Fiction in the City of Lights: The Parisian Chapter and In the Spirit of French Murder

5 May

The Parisian Chapter
by Janet Skeslien Charles
The Parisian Chapter is the new novel by Janet Skeslien Charles which includes characters from her previous novel, The Paris Library, but even having not read that I was still able to jump right in (though if you enjoy it as much as I did you will likely want to read that one as well). In 1995, Lily and her roommate and childhood bff Mary Louise have been living in Paris for five years, but when Mary Louise decides to move out she needs to find a job to pay her half of the rent; she finds that at the American Library in Paris along with a quirky found family and a discovery about Odile, who worked there during WWII and was Lily’s inspiration for her coming to France. Although Lily is the core of the story, there are varying points of view from the novel’s endearing cast of characters.

In the Spirit of French Murder
by Colleen Cambridge
Tabitha Knight is back for her fourth in the An American in Paris Mystery Series in the new novel, In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge. Although it is not essential to read the previous books this one follows only a few weeks after the third book in the series so I would recommend reading that one before hand. Tabitha is helping her Grandfather and his companion throw a special dinner party at the new restaurant that they are opening, but a warning from a Fortune Teller sets in motion danger for her grandfather and his friends. Cambridge has created a wonderful cast of characters beyond Tabitha that cozy readers will also adore including of course her best friend Julia Child based on the real life cook and TV personality, who lived in post-war Paris. Child is featured less in this novel than some of the previous ones in the series, but is always a fun addition. Those who like a little romance with their mysteries will enjoy the love triangle between Tabitha and a detective who she has chemistry with, but who resents her meddling and a French veterinarian she has recently started dating. The Hoboken Library’s Mystery Book Discussion read the first in the series last year and felt that teen mystery fans as well as adults might enjoy the story. If you would like to join the group, or one of the other book discussion groups at our library, you can check out our calendar of events for upcoming dates.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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A Lost Tale from Stephen King: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

30 Apr
Cover of the novel The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. The design is a misty forest scene with a young girl wearing a baseball cap and backpack, walking alone. The title appears in white handwritten-style text. Stephen King's name is at the top in large gold lettering.

Stephen King is at his best when he keeps it simple, in my humble opinion: a rabid dog terrorizes a family, a bullied girl uses her telekinetic powers to terrorize a school, the Devil turns residents against each other, a psychopath traps an author in her house, a hotel drives a man to madness. There’s also getting lost alone in the woods, and that’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.

And at just over 300 pages, it’s pleasant deviation from King’s normal marathon 700+ page reads.

Tricia McFarland strays off the Appalachian Trail in Maine and finds herself in a world of shifting shadows, buzzing insects, mysterious cabins, and a stalker.

Her solace is Boston Red Sox games on her Walkman and the hope that her favorite player, Tom Gordon, will make an appearance.

She grows desperate in her survival, and the only one who can bring her comfort is the love of her life. She adores Tom, and has faith that with every relief appearance he makes, she draws closer to escaping the jam she’s in, just as Tom does for her favorite baseball team nearly every night.

(Yankees fans, don’t worry. This isn’t a literary love letter to the Red Sox. More so, a fun project from King, who is a lifelong Sox fan.)

Told in innings rather than chapters, King plays off the slow-burn, rising tension of America’s pastime, which happens to be his bread-and-butter way of storytelling as well.

This book is far less supernatural than the classics that made King famous, and perhaps that’s why it flies under the radar. I found it an enjoyable detour into a world where our primal fears, in a situation very much possible, take over when survival instincts go haywire. 

It’s 9 days and 9 innings against nature, where the monsters of our imagination lurk so naturally.

Have you read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon? What did you think? Comment below.

You can reserve it in the BCCLS system here, or access the audiobook on Hoopla.

Horror fan and interested in the Hoboken Library’s Horror/Thriller Book Club? Please email reference@hobokenlibrary.org, or register for our next meeting by searching under Events on our website.

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Written by:
Sean Willey
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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