Staff Recommended Adult Fiction

My Old True Love by Sheila Kay Adams (Katy – Cameron Village)
In a haunting novel set during the Civil War in the mountains of Appalachia, Arty raises her brother, Hackley, and their cousin, Larkin, together like her own children, but the close relationship between the two young men is threatened when they both fall in love with the same woman.

The Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie (Lynn – Eva Perry)
Growing up in a wealthy Nigerian home under the domain of a harsh, demanding, and tyrannical father, Kambili and her brother, Jaja, find new happiness during a visit to their Aunty Ifeoma outside the city, but as Kambili enjoys her newfound freedom and falls in love for the first time, the country begins to fall apart under a military coup.

Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews (Brandy – East Regional)
Calling off her high-society wedding after discovering her fiancâe's infidelity, Keely Murdock faces financial ruin before receiving assistance – and an opportunity for revenge – from the new owner of a local bra company.

Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews (Amy – Southeast Regional)
Savannah belle BeBe Loudermilk struggles to cope with the loss of everything following her relationship with Reddy, an investment "counselor" and conman, until she launches a campaign to retrieve her fortune and bring Reddy to justice.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Jean – Zebulon)
Wealthy Mr. Darcy and spirited Elizabeth Bennett dislike each other at first sight, and each must contend with their pride and prejudices while Elizabeth's mother plots economically advantageous marriages for all her daughters.

Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear (Kathe – West Regional)
Molecular biologist Kaye Lang has a theory on human retroviruses and it has just been verified with the discovery of SHEVA, a virus that has slept in our DNA for millions of years and is now waking up. Kaye and her colleagues must race against a genetic time bomb in this international adventure taking place in a cave high in the Alps and in Southern Russia.

The Hamish MacBeth mystery series by M.C. Beaton (Lynn – Eva Perry)
Police Constable Hamish Macbeth is called in to investigate the death of the unpopular Lady Jane, a malicious gossip and student at the Lochdubh School of Casting, Salmon and Trout Fishing, set in the Scottish Highlands. (Refers to first book in series – not all available on audio)

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian (Teddy – Eva Perry Regional)
Working at a homeless shelter, student Laurel Estabrook encounters Bobbie Crocker, a man with a history of mental illness and a box of secret photos, but when Bobbie dies suddenly, Laurel embarks on an obsessive search for the truth behind the photos.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier (Teddy – Eva Perry Regional)
In an afterlife world inhabited by the recently departed who remain in the memories of the living, Marion and Phillip Byrd fall in love again, while on Earth, their daughter, Laura, is stranded alone in an Antarctic research station.

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown (Kathryn – Cameron Village)
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and French cryptologist Sophie Neveu work to solve the murder of an elderly curator of the Louvre, a case which leads to clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci and a centuries-old secret society.

The True History of Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (Betty – Lib. Admin.)
Ned Kelly, the legendary 19th-century Australian folk-hero, describes how he, his brother and two friends led authorities on a 20-month manhunt, marked by widespread populist support, before his capture and execution.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (Tara – Southeast Regional)
A poor 17th-century servant girl knows her place in the household of the painter Johannes Vermeer, but when he begins to paint her, nasty whispers and rumors circulate throughout the town.

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (Jean – Zebulon)
Interweaves the events of Tom Wingo's summer in New York and his relationship to Susan Lowenstein, his sister Savannah's beautiful psychiatrist, and the complex history of the South Carolinian Wingo family, from World War II through Vietnam.

Stephanie Plum mystery series by Janet Evanovich (Michele – West Regional)
Out of work and out of money, Stephanie Plum becomes a bounty hunter. Her first assignment is to track down a former vice cop on the run for murder. (Refers to the first in the series)

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (Susan – Southeast Regional)
The daily chronicle of a 30-something, single, English woman who is convinced her life would be perfect if she could lose weight, stop smoking and develop "Inner Poise."

Time and Again by Jack Finney (Teddy – Eva Perry Regional)
Simon Morley moves into the Dakota apartments and returns to the year 1882 under hypnosis, where he falls in love and refuses to change records for the government agency controlling his experiment.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Teddy – Eva Perry Regional)
Jay Gatsby still adores Daisy Buchanan although she has married someone else, and he risks everything to lure her back.

Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (Tara – Southeast Regional)
In Scotland with her husband on a second honeymoon after World War II, Claire enters a circle of stones and is transported back more than 200 years to an unfamiliar world torn apart by violence, pestilence, and revolution and haunted by her growing feelings for James Fraser, a young soldier .

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (Dan – North Regional)
Days before his release from prison, Shadow learns that his wife has been killed in an accident. On the plane ride back home for the funeral, he meets Mr. Wednesday, who offers Shadow a job. Shadow accepts but soon discovers that Mr. Wednesday is far more dangerous than he could ever have imagined.

The Next Step in the Dance by Tim Gautreaux (Kathy C. – West Regional)
Paul follows his young bride Colette as she leaves their small town for a better life in California and returns with her to Louisiana, where they must pick up the pieces of both their marriages and their livelihoods during the 1980s economic recession.

The Mysteries of Glass by Sue Gee (Christina – Eva Perry)
It's the winter of 1860 when Richard Allen, a young curate, travels to a small hamlet outside of Hereford to take up his first position. It's in the quiet place of wind and trees, birds and water that Richard is to fall passionately in love – but he cannot find fulfillment, for his lover is Susannah Beddoes, the wife of the vicar of his new parish.

Southern Sisters Mystery series by Anne George (Jane D. – Cameron Village)
Murder on a Girls' Night Out
Mary Alice, who has buried three husbands, and her sister Patricia Anne, a retired English teacher, are lifelong residents of Alabama and are now in their sixties and ready to live a life in quiet retirement. But Patricia Anne has a knack for stumbling across dead bodies and involving Mary Alice in her quest to solve the crime.

One Woman Short by Nelson George (Ife – Cameron Village)
When Rodney Hampton's best friend's marriage shakes his complacent bachelor lifestyle, Rodney sets out to make one of three former girlfriends that slipped away his wife.

Kinsey Milhone mysteries by Sue Grafton (Steve – Cary)
Nikki Fife, the wife of a hated divorce lawyer, out on parole after eight years in prison for killing her husband, hires ex-cop-turned-private detective Kinsey Millhone to find the real killer and clear her name. (Refers to first in the series)

Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman (Kathe – West Regional)
When Doctor Impossible, an evil genius and ambitious wannabe world dominator, launches a new plot to seize control of the world, Fatale, a woman built by the NSA to be the next generation of weaponry, joins a group of misfit superheroes in their quest todestroy Doctor Impossible.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon (Bob – East Regional)
Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically gifted, autistic 15-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen (Amy – Southeast Regional)
The latest winner of the Florida lottery, JoLayne Lucks faces an unexpected problem in collecting her winnings when Bodean Gazzer and his sidekick steal her ticket, planning to collect the millions to help their white supremacist group prevent a NATO invasion of the U.S.

Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen (Dan – North Regional)
Doctoring water samples to help his corrupt agribusiness employer continue illegal dumping in the Everglades, biologist Chaz Perrone attempts to murder his wife, who has figured out his scam and who survives to plot her husband's downfall.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman (Pat – East Regional)
The story of two sisters, Gillian and Sally Owens, brought up by their elderly guardian aunts in a small New England town. The aunts possess magic that they, in turn, hand down to their nieces.

The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini (Kathy C. – West Regional)
Traces the unlikely friendship of a wealthy Afghan youth and a servant's son, in a tale that spans the final days of Afghanistan's monarchy through the atrocities of the present day.

A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House (Nicole – East Regional)
In 1917, a Cherokee woman who leaves her community to marry a white man finds herself isolated and discriminated against as she tries to settle in to her new life.

Love and Devotion by Erica James (Sue W. – Cameron Village)
At the age of 32, Harriet Swift thinks she has the perfect life – a satisfying career, her own flat and a new boyfriend who respects her need for her own space. But when tragedy strikes, and her only sister is killed in a car crash, Harriet is forced to give up her well-ordered life and help her parents look after her orphaned niece and nephew. Moving back to her childhood home and sacrificing so much doesn't come easily. And before long, Harriet discovers things about her family she never believed possible.

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen (Maryjo – West Regional)
Louis Drax has always been accident prone, with something violent befalling him every year, but when he falls off a cliff and into a coma on his ninth birthday, it may not have been an accident, and the only one with the key to the truth may be Louis himself.

The Crazed by Ha Jin (Ife – Cameron Village)
Assigned to care for his fiancâee's father, Professor Yang, after he suffers a stroke, Jian Wan is disturbed when the professor begins to rave against his family and colleagues, and takes great risks to uncover the truth.

Watermelon by Marian Keyes (Kathryn – Cameron Village)
When her husband, James, leaves her after she delivers her first child, Claire retires to her family in Dublin, where she slowly recovers from the experience, giving James a big surprise when he shows up again.

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (Kathe – West Regional)
Jessie Sullivan is summoned home to tiny Egret Island, where she meets Brother Thomas, a monk who is about to take his final vows, and encounters the legend of a mysterious chair dedicated to a saint who had originally been a mermaid.

The Ha-Ha by Dave King (Teddy – Eva Perry Regional)
Rendered unable to speak, read, or write after a Vietnam War injury 30 years earlier, Howard Kapostash feels trapped by his disability until his high school sweetheart, recently forced into rehab, asks him to care for her nine-year-old son.

The Gunslinger (Dark Tower series) by Stephen King (Kristen – West Regional)
Roland, the world's last gunslinger, tracks an enigmatic Man in Black toward a forbidding dark tower, fighting forces both mortal and other-worldly on his quest.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (Kathryn – Cameron Village)
Wildlife biologist Deanna is caught off guard by an intrusive young hunter, while bookish city wife Lusa finds herself facing a difficult identity choice, and elderly neighbors find attraction at the height of a long-standing feud.

Boogaloo on Second Avenue by Mark Kurlansky (Kathe – West Regional)
Captures the lives of the inhabitants of a tight-knit, ethnically diverse neighborhood on the Lower East Side of New York, including Nathan, a claustrophobic married man falling for Karoline, a German pastry maker.

Patty Jane’s House of Curl by Lorna Landvik (Ann – East Regional)
Two Minnesota sisters establish a beauty shop that becomes a support group and community center.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeffry Lindsay (Kathryn – Cameron Village)
Hiding a secret life as an assassin while working as a murder analyst for the Miami police, Dexter Morgan is intrigued by the work of a new serial killer whose style mimics his own.

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin (Kristen – North Regional)
Daniel, a troubled man who lives alone, detached from the world, passes his time filling out contest applications and counting ceiling tiles, until his attachment to Clarissa and Teddy helps him rediscover the outside world.

44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall-Smith (Sue W. – Cameron Village)
Pat rents a room from the handsome and cocky Bruce, at 44 Scotland Street, and discovers that she has also acquired some colorful new neighbors, including Domenica, an eccentric widow.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall-Smith (Jane D. – Cameron Village)
Precious Ramotswe sets up a detective agency in Botswana at the edge of the Kalahari Desert, making her the only female detective in the country. At first, cases are hard to come by. But eventually, troubled people come to Precious with a variety of concerns.

Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharon McCrumb (Kathe – West Regional)
Years after eight friends bury a time capsule filled with original science fiction stories, some of the friends have become famous and dig up the capsule amid much publicity, until a believed-dead member of the group arrives.

Atonement by Ian McEwan (Martha – Green Road)
Three children lost their innocence – as the sweltering summer heat bears down on the hottest day in 1935 – and their lives are changed forever.

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Ashlyn – Southgate)
On their wedding day, a young couple--Florence, daughter of an Oxford academic and a successful businessman, and Edward, an earnest history student with little experience of women--looks forward to the future while worrying about their upcoming wedding night.

Gap Creek by Robert Morgan (Donna – Zebulon)
The story of a young woman's struggles in early 20th-century Appalachia.

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes (Christina – Eva Perry)
The only place Suzanna Peacock finds comfort is her shop, which provides a haven for the misfits in the town. But she is forced to confront events of the past and her family that have been haunting her for so long. And she discovers that the key to her happiness may have been in front of her all along.

After Dark by Haruki Murakami (Erik – West Regional)
Two sisters--Eri, a fashion model sleeping her way to oblivion, and Mari, a young student--form the center of a novel that documents a series of encounters in Tokyo during the witching hours between midnight and dawn.

The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates (Beth – Cameron Village)
Follows the interconnected and secretive lives of parents and their children when they are challenged by circumstances outside their family, in a tale set against a backdrop of Niagara Falls in the mid-twentieth century.

Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brien (Liz – Cary)
Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin fight in the Napoleonic Wars.

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk (Bob – East Regional)
Working as a hotel maid despite her dreams of being an artist, Misty keeps a diary as she sits by the side of her husband, comatose after a suicide attempt, which unlocks Misty's creative energies and causes her to paint compulsively.

School Days by Robert B. Parker (all Spenser novels) (Sue S. – Cameron Village)
Hired by a Massachusetts grand dame to prove the innocence of her grandson, who has been implicated in a school shooting, Spenser wonders why the boy seems unconcerned about his possible wrongful imprisonment.

Queen of the South by Arturo Perez-Reverte (Ife – Cameron Village)
When she discovers that her boyfriend Guero, a Mexican drug smuggler, has been killed by rivals and that she is the next target, Teresa Mendoza must give up her old life and become a member of a dark and deadly world in order to survive.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Donna – Zebulon)
Conceived to provide a bone marrow match for her leukemia-stricken sister, teenage Kate begins to question her moral obligations in light of countless medical procedures and decides to fight for the right to make decisions about her own body.

Set in Darkness by Ian Rankin (Pamela – Duraleigh Road)
Inspector John Rebus investigates a body found in a Queensbury House fireplace, the suicide of a homeless man in possession of a fortune, and the murder of an ambitious politician – three deaths with ties to one of Scotland's most notorious criminals.

Witches of Chiswick by Robert Rankin (Tara – Southeast Regional)
In the twenty-third century, Will Starling uncovers the real truth about nineteenth century history.

Kissing the Gunner’s Daughter by Ruth Rendell (Theresa – Library Admin.)
Chief Inspector Reginald Wexford remains cool in the face of massive media attention as he sets out to investigate the stabbing death of celebrity writer Davina Flory and her husband and daughter.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo (Sue S. – Cameron Village)
Milo Roby tries to hold his family together while working at the Empire Grill in the once-successful logging town of Empire Falls, Maine, with his partner, Mrs. Whiting, who is the heir to a faded logging and textile legacy.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld (Kristen & Megan – West Regional)
When her health begins failing, the mysterious author Vida Winter decides to let Margaret Lea, a biographer, write the truth about her life, but Margaret needs to verify the facts since Vida has a history of telling outlandish tales.

Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith (Donna – Zebulon)
Ivy Rowe wants to be a writer, but poverty and motherhood in World War I and then the Depression limit her to colorful letters describing those in her Appalachian family and community.

The Last Girls by Lee Smith (Kathe – West Regional)
Thirty-five years after a trip down the Mississippi on a raft with their classmates, four women are reunited to cruise the river once again, this time on a luxury steamboat, down to New Orleans, where they plan to release the ashes of a fellow rafter, Margaret "Baby" Ballou.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Jean – Zebulon)
The tragic story of two itinerant ranch hands on the run – one is the lifelong companion to the other, a developmentally disabled man.

The Bubbles Yablonsky series by Sarah Strohmeyer (Elizabeth – Southeast Regional)
Bubbles Unbound
Against all odds, Bubbles Yablonsky has returned to school, but while on her way to journalism school, she happens upon a crime scene and finds herself drawn into a murder investigation.

Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani (Angela – Duraleigh Road)
The daughter of an Italian immigrant family in 1950 Greenwich Village, Lucia Sartori pursues a career in the fashion industry until she falls in love with a handsome stranger, who must win over her traditional family to marry her.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut (Dan – West Regional)
The author questions the condition of modern man in this novel depicting a science-fiction writer's struggle to find peace and sanity in the world.

Frankland by James Whorton Jr. (Suzanna – Zebulon)
Plagued by his anxieties and ambitions, historian John Tolley pursues recently discovered documents in the hopes of writing a career-making biography but is inadvertently drawn by a host of colorful locals into a clandestine scheme to launch the Tennessee state lottery.

A Texas Sky by Lori Wick (Donna – Zebulon)
Given the assignment of escorting Miss Darvi Wingate to the town of Aurora, Texas Ranger Dakota Rawlings thinks it will be an easy task until Darvi becomes a pawn in one of the biggest rackets in town, and Dakota must come to her rescue.