Portsmouth Public Library book recommendations

The Portsmouth Public Library would like to recommend these book titles. Each title is available to borrow with your library card! For more book recommendations or information on applying for a library card go to www.yourppl.org or call 740-354-5688.

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn – In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kiev (now known as Kyiv), wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son—but Hitler’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper—a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour. Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC—until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life. Readers might also enjoy Our Women in Moscow by Beatriz Williams or Atomic Love by Jennie Fields.

A Visit from The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan – Bennie Salazar, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled young woman he employs confront their pasts in this powerful story about how rebellion ages, influence corrupts, habits turn to addictions, lifelong friendships fluctuate and turn, and how art and music have the power to redeem. Readers might also enjoy The Candy House by Jennifer Egan or Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.

With This Pledge by Tamara Alexander – On the night of November 30, 1864, a brutal battle in Franklin, Tennessee, all but decimates the Confederacy and nearly kills Captain Roland Ward Jones. A decorated Mississippi sharpshooter, Jones has a vision on the battlefield and, despite the severity of his wounds, believes his life will be spared. But a life without his leg, he can’t abide. He compels Elizabeth “Lizzie” Clouston—governess to the McGavock family at the Carnton mansion—to intervene should the surgeon decide to amputate. True to her word, Lizzie speaks on his behalf and saves not only the captain’s leg but also his life. Readers might also enjoy Colors of Truth by Tamara Alexander or A Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund.

A Magic Steeped in Poison, a new novel by Judy Lin, explores the trauma that Ning, a young tea brewer in a world where tea can cure many illnesses, faces after she brews a tea that poisons her mother. In spite of her trauma, she decides that she must compete against other tea brewers in a cutthroat competition in an effort to save her sister from the same poison. Readers might also enjoy Descendant of the Crane by Joan He or Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim.

Staff report

No posts to display