Here are few of my favorite recent reads. Library staff would be happy to help you place requests on these or any other titles. If you’d like to place your own request, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Catalog.

All the Belles are called back to Bellerton Academy following its 150th anniversary. A discovery was made on the finishing school grounds during the celebration. As each woman returns, they will have to reckon with their shared past and the once-tight ties of sisterhood. The Belles is an atmospheric, eerie suspense novel with a strong sense of place and time. Author Lacey N. Dunham builds a delicious sense of dread. This is a gripping but stately-paced novel.

A new school year has begun at Tiffin Academy. Amid the flurry of dorm assignments, class schedules, and football games, the campus discovers that Tiffin has been ranked number two on America Today’s list of U.S. boarding schools. This is a positive step for the campus, but the extra attention is unnerving, especially when the campus is still reeling from the tragic loss of one of its students. Authors Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham deftly juggle a large cast of characters and create a beautiful sense of place in The Academy.

American Anna is working on her master’s in English literature in London. She tutors affluent prep school students and just barely manages to make ends meet. When Anna secures a cushy, extended-tutoring job with a wealthy family, she is quickly assimilated into their eldest daughter’s group of friends. She gets a glimpse of the moneyed British life she always romanticized, but as she overextends her friendships and her finances, Anna begins to wonder if she can afford everything this new life might cost her. All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett is an enjoyable and thoughtful exploration of wealth and privilege.

Alexandra Sterling and Michael Kingsley are CIA operatives who also happen to be ex-lovers. When they wake up bloodied and handcuffed together in a dark room, they must figure out who is out to get them and why. Michael also wants to figure out why Alex walked out on him a year ago. The Blonde Who Came In from the Cold is the second book in the Blonde Identity series and includes characters and continues some storyline from the first book, so read it first if you don’t like spoilers! All of Ally Carter’s adult romances (she also writes young adult fiction) include a lot of action and are perfect for those looking for a fast-paced and romantic adventure.

Cath cannot figure out why her estranged, recently deceased mother willed her a trip to England. And not just any trip – a trip to a small village that is staging its own murder mystery week! Each attendee will have the chance to investigate the crime scene, question suspects and witnesses, and form their own conclusions about which villager is the true murderer! Cath teams up with her cottage-mates to solve the fake mystery as well as the mystery of why her mother wanted to bring her to this specific English village. Welcome to Murder Week by Karen Dukess is a cozy, entertaining, and heartfelt mystery – no actual murders required!

If you’d like to request these or any other titles, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Catalog, or call the library at 507-359-8331. New Ulm Public Library is located at 17 North Broadway and is open from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday-Saturday.