Shared by readers of Jane Friedman’s Electric Speed newsletter in June 2024

• I finally got a library card in December last year, and because of their audiobook and ebook collection, I’ve read 70 books so far this year (almost double last year’s total count)! My favorite found fiction author is Sophie Irwin (A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting), and for non-fiction, I have to go with Adam Kucharski (The Rules of Contagion). —Jess Feder
• I have never responded to your newsletters but felt compelled to give a shout out to one of the best books I have read in a while: Tell Me Everything: The Story of a Private Investigation by Erika Krouse. I was wandering the isles of my local Seattle library branch and saw this memoir placed on top of a shelf and after thumbing through it briefly, took it home. When I cracked it open, I couldn't put it down. The fabulous writing, the bold story, I loved every minute spent with this book --and now have recommended it to everyone I know! —Bethany Brodsky
• I found Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart in my library's excellent mystery section when I was taking out the next Tony Hillerman for my husband. I just happened to turn my head and there was this spine with wonderful Asian iconography and the book had the word dragon in the title so I couldn't lose, right? And Jade Dragon Mountain, the first in a series of three, is absolutely wonderful!! It takes place in 18th century China, its detective is a librarian, and his sidekick is this always-makes-me-smile storyteller. I loved how Hart paced the story. It was like reading a tea ceremony, immersive, stately and dramatic. —Sonja Hakala
• One great book I found by browsing the library was Andrew Leland's debut memoir called The Country of the Blind. It was fantastic: well-researched, thoughtful, articulate, and incredibly honest.  —Jeannie Ewing
• I've got a great book to recommend in response to your last newsletter's question. Last time I went to my local library, I stumbled on After The Forest by Kell Woods. Equal parts fun and spooky with a sprinkle of speculative elements, this author's debut combines half a dozen fairy tales to make this a pacey page-turner. Loved it! —Stacy Alderman
• Jamie Varon's book Main Character Energy. She's found a way to deal with the chaos, pain and trauma of family without making it a Gabor Mate workshop. In fact, it's a delightful tale about a writer, insecure in her talent for many reasons, who is offered an opportunity to purge the doubt. You're not always sure she will and that's what keeps you turning the pages. —Staci B
• The Jacksonville Public Library hosted a conversation/book signing with Jeff Goodell, author of The Water Will Come and it's even less cheerful followup, The Heat Will Kill You First. He has traveled all over the world to report on these issues (and others) and met amazing people, whose stories are in the book. Sure, climate change isn't a fun topic, but his books are interesting, well-researched, and easy to read. If anything will convince you that the problems of global warming are already here, these will. —Abigail Welborn
• I have a long commute so I listen to a lot of audio books. I frequently peruse my local library collection. Stumbled upon  Shauna Robinson  The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks. Robinson is a sheer genius.  Writers who are readers will love her covert nods to classic literature.   —TonyaAnn Pember
• Some time back I picked up Philip Ball's Bright Earth at a Little Free Library. Ball's a chemist turned science writer, and this is by far the best of his books I've found. He offers a history of color, and art, from the perspective of chemistry. For one example, until reading him it never had occurred to me that old art looks different to us that it did contemporarily because of changes in the pigments wrought by environmental exposure. —David Shapiro
• The last book I discovered via the library (and can’t stop recommending) is The Power of Different: The Link Between Disorder and Genius by Gail Saltz MD. I’m in a family of four with ADHD and one also diagnosed with autism and OCD, so I’m constantly looking for up to date information and research about neurodiversity. This book is a huge step forward in the understanding of the brain’s individualism and why that means we are all somewhere on the spectrum. Also, as a writer of character-driven stories, it’s a great resource for understanding how/why my characters might act. —Brenda Winter Hansen
• My discovery at the great Springfield MO library: American Nations: a history of the eleven rival regional cultures of North America by Colin Woodward. —Alex Primm
• I discovered Ann Patchett because of a display at the entrance to my library. She’s been around awhile, I know, but I never read anything by her. I heard about her short essays/memoir on a podcast and then when I stopped in at the library her books were front and center, waving to me like an Embassy flag!! I grabbed Tom Lake and the Dutch House and devoured them!!! —Lori McKean
• My wife found Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari LaPena at the library and recommended it to me. It was addictive. My own library find was Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson. I placed both of these books on the Summer Reading Recommendations section of my website. —Kirk Jonas
• One gem of a category is The Great Courses available free in their full packages (typically 24 episodes, 30 minutes each) via the digital library sites. The Hating Game by Sally Thorne was one of my favorites in audiobook and feature film adaptation starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell—set, of course, in a publishing house. —Carrie Tangenberg
• As a retired librarian, I read a lot of reviews and love finding new-to-me books at the library. Recent discoveries in the nonfiction section include Bake Smart by Samantha Seneviratne, a wonderful collection of tips and recipes, and Uncertain: the Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure by Maggie Jackson. In recent fiction, I picked up Christa Comes Out of Her Shell by Abbi Waxman. It's a fun romcom in which marine scientist Christa comes home to L.A. to deal with the sudden appearance of her supposedly long-dead father, still famous for his TV animal shows. —Melissa Techman
• My most recent library book, and I'm talking one of soooo many books I've read as a member of my library's nonfiction book group is We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America by journalist Roxanna Asgarian. Please read and effect change on this so devastating problem in our country.  —Cindy Schwarz
• While researching post offices I often have to contact libraries out of state from where I live. This week I contacted the Worthington, Ohio library looking for more information regarding the Worthington, Ohio post office sculpture. The librarian went out of here way and sent me newspaper clippings, further information and a book that had not been on my radar: WORTHINGTON LANDMARKS: Photo-Essays of Historic Worthington Properties By Robert and Jennie McCormick (Cottonwood Press). The book has a brief section regarding the Worthington, Ohio post office sculpture. I like to collect any and all documentation regarding the artworks so this was a nice surprise and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on this one. —David W. Gates Jr.
• I recently found The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse in the library. It's a fast paced thriller where a discouraged detective gives herself a second chance as bodies keep appearing in the hotel where she and her family are staying. The action takes place in a remote Swiss hotel, so it's a good book to get out of your comfort zone both in place and in excitement. —Robert Bullard
• The most recent book I've discovered in my library is Neil Gaiman's Fortunately, The Milk. I've been a fan of his works for adults, and found this middle-grade fantasy delightful. It's full of signature humor and charming weirdness. —Joan Kessler