by Fredrik Backman
Bullied at school and left out at home, seven-year-old Elsa relies on her grandmother for love and attention, and she is only too happy to provide it. Granny weaves tall tales of the Land of Almost-Awake, and sets up a quest for Elsa to undertake so that she will not be so alone after Granny, who has cancer, dies. Precocious Elsa delivers the letters Granny has left, and as she does so discovers that her neighbors seem to embody characteristics of the creatures from the Land of Almost Awake... Whimsical and charming, this is just the book for fans of Daniel Wallace's equally offbeat Big Fish.
by Nina George; translated by Simon Pare
French bookstore owner Jean Perdu considers himself a literary apothecary, prescribing exactly the right books to heal whatever ails his customers. His own heart, however, remains unhealed, at least until an unusual encounter leads him to read a long-sealed letter, which in turn compels him to board his bookshop (yes, it's a floating bookshop on the Seine!) and sail in search of his own happy ending. His journey -- enlivened by quaint French towns, delicious cuisine, and friendly strangers -- made this winsome U.S. debut a bestseller in Europe.
by Erika Swyler
Having discovered by dint of sheer research (and a mysterious book that landed on his doorstep) that the women in his family all seem to a) have worked for a circus and b) die by drowning on July 24th, Long Island librarian Simon Watson is desperate to prevent his sister from being the next victim of what seems to be a family curse. Chapters alternate between his timeline and an 18th-century circus, and the novel itself is by turns melancholy and magical. Consider yourself a fan of the circus aspects of Erin Morgenstern'sThe Night Circus or Katherine Dunn's Geek Love? You won't want to miss The Book of Speculation.
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