It is that time of year again – the time of year when you get to decide what book will be the next One Book One Parish title. Each year, Shreve Memorial Library’s One Book One Parish campaign unites Caddo Parish in a parish-wide book discussion. In years past, we have discussed numerous books, including Destiny Birdsong’s Nobody’s Magic, Lynda Rutledge’s West with Giraffes, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, and Queen Sugar by Natalie Baszile to name a few. This year, we have three great titles up for consideration, and we need you to help us decide which will be the One Book One Parish title winner.
Up for consideration this year are:
- Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey to Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine by Edward Lee, a fascinating journey across America exploring the narratives, food and cultural influences of America’s diverse population complete with 40 original recipes.
- First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston, a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller that follows a mysterious woman caught in a web of deceit. With so many lies told and twists in the plot, you will not know who to trust or what is coming next.
- James: A Novel by Percival Everett, a retelling of the American literary classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective of Jim, casting the character in a radically new light.
All three titles would make excellent One Book One Parish selections, but the decision is not mine. It is yours. Now through July 31, you can cast your vote for the next One Book One Parish title by visiting any Shreve Memorial Library branch or voting online at https://bit.ly/OBOP24vote. The book with the most votes will be the 2024 One Book One Parish title selection, and the winner will be announced shortly after voting closes. Now which will it be? Three great titles, one decision – yours! Vote today and always dream, discover, do.
What’s New at the Library
The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline (fiction)
TJ Devlin is the charming disappointment in the prominent Devlin family, all of whom are lawyers at their highly successful firm – except him. After a stint in prison and rehab for alcoholism, TJ can’t get hired anywhere except at the firm, in a make-work job with the title of investigator. But one night, TJ’s world turns upside down after his older brother John confesses that he murdered one of their clients, an accountant he’d confronted with proof of embezzlement. It seems impossible coming from John, the firstborn son and Most Valuable Devlin. TJ plunges into the investigation, seizing the chance to prove his worth and save his brother. But in no time, TJ and John find themselves entangled in a lethal web of deception and murder. TJ will fight to save his family, but what he learns might break them first.
The Last Murder at the End of the World: A Novel by Stuart Turton (fiction)
From the bestselling author of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution. Solve the murder to save what’s left of the world. Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched. On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they’re told by the scientists. Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn’t solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island – and everyone on it. But the security system has also wiped everyone’s memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer – and they don’t even know it. And the clock is ticking.
Dominoes: A Novel by Phoebe McIntosh (fiction)
Dominoes opens in London, twenty-nine days before a young couple’s wedding. Layla is a mixed-race woman – with a Black, Jamaican mother, and a white father she’s never met – and Andy is a white man of Scottish descent. When they first meet at a party, they can’t believe how instant their chemistry is, and how quickly their relationship unfolds. Funnily enough, they even share a last name: McKinnon. Layla’s best friend, Sera, isn’t so sure about Andy, or the fact that her best friend is engaged to a white man. As the wedding approaches, Sera prompts her friend to research her heritage more, leading Layla to make a shocking discovery: It’s extremely likely that Andy’s ancestors enslaved Layla’s in Jamaica, and that the money from that enslavement helped build his family’s wealth. What seemed like a fairy-tale romance is suddenly derailed as Layla begins to uncover parts of her history and identity that she never imagined – or had simply learned to ignore. The process takes her to Jamaica for the first time, where she uncovers truths about her family’s history that will change the way she thinks about herself and her future. As the clock ticks down to her wedding, Layla must make a decision: commit to the man she loves or expose a shameful history that has gone unspoken for far too long.
About Shreve Memorial Library
Shreve Memorial Library transforms Caddo Parish lives with resources, services and support to create a better world by focusing on developing young readers, sparking imaginations, encouraging curiosity, fostering connection, and providing comfortable places. Shreve Memorial Library’s 21-branch system is maintained by a parish-wide property tax millage to support the informational, educational and recreational needs of its constituents. For more information, visitwww.shreve-lib.org, and like, follow and subscribe on social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube. Dream, discover, do – Shreve Memorial Library and you!
Most Popular
Comments / 0