CHECK IT OUT:

With the presidential election just days away, politics is in the air. To help get you in the spirit of the election, check out some of these political novels at the Newport Beach Public Library.

 When the Democratic presidential nominee dies, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt finds herself as the replacement for the party. Novelist Robin Gerber pits Eleanor Roosevelt against Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for the presidential race of 1952. Roosevelt confronts the issue of a female president in the White House and whether the nation is prepared for it. She gains the support of women, unions, and African-Americans.

In the end, the race is close. Find out who prevails in “Eleanor vs. Ike.”

 Another historical political novel, “America America,” by Ethan Canin, begins in 2006. The opening scenes set the stage for narrator Corey Sifter to recount his days in the early ’70s. Corey, 16 in 1971, is hired to work for the Metareys, one of the wealthiest families in upstate New York.

Liam Metarey, the patriarch of the family, takes to Corey, treats him as one of the family and even arranges to send him to an exclusive prep school. Because of his position within the family, Corey becomes privy to some of Liam’s business arrangements one of which is the financing of Sen. Henry Bonwiller’s campaign for the presidency.

Bonwiller, however, has some character flaws, which Corey witnesses. The novel seamlessly deals with politics, status, wealth and family dynamics as well as integrating Corey’s present-day life with the past.

 Kristin Gore, daughter of former Vice President and presidential candidate Al Gore, introduces Samantha Joyce in “Sammy’s Hill.”

Samantha, also known as Sammy, is a domestic policy advisor for Ohio Sen. Robert Gary. She tackles healthcare reform, developing a bill to lower prescription costs for senior citizens.

During her preparations Sammy meets Aaron Driver, a speechwriter for the Democratic presidential candidate John Bramen. Sammy falls for Driver and becomes romantically involved with him while the senator and presidential candidate join forces.

Sammy ends up in a relationship disaster, but she’s sure to pursue her passion for her healthcare-related bill and gets caught in the middle of the presidential election campaign. Continue to follow Sammy’s story in Gore’s sequel, “Sammy’s House.”

 The protagonist in Scott Simon’s “Windy City: A Novel of Politics” suddenly finds himself as the acting mayor of Chicago when the incumbent mayor unexpectedly dies.

Sunny Roopini is a recent widower from India. He is raising two teenage daughters on his own and has a restaurant to keep afloat, all while acting as mayor.

On top of that, the former mayor’s death was initially thought to be a heart attack, but instead turns out to be a murder case. Find out whether Sunny can juggle his responsibilities while maintaining his sanity in the Windy City.

Here are other political tales of interest by some bestselling authors: “Capitol Conspiracy,” by William Bernhardt; “The Race,” by Richard North Patterson; “Boomsday” and “Supreme Courtship,” by Christopher Buckley; “Capital Crimes,” by Stuart Woods, “Dead Watch,” by John Sandford; and “Primary Colors,” by Anonymous & Joe Klein.

Visit the Newport Beach Public Library and cast your vote for one of these political gems during this election season.

CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. All titles may be reserved by accessing the catalog at newportbeachlibrary.org.