Greetings and great news from the Great Bend Public Library! We have a ton of new books that just came in, hot off the presses for our valued patrons. For today’s article I thought we could live on the edge and commit a faux pas: judging a book by its cover. Plus, who is this vague entity called “they” telling me what we can and can’t judge? “They” could be members of the secret book censorship society, for all we know. I, for one, am not taking advice from any secret societies, so let’s judge some books!
As these items are brand new, I haven’t had a chance to read them, so I’ll be making these recommendations based solely on each book’s cover and included summary. The first book immediately caught my eye with its title and beautiful cover: “A Daughter of Fair Verona” by Christina Dodd is a bit of a what-if tale turned into a mystery. Have you ever thought about what literature’s most famous star-crossed lovers might be up to if they had made it out of their tragic tale alive? According to Dodd, they would be living in Verona with seven children, one of which is our protagonist, Rosie Montague. She finds herself wrapped up in a mystery when a dead duke shows up and everyone associated with him starts dropping like flies. The worst part is our fair Rosie was his betrothed, so if she doesn’t find the killer soon, she might be the next victim! As the bodies pile up and with half of Verona a suspect, things start to get dicey for our witty and irreverent narrator.
The next book is also a murder mystery (I swear I didn’t plan this, I just thought the cover was pretty) by Ally Condie. “The Unwedding” relates an Agatha Christie-esque, locked door affair. Recent divorcee Ellery Wainwright is on her 20th wedding anniversary vacation, alone. What was supposed to be a celebration of love and family turns into a lonely trip to one of the most beautiful places in the world. To make matters worse, a wedding is happening during her stay, reminding her of what she’s lost. But when the groom turns up in the hotel pool dead, and an unexpected storm causes a landslide blocking any way to or from the hotel, suddenly her forlorn heart is the least of her worries. Now Ellery and the rest of the guests are trapped with a killer! Everyone at the resort has a secret to keep – including Ellery – but when another body turns up, who’s to say if anyone or their secrets are safe?
If you would like to check out these books, stop by the library or visit our online catalog at greatbendpl.info. If neither title catches your fancy, come in and peruse the new book shelf in person and judge all the books covers for yourself.
Hannah Grippin is outreach manager at the Great Bend Public Library. To see what else we’re up to, visit our Facebook page and our website, greatbendpl.info. You can also message us on Facebook, email us at gbcirc@gmail.com, or give us a call at (620) 792-2409 for any questions about our programming or services.