Have you heard the news? Shreve Memorial Library asked and patrons voted The first lie wins by Ashley Elston as the 2024 One Book One Parish Title Winner! For the second year in a row, Shreve Memorial Library patrons have selected a book by a local author as a One Book One Parish selection. Last year, we had the pleasure of reading Destiny O. Birdsong of Shreveport. Nobody’s Magicand this year we will be reading the adult thriller debut from local young adult author Ashley Elston.
Each year, Shreve Memorial Library’s One Book One Parish campaign unites Caddo Parish readers by promoting a book during the month of October and sparking a community-wide book discussion about the selected title. Over the years, we’ve read everything from heartbreaking coming-of-age stories to gripping memoirs, historical tropes, and mystical fantasy. This year, I’m so excited that the selected book is in one of my favorite genres – the thriller!
The first lie wins is No. 1 New York Times Bestselling adult thriller, debut novel by local young adult author Ashley Elston. The novel tells the story of Evie Porter, a southern girl who has everything she could ever want, but there’s one catch. Evie Porter doesn’t exist. The gripping novel has been praised for its clever plotting, exploration of love, identity, truth and deception, and gripping suspense.
Copies of The first lie wins are available for checkout at any branch of the Shreve Memorial Library. Pick up your copy today and start reading so you can participate in our parish-wide book discussion in October. The One Book One Parish program will run throughout October, so look for more information coming soon. Until then, pick up a copy of The first lie wins and dream, discover, do.
News from the library
All this and more: A novel by Peng Shepherd (fiction)
One woman. Endless possibilities. Every decision has consequences. Mild-mannered, safe-playing Marsh has just turned 45 and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter is growing further away from her by the day. Convinced she’s missed her chance at it all – romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure – Marsh is desperate for a fresh start. She can’t believe her luck when she’s chosen to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to give contestants the opportunity to revisit their past and change their present lives. It’s Marsh’s only chance to make her dreams come true, and she’s determined to get it right this time. But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, reunites with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that the promises of All This and More may be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something doesn’t seem quite right… Can Marsh really make her life the way she wants it? And is it worth it? Perfect for fans of Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library and Kate Atkinson’s Life after lifeBestselling author Peng Shepherd All this and more is a completely original, surprisingly moving novel that puts the reader in the driver’s seat.
Flashback by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen (fiction)
Kendra Michaels uses her keen deduction skills to unmask a serial killer who hasn’t been seen or heard from in over 15 years. Chloe and Sloane Morgan were just children when their mother became the second victim of the Bayside Strangler. Now, after 15 years of trying to discover his identity, the sisters have suddenly disappeared. Had they gotten too close to the truth? Police believe their interest in the crime was mere coincidence and have little motivation to pursue the unsolved case. Armed with the box full of photos, videos, police reports and notes the sisters have collected over the years — as well as the extraordinary senses their blindness gave them before she regained her sight through a revolutionary surgical procedure — Kendra follows the trail of clues the sisters leave behind. Little does she know that her search is about to unleash a long-dormant killer in San Diego. With the help of government agent Adam Lynch, Kendra must race to discover the identity of a notorious murderer to save not only the lives of the two sisters, but those of countless others.
Summer in Saint by Mary Kay Andrews (Fiction)
Welcome to the St. Cecelia, a famous hotel on the Georgia coast where traditions run deep and scandals run even deeper… Everyone calls St. Cecelia “the Saint.” If you grew up here, you were a “saint.” If you came from the wrong side of the river, you were a “nothing.” Traci Eddings was one of those outsiders whose family wasn’t rich or connected enough to vacation here. But she could work here. One fateful summer, she did, and married the boss’s son. Now the widowed owner of the hotel, she’s determined to return it to its glory days, even as understaffing and financial problems threaten to ruin it. Plus, her greedy and unscrupulous brother-in-law wants to make sure she fails. Hiring a motley crew of recently hired summer help–including her estranged best friend’s daughter–Traci has one summer season to turn things around. But new information about a long-ago drowning accident at the hotel threatens to come to light, and the tragic death of one of the members brings Traci to the brink of despair. Traci Eddings has her back to the pink-painted wall of this beloved institution. And she will need all her wits and courage to right wrongs, put the guilty in their place, and maybe even find a new romance along the way. Told with Mary Kay Andrews warmth, humor, a flair for twists and an eye for delicious details about human nature, Summer in Saint is a beach read with depth and heart.
About Shreve Memorial Library
Shreve Memorial Library is transforming the lives of Caddo Parish with resources, services and support to create a better world by focusing on the development of young readers, stimulating imagination, encouraging curiosity, building connections and providing cozy places to be. Shreve Memorial Library’s 21-branch system is funded by a parish-wide property tax to support the information, educational and recreational needs of its members. For more information, visit www.shreve-lib.organd like, follow and subscribe on social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube. Dream, discover, do – the Shreve Memorial Library and you!
