8 Books Full of Hustle & Bustle to Liven Up Your Shelf

October 16 2020

After nearly seven months of hard-core social distancing, cancelled plans, and isolation, my memories of crowded bars and concert halls are feeling more and more distant. Just earlier this year I would sardine myself into a packed venue without question. Congested rooms, loud noises, and rowdy crowds were never something I thought I’d miss, yet here I am. And I would imagine many of you are feeling a similar sense of nostalgia for the way things used to be. If you too are reminiscing on our former days of parties, games, and public spaces, here are eight books to vicariously live through. 

The Trick
by Emanuel Bergmann

Circus:  What is more fun, chaotic, and crowded than a circus! In THE TRICK, the Great Zabbatini rises to fame in his traveling circus just as Europe descends into World War II. But when his Judaism is discovered, his bag of tricks and magic may just be his only means of protection. Seventy years later in Los Angeles, ten-year-old Max finds a scratched-up LP that captured Zabbatini performing his greatest illusions. Realizing he may be able to save his parent’s failing marriage with a spell from the great circus performer, Max seeks out the cynical and elderly magician. This novel is not just about the wild and crazy life of a circus magician, it is also a deeply moving story about a young boy in search of a miracle and a delusional old man seeking redemption.  

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Every Note Played
by Lisa Genova

Concert: I can confidently say that listening to live music is the number one thing I miss about a pre-COVID life. For now, I must settle for novels about great musicians while blasting a compatible soundtrack in the background. Whether you’re a fan of rock ‘n’ roll or classical music, you’ll love EVERY NOTE PLAYED. This story follows Richard, an accomplished pianist. But when Richard contracts ALS, leaving his right arm paralyzed, his talent and will to live is lost. Unable to live on his own, Richard must go under the care of his ex-wife, Karina, who is just as reluctant to give care as Richard is to receive it. As Richard slowly withers away, the couple attempts to find peace with their past before it's too late.

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Head Over Heels
by Hannah Orenstein

Sporting Event:  Sporting events, whether you’re an avid fan in the stands or a player on the field, have taken quite a hit without a roaring crowd on the sidelines.  Fortunately, we have this electrifying and competitive novel to lean on. After training to be an Olympic gymnast, Avery Abrams takes a disastrous tumble that ends her athletic career. On top of that, Avery is recovering from a breakup with her football star boyfriend as she watches her best friend and teammateJasmine, fulfill her own dream of making it big. Returning to her hometown to recoup, Avery is offered to train a promising young gymnast. But when a shocking scandal in the gymnastics world breaks, it has shattering effects not only for the sport but also for Avery and her old friend Jasmine. 

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A Lowcountry Wedding
by Mary Alice Monroe

Wedding:  Weddings are enchanting, elegant, and definitely more fun with a crowd! In A LOW COUNTRY WEDDING, the Muir sisters run into a couple complications despite the scenic wedding backdrop of Sullivan’s Island. Carson loves Blake but struggles with giving up her independence. Harper questions if a prenuptial agreement will help or hurt the future of her marriage, and a newly unfettered Dora is uncertain whether or not she really wants to walk down the aisle again. To complicate the summer even further, a stranger arrives bearing long-held family secrets. Can the summer weddings sustain the stress of family drama?  

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The Big Crowd
by Kevin Baker

City:  There’s nothing like the hustle and bustle of city crowds. THE BIG CROWD tells the story of Charlie O’Kane, the American Dream come to life. As a poor Irish immigrant, Charlie worked his way up to mayor of New York City, complete with fame, power, and a glamorous wife. So when Charlie is accused of a shocking mob murder, his brother is determined to clear Charlie's name while harboring his own secret. Now, out of office, Charlie lives in a shoddy, Mexico City tourist hotel, eaten up with regrets and the fear of being indicted for murder. To uncover what really happened, his brother must confront stunning truths and the secret workings of the great city he loves. 

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Big Little Lies
by Liane Moriarty

Party:  There’s nothing quite like an extravagant party. But the party in BIG LITTLE LIES is one you’ll be grateful not to have been at. . . . Single mother Jane is new to town and harbors secret doubts about her son. When two local women, Madeline and Celeste, take Jane under their wing, none of them realize how her arrival will affect them all. Was it a murder? Was it just an accident? One thing is for certain: someone is not telling the truth.  

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Bunny
by Mona Awad

School:  In-person school is one aspect of life that has been put on hold for many students. But who really misses the classroom when you can dive headfirst into the cliques and gossip through a book? In BUNNY, Samantha has been accepted into a highly selective MFA program, but she is utterly repelled by her classmates: a clique of rich girls who all call themselves “Bunny.” But when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' "Smut Salon," she finds herself inexplicably drawn to their crowdditching her only friend, Ava, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into their sinister world, her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies will be brought into deadly collision. 

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Do Not Say We Have Nothing
by Madeleine Thien

Protests:  Crowded gatherings aren’t always fun and games. Sometimes, as a population, people are called to stand up for what they believe in. There is strength in numbers. DO NOT SAY WE HAVE NOTHING follows two Chinese generationsthose who lived through Mao’s Cultural Revolution and their children, who became the students protesting in Tiananmen Square. The story centers on Marie and Ai-Ming, and how both their parents were forced to reimagine their artistic and private selves during China’s political campaigns. The lasting consequences of their life decisions reverberate through generations to come. 

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