 15, turned in by his best friend, Walk, who’s now the local chief of police. Walk keeps an eye on Vincent’s ex-girlfriend, Star, a struggling drug addict, and her kids: 13-year-old Duchess, who’s had to grow up too fast to care for her little brother, Robin.
They all still live in the same small California town where it all started. Then, a body is found. Secrets unravel, tensions rise, and the big question looms: who did it? We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker is an emotional rollercoaster of a crime thriller with so much heart. It’s got a gripping plot, but what really stands out are the unforgettable characters, especially Duchess, the tough-as-nails, complex girl the story revolves around. The writing is beautiful, full of raw emotion and small-town drama, with twists that keep you hooked. It’s heartbreaking and hopeful all at once, a truly memorable read. If you love character-driven stories with a side of suspense, don’t miss this one! It may be my favorite book ever. We have it available to reserve, plus Large Print and Audio CD copies for checkout. How about a downloadable audiobook or ebook? No, really. Read it. Please. Then come and tell me what you thought. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian  Yeah, it's really long. But, Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky is a wild, dark ride. It’s all about Raskolnikov, this broke student who murders someone and then spirals into guilt and some seriously deep thoughts about right and wrong, all while balancing a ton of drama with his family and friends, plus dodging the law.
The story is intense but also super gripping, and you can’t help but get pulled into his messed-up head. It’s got big ideas about human nature and justice, but it’s also just a really good story. Definitely worth a read if you’re up for something heavy but unforgettable. Aimee, IT Librarian Interested in this book? Click here to reserve it in the catalog! Use your SPL to reserve the eBook or audiobook if you prefer those formats.  In 1975, a 13-year-old girl from a wealthy family vanishes from a summer camp. Oddly, her older brother disappeared from the same camp 14 years earlier. To make things even stranger, her parents own the camp.
This story dives into class divides—the wealthy camp owners, their privileged friends, and their children who attend, contrasted with the local workers hired to maintain the camp and its grounds. It’s a tale of power, privilege, and the secrets that simmer beneath the surface. This was such a gripping, eerie read. The mix of mystery and atmosphere totally pulls you in, and the creepy, woodsy vibes blows you away. The story keeps you guessing, and the characters feel so real. If you’re into dark, twisty tales with a lot of feels, this is your book. Aimee, IT Librarian Interested in this book? Click here to reserve it in the catalog! We even have it in Large Print! Use your SPL card to reserve the eBook or audiobook. |
The SPL StaffWe work here at the library, and we’re into all kinds of books! How Do I Get These Books?See our Quickstart Guides page for information on how to use the online catalog and how to get eBooks and audiobooks for your specific device. You can also contact us there if you need more help!
Are you looking for something specifically? Use the Search Box! Categories
All
Archives
December 2025
|
RSS Feed
