Staff Picks

The Only One Left

by Riley Sager

Kit McDeere is a home health aid and after having a problem with her last assignment she is now left with no choice but to work at Hope’s End, the infamous house where three people were murdered and the lone survivor, Lenora Hope, is Kit’s patient.  Most people believe Lenora is responsible for the murders and she has been ostracized and feared the majority of her life. Now, Lenora is in her 70’s, confined to a wheelchair and paralyzed. Her only method of communication is through her typewriter.

A lot of these types of thrillers I am able to anticipate and predict most endings but the  amount of twists and turns in the last 100 pages, most of which I did not see coming, caught me off guard.

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook

Recommended by: Chris Schultz, Graphics Information Clerk

Posted in: Adult Fiction

Small Spaces

by Katherine Arden

Lately, Ollie’s only comfort is in books. After a fiasco at school that involves a thrown rock and her classmate’s injured head, Ollie just wants to get to her favorite spot by the creek and read. What she finds when she arrives at the creek both shocks and unnerves her. A woman, crying uncontrollably, is trying to throw a little black book into the creek. Ollie just can’t let that happen. She steals the woman’s book and runs away, with just one warning from this mysterious woman: “Keep to small spaces at night.” After staying up late reading this new find, she discovers the story tells of a someone known as the Smiling Man. But morning soon arrives, and Ollie has a field trip to attend. When the bus breaks down on the ride home, suddenly Ollie’s watch reads just one word: “Run.” Ollie listens, and only two of her friends join her. They run into the woods, unable to shake the feeling that all the scarecrows they pass are watching them. As the three of them run, keeping to small spaces at night, Ollie realizes that this little black book might be able to explain whatever evil is taking place in her town, and how to stop it. If you are looking for something creepy and hair-raising, Small Spaces should be your next read.

This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e sudiobook.

Recommended by: Stephanie Visser, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Monsters in the Mist

by Juliana Brandt

A creepy ghost story that takes place at a lighthouse overlooking Lake Superior, “the lake, it is said, never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy”. Glennon McCue finds himself with his Mom and sister on an island that seemingly doesn’t exist on any map yet there are inhabitants who may or may not be real. To try to save his mother and sister before the Waning, the family must confront the emotional and physical abuse the father exerted on the family for years and haunts them. Monsters can be living and dead.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Violets are Blue

by Barbara Dee

Renata, called Ren, is having a hard time dealing with a bully at school at the same time that her parents seem to be arguing a lot. When her parents announce their divorce, Ren is not surprised but is having difficulty adjusting to her dad living in New York while she remains with her mom in Chicago. When her mom decides to move to a neighboring town to give both Ren and herself a new start, Ren is initially hesitant, but ends up fitting in and finding her niche. When her mom installs a lock on her bedroom door and begins to keep odd work hours, Ren excuses it as normal since her mom is a nurse. As things begin to spiral downwards Ren is forced to confront the truth. 

Recommended by: Becky McCormack, Youth Services Assistant Manager

Posted in: Youth Fiction

The Red Tin Box

by Matthew Burgess

A picture book, which in beautiful words and illustrations, tells the story of a special box and the special relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter. The special treasures in the box leads to stories to share between the two from memories of which they remind the grandmother. A book to share with generations and maybe be inspired to do something similar.

Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Becoming a Queen

by Dan Clay

A gripping tale of how Mark is trying to find himself amidst the many fake personalities he’s made to fit into society. He takes a leap of chance wearing a dress for the school’s talent show but even for the only other gay boy in school he was just too much. The suburban town of Annondale is just too small for someone so grand as Mark and no one can understand him like his brother Eric does. Eric is his only rock in a sea of judgement, but Mark is slowly finding out that maybe his brother isn’t as strong as he thought he was.

Recommended by: Ayla Franco, Youth Services Assistant

Posted in: Young Adult Fiction

Sarah Rising

by Ty Chapman

Sarah, the little girl who loves the nature and enjoys her morning everyday before going to school,  one morning her dad decided to teach Sarah how to stand up for her rights by taking her to a protest. I love this book because it teaches kids how to explore justice and how to react peacefully when they experience it in their community to get their rights.

Recommended by: Ghada Rafati, Patron Service Clerk

Posted in: Youth Fiction

Verity

by Coleen Hoover

Lowen is an author who has carefully spent most of her time under the radar, and she is just coming off of the death of a family member that has taxed her financially and emotionally. One big meeting in Manhattan changes all that, but she’ll have to figure out how to put herself in another woman’s shoes.

She travels to Vermont in hopes of finding information for 3 new books, but she ends up finding a manuscript that makes her question everything.

This book is a quick read. Do not trust anything! The bad guy isn’t always obvious.

Recommended by: Jackie Boyd, Communications Manager

Posted in: Adult Fiction

Florida

by Lauren Groff

Groff tells 11 separate short stories of people in or from Florida finding themselves in less-than-ideal situations. A story of two young sisters struggling to survive after a big storm knocks out power and leaves them stranded and alone stands out. Several of the stories include or follow the theme of alcoholic, inept, absent, or threatening fathers and father-figures.

Recommended by: Jackie Boyd, Communications Manager

Posted in: Adult Fiction

Who’s the Bendiest?

by Emilie Dufresne

This Animal vs Animal nonfiction book series by Emilie Dufresne is sure to capture the attention of readers who love Jerry Pallotta’s Who Would Win? series or Kieran Downs’ Animal Battles series. Who’s the Bendiest? explores six “contenders,” the rat, cat, ferret, octopus, hagfish, and California Sea Lion. They are paired off in rounds where facts and pictures are shared with readers to determine who is the bendiest and why. At the end of the book, there is a “Hall of Fame” of honorable mentions, a quiz, an activity suggestion, and a glossary. Each book in the series is structured this way to make for a super fun reading experience! Grab a copy of Who’s the Bendiest? today to find out which animals can twist, squeeze, and squish the most to win the title!

Recommended by: Erin Cady, Youth Services References Librarian

Posted in: Youth Nonfiction