December 14\, 2023: \;Malibu Rising by \;Taylor Jenkins Reid
\n"Set against the backdrop of the Malibu surf culture of the 1980 s Malibu Burning follows the daughter of a famous singer who\, once she fi nds fame\, must grapple with the fact that her father abandoned her and he r siblings when they were young"-- Provided by publisher.
\nJanuary 11\, 2024: \;Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
\n"From the number one bestselling author of Littl e Fires Everywhere\, a deeply suspenseful and heartrending novel about the unbreakable love between a mother and child in a society consumed by fear . Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father\, a former linguist who now shelves books in Harvard Univer sity's library. Bird knows to not ask too many questions\, stand out too m uch\, or stray too far. For a decade\, their lives have been governed by l aws written to preserve "American culture" in the wake of years of economi c instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity\, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents\, especial ly those of Asian origin\, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic -- including the work of Bird's mother\, Margaret\, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old. Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems\; he doesn't know her wo rk or what happened to her\, and he knows he shouldn't wonder. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing\, he is dr awn into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many f olktales she poured into his head as a child\, through the ranks of an und erground network of librarians\, into the lives of the children who have b een taken\, and finally to New York City\, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change. Our Missing Hearts is an old stor y made new\, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the m ost searing injustice. It's a story about the power -- and limitations -- of art to create change\, the lessons and legacies we pass on to our child ren\, and how any of us can survive a broken world with our hearts intact. "-- Provided by publisher.
\nFebruary 8\, 2024:&nbs p\;Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult \; \; \;
\n"From the #1 New York T imes bestselling author comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience o f the human spirit in a moment of crisis. Diana O'Toole is perfectly on tr ack. She will be married by thirty\, done having kids by thirty-five\, and move out to the New York City suburbs\, all while climbing the profession al ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She's an associate specialis t at Sotheby's now\, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can clo se a deal with a high-profile client. She's not engaged just yet\, but she knows her boyfriend\, Finn\, a surgical resident\, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos-days before her thirtieth birthda y. Right on time. But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in t he city\, and on the eve of their departure\, Finn breaks the news: It's a ll hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go\, he assures her\, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefund able trip to go to waste. And so\, reluctantly\, she goes. Almost immediat ely\, Diana's dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost\, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent\, and the hotel they'd booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact\, the whole island is now under quarantine\, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated\, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly\, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana\, despite her fath er's suspicion of outsiders. In the Galapagos Islands\, where Darwin's the ory of evolution by natural selection was formed\, Diana finds herself exa mining her relationships\, her choices\, and herself-and wondering if when she goes home\, she too will have evolved into someone completely differe nt"-- Provided by publisher.
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\nPursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act\, accommodations for persons with disabili ties are available upon request. Please allow 1&ndash\;2 business days to process. Last-minute requests will be accepted\, but may not be possible t o fulfill. Please ask for Learning Services at 255-2665 or email JPLProgra ms@coj.net.
\nhttps://jaxpubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/9547180 URL;VALUE=URI:https://jaxpubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/9547180 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR