Matters of the Heart


Catherine Maiorisi - 2016
    A tragic car accident has left her temporarily dependent on others for even the most basic of needs—but everyone she cares about seems to have abandoned her.Dr. Andrea Trapani would like to forget the past too. Being a full-time medical caretaker for a cantankerous woman is not where she expected her career to take her. But when Andrea sees that Darcy’s frustration will have serious medical consequences, she vows to bring peace and stability to Darcy’s world.As two wounded souls fight to overcome their past and face the fears of the future, will love be the right medicine?

Mrs. Everything


Jennifer Weiner - 2019
    Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life.But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after?

Mrs. Fletcher


Tom Perrotta - 2017
    A forty-six-year-old divorcee whose beloved, clueless only child has just left for college, Eve is slowly learning to contend with life on her own when, late one night her phone lights up with a text message. Sent from an anonymous number, the mysterious sender tells Eve, “U r my MILF!” It's nothing--just an annoying prank--but she can't get it out of her head. As Eve makes new friends, takes a community college course in Gender Studies, and reaches out to a younger co-worker, the message continues to haunt her, leading her into an online fixation that threatens to upend her quiet suburban existence.Meanwhile, Eve’s son Brendan, is discovering that the oafish frat-boy charm that impressed high school girls may not be so enticing to college women. Increasingly isolated, with mediocre grades and a confusing crush on a softball-playing social justice champion, Brendan struggles to adjust to a campus ill disposed to his brand of white-dude bravado. As the New England autumn turns cold, both mother and son find themselves enmeshed in ethically fraught situations that come to a head one fateful November night.A coming-of-age novel about the sexual awakening of a middle-aged woman, Mrs. Fletcher is a provocative, witty look at contemporary sexual politics and timeless moral dilemmas--a moving and funny examination of sexuality, identity, and the big clarifying mistakes people can make when they're no longer sure who they are and where they belong.

Girls Who Pray


Evelyn Dar - 2019
     Yep, those Amish. Claire’s latest release, a tell-all memoir about growing up Amish, reveals startling truths and intimate details about a passionate, secret love affair between herself and another woman. Claire now stands accused of libel and finds herself locked in a legal battle against the very community she once called home. Can Claire defend the truth of her words while still protecting the privacy of the woman she once loved? And perhaps still does?

The Front Runner


Patricia Nell Warren - 1974
    In 1975, coach Harlan Brown is hiding from his past at an obscure New York college, after he was fired from Penn State University on suspicion of being gay. A tough, lonely ex-Marine of 39, Harlan has never allowed himself to love another man. Then Billy Sive, a brilliant young runner, shows up on his doorstep. He and his two comrades, Vince Matti and Jacques LaFont, were just thrown off a major team for admitting they are gay. Harlan knows that, with proper training, Billy could go to the '76 Olympics in Montreal. He agrees to coach the three boys under strict conditions that thwart Billy's growing attraction for his mature but compelling mentor. The lean, graceful frontrunner with gold-rim glasses sees directly into Harlan's heart. Billy's gentle and open acceptance of his sexuality makes Harlan afraid to confront either the pain of his past, or the challenges which lay in wait if their intimacy is exposed. But when Coach Brown finds himself falling in love with his most gifted athlete, he must combat his true feelings for Billy or risk the outrage of the entire sports world - and their only chance at Olympic gold.

Winter Jacket


Eliza Lentzski - 2013
    It all started with a broken classroom heater…Graduate school prepares you for many things – the rigor of academic life, how to pull consecutive all-nighters, and living off a meager stipend without having to be roommates with cockroaches.Elle Graft might have made it through six years of graduate school, but she's not convinced she'll survive her first position as an Assistant Professor.Because for all she learned, graduate school never prepared her for dealing with a student crush.

Disobedience


Naomi Alderman - 2006
    The story begins with the death of the community's esteemed rabbi, which sets in motion plans for a memorial service and the search for a replacement. The rabbi's nephew and likely successor, Dovid, calls his cousin Ronit in New York to tell her that her father has died. Ronit, who left the community long ago to build a life for herself as a career woman, returns home when she hears the news, and her reappearance exposes tears in the fabric of the community.Steeped in Jewish philosophy and teachings, Disobedience is a perceptive and thoughtful exploration of the laws and practices that have governed Judaism for centuries, and continue to hold sway today. Throughout the novel, Alderman retells stories from the Torah -- Judaism's fundamental source -- and the interplay between these tales and the struggles of the novel's unique characters wields enormous power and wisdom, and will surely move readers to tears.

Slammerkin


Emma Donoghue - 2001
    In 18th-century England, Mary's shrewd instincts will get her only so far, and she despairs of the plans made for her to carve out a trade as a seamstress or a maid. Unwilling to bend to such a destiny, Mary strikes out on a painful, fateful journey all her own. Inspired by the obscure historical figure Mary Saunders, Slammerkin is a provocative, graphic tale and a rich feast of an historical novel. Author Emma Donoghue probes the gap between a young girl's quest for freedom and a better life and the shackles that society imposes on her. "Never give up your liberty."

All That Glitters


Ashley Quinn - 2012
    Michelle is playful, determined and ambitious - Despite being the only child of a teenaged, alcoholic mother who sometimes lets her judgment of the men she allows in their home throw wrenches in her relationship with her daughter. Michelle knows what she has to do to leave the small, redneck surf town in Florida where she's lived her entire life to make it as a singer in Hollywood. Nothing - and nobody - will come between her and that goal. Alexis, who moves to Florida from New York City with her Jewish father, French Catholic mother and autistic younger brother, is wildly intelligent and becomes instantly enamored with the feisty Michelle after she accidentally wipes out in their driveway on her skateboard. Over the course of a year, the two girls become close, passionately involved best friends and, as high school starts, they begin to question whether their feelings toward one another are 'normal' and 'right', two things that Michelle desperately knows she needs to be in order to fit into their tiny, prying town. As high school progresses, rumors of their relationship surface among the other students. Michelle throws their friendship - and everything else - to the wayside, shattering Alexis's heart in the process and forcing Michelle to realize that no matter how much she tries to control her actions, she still can't control her feelings. Ten years after high school and Michelle is at the brink of stardom. Having just finished her first international tour, a guilty conscience forces the twenty-seven year old singer to return to Florida after her mother is involved in a bad car accident. Disillusioned with the direction of her career, she leaves her cautious, nit-picky agent and action movie star boyfriend - who is harboring a deep secret of his own that could ruin his image and career if it were to go public - to return home, tend to her mother and be back in Hollywood just in time to accompany Tyler to the premiere of his newest summer blockbuster. What on Earth could go wrong? What nobody, not even Michelle, counts on is crossing paths with Alexis Vlodosky again. Alexis is eager to move on after finishing her residency at the hospital as the harsh memories of high school have soured her taste of this small town. After one night, they quickly realize that the fire is still burning deep within each of them. Michelle has to make a decision, but when faced with scores of paparazzi, an alcoholic mother desperate to make amends before her own secret is revealed, run-ins with unsavory past acquaintances, gossipy nurses, a neurotic agent and a fake boyfriend that needs Michelle for his image just as much as she needs him for hers, who will run first?

Autumn Leaves


Barbara Winkes - 2012
    When Callie moves into the house across the street, Rebecca is quick to welcome the young writer into the tightly-knit community of Autumn Leaves. She has no idea that Callie will confront her with a truth about herself she might not be ready to face. All Callie wanted was to flee the big city and finish her latest book in peace, but life in the small town comes with unexpected temptation and danger.

Eastside / Westside / Love


Eliza Andrews - 2019
     From the outside, Kasey James had the perfect life. She had a rich husband, two perfect kids, and a big house in Eastside with a pool in the backyard. None of her friends understand why she left her husband and went back to a stressful job teaching high school. She knows they’ll understand even less when she tells them she’s started dating a woman from Westside. *If* she tells them, that is. After all, Kasey has her kids to think of, not to mention the upcoming school board election. What if her neighbors withdraw their support when they find out she’s seeing a woman? Drea Robbins has a good life, too. She owns her own home and operates her own business, making enough money doing what she loves that she can support her mom, sister, and niece. She wishes she had a “special someone” in her life, but in the grand scheme of things, being single isn’t that big of a deal. Kasey James, a white woman living in Eastside, is the absolute last person Drea expects to fall for. Kasey’s recently divorced from a man, she’s got two kids, she lives in the middle of rich suburbia — to say her lifestyle is different from Drea's would be the understatement of the year. But it’s like Drea’s mom says — we can’t control whom we fall for, and whether Drea likes it or not, she’s falling for Kasey. Hard. Opposites attract… right? But when a real estate development controversy puts Drea and Kasey on opposite sides of a battle line, will their new love prove strong enough to survive? Or is it just unrealistic for two women with so many differences to find a common ground they can hold against all the world’s pressures? Eastside / Westside / Love is a story about race, class, gentrification, and inequality. But more than that, it’s a story about hope, and about finding out that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart.

Scarlet Assassin


Isabella - 2012
    A vampire who walks in both the light and the darkness, but lately darkness has a stronger pull. Her unfinished business could cost her the ability to live in the light, throwing her permanently back into the black ink of evil. Doctor Francesca Swartz led a boring life filled with test tubes, blood trials, and work. One exploratory night, in a world of leather and torture, she is intrigued by a dark and solitary soul. She surrenders to temptation and the desire to experience something new, only to discover that it might alter her life forever. Will Selene allow the light to win over the darkness threatening the edges of her life? Two women wonder if they can co-exist despite vast differences, as worlds collide and threaten to destroy any hope of happiness. Who will win?

Here Comes the Sun


Nicole Y. Dennis-Benn - 2016
    At an opulent resort in Montego Bay, Margot hustles to send her younger sister, Thandi, to school. Taught as a girl to trade her sexuality for survival, Margot is ruthlessly determined to shield Thandi from the same fate. When plans for a new hotel threaten their village, Margot sees not only an opportunity for her own financial independence but also perhaps a chance to admit a shocking secret: her forbidden love for another woman. As they face the impending destruction of their community, each woman fighting to balance the burdens she shoulders with the freedom she craves must confront long-hidden scars. From a much-heralded new writer, Here Comes the Sun offers a dramatic glimpse into a vibrant, passionate world most outsiders see simply as paradise.

Strawberry Summer


Melissa Brayden - 2017
    She hated her name, was less than popular in school, and was always cast aside as a “farm kid.” However, with the arrival of Courtney Carrington, Margaret’s youth sparked into color. Courtney was smart, beautiful, and put together—everything Margaret wasn’t. Who would have imagined that they’d fit together so perfectly?But first loves can scar.Margaret hasn’t seen Courtney in years and that’s for the best. But when Courtney loses her father and returns to Tanner Peak to take control of the family store, Margaret comes face-to-face with her past and the woman she’s tried desperately to forget. The fact that Courtney has grown up more beautiful than ever certainly doesn’t help matters.

The Heart's Invisible Furies


John Boyne - 2017
    And he never will be. But if he isn’t a real Avery, then who is he?Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead.At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from – and over his three score years and ten, will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country and much more.In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit.