Staff Picks
Bethany's Pick
The LitRPG phenomenon! When Earth is destroyed, humanity is given the choice between survival or the dungeon. Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat Princess Donut enter the dungeon, an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. As the levels progress, the challenges get harder and more deadly. The only way to survive is to fight – the bigger, the better. An incredible start to a fun series!
Gabriella’s Picks
The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall & Douglas Abrams
This book is Jane Goodall pulling from decades of her personal and professional experiences to explain her four reasons to have hope for our future and our planet. I love this book because it is highly relevant to the issues we are facing in modern times that at times make me feel sad and 'hopeless'. Her message and insight provide comfort and encourages positive thinking and having hope for navigating these trying times that affect all of us.
Geralt is a witcher, which is a monster killer that is made by magic. He protects the innocent, faces multiple moral dilemmas, and becomes unwillingly entwined in the destiny of others. This is the first book in the series, and I love this series so much because I feel it is a unique type of fantasy series and our protagonist (and his adventures) are endearing in their own ways.
Jillian's Pick
The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kashiwaba (translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa)
The literary inspiration for the film "Spirited Away" has finally been translated into English, 50 years after it was first published in Japanese! This gently magical story is perfect bedtime reading for kids and adults alike. It's nonsensical and dreamy, and nothing particularly stressful happens—which is exactly what I'm looking for these days.
Justin's Picks
Remastered in 4K, Perfect Blue is truly ahead of its time, depicting the struggles of a JPOP idol and her entry into the acting world. With deep connections to obsessive fan culture, mental disorders, and the dark truths of Japan’s acting world, Perfect Blue serves as a film that blends reality and fantasy in a visually stunning way. The twists and turns throughout the movie keep you on the edge of your seat and make you want to watch the movie multiple times.
Numamushi by Mina Ikemoto Ghosh
Burned by napalm as an infant and adopted by the guardian spirit of a river, Numamushi spends the first years of his life catching frogs to eat and learning to shed his skin like his serpentine father. Then one day, a lonely man moves into the abandoned house next to the river, and curiosity for all things human awakens in Numamushi. Even though this is a very short novella, Ghosh manages to get you invested in the world and its characters, as well as the various events that have taken place in the past.
Kat's Picks
Clementine's aunt just passed away, and she inherits her aunt’s apartment, which her aunt always said was magic. She wakes up one day to a man in her kitchen except he is seven years in the past. It’s the New York City version of The Lake House movie, but with a happy ending.
She cannot remember who she is or where she came from, she meets a blacksmith in town who offers to help her find all her answers. As they travel together, she finds that no one is what—or who—they appear to be in the kingdom of Vinevridth, including the blacksmith.
Kaylin's Pick
A teen streamer is being stalked by her evil doppelganger. This book is so creepy in all the best ways.
Laney's Picks
Emily Wilde is a professor at Cambridge who has studied faeries for her entire life when she sets off to write the world's first encyclopedia of faeries. I deeply related to Emily who feels kinship with faeries since she understands them more than humans. I rarely read books about faeries because I usually don't see the appeal, I enjoyed immersing myself in this world and I highly recommend for those who are hesitant to read fantasy.
Katie Vaughn is a video producer who takes on an assignment in Key West in hopes of saving her job. Her assignment is to interview a coast guard rescue swimmer who went viral for saving Jennifer Anniston's dog. This story centers around a woman who struggles with body positivity as she learns to love herself, and it was refreshingly honest and a fun beach read.
Tammeric’s Picks
Safiya Sinclair's account of growing up fairly isolated in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Sinclair lived with 3 siblings, a strict, volatile Rastafari father who struggled as a traveling Reggae musician, a modest, domestic Rastafari mother loyal to her husband, yet willing to commit small acts of defiance that supported her children's educational development which eventually gave them the means to carve their paths to independence.
A teen ingenue named Samira, endeavors balance her life as she attempts to honor her immigrant family's values, pursues her poetic artistry, explores new relationships and discovers her authentic self.
Tara's Picks
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?
An alien is sent to earth to destroy certain humans and prevent a technological breakthrough, but he starts to become attached to his targets. His observations of earth life are hilarious! But it's also a heartwarming and thought-provoking story. Not unlike The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Theresa’s Pick
A "mystery" surrounds a woman who washes ashore a remote island near Antarctica. This story is complex, suspenseful, well written and explores loss, love, and family in a dystopian world. The descriptions of nature, climate change and survival had me hooked.
For more great books, check out the staff picks section on the first floor of the library. Happy reading!