Staff Picks Adult

The red bandanna

by Tom Rinaldi

The biography of Welles Crowther, who saved at least 10 people in the World Trade Center during the attacks on 9/11 before losing his own life. When Crowther was young, his father gave him a red handkerchief, which he always kept in his pocket. He became a volunteer with the fire department in New York and was in a Tower at the time of the attacks. No one knew what happened to him when he did not return home. However, eight months after attacks, his mother read stories about survivors who said they had been led to safety by a stranger who was wearing a red bandanna. This is an accounting of that day and his actions.

Recommended by Joan Stoiber, Youth Services

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction

The Taster

by V.S. Alexander

For those looking for a tame WWII historical fiction book, this may be a good match. Magda Ritter finds herself recruited by the Third Reich to be one of several tasters for the Fuhrer at his mountain retreat.  While it was interesting to read about the people behind the scenes with the Third Reich, I felt that the plot line could have been stronger.  Atrocities of the Holocaust are discovered by our Magda who conspires with others to eliminate Hitler.  For those of you looking for an action packed wrap up to this story, you will be disappointed as the story falls flat.

Recommended by: Theresa Hildebrand, Patron Services Manager

Posted in: Adult Fiction

The Darkdeep

by Allyson Braithwaite Condie

Four main characters, 2 male and 2 female, discover an abandoned houseboat and within it a mysterious well that they name the Darkdeep. By diving into the well, they are able to bring figments of their imagination to life. These figments last only seconds at first but then longer and longer creating problems. This book contains lots of adventure and constant excitement.

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager   

Posted in: Adult Fiction

The Good Liar

by Nicholas Searle

Now a motion picture playing in the theaters, and a book you can’t put down.  An older gentleman whose appearance deceives the wealthy women he seeks to con, finds his next target online, a widow who appears to be vulnerable, but who actually has a secret of her own.  You will find The Good Liar full of surprises!

Recommended by: Deborah Keuper, Reference Librarian   

Posted in: Adult Fiction

Christmas shopaholic : a novel

by Sophie Kinsella

A lighthearted book that will make you laugh based upon the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, where Becky Brandon (nee Bloomwood), a lovable character,  finds herself in a variety of hilarious but difficult situations.  Becky adores shopping, and what better time for it than Christmas.  When her parents decide to move, her vegetarian sister and husband come to town, and Becky finds herself hosting Christmas, what could possibly go wrong?  Becky’s husband Luke started Brandon Communications, the largest financial PR firm in London, and Becky has recently started working with her lifelong friend Suze, in a gift shop in Suze’s stately home.

You will find Christmas Shopaholic full of holiday cheer and unexpected gifts.

Recommended by:  Deborah Keuper, Reference Librarian

Posted in: Adult Fiction

Wild and Crazy Guys: how the comedy mavericks from the ’80s changed Hollywood forever

by Nick De Semlyen

I stumbled on this book randomly on our new nonfiction shelf.  It was so interesting.  The author walks the reader through the careers of so many great comedians of the 1980s including Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Billy Murray, Eddie Murphy, and more.  Wild and Crazy Guys gives you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the actors’ personal and professional lives, from TV to the big screen.  If you’re a movie fan like me, you’ll wait with anticipation for Ghostbusters or The Blues Brothers to get mentioned.  One side effect from reading this book is an increased DVD watch list.

Recommended by: Brandi Smits, Youth Services Manager    

Posted in: Adult Nonfiction

Becoming Superman

by Michael Straczynski

A writer’s journey from poverty to Hollywood with stops along the way at murder, madness, mayhem, movie stars, cults, slums, sociopaths, and war crimes.

I’m a few pages from finishing this but a very inspiring memoir from the author that wrote Marvel’s Thor and Babylon 5. This guy had an absolutely horrendous life and still managed to become a marvelous writer. One of the first memoirs I have read and truly enjoyed, cheering him on all the way.

Recommended by: Carol Maresh, Cataloger II

Posted in: Adult Fiction

Gods of Jade and Shadow

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Set in Mexico during the Jazz Age, this story combines elements of fairy tales, a hero’s journey, and Mayan folklore into an unforgettable read. Cassiopeia Tun lives in the home of her wealthy grandfather, scrubbing floors and polishing boots to make up for her mother’s marriage to a poet-nobody. In his grand house, grandfather keeps an old wooden chest at the end of the bed and forbids anyone to open it. One sweltering afternoon, when the family travels to partake in the cool waters of a healing spring, Cassiopeia decides that she’s had enough. She unlocks the forbidden chest and unknowingly releases the Mayan God of Death, Hun Kame, who was deposed and decapitated by his brother. Together, the pair must travel the world to recover what was stolen and reinstate Hun Kame to his throne in the underworld. If you love mythology, mystery, and magic this book is for you!

Recommended by: Kara DeCarlo, School Liaison 

Posted in: Adult Fiction

The Woman in the Window

by A.J. Flinn

Dr. Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day consulting online with patients, drinking way too much wine, watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors.  Then the Russells move into the house across the way: a father, a mother, their teenage son. The perfect family. But when Anna, gazing out her window one night, sees something she shouldn’t, her world begins to crumble.  What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this gripping thriller, no one—and nothing—is what it seems.

Recommended by: Emily Meszaros, Reference Librarian

Posted in: Adult Fiction

Where the Crawdads Sing

by Delia Owens

Kya Clark is a young woman who has lived essentially her entire life alone in the wild marshes of Barkley Cove, a small coastal community in North Carolina. The residents of the area call her “Marsh Girl” and treat her like an outcast, showing no kindness toward her. Kya watched her mother walk out the door of their cabin one day because she could no longer stand the beatings by her abusive husband. Kya’s father and siblings abandon her as well, and it is she who must fend for herself in the marshes and wilderness. Over the years, Kya befriends Tate who shares Kya’s love of the wildlife and teaches her how to read. When Tate leaves for college, Kya meets Chase, the town’s popular quarterback, who betrays her and breaks her heart. Now someone has killed Chase and Kya becomes the prime suspect who must convince the entire town she is innocent.

The author weaves the beautiful nature of the North Carolina marshes with love, mystery and compassion throughout her debut novel.

Recommended by: Mary Adamowski, Assistant Library Director

Posted in: Adult Fiction