What We're Reading This Weekend

Librarians, Kerri and Lorri, are back again to share their weekend reading plans. Add these titles to your reading lists and let us know what you think in the comments.

From Lorri:

Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht-- Cold War espionage novel with a queer female spy? Yes, please. Knecht was inspired by her grandfather's stories of his days in the CIA, analyzing Soviet radio propaganda during the Cold War. The story alternates between Vera's spy activities in Argentina in the midst of a coup and her life before she joined the CIA . Looking forward to this very different take on the traditional spy novel.

Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening by Manal Sharif-- Following Saudi Arabia's recent lift on the ban of women driving, I wanted to learn more. Sharif was arrested and jailed for "driving while female" in Kobar, Saudi Arabia, before the ban was lifted. While there was no formal law banning women drivers, there was a strong social ban, and women had to rely on hired cars or male relatives to drive them, making it difficult for women to get to work, run errands, or even seek medical care. This memoir details Sharif's path to feminism as she navigates

through a deeply conservative Islamic culture designed to keep women subservient.

From Kerri:

One of the perks of working at the Ridgewood Library is that publishers will sometimes send us Advanced Reader Copies for soon to be published books. It was like Christmas in June last week when I saw Frances Pontes Peebles new book, The Air You Breathe, which will be released on August 21. The story takes place in 1920s Brazil and centers around two girls from different stations in life who run away to become singers. One is more successful than the other, which is never a good thing between competitive female friends.

Peeble’s last novel, The Seamstress, was one of my staff picks -- a meaty, historical fiction novel and perfect for Isabel Allende fans. Highly recommended while you wait for The Air You Breathe to be published. Looks like Lorri and I are both headed to Latin America with our fiction picks.

The cover of Tell Me Lies by Carola Loving keeps popping up on my Instagram feed and it just seems like the perfect poolside read -- a coming of age novel, in which Lucy Albright falls and becomes slightly addicted to the wrong guy. As they graduate from college, their friendship / relationship becomes more challenging as they try to let go of their past secrets. Oooooh secrets! Can’t wait to find out what they are.