CRRL Picks: Read Across America - FictionLike this list

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• 50 states, 50 books: Travel the country with these evocative reads

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• 2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas

  a Novel

  Bertino, Marie-Helene

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  An enchanting novel that takes place in one day and follows the lives of three unforgettable characters: Madeleine Altimari, a smart-mouthed, rebellious nine-year-old; her fifth grade teacher Sarina Greene, who’s just moved back to Philly after a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bless Me, Ultima

  Anaya, Rudolfo A.

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  The story of young Antonio Marez, growing up in New Mexico, who has been raised under the protective wing of a mystic and herbal healer. As he seeks out his family heritage, he learns the secrets of his mysterious mentor.

• A Confederacy of Dunces

  Toole, John Kennedy, 1937-1969

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  A hilarious novel that follows the life of Ignatius J. Reilly, an eccentric and self-absorbed man whose endeavors always seem to be doomed to failure. The novel’s comic tone is a sharp contrast to its bleak portrayal of working-class life in New…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Doc

  a Novel

  Russell, Mary Doria, 1950-

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  The year is 1878, peak of the Texas cattle trade. The place is Dodge City, Kansas, a saloon-filled town jammed with liquored-up adolescent cowboys. This is the story of Wyatt Earp, before he became a fearless lawman, and Doc Holliday, before he…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gilead

  Robinson, Marilynne

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  1956: Gilead, Iowa. Reverend John Ames’ life is coming to an end. He is absorbed in recording his family’s story, a legacy for the young son he will never see grow up. Haunted by his grandfather’s presence, John tells of the rift between his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Highest Tide

  a Novel

  Lynch, Jim, 1961-

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  One moonlit night, 13-year-old Miles O'Malley slips out of his house, packs up his kayak, and goes exploring on the flats of Puget Sound. But what begins as an ordinary hunt for starfish, snails, and clams is soon transformed by an astonishing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Idaho

  a Novel

  Ruskovich, Emily

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  Ann and Wade have carved out a life for themselves from a rugged landscape in northern Idaho. With her husband's memory fading, Ann attempts to piece together the truth of what happened to Wade's first wife, Jenny, and to their daughters. In a story…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Illumination Night

  Hoffman, Alice

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  Beginning on the night of the Grand Illumination, a festival of lanterns held each summer on Martha's Vineyard, this novel is a modern chronicle of a marriage and a bittersweet exploration of an extraordinary passion.

• Let the Great World Spin

  a Novel

  McCann, Colum, 1965-

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  August, 1974. In the dawning light of a late summer morning, the people of lower Manhattan stand hushed, staring up in disbelief at the Twin Towers as a mysterious tightrope walker is running, dancing, leaping between the towers, suspended a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

  a Savannah Story

  Berendt, John, 1939-

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  In charming, beautiful, and wealthy Old-South town of Savannah, the local bad boy is shot dead inside of the opulent mansion of a gay antiques dealer, and a gripping trial follows.

• Prodigal Summer

  a Novel

  Kingsolver, Barbara

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  This novel weaves together three stories of human love within a larger tapestry of lives in southern Appalachia in Virginia. At the heart of it all is a den of coyotes that have recently migrated into the region. Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A River Runs Through It, and Other Stories

  Maclean, Norman, 1902-1990

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  In this collection of short stories, author Norman Maclean proclaims that “in my family, there is no clear line between religion and fly-fishing.” Nor is there a clear line between family and fly-fishing. It is the one activity where brother can…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Where the Crawdads Sing

  Owens, Delia

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  For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not…Read moreRead more of this annotation