I hope that you’ll have a bit of time to relax and read during the upcoming holiday rush. Here are a few novels that I’ve read and enjoyed recently in case you need some ideas.

A blonde woman wakes up in the middle of a snowy sidewalk in Paris, her head throbbing. A man with a gun runs up to her, calls her Alex, and whisks her down a side alley, leaving gunshots and black SUVs behind. It seems she’s woken up in the middle of a spy movie, except she can’t remember how she got there, let alone her name. All she knows is that the man with the gun – a very handsome man – seems to want to help her. But how can she trust anyone else when she doesn’t even know her own identity? This entertaining action-romance includes a lot of witty banter between two very likeable leads. “The Blonde Identity” by Ally Carter is a great pick if you’re looking for something lighter with a fast-moving plot.

Summer and Leo are inseparable. They travel up and down California’s coast in their Landrover, conning men and pickpocketing rich jerks to survive. Leo sets her target on Michael Forrester, a charismatic renewable-energy billionaire. He invites her to stay the weekend on his private island, which boasts a beautiful residence and his own research facility. She accepts, expecting this to be her biggest con yet. But when Leo doesn’t return from the island, Summer sets out to find her. I really enjoyed the pacing and twist in Wendy Heard’s thriller, “You Can Trust Me,” but I especially appreciated the depiction of Summer and Leo’s ironclad friendship.

Josie thinks she might be a good subject for Alix’s podcast about women’s experiences. Josie is on the precipice of changing her life completely and invites Alix to document the process through podcast interviews. As Josie tells her story, Alix becomes more and more unsettled, especially when Josie starts to insinuate herself into Alix’s life. Alix is torn: Josie has had a rough life, but is everything she says the truth? Lisa Jewell skillfully builds delicious tension that leads to a shocking revelation and conclusion in “None of This Is True.”

After the death of their friend Alec, college seniors Jordy, Jordan, Marielle, Naomi, and Craig make a pact to hold each of their funerals before they actually die. This way they can tell each other how much they mean to one another. As they age, each person triggers the funeral pact during a difficult period in their lives, bringing the far-flung group back together. When Jordan gets life-altering news, he knows that he needs to trigger the pact before it’s too late, even though he doesn’t feel ready for his funeral. “The Celebrants” by Steven Rowley is a humorous and bittersweet novel about the impact that lifelong friendships can have.

If you would like to request any of these items, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Catalog, or give the library a call at 507-359-8331. New Ulm Public Library is located at 17 N Broadway and is open Monday-Thursday from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. We hope to see you soon.