Staff Picks

Wayward Son

by Rainbow Rowell

This sequel to Carry On takes place mostly in the United States as opposed to England. The same main characters are all here: Simon, Baz, and Penelope and they are still using magic. However, a ‘normal’ or non-magician from America has joined their ranks but can he be trusted? Read this for more magical adventures and lots of humor. Also available on OverDrive.

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Some Places More Than Others

by Renee Watson

Amara’s birthday is coming up and all she wants is the opportunity to go to New York with her father. Unfortunately, her mother thinks she’s too young (she’s almost 12!) and her father’s not too keen on the idea either.  Amara gets to the bottom of things as she’s very persistent and both good and bad come out of it. This realistic fiction will both soothe and invigorate those who read it. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack , Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Aru Shah and the End of Time

by Roshani Chokshi

Chokshi integrates Indian mythology into this adventurous book. Aru is an only child living in a museum and feeling unloved by her mother. When she releases a demon from a lamp in the museum the guilt Aru feels weighs heavily on her. She rises to the occasion and fights to save the world. Also available on OverDrive.

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager 

Posted in: Youth Fiction

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

by Grady Hendrix

It’s the 1990’s. Patricia is your normal southern housewife who has an obsession with true crime books. James Harris is Patricia’s new neighbor. Being a good southern hostess and neighbor, Patricia invites James into her home and introduces him to her family. Soon after, she begins to notice strange things about James. Sunshine and bright lights hurt his eyes and his body reacts strangely to the southern heat. At times he seems deathly ill, other times he seems fit and healthy. Patricia eventually goes to her friends at book club with her suspicions. She tells them that James is their worst fear….he is a drug dealer selling to their children. Wouldn’t that explain the recent deaths of a few local children? What Patricia can’t say is that James is much worse…he is a vampire….and the book club women must come together to battle an unthinkable evil. Can the women succeed or will James divide and conquer? Author Grady Hendrix has created a dark, suspenseful, and mature horror/thriller in this story, but he never forgets it’s about the ladies and their book club.  Hendrix easily weaves their book club selections into witty conversations and the overall story.  This is a great read for 2020. Also available on OverDrive.

Recommended by: Michelle Przekwas, Adult Services Shelver

Posted in: Adult Fiction

101 Things to Do with A Tortilla

by Donna Kelly

This is more than your typical pinwheel recipe book. Tasty recipes for adults include open-face pesto quesadillas to do-it-yourself tortilla soup. Families with young children might enjoy recipes for tortilla snowflakes, tortilla elephant ears, and peanut butter s’mores wraps. This is also a great idea cookbook at a time when you might find yourself out of bread….there are always tortillas! Available on OverDrive.

Recommended by: Michelle Przekwas, Adult Services Shelver

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction

Ghost Squad

by Claribel Ortega

Set in Saint Augustine, Florida a few weeks before Halloween this story of ghosts, malicious spirits, magical animals, and witches has all the right ingredients for a spooky read. Lucely Luna lives in a house with her dad and the ghosts of all her dead relatives. Mornings are spent around the breakfast table, piled high with food for the living and the dead. But when her ghostly relatives start disappearing, Lucely knows somethings wrong and she’s determined to fix it. With the help of her best friend, Syd, Lucely tracks down an old spellbook and recites a spell that accidentally releases malicious spirits into the world. Now the girls have to rely on help from Syd’s witch grandmother, Babette, and the rest of Lucely’s ghostly relatives. They have to put things right before the full moon on Halloween, or the town will be forever changed. Grab yourself a blanket and some snacks–you won’t want to go anywhere until this story is over!

Recommended by: Kara DeCarlo, Youth Services School Liaison

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Queens of Mystery, Season 1

Detective Sergeant Matilda Stone is solving murder mysteries with the assistance of her three aunts who are mystery authors as well as bookstore owners. Season 1 consists of three themed episodes broken down into six easy to watch segments. Storylines include a murder at an author’s award ceremony, the deaths of band members who have come together for a reunion album, and a murder at a play written by Matilda’s aunt Jane. All plots are helped along with a narrator and a few silly character spotlights making the series fast-moving as well as lighthearted. It’s a good cozy type of mystery for fans along the lines of M.C. Beatons’ Agatha Raisin series. Available on Hoopla.

Recommended by: Michelle Przekwas, Adult Services Shelver

Posted in: Movies/TV

The Break

by Katherena Vermette

This is not an uplifting book. Be forewarned. It has a trigger warning stating the book is about recovering and healing from violence. That being said, the author, of Metis heritage, gives us a look inside this Canadian culture. The book begins with an extensive family tree which is helpful as the story shifts between narratives. Pick this book if you like multigenerational family stories with drama and mystery. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Adult Fiction

The Usual Suspects

by Maurice Broaddus

A special education classroom, bullies, and the discovery of a gun near school make for a compelling read. The main character, Thelonious, who frequently creates disruptions in class, is an immediate suspect. This angers him so he, along with his bestie, Nehemiah, attempts to discover the identity of who brought in the gun. He encounters resistance alternating with support from his mother, his special ed classmates, and his teachers in this edgy middle school setting. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Caravan to the North: Misael’s Long Walk

by Jorge Argueta

This quick but powerful read centers on the decision of the Martinez family to leave their native El Salvador to travel to the United States. Written in verse, the reader feels both the cruelties and kindnesses experienced by the people in the caravan. This semi-autobiographical account achingly recounts the risks taken by people fleeing their home countries. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assitant Manager

Posted in: Youth Fiction