Books, Movies, CDs

Be kind

Pat Zietlow Miller

Kids, Picture Books

When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate contemplates how to make her feel better and what it means to be kind. From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what a child can do to be kind, and how each act, big or small, can make a difference or at least help a friend.

Added by Alexander

My Shadow Is Purple

Scott Stuart

Kids

My Dad has a shadow that's blue as a berry, and my Mum's is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There's only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it's both and it's none.

Added by Alexander

High spirits : short stories on Dominican diaspora

Camille Gomera-Tavarez

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Gomera-Tavarez, Camille

A collection of interconnected short stories from the Dominican diaspora focuses on one extended family.

This is a beautifully written debut spanning multiple generations about family, mental health, sexuality and magical realism. Side note; the author is also an illustrator and designed the gorgeous front cover which I must admit first drew me in. I think the cover richly depicts the beauty and content of the vignettes inside. Can't wait to read more and see where this author goes with her next book! -Victoria

Otto : a palindrama

Jon Agee

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Agee
Graphic Novels, Kids

"A graphic novel told entirely in palindromes about a young boy named Otto who goes on a strange and fantastical adventure while searching for his dog, Pip"--

Otto: A Palindrama is HILARIOUS! The entire thing is created out of palindromes and is set up as a story within a story. So if you love word play, check out this new graphic novel. It will tickle your funny bone and give you some new ammunition for those Palindrome contests. -Angie

The lathe of heaven

Ursula K. Le Guin

SCIENCE FICTION LeGuin, Ursula K.
Science Fiction

In a future world racked by violence and environmental catastrophes, George Orr wakes up one day to discover that his dreams have the ability to alter reality. He seeks help from Dr. William Haber, a psychiatrist who immediately grasps the power George wields. Soon George must preserve reality itself as Dr. Haber becomes adept at manipulating George’s dreams for his own purposes.

This is a classic, and it still holds up today. Le Guin, like all great Sci-Fi authors, was way ahead of the curve. It's a fast, short read, so pick it up and read it over the weekend! -Brian

The CSA cookbook : no-waste recipes for cooking your way through a community supported agriculture box, farmers' market, or backyard bounty

Linda Ly

641.65 /Ly
Nonfiction, Cookbooks

With innovative ideas for preparing the lesser-known but no-less-delicious parts of plants, tips for using the odds and ends of vegetables, and easy preservation techniques, Linda Ly helps you get from farm to table without a fuss. Chapters include tomatoes and peppers, leafy greens, peas and beans, bulbs and stems, roots and tubers, melons and gourds, and flowers and herbs. You'll find globally-inspired, vegetable-focused recipes that turn a single plant into several meals—take squash, for instance. This year-round vegetable brings a variety of tastes and textures to the table: Sicilian Squash Shoot Soup, Squash Blossom and Roasted Poblano Tacos, Autumn Acorn Squash Stuffed with Kale, Cranberries, and Walnuts, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds. If you grow your own food at home, you might be surprised to learn you can eat the leaves from your pepper plants, or pickle the seed pods from your radishes.

This book is for those of us who sadly throw their rotting CSA veggies into the compost bin. I checked this book out last year towards the end of the season and didn't get to use it enough. Not gonna happen this year. Recipes I'm excited to try include minted citrus spring peas, broccoli green and baked falafel wraps, and kohlrabi green and wild mushroom ragout over polenta. -Melody

Cress Watercress

Gregory Maguire

jFICTION Maguire Gregory
Fiction

"When Papa doesn't return from a nocturnal honey-gathering expedition, Cress holds out hope, but her mother assumes the worst. It's a dangerous world for rabbits, after all. Mama moves what's left of the Watercress family to the basement unit of the Broken Arms, a run-down apartment oak with a suspect owl landlord, a nosy mouse super, a rowdy family of squirrels, and a pair of songbirds who broadcast everyone's business. Can a dead tree full of annoying neighbors, and no Papa, ever be home?"--

This gentle, wise, funny, sad but ultimately hopeful animal story is paired with lush illustrations and is a great family read-aloud. Mama Rabbit is an inspirational figure who carries on despite obstacles and takes care of business. Meanwhile, Cress learns important life lessons, including about the power of community. -Anne W

Nazi billionaires : the dark history of Germany's wealthiest dynasties

David de (Journalist) Jong

943.086 /Jong
History, Business

A groundbreaking investigation of how the Nazis helped German tycoons make billions off the horrors of the Third Reich and World War II--and how America allowed them to get away with it. In 1946, Günther Quandt--patriarch of Germany's most iconic industrial empire, a dynasty that today controls BMW--was arrested for suspected Nazi collaboration. Quandt claimed that he had been forced to join the party by his archrival, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, and the courts acquitted him. But Quandt lied. And his heirs, and those of other Nazi billionaires, have only grown wealthier in the generations since, while their reckoning with this dark past remains incomplete at best. Many of them continue to control swaths of the world economy, owning iconic brands whose products blanket the globe. The brutal legacy of the dynasties that dominated Daimler-Benz, cofounded Allianz, and still control Porsche, Volkswagen, and BMW has remained hidden in plain sight--until now. In this landmark work of investigative journalism, David de Jong reveals the true story of how Germany's wealthiest business dynasties amassed untold money and power by abetting the atrocities of the Third Reich. Using a wealth of untapped sources, de Jong shows how these tycoons seized Jewish businesses, procured slave laborers, and ramped up weapons production to equip Hitler's army as Europe burned around them. Most shocking of all, de Jong exposes how America's political expediency enabled these billionaires to get away with their crimes, covering up a bloodstain that defiles the German and global economy to this day.

An eye-opening investigation into how many of Germany's largest firms and wealthiest families gained their wealth through collaborating with the Nazi Party and the Third Reich, from benefiting from confiscated property from Jewish businesses and families to using forced labor in concentration and prisoner of war camps. de Jong does not stop there. He further investigates why these companies and their leadership were able to keep their businesses and wealth, while many of their government counterparts faced trial at Nuremberg. The content might not make this an easy read, but de Jong reveals how many of these companies have not grappled with or answered for their participation in such brutal and horrific acts. -Anne M

Hell's half-acre : the untold story of the Benders, a serial killer family on the American frontier

Susan Jonusas

364.1523 /Jonusas
Nonfiction, True Crime, History

"In 1873 the people of Labette County in Kansas made a grisly discovery. Buried on a homestead seven miles south of the town of Cherryvale, in a bloodied cellar and under frost-covered soil, were countless bodies in varying states of decay. The discovery sent the local community and national newspapers into a frenzy that continued for over two decades, and the land on which the crimes took place became known as 'Hells Half-Acre.' When it emerged that a family of four known as the Benders had been accused of the slayings, the case was catapulted to infamy. The idea that a family of seemingly respectable homesteaders--one among thousands who were relocating further west looking for land and opportunity after the Civil War--were capable of operating 'a human slaughter pen' appalled and fascinated the nation. But who the Benders really were, why they committed such a vicious killing spree, and what became of them when they fled from the law is a mystery that has remains unsolved to this day--not that there aren't some convincing theories. Part gothic western, part literary whodunnit, and part immersive study of postbellum America, Hell's Half-Acre sheds new light on one of the most notorious cases in our nation's history while holding a torch to a society under the strain of rapid change and moral disarray. Susan Jonasus draws on extensive original archival material, and introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, including the despairing families of the victims as well as the fugitives that helped the murderers escape. Hell's Half-Acre is not simply a book about a mass murder. It is a journey into the turbulent heart of nineteenth century America, a place where modernity stalks across the landscape, violently displacing existing populations and wearily building new ones. It is a world where folklore can quickly become fact, and an entire family of criminals can slip right through a community's fingers, only to reappear at the most unexpected of times"--

I love true crime and I love history, so this book hits a sweet spot. The writing is so good--super informative and interesting, and vividly descriptive of not just the crimes, but also the time and setting. A good book to kick the summer off with! -Candice

Cultish : the language of fanaticism

Amanda Montell

306.44 /Montell
Nonfiction

"From SoulCycle to Scientology, we're all obsessed with cults. Linguist Amanda Montell examines the language cults use to draw us in"--

As someone who watched and loved the LuLaRoe documentary series TWICE, this was a comprehensive and interesting overview of the various types of cults throughout history and "Cultish" which is the language used in cults. I am eagerly enjoying the TV, book and podcast trend that dives into this area of pop culture! -Mari

Nothing personal

James Baldwin

305.8 /Baldwin

"Baldwin's critique of American society at the height of the civil rights movement brings his prescient thoughts on social isolation, race, and police brutality to a new generation of readers"--

Previously published in 1964 with photographs by Richard Avedon, this essay is published here as a stand-alone. Baldwin's ability to analyze, quantify and prophesize American societal constructs are always insightful, honest and ahead of his time. Though written during the Civil Rights Movement, this essay is just as relevant and well-worth reading today. -Victoria

Book of questions : selections = Libro de las preguntas : selecciones

Pablo Neruda

j468.66 Neruda

"This Spanish-English bilingual edition is the first fully illustrated selection of Book of Questions: comprising 70 questions of the original 320, these poems, carefully woven together by theme and accompanying full-page illustrations, invite us to wonder at the natural world and the myriad mysteries it contains. "Book of Questions," written by beloved Chilean poet and Nobel Prize winner Neruda, was completed just months before his death in 1973, and is his last great work of poetry. By turns lyrical and cosmic, dreamlike and nonsensical, paradoxical and playful, each of these unanswerable questions asks us to set aside certainty and constraint and to enter into the vastness of the unknown. With riddles like "Where is the center of the sea? / Why don't waves break there?" and "What do you call a flower / that flits from bird to bird?", Neruda inspires us to unravel our assumptions and re-envision our relationship to nature. The only answer that is sure to arise from these questions is a closer observation of and reflection on the world in which we live, and a renewed sense of curiosity and wonder at our shared universe"--

Neruda's expansive poetic questions paired with Valdivia's bold and folkloric illustrations are an exquisite combination. The curiosity of childhood expressed by this beloved poet will appeal to all ages. -Victoria

The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo : a novel

Taylor Jenkins Reid

FICTION Reid Taylor

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

A great summer read! Evelyn Hugo shares a candid account of her life story, full of many secrets to unpack along the way. -Becky

The lighthouse

DVD MOVIE SF/HORROR Lighthouse
Horror, Science Fiction, Drama

A hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Do you like your movies weird? How about in black-and-white and in an archaic aspect ratio? Then do I have a movie for you! "The Lighthouse" is incredibly compelling and defies classification. My mind just keeps going back to the movie after watching it. -Brian

Mergers and acquisitions : or, everything I know about love I learned on the wedding pages : a memoir

Cate Doty

395.22 /Doty
Memoir

A compulsively readable behind-the-scenes memoir that takes readers inside the weddings section of the New York Times-- the good, bad, and just plain weird-- through the eyes of a young reporter just as she's falling in love herself.

I loved the writer’s style and she has so many great stories to share from her days working the wedding desk at the Times. I drank this up! And even better? Her slow burn of a love story that unfolds throughout the book that made me squee. And when you Google her you find their NYT wedding announcement and that makes me beam. Truly a delight to read! -Amanda

Origin : a genetic history of the Americas

Jennifer Raff

576.5 /Raff
Nonfiction, History, Science

20,000 years ago, people crossed a great land bridge from Siberia into Western Alaska and then dispersed southward into what is now called the Americas. Until we venture out to other worlds, this remains the last time our species has populated an entirely new place, and this event has been a subject of deep fascination and controversy. No written records--and scant archaeological evidence--exist to tell us what happened or how it took place. Many different models have been proposed to explain how the Americas were peopled and what happened in the thousands of years that followed. A study of both past and present, ORIGIN explores how genetics is currently being used to construct narratives that profoundly impact Indigenous peoples of the Americas. It serves as a primer for anyone interested in how genetics has become entangled with identity in the way that society addresses the question "Who is indigenous?"

This is a great read for anyone interested in the history and archaeology of the Americas, and the theories and existing evidence of the first people to live there. It's a much-needed update and refresher on the topic! This book has a lot of detail, but is presented in a way that makes it eminently readable and highly entertaining. -Candice

The katha chest

Radhiah Chowdhury

jE Chowdhury
Picture Books, Read Woke, Crafts

Asiya loves to visit Nanu's house and rummage through her katha chest filled with quilts that tell stories about the bold and brave women in Asiya's family.

I love this new picture book about the intersection of family history and handicrafts, best shared in lap-sit sessions poring over the lush illustrations. -Casey

The practice of adaptive leadership : tools and tactics for changing your organization and the world

Ronald A. (Ronald Abadian) Heifetz

658.4092 /Heifetz
Nonfiction, Business

"The Practice of Adaptive Leadership will help you think more clearly and execute better in a constantly shifting environment. It offers a comprehensive and systematic approach to candidly assessing the situation and yourself, and then taking action. Its wisdom and advice are drawn from the experiences of people like you, committed to advancing what you care about most." "The book is anchored in the framework of adaptive leadership, but goes beyond the theory to provide a practical set of stories, diagrams, techniques, and activities that will help you both assess and address the toughest challenges that lie ahead. Dozens of tools and tactics are presented in an exciting, clear, and reader-friendly design."--BOOK JACKET.

I'm reading this book to reinforce my knowledge of problem solving and organizational change. It's like an easily readable textbook for MBA students, but the advice is applicable to any knowledge worker needing to unpack thorny problems. Adaptive Leadership theory taught me the term "work avoidance," something I consider each time I find myself delaying tasks I need to be doing. This book also teaches one how to consider defining problems. Is it a technical problem that has a clear solution? Or is it an adaptive problem that requires learning and working with stakeholders? Sometimes, a change in approach is all you need. -Melody

Ocean State

Stewart O'Nan

FICTION/O'Nan, Stewart

In the first line of Ocean State, we learn that a high school student was murdered, and we find out who did it. The story that unfolds from there with incredible momentum is thus one of the build-up to and fall-out from the murder, told through the alternating perspectives of the four women at its heart. Angel, the murderer, Carol, her mother, and Birdy, the victim, all come alive on the page as they converge in a climax both tragic and inevitable. Watching over it all is the retrospective testimony of Angel's younger sister Marie, who reflects on that doomed autumn of 2009 with all the wisdom of hindsight. Angel and Birdy love the same teenage boy, frantically and single mindedly, and are moved by the intensity of their feelings to extremes neither could have anticipated. O'Nan's expert hand paints a fully realized portrait of these women, but also weaves a compelling and heartbreaking story of working-class life in Ashaway, Rhode Island. Propulsive, haunting, and deeply rendered, Ocean State is a masterful novel by one of our greatest storytellers

This is one of those - you know what happened, but you you don't know WHY or HOW it happened - kind of thrillers. Stewart O'Nan keeps you needing to know more from page one onward. This is a great book to start off your summer reading, or just get you back on track with your general reading goals. Read it outside in the shade. -Heidi K

Big feelings : how to be okay when things are not okay

Liz Fosslien

152.4 /Fosslien
Nonfiction, Health, Self Help

We all experience unwieldy feelings. But between our emotion-phobic society and the debilitating uncertainty of modern times, we usually don't know how to talk about what we're going through, much less handle it. Over the past year, Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy’s online community has laughed and cried about productivity guilt, pandemic anxiety, and Zoom fatigue. Now, Big Feelings addresses anyone intimidated by oversized feelings they can't predict or control, offering the tools to understand what's really going on, find comfort, and face the future with a sense of newfound agency. Weaving surprising science with personal stories and original illustrations, each chapter examines one uncomfortable feeling—like envy, burnout, and anxiety—and lays out strategies for turning big emotions into manageable ones. You’ll learn: • How to end the cycle of intrusive thoughts brought on by regret, and instead use this feeling as a compass for making decisions • How to identify what’s behind your anger and communicate it productively, without putting people on the defensive • Why we might be suffering from perfectionism even if we feel far from perfect, and how to detach your self-worth from what you do Big Feelings helps us understand that difficult emotions are not abnormal, and that we can emerge from them with a deeper sense of meaning. We can’t stop emotions from bubbling up, but we can learn how to make peace with them.

Alright, so I'm only through the introduction, but what drew me to this book is the title itself: Big Feelings. I've heard this term used within the mental health field as well as with children trying to learn what their emotions are telling them. I am already finding it useful. Seeing a mood chart anyone can draw on their own, and reading that one cannot deal with big feelings until they unpack them, makes me look forward to delving in to the triggers they discuss. The simple and relatable illustrations also describe what words cant. Looking forward to digging in. -Melody

Nobody

DVD MOVIE ACTION Nobody
Action

Hutch Mansell is an underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, taking life's indignities on the chin and never pushing back. A nobody. When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch declines to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence. His teenage son, Blake, is disappointed in him and his wife, Becca, seems to pull only further away. The aftermath of the incident strikes a match to Hutch's long-simmering rage, triggering dormant instincts and propelling him on a brutal path that will surface dark secrets and lethal skills. In a barrage of fists, gunfire and squealing tires, Hutch must save his family from a dangerous adversary, and ensure that he will never be underestimated as a nobody again.

Bob Odenkirk is just the best. It was strange to see him in an action film but he nails it. Christopher Lloyd as the trigger happy dad is hilarious. -Mykle

Heiresses: The Lives of the Million Dollar Babies

Laura Thompson

OverDrive Audiobook
History

Heiresses: surely they are among the luckiest women on earth. Are they not to be envied, with their private jets and Chanel wardrobes and endless funds? Yet all too often those gilded lives have been beset with trauma and despair. Before the 20th century a wife's inheritance was the property of her husband, making her vulnerable to kidnap, forced marriages, even confinement in an asylum. And in modern times, heiresses fell victim to fortune-hunters who squandered their millions. Heiresses tells the stories of these women: Mary Davies, who inherited London's most valuable real estate, and was bartered from the age of twelve; Consuelo Vanderbilt, the original American "Dollar Heiress", forced into a loveless marriage; Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress who married seven times and died almost penniless; Patty Hearst, heiress to a newspaper fortune who was arrested for terrorism. However, there are also stories of achievement: Angela Burdett-Coutts, who became one of the greatest philanthropists of Victorian England; Nancy Cunard, who lived off her mother's fortune and became a pioneer of the civil rights movement; Daisy Fellowes, elegant linchpin of interwar high society and noted fashion editor. Heiresses is about the lives of the rich, who—as F. Scott Fitzgerald said—are 'different'. But it is also a bigger story about how all women fought their way to equality, and sometimes even found autonomy and fulfillment.

Unlike many books about this topic that are more gossipy, Thompson really looks at the social issues and the power (or complete lack of power) woman had over their own money in England and Europe. From the time of Henry VIII to the 20th Century, Thompson examines individual women from Mary Davies to Jennie Churchill to Barbara Hutton and how different laws, social pressure, and culture impacted their experiences as heirs to large fortunes. It is a pretty engaging, interesting read. And this is one of those audiobooks where the author's voice is truly magnetic. You can tell she loved researching and writing this book. -Anne M

Know my name : a memoir

Miller, Chanel, author.

364.1532 /Miller

"She was know to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford's campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral--viewed by almost eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time. Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways--there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life. "Know My Name" will forever transform the way we think about sexual assault, challenging our beliefs about what is acceptable and speaking truth to the tumultuous reality of healing. It also introduces readers to an extraordinary writer, one whose words have already changed our world. Entwining pain, resilience, and humor, this memoir will stand as a modern classic." -- summary from book jacket.

Added by Annie

Violeta : a novel

Isabel Allende

FICTION Allende Isabel
Historical Fiction

Violeta comes into the world in 1920, the first girl in a family of five boisterous sons. The ripples of the Great War are still being felt, even as the Spanish flu arrives on the shores of her South American homeland almost at the moment of her birth. As the Great Depression transforms the genteel city life she has known, Violeta's family loses all and is forced to retreat to a wild and beautiful but remote part of the country. She tells her story in the form of a letter, recounting devastating heartbreak and passionate affairs, times of both poverty and wealth, terrible loss and immense joy. Her life will be shaped by some of the most important events of history: the fight for women's rights, the rise and fall of tyrants, and, ultimately, not one but two pandemics.

In a novel spanning one hundred years and bookended by pandemics, Isabel Allende writes of class, political and gender tensions in the life story of Violeta. For fans of historical fiction and interesting protagonists, this is worth checking out! -Becky

Wildcat

Amelia Morris

FICTION Morris Amelia
Fiction

"Amelia Morris's Wildcat is an uproariously funny, surprisingly touching story of one woman's journey through motherhood and female friendship, in a society that plays fast and loose with information. New mother, aspiring writer, and former shopgirl Leanne has lost her way. As she struggles with both her grief and the haze of motherhood, it also becomes clear that her best friend, the default queen of East Side Los Angeles, Regina Mark, might not actually be a friend at all. As Leanne begins to investigate and undermine Regina, she also strikes up an unexpected friendship with the lauded writer Maxine Hunter. Feeling frustrated and invisible next to Regina's wealth and social standing, Leanne seeks security wherever she can find it, whether that's by researching whether she should vaccinate her son, in listening to the messages she thinks her father is sending from beyond the grave, or in holding her own against a petulant student in her creative writing class. Most of all, however, she looks for it within Maxine, who offers Leanne something new. With a keen eye for the trappings of privilege, class, and the performative nature of contemporary domestic life, Morris's tender and wicked debut shows us a woman who bucks against the narrative she's been fed, only to find power in herself and the truth that emerges"--

A quiet but funny and oh so relatable and timely book about parenting a young child, navigating the culture wars, distancing yourself from a toxic friendship, feeling out of place among the affluent, struggling to make career decisions, and reeling after the death of an imperfect parent. I found this to be wholly original with a swift pace and incisive writing. -Anne W

Somewhere in the bayou

Jarrett Pumphrey

jE Pumphrey
Picture Books, Animals, Humor

Rat, Squirrel, Rabbit, and Mouse want to cross the bayou, but next to the log they are considering as a bridge is a sneaky tail, which may be attached to someone dangerous--each of the four approach the problem with a different strategy, with varying results.

The Pumphrey brothers' latest title is fabulous. Pick this one up if you're looking for something funny and fun to read aloud! -Casey

The Office bffs : tales of the Office from two best friends who were there

Jenna Fischer

Memoir, Art / Art History

"An intimate, behind-the-scenes, richly illustrated celebration of beloved The Office co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey's friendship, and an insiders' view of Pam Beesly, Angela Martin, and the iconic TV show. Featuring many of their never-before-seen photos"--

An absolute must-read for fans of The Office! You cannot contain the joy these two have for their show and their co-workers and crew. So much fun trivia and behind-the-scenes stories to make you want to binge watch it again! -Amanda

Fly girl : a memoir

Hood, Ann, 1956- author.

305.409/Hood
Memoir

"An entertaining and fascinating memoir of "gifted storyteller" (People) Ann Hood's adventurous years as a TWA flight attendant. In 1978, in the tailwind of the Golden Age of air travel, flight attendants were the epitome of glamor and sophistication. Fresh out of college and hungry to experience the world, Ann Hood joined their ranks. She carved chateaubriand in the first-class cabin, found romance on layovers in London and Lisbon, and walked more than a million miles in high heels, smiling as she served thousands of passengers. She flew through the start of deregulation, an oil crisis, massive furloughs, and a labor strike. As the airline industry changed around her, Hood began to write-even drafting snatches of her first novel from the jump-seat. She reveals how the job empowered her, despite its roots in sexist standards. Packed with funny, moving, and shocking stories of life as a flight attendant, Fly Girl captures the nostalgia and magic of air travel at its height, and the thrill that remains with every takeoff"--

This was a truly fun and engrossing journey, learning all about what life is like as a flight attendant and all the bumps along the way. I sped through reading this I had so much fun! -Amanda

Star Wars. The High Republic

Cavan Scott

COMIC Star Wars High
Graphic Novels, Science Fiction

"A new era of Star Wars storytelling begins! Journey back to the High Republic -- the golden age of the Jedi! Centuries before the Empire and the Skywalker saga, the Jedi are at their height, protecting the galaxy as Republic pioneers push out into new territories. But as the frontier prepares for the dedication of the majestic Starlight Beacon, Padawan Keeve Trennis faces the ultimate choice -- will she complete her Jedi trials, or rescue the innocent from disaster? And can she trust her closest ally? Enter a rich and vast world of new Jedi! New worlds! New ships! And new evils to fight -- including the terrifying Nihil!"--Amazon.

I've been evangelical about The High Republic, though, I have to admit that the comic has been the weakest link so far. There seems to be a weird disconnect between what happens in the books vs. the comics. It seems like I wouldn't recommend it, but it features some of the best characters of the High Republic era and great art throughout. -Brian

The dressmakers of Auschwitz : the true story of the women who sewed to survive

Lucy Adlington

940.5318 /Adlington
History

Drawing on a vast array of sources, including interviews with the last surviving seamstress, this powerful book tells the story of the brave women who used their sewing skills to survive the Holocaust, exposing the greed, cruelty and hypocrisy of the Third Reich.

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking read about an aspect of the Holocaust I was not aware of. It was inspiring to read about what these women did to survive and help each other and all they encountered. -Amanda

Atlas of the invisible : maps & graphics that will change how you see the world

James Cheshire

912 /Cheshire

"An unprecedented portrait of the hidden patterns in human society-visualized through the world of data. Award-winning geographer-designer team James Cheshire and Oliver Uberti transform enormous datasets into rich maps and cutting-edge visualizations. In this triumph of visual storytelling, they uncover truths about our past, reveal who we are today, and highlight what we face in the years ahead. With their joyfully inquisitive approach, Cheshire and Uberti explore happiness levels around the globe, trace the undersea cables and cell towers that connect us, examine hidden scars of geopolitics, and illustrate how a warming planet affects everything from hurricanes to the hajj. Years in the making, Atlas of the Invisible invites readers to marvel at the promise and peril of data, and to revel in the secrets and contours of a newly visible world"--

Love maps and data visualization? Check out this book. It is chock full of information learned from mapping trends in societies all over the globe. Which countries emit the most light? Where is the workload shared most equally in households? Which areas of the U.S. have the most airplanes flying overhead? This is a fun book that will make you smarter with each page you read. -Melody

Sea of Tranquility : a novel

Emily St. John Mandel

FICTION Mandel Emily
Science Fiction, Literary Fiction

"The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time, love, and plague that takes the reader from an island off Vancouver in 1912 to a dark colony of the moon three hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and planets. Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal -- an experience that shocks him to his core. Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him. When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe. "--

Emily St. John Mandel seems to brilliantly encapsulate all of modern fears in the sum of 255 pages. Or are they just human fears? This book, spanning centuries, from the 1910's to the 2300's, takes on post-traumatic stress disorder, pandemics, technological shifts, and the fragility of Earth and its nations. And like always, St. John Mandel leaves me with more questions than answers. -Anne M

Women in white coats : how the first women doctors changed the world of medicine

Olivia M. Campbell

610.922 /Campbell
Nonfiction, History, Science

Documents the true stories of three pioneering women who defied Victorian-era boundaries to become the first women doctors, discussing how they banded together to support each other and advocate for women's health in a male-dominated field.

For fans of Hidden Figures and Radium Girls comes the remarkable story of three Victorian women who broke down barriers in the medical field to become the first women doctors, revolutionizing the way women receive health care. With gripping storytelling based on extensive research and access to archival documents, Women in White Coats tells the courageous history these women made by becoming doctors, detailing the boundaries they broke of gender and science to reshape how we receive medical care today. -Angie

The book thief

Markus Zusak

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Zusak, Markus
Historical Fiction, Young Adult

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.

I've heard good things about this book for years, but I've never read it. Recently, it came up in an article, and I thought maybe it was time to give The Book Thief a try. (I do enjoy Mark Zusak's other books. I really can't believe it's taken me so long to get to this one.) Good news, ICPL has several copies, plus audio CDs, eBooks and eAudio, so if you're interested, you also check it out! -Hanna

Into the forest : the secret language of trees

Susan Tyler Hitchcock

582.16 /Hitchcock
Nonfiction, Nature, Science

"For millennia, trees have offered renewal and inspiration. They have provided for humanity on every level, from spiritual sanctuary to the raw material for our homes, books, and food. In this beautiful and revealing book, National Geographic combines legendary photography with cutting-edge science to illuminate exactly how trees influence the life of planet Earth--from our personal lives to the weather cycle. Beautifully illustrated essays tell the stories of the world's most remarkable trees, from Tane Mahura in New Zealand, the ancient Maori "lord of the forest," to Pando, a single aspen spreading over 100 acres: Earth's largest living thing. You'll also discover how an astronaut carried tree seeds to the moon and back; the reason "microdosing" on tree gas is a sure way to boost your immune system; and why playing in the dirt boosts serotonin, happiness hormone"--Amazon.

This is another book I discovered because I got to catalog it. Perks of the job! It's beautiful. Simply lovely pictures of different species of trees with a short history or factoid of each one. My. Jam. -Melody

Almost nothing, yet everything : a book about water

Hiroshi Osada

jE Osada

Artist Ryōji Arai and poet Hiroshi Osada, the Japanese team behind critically acclaimed Every Color of Light, offer up another meditation on the natural world in this ode to water. A lyrical moment between parent and child in a boat on a river unfolds into an examination of the water that surrounds them, and the nature and life sustained by it: "It's only oxygen and hydrogen. Simple as could be, and yet nothing means more to life as we know it." Arai's lush art and Osada's evocative poetry, beautifully translated from Japanese by David Boyd, work together to enchant readers and refresh their spirit, opening their eyes to the wonders of water, the universe, and life.

What an absolutely stunning book! The text is sparse and the illustrations are riveting; showcasing the importance of one of our most valuable commodities; water! I love how the pictures incorporate us humans as part of nature as opposed to being the overlords of our planet. There is so much wonder and reverence in this book. A perfect read during Earth Month, Earth Day or any day! if you like this title, try A River, by Marc Martin. -Victoria

No nibbling!

Beth Ferry

jE Ferry
Picture Books, Gardening, Humor

Derwood the goat has planted a garden and is prepared to defend it from all nibblers, including Tabitha the bunny, whom Derwood is convinced has designs on his growing vegetables; she teases him as the months go by, but after she helps him with the weeding the two become friends and share the feast.

Puns galore and adorable illustrations make perfect storytime fare! -Casey

A bad day for Sunshine

Darynda Jones

MYSTERY Jones Darynda
Mystery, Romance

"Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o' joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose. Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, its strong cups of coffee--and a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff--an election her adorably meddlesome parents entered her in--and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of it's reminding Sunny why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that trouble at her daughter's new school and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and Sunshine has her hands full. Enter sexy almost-old-flame Levi Ravinder and a hunky US Marshall, both elevens on a scale of one to blazing inferno, and the normally savvy sheriff is quickly in over her head. Now it's up to Sunshine to juggle a few good hunky men, a not-so-nice kidnapping miscreant, and Doug the ever-pesky flasher. And they said coming home would be drama-free."--

I was kinda hoodwinked into reading this book. I read about it thinking it fit the new and trendy "Sunshine Noir" genre. Think: Nordic Noir but in the sunshine, where the tension rises as the temp does. Turns out, there're snow storms all over this book! Nonetheless, I did find it to be a zippy read that pulled me into the characters and the storyline. I loved the budding love between the new girl and a broody teen poet. Nose-deep into the pages, I followed along eagerly as the detectives followed the tracks of a missing person. I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I'm glad I picked this one up because I couldn't put it down! -Melody

What we do in the shadows. The complete first season

DVD TV What 1st season
Comedy

Four vampires have lived together for hundreds of years. After an unexpected visit from their dark lord and leader, they're reminded that they were initially tasked with completing domination of the New World upon their arrival in Staten Island; over a hundred years ago. But what exactly is the best way to go about achieving said domination?

I have a bad habit of watching TV shows long after they're recommended to me. I usually joke that I'll talk to the person about it in around three years. We're at the three year mark on What We Do in the Shadows Season 1, and, guess what, it's great! It's perfect for people who have or haven't watched the movie of the same name. Familiars, energy vampires, and werewolves abound! -Brian

Five magic rooms

Laura Knetzger

jREADER I Like
Early Readers

When Mia visits the home of her friend Pie, she is amazed by everything she sees, feels, smells, and tastes, but Pie is sure that her home is just as special.

A young kid visits a friend's house that has several "magical" rooms, including a crystal room filled with houseplants and a quilt room filled with crafts! The girl sees how magical her friend's home is and appreciates new food she's never tried, and she gets excited to share the magical rooms in her own home. I just want to live in the pictures! So cute and truly magical. -Mari

Nature's treasures

Hoare, Ben, author.

508 /Hoare

Nature is bursting with objects that are beautiful, useful, and intriguing. But where do they come from-- and what are they for? Hoare helps readers discover natural objects that have amazing tales to tell. From a delicate bird's feather to a glittering rock from space, readers will marvel at minerals forged through time, ingenious structures made by nature, and remarkable features that help animals and plants to survive and thrive. -- adapted from back cover

Nature’s Treasures takes you on a tour of our planet through incredible objects made by nature itself. Objects are shown with truly stunning photography and colorful illustrations to help explain the science behind them. The lively descriptions explore the remarkable tales of each item, and all are packed with fascinating information. It’s the perfect first book about nature for inquisitive children ages 7 and up who love to spot things when exploring outside and want to know more about nature. -Angie

The Lincoln highway

Amor Towles

FICTION Towles Amor

In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he has just served fifteen months for involuntary manslaughter. His mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett's intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother, Billy, and head to California where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden's car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett's future, one that will take them all on a fateful journey in the opposite direction-to the City of New York. Spanning just ten days and told from multiple points of view, Towles's third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary styling while providing them an array of new and richly imagined settings, characters, and themes.

Like Towles' other novels, "The Lincoln Highway" moves at a brilliant pace. Spanning just ten days, the narrative's journey across the U.S. and with varying perspectives had me fully absorbed in the characters and plot. A great blend of wit and intrigue, with some unexpected moments-- highly recommended! -Becky

The Korean vegan cookbook : reflections and recipes from Omma's kitchen

Joanne Lee Molinaro

641.59519 /Lee Molinaro

Korean cooking is synonymous with fish sauce and barbecue, and veganism remains extremely rare in Korean culture. Many of the ingredients are fully plant-based and unbelievably flavorable, and Korean plant-based eating is not a new idea: vegan cuisine prepared by Korean Buddhist monks has been around for more than a thousand years. Lee Molinaro shares recipes (and narrative snapshots) of the food that shaped her family history-- only with a plant-based take. -- adapted from inside front cover and the chapter, The Korean vegan.

This is a gorgeous book of delicious Korean vegan recipes that are easy to replicate. Equally wonderful are the detailed family histories that exemplify how food and family are interwoven and how special signature family recipes can almost feel like we're reviving a sacred time and place at the dinner table with our loved ones who originally created them. -Victoria

The Delish kids (super-awesome, crazy-fun, best-ever) cookbook

Joanna Saltz

j641.5 Saltz
Cookbooks

"This best-ever kids' cookbook from Delish is filled with recipes that make cooking so much fun. Throughout young chefs will learn basic skills, like how to make the gooey grilled cheese (the secret: use a waffle iron!) and upgrade your favorite store-bought foods (Chicken Nuggets! Woohoo!). Chapters include recipes for breakfast (Banana Split Oatmeal!), snacks (Cool Ranch Chickpeas!), lunches and dinners (Chorizo Tacos, Hot Dog Cubanos, and Best-Ever Fettucine Alfredo... do we need to say more?!), and party eats. Plus, two whole chapters include restaurant copycat recipes and desserts and snacks inspired by beloved pop culture characters."--Amazon.ca.

I have personally made the sugar cookie bars and the Big Mac quesadillas and they were indeed delish! Even if you do nothing but leaf through the beautiful food photographs, you're in for a treat! -Anne W

The diamond eye : a novel

Kate Quinn

FICTION Quinn Kate
Historical Fiction

"The New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history's deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story. In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kiev (now known as Kyiv), wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son--but Hitler's invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper--a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour. Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC--until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness. But when an old enemy from Mila's past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life. Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever." --

Fast-paced! Action-filled! And a history PhD student that is an expert in 17th-Century Ukrainian history who works in a library and then volunteers as a sniper for the Red Army during World War II! So much of this book was interesting. Like all Kate Quinn books, I could not put this one down. -Anne M

Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem

Rosalyn

133.4309/Schanzer
Religion, History

"Tackling the same twisted subject as Stacy Schiff's much-lauded book The Witches: Salem, 1692, this Sibert Honor book for young readers features unique scratchboard illustrations, chilling primary source material, and powerful narrative to tell the true tale.In the little colonial town of Salem Village, Massachusetts" (From Amazon)

A historical account with just the right amount of flavorful text and illustrations to keep it interesting. A humbling look at what superstition and zeal can do to people when it's not tempered with reason. -Mykle

Women artists A to Z

Melanie LaBarge

jE LaBarge
Nonfiction, Picture Books, Biographies

An empowering alphabet book celebrates famous and less-represented women artists in a variety of genres who have transformed the art world, from Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keeffe to Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Xenobia Bailey. --

I was reshelving this book on the bookmobile and my eyes were instantly drawn to the bright colors of the cover and the stylistic illustrations of the female artists. I read through the whole alphabet and learned about several artists I didn't know about and enjoyed learning about art history in the context of women's role in society during each artist's time. It's also very cool how the illustrator recreated each artist's work on their page but kept the same unique style throughout. So beautiful! -Mari

Stolen skies

Tim Powers

SCIENCE FICTION Powers, Tim
Science Fiction

"Sebastian Vickery has learned something about UFOs that he shouldn't have-and Naval Intelligence, desperate to silence him, orders his old partner, Agent Ingrid Castine, to trap him. But Castine risks career, liberty, and maybe even life to warn Vickery-and now they're both fugitives, on the run from both the U.S. government and agents of the Russian GRU Directorate, which has its own uses for the UFO intelligence. With the unlikely aid of a renegade Russian agent, a homeless Hispanic boy, and an eccentric old Flat-Earther, Vickery and Castine must find an ancient relic that spells banishment to the alien species, and then summon the things and use it against them-in a Samson-like confrontation that looks likely to kill them as well. Sweeping from the Giant Rock monolith in the Mojave Desert to a cultist temple in the Hollywood Hills, from a monstrous apparition in the Los Angeles River to a harrowing midnight visitation on a boat off Long Beach Harbor, Stolen Skies is an alien-encounter novel like no other"--

More non-stop insanity involving 2 of my favorite Tim Power's characters, Vickery and Castine, who once again find themselves having enough adventures and things happen to them in three days than most people would experience in three lifetimes. Can Los Angeles and its surroundings get any more weird or dangerous? -Paul

The woman they could not silence : one woman, her incredible fight for freedom, and the men who tried to make her disappear

Kate (Writer and editor) Moore

BIOGRAPHY Packard, E. P. W.
History

"1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Threatened by Elizabeth's intellect, independence, and outspokenness, her husband of twenty-one years is plotting against her and makes a plan to put her back in her place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum. The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they've been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line--conveniently labeled "crazy" so their voices are ignored. No one is willing to fight for their freedom, and disenfranchised both by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose..."--

This incredible work of nonfiction reads like a fast-past melodrama. -Anne M

The Kaiju Preservation Society

John Scalzi

SCIENCE FICTION Scalzi John
Science Fiction

"The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy. When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble. It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society whose found their way to the alternate world. Others have, too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die"--

This was a fun and quick read. It's Scalzi being extremely Scalzi-ish with snarky, witty humor throughout. If you like his other books, you'll like this too. -Brian

There's a ghost in this house

Oliver Jeffers

jE Jeffers

"A young girl lives in a haunted house, but she has never seen a ghost. Are they white with holes for eyes? Are they hard to see? Step inside and help the girl as she searches under the stairs, behind the sofa, and in the attic for the ghost." -- Amazon.

What an incredibly innovative story of a girl, some ghouls and breaking down the fourth wall! The juxtaposition of the gorgeous reality and furniture of an old house with the surreal ghosts is stunning and I've never read a picture book with translucent pages and added surprises before. I love Oliver's picture books but this is definitely one of my favorites! -Victoria

Meet cute diary

Emery Lee

YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Lee Emery
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Young Adult

(T) "Noah Ramirez thinks he's an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There's just one problem; all the stories are fake ... When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah's world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn't have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah's life, and the pieces fall into place"--

Added by Alexander

A knock at midnight : a story of hope, justice, and freedom

Brittany K. Barnett

340.092 /Barnett

An urgent call to free those buried alive by America's legal system, and an inspiring true story about unwavering belief in humanity-from a gifted young lawyer and important new voice in the movement to transform the system. By day she moved billion-dollar deals, and by night she worked pro bono to free clients in near-hopeless legal battles. Ultimately, her path transformed her understanding of injustice in the courts, of genius languishing behind bars, and the very definition of freedom itself. Brittany's riveting memoir is at once a coming-of-age story and a powerful evocation of what it takes to bring hope and justice to a system built to resist them both.

After listening to Brittany K. Barnett speak at a conference, I can’t wait to get started on her memoir! Her father’s advice to “Stop thinking about the challenges- think about the possibilities,” gave her the push she needed to focus on her true passion: working to transform the criminal justice system and supporting/nurturing the talents and minds of those behind bars. -Becky

Ain't burned all the bright

Jason Reynolds

811.6 /Reynolds
Young Adult

"Jason Reynolds, using three longggggggg sentences, and Jason Griffin, using three hundred pages of a pocket-size moleskine, have mind-melded this fierce-vulnerable-brilliant-terrifying-whatiswrongwithumans-hopefilled-hopeful-tendere-heartbreaking-heartmaking manifesto on what it means not to be able to breathe, and how the people and things at your fingertips are actually the oxygen you most need." -- jacket flap

2020 was unprecedented. The news rarely had anything good to say and we're still on our way out of a social isolation experiment that has profoundly impacted the way we connect. Melding the pandemic, what has changed and what is painfully still the same for a black family in America, this book delves in and out of living and loving. The sparse text is brought to life when needed and muted at times by explosive and illuminating illustrations. I would read the back of a cereal box if it was written by Jason Reynolds. Though his words are few in this book, he has distilled them into what really matters. -Victoria

A line to kill : a novel

Anthony Horowitz

MYSTERY Horowitz Anthony
Fiction, Mystery

"When Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his sidekick, author Anthony Horowitz, are invited to an exclusive literary festival on Alderney, an idyllic island off the south coast of England, they don't expect to find themselves in the middle of murder investigation--or to be trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place with a murky, haunted past. Arriving on Alderney, Hawthorne and Horowitz soon meet the festival's other guests--an eccentric gathering that includes a bestselling children's author, a French poet, a TV chef turned cookbook author, a blind psychic, and a war historian--along with a group of ornery locals embroiled in an escalating feud over a disruptive power line. When a local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Hawthorne and Horowitz become embroiled in the case. The island is locked down, no one is allowed on or off, and it soon becomes horribly clear that a murderer lurks in their midst. But who?"--

I love this series, and this might be my favorite one so far. The basic premise is ongoing, ie, Anthony Horowitz is an author who follows and documents a private detective, Daniel Hawthorne, in order to give his books a insight and some pizazz. The setting is great in this book--a small island off the coast of England, where they are there for a book festival. This series isn't exactly a cozy by any means--the violence can be graphic, the characters can be pretty awful--but there is a humor and hard-won camaraderie between author and investigator that is kind of heartwarming, in a murder-y sort of way. -Candice

The Maid: A Novel

Nita Prose

OverDrive Audiobook
Mystery

Molly Dunn is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and interprets people literally. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has had to navigate life's complexities all by herself. No matter--she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection. But Molly's orderly life is turned on its head the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself very dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's odd demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect and she finds herself in a web of subtext and nuance she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, a medley of friends she didn't realize she had refuses to let her be charged with murder--but will they be able to discover the real killer before it's too late?

Boy, this was a fun listen! If you love locked-room mysteries, but like your mysteries to be humorous, this one is for you. -Anne M

The employees : a workplace novel of the 22nd century

Olga Ravn

FICTION Ravn Olga
Science Fiction

"Funny and doom-drenched, The Employees chronicles the fate of the Six-Thousand Ship. The human and humanoid crew members complain about their daily tasks in a series of staff reports and memos. When the ship takes on a number of strange objects from the planet New Discovery, the crew becomes strangely and deeply attached to them, even as tensions boil toward mutiny, especially among the humanoids. Olga Ravn's prose is chilling, crackling, exhilarating, and foreboding. The Employees probes into what makes us human, while delivering a hilariously stinging critique of life governed by the logic of productivity"--

The way this book is laid out is like a collection of puzzle pieces of various sizes and depths that gradually bring the bigger picture of the tale into focus. Overall though, the individual entries noting the individual employee responses and reactions are quite relatable to anyone who works for a living. -Paul

Cats on catnip

Andrew Marttila

636.8 /Marttila
Animals

A humorous collection of dozens of photos of funny and adorable cats as they play with, roll in, and chow down their favorite snack of choice -- catnip.

This book just makes me very happy. Cute cats doing cute things. -Mykle

Solitary animals : introverts of the wild

Joshua David Stein

j591.5 Stein
Animals

"This lyrical, nonfiction text honors animals who live in solitude, in contrast to others who live in groups. Against a backdrop of the specific names of various animal tribes (a parade of elephants, a tower of giraffes, a dazzle of zebras), Stein shines a spotlight on those animals who go through life on their own. With nature at his back, Stein invites readers to draw strength and comfort from the behaviors of fellow mammals. Perfect for children who tend to be alone and their parents...as well as all children, who will be encouraged to respect the "natural" choices of their peers"--

Hi, do you enjoy looking at UNBELIEVABLY GORGEOUS paintings of animals??? Me, too! Learn about animals who roll solo in the fascinating picture book. The text is spare, making it a great read-aloud for young children, but despite being a short book it still contains significant nuggets of information about the little-known topic of solitary animals. These "introverts of the wild" are are non-judgmentally compared to their communal-living peers (a charm of hummingbirds! a fever of stingrays!), sure to spark further questions and independent investigation from animal-loving kids. -Anne W

Fairy houses : how to create whimsical homes for fairy folk

Sally J. Smith

635.967 /Smith
Nature, Nonfiction, Crafts, Gardening

Create the ultimate fairy houses, made with natural materials - just the way real fairies build their homes! Have you ever seen a real fairy house? Not the ceramic ones you purchase, but a real fairy house made from natural elements? Well, now you can build your own miniature magical abode - the perfect addition to your garden. Revealed in Fairy Houses for the first time are the step-by-step instructions for constructing exquisite fairy houses, explained by master fairy house architect Sally Smith. From her home on the edge of the Adirondacks, Smith has been creating one-of-a-kind fairy residencies for years. She uses natural artifacts such as butterfly wings for stained-glass windows, twigs for window frames, and birch bark for walls. Smith reveals her building secrets in Fairy Houses. Readers begin their fairy house project by flipping through an inspiration gallery, deciding what kind of house they wish to create and considering where in nature they'll put it. From there, readers learn about building materials (found and natural), on-site fairy house construction, how to light a fairy house, and how to incorporate stonework into the design. All of Smith's secret tips and techniques are then showcased in a series of step-by-step photos, making fairy house creation easy. The ones featured in Fairy Houses were designed especially for this book and are meant for longer-lasting installations. With this book, fairy houses move beyond "cute" and into beautiful nature-woven works of art. When you're through, you'll find yourself in an enchanted land where a Lord of the Rings-esque mood is magically evoked.

This beautiful book is just the whimsy I need on this rainy day! It's a nice hardcover loaded with colorful photos and helpful instructions. I have ZERO crafty skillz, but that doesn't stop me from looking at this cute mini houses made from bark, sticks, and leaves that you can stumble upon in your backyard. -Melody

Organizing for the rest of us : 100 realistic strategies to keep any house under control

Dana (Dana K.) White

648.5 /White
Home

"So you want to keep your kitchen counter clean but you aren't ready to toss the toaster? You want to be able to find your kids' socks but aren't looking to spend your 401(k) on clear bins? You long for a little more peace but minimalism isn't sparking joy? Decluttering expert and self-proclaimed recovering slob Dana K. White offers sustainable ideas to simplify and manage your home in Organizing for the Rest of Us." --

As someone who enjoys cleaning and organizing my home (just don't look at my work desk), I was surprised how much I got out of this book! I also got some gratification from reading some things that I already use as a rule. Mainly I would recommend this book for people who struggle to keep their home clutter-free, clean and organized because she really does offer very practical and useful tips that everyone can follow. -Mari

The crab ballet

Renée LaTulippe

jE LaTulippe
Picture Books, Nature, Music

When the tide is out, the Crab Ballet begins, featuring anemones, squid, crabs and many other sea creatures, an aquatic corps de ballet performing for the reader.

Beautiful, entertaining, and educational! -Casey

Fresh water for flowers

Valérie Perrin

FICTION Perrin Valerie
Literary Fiction

"Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Her life is lived to the predictable rhythms of the often funny, always moving confidences that casual mourners, regular visitors, and sundry colleagues share with her. Violette's routine is disrupted one day by the arrival of Julien Sole--local police chief--who has come to scatter the ashes of his recently deceased mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger. It soon becomes clear that Julien's inexplicable gesture is intertwined with Violette's own complicated past" --

This was recommended to me by members of TRAIL. It was a wonderful book! A quiet read, yet layered and complex. It builds upon itself, slowly and intentionally. It is very well-written. A popular book in France and Italy during the depths of the pandemic, this novel resonated with me in a time that we all approach working through grief and loss. -Anne M

Scary stories complete set Scary stories to tell in the dark, more scary stories to tell in the dark, and scary stories 3

Alvin Schwartz, 1927-1992

Horror, Fiction

The iconic anthology series of horror tales that's now a feature film! The three Scary Stories books come together in this eBook collection to form a timeless collection of chillingly scary tales and legends. Folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up some of the most alarming tales of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time. The eBooks in this collection feature Stephen Gammell's artwork from the original Scary Stories books. Read if you dare! Includes Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, More Scary Stories, and Scary Stories 3

These books are full of classic scary stories. I read them as a child and they still hold up today. I'm not really scared of supernatural stuff but the story about the girl that has spiders hatch from a boil still gives me nightmares. Check them out on Hoopla! -Mykle

Hot and badgered

Shelly Laurenston

FICTION Laurenst Shelly
Fiction, Paranormal, Fantasy, Humor

When her father places her entire family in danger, honey badger shape shifter, Charlie Taylor-MacKilligan, tries to protect her sisters and grudgingly accepts the help of a grizzly bear shifter, Berg Dunn.

I first heard about Shelley Laurenston from an urban fantasy online book group I followed. This book drew me in because the main character was a HONEY BADGER shifter. (And, ya' know, honey badger don't care...) Wolves, vampires, necromancers--I'd thought I'd read through all the paranormal fantasy archetypes. Honey badger shifters were something new. Shelley Laurenston's book are wacky and off the wall, completely ridiculous and not always politically correct. But in my humble opinion, they are wildly entertaining and hilarious. Find her audiobook series on hoopla: https://www.hoopladigital.com/artist/465327044?kindId=8&page=1 -Melody

20,000 leagues under the sea

Walt Disney Pictures

jDVD/Twenty
Fantasy, Science Fiction, Comedy

Based on the novel: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers / by Jules Verne. Originally released as a motion picture in 1954. Special features: all-new audio commentaries with director Richard Fleischer and classic film historian and author, Rudy Behlmer; original 1954 theatrical radio spots; Peter Lorre's ADR tracks, a glimpse into the process of dialogue replacement before final edit; Captain Nemo's organ music; "The making of 20,000 leagues under the sea" featurette; "Jules Verne & Walt Disney, explorers of the imagination" behind-the-scenes featurette; "The Humbolt Squid: real sea monster!"; "Touring the Nautilius"; "Monsters of the deep"; "Nemo's death" script excerpt; "The musical legacy of Paul Smith"; "Lost treasure: the sunset squid sequence"; "Grand Canyonscope"; theatrical trailer; storyboard-to-scene comparison & unused animation.

This is my favorite adaptation of any Jules Verne novel. Kirk Douglas lands a hilarious performance, rebelling against a tyrannical captain and befriending a cute seal (sea lion?) On the other side of the spectrum, James Mason's serious portrayal of Nemo is just as powerful. Peter Lorre's character isn't as creepy as usual but you'll definitely get hints of "Igor on a boat." -Mykle

Post Office

Charles Bukowski

FICTION/Bukowski, Charles
Humor, Historical Fiction

Review by Publisher: "It began as a mistake." By middle age, Henry Chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to the U.S. Postal Service. In a world where his three true, bitter pleasures are women, booze, and racetrack betting, he somehow drags his hangover out of bed every dawn to lug waterlogged mailbags up mud-soaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the day-to-day trials of sadistic bosses and certifiable coworkers. This classic 1971 novel'the one that catapulted its author to national fame'is the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of legendary writer, poet, and Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski and his fictional alter ego, Chinaski.

An absolutely wild ride. It's fascinating to wonder how much of this story comes from Bukowski's real-life stint as a postal carrier. I hope none but I have my suspicions! -Mykle

Fix Her Up: A Novel

Tessa Bailey

OverDrive Audiobook
Fiction, Romance

Georgette Castle's family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven't taken her seriously since. Frankly, she's over it. Georgie loves planning children's birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She's determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World... whatever that means. Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?) Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.) Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!) Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn't been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody's asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that's for sure. Maybe if people think she's having a steamy love affair, they'll acknowledge she's not just the "little sister" who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite. Travis Ford was major league baseball's hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he's flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can't even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his... bat. And then there's Georgie, his best friend's sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What's the harm? It's not like it's real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there's nothing fake about how much he wants her...

Occasionally I'll go on a contemporary romance audiobook binge. "Fix Her Up" is the first novel of the three-part Hot & Hammered series. might recognize Bailey's name from her newest bestsellers--The Bellinger Sisters series--and I can vouch that both series are fun reads. The characters are easy to empathize with, and the themes aren't too heavy if you want a lighthearted read. And as a series, these books are indeed binge-able. Head over to hoopla if you need rom-com stat. -Melody

Nightmare alley

BLU-RAY Nightmare

From visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes a suspenseful psychological thriller about a manipulative carnival man who teams with an equally deceptive psychiatrist to grift the wealthy in 1940s New York society. Del Toro co-wrote the enthralling film with Kim Morgan, based on William Lindsay Gresham's novel.

"Nightmare Alley" is a gorgeous and haunting film noir. It's one of my favorite movies from last year. -Brian

Escape at 10,000 feet : D.B. Cooper and the missing money

Tom (Writer of children's books) Sullivan

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Sullivan
Graphic Novels

"A minute-by-minute account of the only unsolved airplane hijacking in the United States uses reproductions of FBI files and investigation photographs to chronicle the events surrounding an unidentified extortionist's 1971 hijacking and disappearance."--Provided by publisher.

I don't understand why every person alive does not want to read this incredibly compelling, suspenseful nonfiction graphic novel about the ONLY UNSOLVED AIRPLANE HIJACKING IN HISTORY??? (Don't worry, no innocent bystanders were hurt.) Without giving you any spoilers, let me just say that this story is mind-blowing on a NUMBER of levels and you will want to get to the bottom of this immediately. Until you're old enough to join the FBI, start by reading this graphic novel. -Anne W

A flicker in the dark

Stacy Willingham

FICTION Willingham, Stacy
Fiction, Thriller

"From debut author Stacy Willingham comes a masterfully done, lyrical thriller, certain to be the launch of an amazing career. A Flicker in the Dark is eerily compelling to the very last page. When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath. Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she's worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren't actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?"--

Fans of the first season of True Detective will enjoy this gritty serial killer copycat murder mystery set in the South. An unreliable narrator and lots of potential for multiple psychopaths in the story will keep you questioning the truth and changing the protagonist. A very solid debut thriller! -Mari

A perfect day

Jennifer Yerkes

jE Yerkes
Picture Books, Nature

"One bright summer day, the animals of the pond create a symphony of sounds"--

Beautiful illustrations, minimalistic text, and ample space for performative storytelling make for a fabulous storytime read-aloud. Just right for sharing and beginning readers! -Casey