Staff Picks
Lisa's Pick
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
Everyone thinks Mary is guilty... but is she? This is a gripping tale about a 9-year-old accused of killing a baby. Go on a journey with Mary as she navigates "Baby Jail" then a half-way house for girls with serious convictions and a tumultuous relationship with her mother. Along the way, she meets Ted and becomes pregnant herself, while also living with a deep secret that could set her free or will it?
Tara’s Picks
New interpretations of great Tom Petty songs by great country music artists, new and old. I go back and forth between listening and singing along.
A personable Manchester psychotherapist takes us through his work with 4 different clients, his admirable vision of good therapy, the competing voices in his own head, and his personal story. Funny, heartwarming, and very human.
An unwanted baby is given away during WWI, and that sets one storyline in motion. Then in the 70s, a girl gets pregnant and is made to give birth and give up her baby. That's the next storyline. A third storyline centers around a gentle artisan in Italy. I really enjoyed all of these characters and following their journeys to healing, self-identity, and love. The ending was just right and sat with me for a good while.
Even better than The Story of Arthur Truluv and A Man Called Ove!
This one is deep. It's the story of a Nazi commander's child. We get her life story in chapters interspersed with a present story about new neighbors and potential domestic abuse. This book is about good and evil, guilt and atonement, and trauma. But it does have a positive ending.
Kind of like The Midnight Library, but for relationships. I did not like and did not finish The Midnight Library, but I found this book to be fun and relatable. Every time Lauren sends her husband to the attic, she gets a new husband and a new version of her life.
If you like language and usage, this linguist makes a lot of great points that were new food for thought for me. Very clever writing, too.
Justin's Pick
Based on a 1950s science fiction novel, this series follows a shut-in girl named Hikaru as she finds herself on the verge of death. Hikaru is saved, but only in exchange of doing her saviors bidding. Track down an alien lifeform set on destroying humanity and kill it. Throughout the series you learn all about Hikaru's, and in turn, humanity’s struggles.
Laney's Picks
Han and Kenny, who have been friends since they were kids, decide to get married because Han is an undocumented immigrant who wants to finally become a US citizen. While it tackles heavy topics including immigration and toxic relationships, it's a heartwarming story that I read in one sitting. It's also easily my favorite read of the year.
An NHL player, Tucker Taylor, accidentally travels back in time to 1812 where he befriends and eventually fake marries Jane Austen's friend and fellow author, Lizzy Wooddash. I had to suspend my disbelief with the time travel elements, but I found it to be a refreshing take on a Pride and Prejudice retelling. It made me think about the ways in which women's roles have and haven't changed in the last 200 years and it had a satisfying ending.
Daisy Hastings is an introvert who has spent her entire life in the house where she grew up. Her life changes when she takes a summer job at the Tower of London where she butts heads with a rebellious royal who discovers a passion for Live Action Role Play (LARP). I went into this book knowing very little about LARP but I related to Daisy's struggles as a late bloomer.
Caitlin's Picks
The first book in Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives series, this book follows several viewpoints, but three main characters: Kaladin, a bridgeman who is struggling to find a way to care; Shallan, a young woman trying to pull off a heist she's not prepared for; and Dalinar, a Brightlord who fights visions he doesn't know the source of. The fifth book in this epic series just came out, and it's a great time to begin!
This is equal parts eldritch horror and adorable love story. Shesheshen is a creature who just wants to be left in peace, but when she meets Homily, she thinks she would be the perfect person to start a family with. Unfortunately, because Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, that means that she would be dooming Homily to death. Can Shesheshen navigate love the way humans do, while protecting her new girlfriend?
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Cinder is a classic Cinderella retelling that kicks off the Lunar Chronicles series with a bang. This retelling has Cinderella as a cyborg named Cinder who supports her stepfamily and may be more than she seems. I highly recommend this and the rest of the series: I love the motley crew of fairy tail heroines that are assembled into their crew as time goes on.
Maud is an absolute icon. We love supporting women's rights AND women's wrongs. She just wants to be left alone, and if murder is her only option? Oh well, at least she's gotten very good at it over the years.
This was a fantastic novel that I had a hard time putting down. The interweaving of the character's stories is mesmerizing. Angelina, the daughter of Korean parents who emigrated to the United States when she was young, is trying to reconnect with her Korean family and heritage after her mother's suicide. She is also dealing with a nasty divorce. While in Korea, she discovers that she has an aunt she didn't even know existed, and struggles to find acceptance and forgiveness of herself in order to find love again. I learned a lot about the coverup of "comfort women" in Japanese history, and how Koreans were subjugated and abused as a Japanese colony. Excellent book!
For more great books, check out the staff picks section on the first floor of the library. Happy reading!