There’s been some pretty eclectic reading by our staff this month. Find all of these Staff Picks titles on the front page of the catalog, or select a category for a specific group.
Adult Nonfiction
Recommended by Karen
- You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie (Memoir)
This memoir is a beautiful collection of poems and prose. Each entry builds on Alexie’s complex memories of his mother and his relationship with her. The result is a rich, three-dimensional, immersion into the author’s experience of reconciling his resentments of mistreatment at his mother’s hand and his longing for her love. This is not meant to be a quick read and can be picked up and set down over a long period of time. The images and prose will sit with the reader long after having read them. -Karen
Recommended by Angelique
- The Wayfarer’s Handbook by Evan S. Rice (Travel)
Recommended by Renee
- How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett (Popular Science)
- The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in WWII by Svetlana Alexievich (History)
Adult Fiction
Recommended by Renee
- Into the Water by Paula Hawkins (Psychological Suspense)
Recommended by Scott
- Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado (Psychological Fiction)
- White Tears by Hari Kunzru (Mystery)
- Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward (Literary Fiction)
Recommended by Kate
- The Book of Phoenix by Nnedi Okorafor (Sci-Fi/Fantasy)
- Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith (Fantasy)
Recommended by Diana
- The Blind by A. F. Brady (Psychological Suspense)
- The Fall of Lisa Below by Susan Parabo (Contemporary/Realistic Fiction)
- Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy (Family/Suspense)
Recommended by Ellen
- The Scarred Woman (Department Q series) by Jussi Adler-Olsen (Police Procedural/Mystery)
Kids – Picture Books and DVDs
Recommended by Lisa
- The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
- The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson
- The Gruffalo and the Gruffalo’s Child (DVD)
Whether you opt to read the books or watch the more recent short films of the same name, Julia Donaldson’s two stories of a clever little mouse are sure to charm you and your family. The Gruffalo tells of the little mouse’s adventures as he uses his wits to get out of several perilous situations by creating a fearsome creature. Things get really interesting when the fearsome creature actually exists and meets our clever little mouse. The Gruffalo’s Child continues the story with new twists and turns from the perspective of the Gruffalo’s child. Whether you read the books, watch the charming films directed by Jakob Schuh or both, you’ll enjoy these stories! The films are narrated by Helena Bonham Carter. James Corden, Tom Wilkinson, and Robbie Coltrane all have roles in the films, and Shirley Henderson is the voice of the Gruffalo’s child in a wonderful performance. – Lisa
Bonus Pick – Patron-recommended DVD!
- A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story (Nonfiction – Bullying)
