Here are some books our TAB members have read and loved recently. We’ve included the call number so you can come and get them at Reston Regional Library! All summaries are taken from Novelist unless otherwise noted.

The Odyssey, Homer (883 H)
The Trojan War is over. Odysseus, the cunning King of Ithaca, sets out to return home to his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus. It proves a long journey, fraught with dangers, from Polyphemus the Cyclops, and the seductive Sirens, to the love of Calypso on her all-too-comfortable isle.

Refugee, Alan Gratz (JFIC GRA)
Separated by decades, Josef, a Jew living in 1930s Nazi Germany; Isabel, a girl trying to escape unrest in 1994 Cuba; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015 whose homeland is torn apart by violence, embark on journeys in search of refuge.

Shadow and Bone, Leigh Bardugo (YSF BAR)
Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protege of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner, who can destroy the monsters of the Fold.

Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson (JFIC AND)
After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.

Ophelia, Lisa Klein (YFIC KLE)
In a story based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia tells of her life in the court at Elsinore, her love for Prince Hamlet, and her escape from the violence in Denmark.

1984, George Orwell (FIC ORW)
Portrays life in a future time when a totalitarian government watches over all citizens and directs all activities.

Spin, Lamar Giles (YIFC GIL)
When DJ ParSec (Paris Secord), rising star of the local music scene, is found dead over her turntables, the two girls who found her, Kya (her pre-fame best friend) and Fuse (her current chief groupie) are torn between grief for Paris and hatred for each other–but when the lack of obvious suspects stalls the investigation, and the police seem to lose interest, despite pressure from social media and ParSec’s loyal fans, the two girls unite, determined to find out who murdered their friend.

Hamlet, William Shakespeare (822.3 S7S)
Considered one of Shakespeare’s most rich and enduring plays, the depiction of its hero Hamlet as he vows to avenge the murder of his father by his brother Claudius is both powerful and complex. As Hamlet tries to find out the truth of the situation, his troubled relationship with his mother comes to the fore, as do the paradoxes in his personality. A play of carefully crafted conflict and tragedy, Shakespeare’s intricate dialogue continues to fascinate audiences to this day.

Ishmael, Daniel Quinn (FIC QUI)
A man and a great ape conduct a series of philosophical conversations in a work that presents a new vision of evolution and humankind and asks the question: does the Earth belong to humans, or do humans belong to the Earth?

Warcross, Marie Lu (YSF LU)
After hacking into the Warcross Championships’ opening game to track illegal betting, bounty hunter Emika Chen is asked by the game’s creator to go undercover to investigate a security problem, and she uncovers a sinister plot.

Julius Caeser, William Shakespeare (822.3 T1S)
Shakespeare’s play about political intrigue, personal betrayal, and the aftermath of a brutal assassination.

This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (SF ELM)
Two time-traveling agents from warring futures, working their way through the past, begin to exchange letters—and soon fall in love.