Staff Picks Adult
July 2023
A Psalm for the Wild-built
by Becky Chambers
One day a traveling tea monk named Dex runs into a robot. No one has seen a robot in centuries after they left to live in the wilds after gaining self-awareness. Humans promised to leave the robots be until they were ready to interact with humans again. That time is now, and the story unfolds as our robot wishes to learn the answer to a simple but complex question. “What do people need?” Dex doing their best to answer that question, as they struggle with finding the answer for themself. It’s an insightful, funny, and peaceful little novel about purpose and what drives us to do the things we do, even when we seemingly already have everything we need.
This book is available in the library and on Hoopla as an e audiobook.
Recommended by: Abigail Kearns, Adult Services Assistant
Posted in: Adult Fiction
Under the Whispering Door
by T. J. Klune
The book follows Wallace as he is picked up by a grim reaper at his own funeral and taken to a strange teashop/house in the middle of the woods where some of the newly and not so newly dead reside as they learn to be at peace with their own passings. Here Wallace learns to accept his death by learning to accept his choices in life. It is a charming ride with a cast of likeable characters, even the ones that take time to warm up to. Both very funny and uplifting while being a somber take on moving on once it’s our time. It, like a good cup of tea, will warm you up inside by the time you’re done with it.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive as an ebook.
Recommended by: Abigail Kearns, Adult Services Assistant
Posted in: Adult Fiction
June 2023
Transmetropolitan
by Ellis Warren
Transmetropolitan is a comic that mixes dark futurology with gallows humor and biting satire. Set in a cyberpunk transhumanist dystopia known simply as The City. The comic follows gonzo journalist Spider Jerusalem, a chain-smoking infomaniac compelled to reveal the corruption of The City at all costs. Spider along with his body guard Channon Yarrow and assistant Yelena Rossini, delve into some of the future world’s eeriest conspiracies. Through their independent and controversial news column “I hate it here” Spider lambasts the City with the Truth. This comic is not for the faint of heart. It can be crude and insensitive and is ripe with explicit language. But beyond the grime lay a fantastic story about truth, courage, and doing the right thing but maybe not the way society would prefer the right thing be done. 11/10 would read over and over again. A favorite of actor Patrick Stewart, who at one point requested playing the part of Spider Jerusalem.
This book is available on Hoopla as an ebook
Recommended by: Patrick Deitche, Senior Patron Services Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction
The Bear and the Nightingale
by Kathleen Arden
Set in medieval Russia, this semi-historical fiction centers on Vasilisa, a young girl with the uncanny ability to see spirits. Vasilisa encounters many spirits from Russian folklore, but none more prominent than Morozko the winter demon, better known as Father Frost. To Vasilisa, these spirits are part of their heritage and livelihood; however, these spirits and their stories soon become anathema when Orthodox Christianity deems these spirits to be demons. An adventurous tale full of magic, witches, and Russian folklore. Strongly recommended to those who enjoyed Circe by Madeline Miller or to those looking for a frosty fantasy for the hot summer days.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Patrick Deitche, Senior Patron Services Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction
The First Man in Rome
by Colleen McCullough
Politics, treachery, and intrigue abound in this epic historical fiction centered on two rising political stars, Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix. Colleen McCullough’s research and detail of the era make the drama of this book enthralling. Strongly recommended to those who enjoyed the politics and intrigue of Game of Thrones, but could do without the fantasy. This is book one of the Masters of Rome series.
Recommended by: Patrick Deitche, Senior Patron Services Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction
Nothing But Blackened Teeth
by Cassandra Khaw
Feeling the summer heat? This short novel will send chills down your spine! Four thrill-seeking friends celebrate a wedding by renting out a supposedly-haunted Heian-era manor. As the night goes on, long-buried tensions between them simmer to the surface, and beneath the manor an ever longer buried bride begins to stir.
This book is available in the library and on Hoopla as an e audiobook.
Recommended by: Peter Tew, Adult Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Adult Fiction
April 2023
Fasting for Ramadan: Notes from a Spiritual Practice
by Kazim Ali
Posted in: Adult Nonfiction
Stone Blind
by Natalie Haynes
Posted in: Adult Fiction
March 2023
The Kind Worth Saving
by Peter Swanson
Some of the same characters that were in The Kind Worth Killing are in this book as well as references to events in that book, but it is not necessary to read it first. This book can stand alone with its page turning action. Joan has always seemed a little off to Henry Kimball even when he was a first-year teacher and she was in his Honors English class. Now many years later when she hires him to discover if her husband is having an affair, he feels uneasy taking the case. As his investigation continues, Kimball finds troubling incidences in Joan’s past. In alternating chapters using the voice of Kimball, Joan, Richard, and Lilly the past and present collide in an explosive ending.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Adult Fiction
All That Is Mine I Carry With Me
by William Landay
Phil has writer’s block. He meets up with an old friend and decides to write about the disappearance forty years ago of the man’s mother, Jane. Jane disappeared one day without a trace. No body was found. The three siblings did not know if she was dead, possibly killed by their father, or had just run away. An investigation took place, but no evidence was discovered to solve the mysterious disappearance. The sister and two brothers had their lives totally affected by that one event as is told in chapters that reflect their point of view. Twenty years later her body is found. The discovery of the body brought the guilt or innocence of their father to a head. Still, who killed Jane remained a mystery until the final pages.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian
Posted in: Adult Fiction