Shannon Harris

March is Women’s History Month and what better way to celebrate women and how amazing we are than by reading novels written by women. Here are a few new titles that are available for check out at A.K. Smiley Public Library.

Bestselling author of Detransition Baby, Torrey Peters, gives us her latest title, Stag Dance, available for check out today. Stag Dance is comprised of three short stories and one novella, all of which discuss gender and gender identity. The story, Infect Your Friends and Loved Ones, imagines a future where everyone must choose their own gender.

Counterattacks at Thirty by Won-Pyung Sohn is about an office worker name Jihye, who has been silently enduring her semi-hostile work environment for years, until Gyuok is hired. Gyouk is a “rebel” of sorts and recruits Jihye and a few other office workers to commit small protests against the higher-ups they work with. Check out this title and the author’s previous novel, Almond.

33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austen takes place on the eve of the Nazi occupation in Brussels. This novel is about the eight residents who live at 33 Place Brugmann and how their lives are about to change forever. Readers of historical fiction will not want to miss this book.

The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker is a novel about a young woman named Louise Winston who discovers that the women in her family have magical abilities: they can heal with the touch of their hands. Readers of magical realism will not want to miss this enchanting novel about family, life, death, and magic.

First and foremost, Happy New Year to the readers of the “What’s New at Smiley Public Library” column. We are about two weeks into the New Year, and if your resolution for 2025 is to read more books, well lucky for you I can help you in that matter. Here is a list of new fiction titles that are available or will be available for check out at A.K. Smiley Public Library.

Fans of the horror author Grady Hendrix will be happy to know that his latest novel, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, will be released on January 14th.

Fans of the Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series by Robert Crais will be thrilled to know that the latest title, The Big Empty, will also be available for check on the 14th of this month.

Historical fiction fans will want to make sure that they read Homeseeking, by Karissa Chen, which was released earlier this month.

Romantasy (romance fantasy) readers will be happy to know that Onyx Storm, the third in the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros, will be available for check out after January 21st.

And if you are looking for a debut author to read, then you might want to check out The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan. This title will be available for check out this week.

Happy New Year and happy reading!

It is not uncommon for readers, even the most passionate ones, to find themselves in the dreaded reading slump. You read synopsis after synopsis and nothing sounds good to you or everything sounds the same. If this scenario sounds familiar to you, then let me introduce you to a genre of fiction that is getting very popular, “healing fiction.” This genre is already very popular in countries like Korea and Japan and is gaining popularity here amongst readers in the United States. I know you all are clamoring to know what “healing fiction” is. Well, simply put, healing fiction has themes of healing, friendship, comfort, empathy, and maybe a bit of magic in them. Here are a few new titles to get you started on reading this new genre of fiction.

The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki is about a coffee shop that has no fixed location and only appears when someone needs it at a crucial point in their lives. And did I mention the coffee shop is run by talking cats! Yup, talking cats. Aside from serving cakes, coffee, and tea, these cats also serve up astrological advice for those who are in need of guidance.

Marigold Mind Laundry by Jungeun Yun is about a woman named Jieun who magically brings into existence the Marigold Mind Laundry. It is here that customers who are seeking comfort in their lives tell her their unhappiest memories. Come and check out this novel and read about Jieun and her customers and how the power to heal oneself is in us all.

The Dallergut Dream Department Store by Miye Lee is a novel about a department store and the people who work there that sell dreams to humans and animals. At this dream store, one can “buy” dreams on flying, a favorite childhood memory, dreams of becoming famous, and even dreams of loved ones who have passed on. Come and check out this novel and read about how sometimes the simple act of dreaming can influence your life in the waking world.

If these titles have piqued your interest, then come and check them out at A.K. Smiley Public Library.

My favorite time to read horror is in the summertime. There is something about the stillness and quiet of the summertime nights that makes me want to stay up late reading a scary book. If you are a fan of horror fiction, then I have some new titles to recommend to you (nightlight not included).

Andrew Larimer gets a phone call in the middle of the night from someone from his past telling him that he needs to come home to Kingsport, a place that he thought he would never have to visit again. Back in Kingsport, Andrew meets up with his childhood friends when they are confronted with a secret from the past. Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi is a must read for any fan of classic horror fiction.

Harry Adams loves horror movies; she loves them so much that she even got a job cleaning the house of one of her favorite horror directors. The house is huge and filled with horror movie paraphernalia, which is fine by Harry until she starts hearing strange noises coming from one of the many locked rooms. Find out what is lurking behind closed doors in The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry.

Anna and her family are vacationing at a villa in Italy when things start getting weird: strange noises, warnings from the townspeople, and a villa with a haunting past. Come check out Diavola by Jennifer Thorne, it will have you rethinking any vacations you take involving your family and a creepy old villa in Italy.

Come check out these chilling titles at A.K. Smiley Public Library!

One of the most commonly asked questions I get working at A.K. Smiley Public Library is “what’s the last good book you have read?” Most of the time I get nervous and can’t remember; well luckily for you, my dear reader, I can recommend two good books to you.

I know it is only April, but my favorite book that I have read so far this year, is Murder Road by Simone St. James. Newlyweds April and Eddie are on their way to their honeymoon when they come across a young woman on the side of the road who looks like she is in need of help. They pick up the despondent woman and take her to the hospital where she is later pronounced dead. The cops immediately suspect them as the murderers. Trying to prove themselves innocent, April and Eddie uncover a sinister secret where more than one hitchhiker has been murdered on this murderous road. Check out this title to see what or who has been murdering innocent hitchhikers.

Another novel that I really enjoyed reading is The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo. If you are familiar with the mythology of the fox in Asian cultures, then I highly recommend this book. The Fox Wife takes place in 1908 in Manchuria where a ‘woman’ named Snow is seeking revenge and a detective named Bao is investigating a mysterious death of a young woman. Check out this novel to find out how Snow’s and Bao’s fates are intertwined.

Make your way down to A.K. Smiley Public Library and check out these two titles today!