The Adult Books editors have selected the following titles as representative of the year’s outstanding books for public library collections. Our scope has been intentionally broad, and we have attempted to find books that combine literary, intellectual, and aesthetic excellence with popular appeal.
The Distant Marvels. By Chantel Acevedo. Europa, $16 (9781609452520).
This uniquely powerful and startlingly beautiful novel showcases the enthralling voice of elderly Maria Serena, a former “reader” in a cigar factory, who entertains her fellow refugees waiting out a hurricane with tales of Cuba’s revolutionary past.
