Spotlight on International Fiction: China

The second in the "Spotlight on International" blog series focuses on China. If you like to be whisked away to a far away place through fiction novels, China is a great setting for international fiction - whether it's historical fiction or contemporary. Here are some titles you may enjoy!


Three Sisters by Feyiu Bi
Growing up in a post-Cultural Revolution-era Chinese village, three sisters among seven strive to change the course of their destinies by embracing respective views about dignity, seduction, and ambition.

A Thread of Sky by Deanna Fei
Widowed after a devastating accident and fearful of facing her grief alone, Chinese-American Irene Shen reunites three generations of independent women from her estranged family--including her mother, sister, and daughters--during a tour of mainland China.

Pearl of China: a novel by Anchee Min
A tale based on the life of novelist Pearl S. Buck follows her as she grows up in late-nineteenth-century China; befriends Willow, a Chinese peasant girl; and with Willow shares life's joys and sorrows, despite the Communist revolution.

Peony in Love by Lisa See
Written by bestselling author of "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan". In seventeenth-century China, three women become emotionally involved with "The Peony Pavilion," a famed opera rumored to cause lovesickness and even death.

Woman from China: tales of survival from a Chinese labor camp by Xianhui Yang
Presents the fictionalized stories of twelve survivors from the Chinese work camps in Jiabiangou, exiled there by the Communist Party between 1957 and 1960 to undergo reeducation through hard labor for being rightists.

You can find many more titles in our catalog of fiction that takes place in China.

Hello from the inside!

Although the Glenview Public Library is closed to the public, we're still hard at work!

Please remember, the library will be closed until October 8 and will re-open on October 9 for an exciting Opening Celebration and kick-off to a month-long Festival of Programs.

Stay tuned!

Bonnet Novels

Amish- themed books are growing in popularity within the Christian fiction genre. Readers are attracted by the simpler time, curious about the cloistered community and admire the strong and traditional faith of the Amish. Typically, Amish fiction is either a romance or family saga. However, there are a few mysteries that feature either Amish characters or Amish communities.


The Telling by Beverly Lewis
Struggling to come to terms with a serious medical diagnosis, Heather Nelson is determined to forgo traditional medicine, against her father’s wishes, in hopes of finding answers and healing in Amish country. But first, Heather offers to drive her Amish friend Grace to Ohio, in order to find Grace’s mother. Will mother and daughter and a seriously ill student, find the answers they long for?


A Gift of Grace by Amy Clipston
When Rebecca Kauffman’s sister Grace, who left the Amish years earlier is killed in an automobile accident, it is up to Rebecca and her husband Daniel to raise her two teenage English daughters in their Old Order Amish community. Can Rebecca reconcile the two worlds in her home or will the clash of cultures be too much.

When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall
When seventeen year-old Hannah Lapp, who has been raised in a traditional Old Order Amish family, wants to break with tradition and marry outside her Amish faith, the challenges are many. The night before Hannah and her fiancé Paul are to be married, tragedy strikes and Hannah faces losing her place in the community.

Separate from the World by Paul L. Gaus
When Enos Erb an Amish farmer seeks help from burned-out professor and amateur sleuth Professor Michael Branden about the bizarre death of his brother. Branden’s investigation is hampered by the unwillingness of people to talk, by the apparent suicide of a coed, campus unrest and the kidnapping of an Amish child. His search for the truth teaches Branden and his friends a lesson in what the Amish call “the most beautiful virtue” humility.

Fran--tastic

Are you buying into the Jonathan Franzen buzz this week? Franzen's new book Freedom hit stores on Tuesday after last week's advanced reading copy kerfuffle involving President Obama sent publishers and booksellers into a frenzy. I have yet to read a single negative review and some book scribes are even calling it a masterpiece in the first sentence of the review! I'll admit I fell for it and even nabbed a copy at the bookstore (I know, I know) for myself. I'm not sure when I'll get to it but I WANTED to have it in the reading pile at home. You can grab a copy when the library reopens (October 9th) and let us know if you think the Great American Novel is alive and well or if FranzenFrenzy is old fashion bloviating.