Feeling stressed about the back-to-school season? You gotta make time to care for yourself, and that means carving out quiet moments for reading! Let our staff help relieve the pressure of finding something good to read–we have excellent suggestions for all kinds of topics this month!
Dawn's Picks
True Notebooks by Mark Salzman
An account of Mark Salzman’s first years teaching a writing class at Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles. His words as well as the words of his students are devastating, enlightening, and hopeful. I haven’t yet finished this book, but highly recommend it.
Poetry and Prose on the Prairie by Charity Singleton Craig
Writing, photographs, and drawings of Prophetstown, Indiana’s newest state park.
The Workweek Lunch Cookbook by Talia Koren
50+ tasty solutions to the workday dilemma: What should I have for lunch? This book helps you to plan and meal prep for your workweek and has great photos of the finished product.
Ivette's Pick
Joni's Pick
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play by Nick Offerman
Don’t expect to find Ron Swanson on these pages. Offerman is a fun and thoughtful storyteller. Note: Some adult language
Huda F Are You? by Huda Fahmy
Huda is a lonely teenager trying to figure out who she is and where she fits in the world. This graphic novel is both hilarious and inspiring – a great read!
Michelle O.'s Picks
The Office BFFs by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
The actresses who played Pam and Angela on The Office are best friends in real life. They met on set and are currently hosting a rewatch podcast called Office Ladies. The popularity of the podcast led to this book. They had so many stories and pictures to share it wouldn’t all fit into the podcasts format. You can read all about their friendship on an off the set and how they are still friends today.
Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta
Tracy Flick Can’t Win is the follow-up to Election. You may have watched the movie version starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick. The new novel features a grown-up Tracy Flick working as a high school assistant principal in New Jersey. Now at midlife and feeling stuck but as ambitious as ever. Can she juggle her work and daughter and boyfriend?
The Key to Deceit by Ashley Weaver
Weaver is a fellow librarian who wrote the Amory Ames mystery series, also highly recommended by me. The Key to Deceit is book two in the Electra McDonnell series. Set in World War II during the bombing of London. Ellie and her grandfather are experienced safecrackers who have done a bit of B&E. They are approached by the government to use their skills for the war effort. Fans of Bletchley Park will adore this series.
Dennis' Pick
Crystal's Pick
Woke Up This Morning
The Sopranos is considered by many to be television’s greatest crime drama ever.
In “Woke Up This Morning” two of the show’s top actors take you behind-the-scenes season by season.
Enjoy!
The Licanius Trilogy from James Islington
Augurs, people born with exceptional powers, were overthrown twenty years ago and their disciples, the Gifted, were spared only by accepting the rebellion’s Four Tenets, which vastly limits their powers. Now, Davian and his friends must find a way to break this destructive cycle and forge a future for the sake of all.
Emma's Picks
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
I love this series so much. My entire friend group and I read it in the course of a week or two and had a great time discussing it. It’s a fast-paced fun read. Perfect for grown-ups who enjoyed YA books like the Hunger Games but are looking for something more grown-up. It feels like a story written during the age of classic sci-fi while also touching on many current social issues. It also ties in a lot of history as the characters in the book highly admire Roman Society and the plotline reflects the American Revolutionary War.
Holes by Louis Sachar
I don’t like to pick a favorite book, it feels like picking a favorite child, but if you held a gun to my head and forced me to pick, I might just go with Holes. It may just be the nostalgia of having a 5th-grade teacher read it to me during chapter book time but this book is definitely one of my all-time favorite reads. It’s well-written, funny, and deep. I love the way all the stories tie together in the end. It’s also my favorite Movie adaptation of a book ever. The movie just perfectly captures the essence of the book and it’s one of my go-to comfort movies to watch over and over.
The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune
This book was sooooo good. It was very cute and I loved all the characters. I love superheroes as a genre but there really aren’t a lot of books out there that focus on them and this one was so fun! The plot had many great twists and turns but there were always cookie crumbs letting you know what was going to happen so everything makes perfect sense in the end. I can’t wait to read the next one!
Mary's Picks
The Guests on South Battery Street by Karen White
A New York Times best seller. Explore the brick streets of Charleston, where historic mansions house the memories of years gone by and restless spirits refuse to fade away.
The Attic on Queen Street by Karen White
Part of the Tradd Street series….a dizzying plot into a witty, wonderful and haunted world.
Brenda's Pick
Christie's Pick
Where I Can't Follow by Ashley Blooms
This moving story takes place in a small town in Kentucky where poverty is the norm, opioid addiction is rampant, and mental illness and suicide thoughts are common. Doors to an easier, happier place seems to be floating nearby – though no one knows where they lead.
We Keep the Dead Close by Becky Cooper
In the 1960’s a Harvard undergrad is murdered and her story is quietly brushed away even though “everyone knows it was her professor who killed her”. Decades later, thanks to forensic science, the case is solved and the rumors and stories surrounding her mysterious murder can finally be put to rest. Becky Cooper tracks down all the surviving parties involved and goes in depth into Jane Britton’s life and her murder and takes you through the years until we finally know the truth. If you think you’ve cracked the case, if you think you’ve pinned down which suspect is guilty… you’d be dead wrong.
Shelbi's Pick
The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune
TJ Klune balances so many things so successfully here, from his combined roasting and celebration of fanfiction culture, to his smart imagining of what a superhero story could look like when set in 2022’s society. He also weaves in themes of neurodiversity, multiple queer relationships, a surprising and compelling plot… it’s just a completely standout YA title that I hope continues to reach more audiences.
I DEEPLY recommend you listen to the audiobook, if possible. Shoutout to the narrator Michael Lesley! He genuinely brings so much to the story, I might actually have bumped up my rating specifically because of him.
