Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is in high demand at Canton Public Library. Taking place in the 1960’s, Lessons in Chemistry is the story of Elizabeth Zott, scientist and beloved cooking show host. Elizabeth mixes chemistry and cooking and in the process shakes up the status quo. If this intrigues you and you can’t wait to read it, don’t panic- we have more books on order! It’s also available in Large Print, eBook, and downloadable audiobook. But while you wait, check out these great reads while waiting for “Lessons in Chemistry”.-
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman- Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They’re all–or mostly all–excited to meet her! She’ll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It’s a disaster! And as if that wasn’t enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn’t he realize what a terrible idea that is? Also available as a downloadable audiobook.
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson- From the New York Times bestselling author of The Family Fang, a moving and uproarious novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability. Agreeing to help her former college roommate care for two stepchildren who possess the ability to spontaneously combust when agitated, Lillian endeavors to keep her young charges cool in the face of an astonishing revelation. Also available as an eBook on Overdrive and Hoopla and as a downloadable audiobook on Overdrive and Hoopla.
The Only Woman In the Room by Marie Benedict- She possessed a stunning beauty. She also possessed a stunning mind. Could the world handle both? Hedy Lamarr is well known as a glamorous Hollywood screen star but she had another life. She was a scientist. As a woman she was easily overlooked when her Austrian husband shared scientific and technical secrets with the Nazis, secrets that she shared with the Allies after her daring escape from Austria. Available as an eBook on Overdrive and Hoopla.
Sourdough by Robin Sloan- Lois Clary is a software engineer at General Dexterity, a San Francisco robotics company with world-changing ambitions. She codes all day and collapses at night, her human contact limited to the two brothers who run the neighborhood hole-in-the-wall from which she orders dinner every evening. Then, disaster! Visa issues. The brothers quickly close up shop. But they have one last delivery for Lois: their culture, the sourdough starter used to bake their bread. She must keep it alive, they tell her—feed it daily, play it music, and learn to bake with it. Lois is no baker, but she could use a roommate, even if it is a needy colony of microorganisms. Soon, not only is she eating her own homemade bread, she’s providing loaves to the General Dexterity cafeteria every day. Then the company chef urges her to take her product to the farmer’s market—and a whole new world opens up. Also available as a downloadable audiobook.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson- In present-day California, Eleanor Bennett’s death leaves behind a puzzling inheritance for her two children, Byron and Benny: a black cake, made from a family recipe with a long history, and a voice recording. In her message, Eleanor shares a tumultuous story about a headstrong young swimmer who escapes her island home under suspicion of murder. The heartbreaking tale Eleanor unfolds, the secrets she still holds back, and the mystery of a long-lost child challenge everything the siblings thought they knew about their lineage and themselves. Can Byron and Benny reclaim their once-close relationship, piece together Eleanor’s true history, and fulfill her final request to “share the black cake when the time is right”? Will their mother’s revelations bring them back together or leave them feeling more lost than ever? Available as an eBook and a downloadable audiobook.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley- Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, begins her adventure when a dead bird is found on the doorstep of her family’s mansion in the summer of 1950, thus propelling her into a mystery that involves an investigation into a man’s murder where her father is the main suspect. Also available as an eBook and a downloadable audiobook.
Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple- Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she’s a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she’s a disgrace; to design mavens, she’s a revolutionary architect; and to 15-year-old Bee, she is her best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette vanishes. To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, and secret correspondence — creating a compulsively readable and surprisingly touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter’s role in an absurd world. Available as an eBook and a downloadable audiobook. It’s also available as a DVD starring Cate Blanchette.