Lynn Thomas has been a part of the Chelsea Public Library staff since 2019. Her favorite thing about working at the library is facilitating the book club, which she has done since joining the library staff. Her favorite genre to read is literary fiction because it is strongly character driven and explores themes and commentary about life and the human condition. Here are a few of her recent favorites.
Go as a River
By Shelley Read
Against the backdrop of the planned flooding of Iola, Colorado, by the once wild Gunnison River, 17-year-old Victoria Nash meets a young drifter, and their lives are changed forever. Spanning a timeline from 1948-1971, themes of loss, prejudice, redemption and what makes a home are sensitively explored in this wonderful debut novel.
The Collected Regrets of Clover
By Nikki Brammer
In her work as a death doula, Clover Brooks has dedicated her life to helping people peacefully navigate through their end-of-life process. Along the way, however, she has forgotten what it means to live her own life and let go of past regrets. It takes a kind but quirky “found family” and a new love to help Clover stop hiding and start living.
The River We Remember
By William Kent Krueger
In the small town of Jewel, Minnesota, in 1958, a wealthy land-owner with no shortage of enemies has been found murdered. Local Sheriff Brody Dern, along with several others in the close-knit community who carry the physical and emotional scars of WWII, is tasked with the job of uncovering the truth. The problem is whether the truth they seek is different from the truth they want.
The Dearly Beloved
By Cara Wall
Two young married couples: Charles and Lily, James and Nan. Charles and James are ministers, each answering a call to co-shepherd a foundering but historic congregation through the turbulent 1960s in urban Chicago. Faith, unbelief and what it means to bear each other’s burdens is given a thought-provoking look in this debut novel.
All the Children Are Home
By Patry Francis
A deeply emotional story about a foster family: Parents Dahlia and Louie and their four children, Jimmy, Zaida, Jon and Agnes, in a small Massachusetts town in the 1950s. This book is a moving tribute to the overcoming power of love in a “family by choice.”
