Staff Picks
September 2023
Before We Were Yours
by Lisa Wingate
There are two storylines going on in this novel, one in 1939 and one is present day. They slowly unravel and come together. This novel follows the lives of the five Foss siblings who grow up living on a Mississippi River shanty boat with their parents in 1939. They have a unique and wild childhood with parents who shower them with love and affection in unconventional ways.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as a ebook and e audiobook.
Recommended by: Chris Schultz, Graphics Information Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction
A Gentleman in Moscow
by Amor Towles
This was an enchanting narrative with a charming character. A gentleman, Rostov, has been put under hotel arrest. For the next several years, as he serves his time, relationships are cultivated from employees to guests to the visitors he receives and to a young girl whom he becomes a guardian for.
Very descriptive – I tasted almost every meal he ate – from the crisp and tartness of an apple; to the bitterness of his coffee. This is a man who truly separated himself from others in appreciating the simple things in life. A man who was present, authentic and honorable.
This book is available in the library, on OverDrive/Libby as an ebook and e audiobook, and on Hoopla as an e audiobook.
Recommended by: Chris Schultz, Graphics Information Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction
August 2023
Victory. Stand!: Raising my fist for justice
by Tommie Smith
A fist in the air. Eighty seconds of a profound symbolic act that will not be forgotten. This engaging graphic novel co-written by Derrick Barnes and the man himself, Tommie Smith, is powerfully illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile and will move readers deeply into a moment in history with such significance that it still resonates today. This is the story of a courageous world record-breaker, from childhood to his stepping into the world stage where he risked all in the name of justice and human rights. The story behind the protesting expression of two black athletes at their triumphant moment at the Mexican Olympic games of 1965 where they decided they had to be seen because they (and many more) were not being heard. Smith’s first-ever memoir for young readers, received the 2023 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award among many other recognitions. It is also a pick for the 2023-2024 Read For A Lifetime statewide teen reading program.
Recommended by: Fanny Camargo, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Young Adult Nonfiction
Strange Sally Diamond
by Liz Nugent
Posted in: Adult Fiction
April & Mae and the Tea Party
by Megan Dowd Lambert
April and Mae are best friends, and so are their pets. On Sundays they have a tea party where Mae prepares the table and April puts on a show. Unfortunately, on this particular Sunday things go awry when April tries out a new act and accidently upsets Mae. April & Mae and the Tea Party by Megan Dowd Lambert tells the story of how these best friends work through their argument and save their friendship. There is a book in the series for each day of the week where the two best friends experience different activities, emotions, and challenges together. Beginner readers who enjoy Cynthia Rylant’s Annie and Snowball series or Eve Bunting’s Frog and Friends series will be sure to love this friendship too!
Recommended by: Erin Cady, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Something Wild
by Molly Ruttan
Posted in: Youth Fiction
One last shot : the story of wartime photographer Gerda Taro
by Kip Wilson
This novel told in verse covers the short life of Gerda Taro, a German photojournalist and the first woman photojournalist killed in combat. Told in the first person point of view, Taro’s activism to expose fascism is connected with her relationship with photographer André Friedmann (later known as Robert Capa).Their photographs were in great demand and they found themselves covering the Spanish Civil War up close at the front of the fighting. Taro was forgotten until 2007 when a “Mexican Suitcase” (3 boxes) collection of 4500 Spanish Civil War negatives was discovered. The boxes had been in storage in Mexico City for decades. A Doodle commemorating her birthday led the author to write this book.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian 1
Posted in: Youth Fiction
Underground Fire: Hope, Sacrifice, and Courage in the Cherry Mine Disaster
by Sally M. Walker
The town of Cherry, Illinois still exists and is the setting for the latest non-fiction book written by Sally M. Walker. On Saturday November 13, 1909 a fire began in part of the mine that eventually killed hundreds of men. The rescue efforts continued for eight days until the mine was sealed. Walker’s account relates the tragedy from the miners’ efforts to survive as well as the rescuers’ efforts to save them. The Cherry Mine Disaster remains one of the worst coal mining disasters in United States. The disaster led to changes in mining and labor regulations.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian 1
Posted in: Youth Nonfiction
Take
by Jennifer Bradbury
A young adult novel by the author of Shift, in which the author once again captures the interpersonal relationships young adults experience with each other, with family, and with society. Cara and her ex-boyfriend Nat (not an ex due to her decision) take on a challenging rock climb in the Cascade Mountains as they must find her father, who went climbing alone. Navigating the mountains they uncover a family secret that has implications for generations as WWII and the Japanese Incarceration Camps determined the fate of her ancestors.
Recommended by: Joan Stoiber, Youth Services Reference Librarian I
Posted in: Young Adult Fiction
The Enigma of Room 622
by Joel Dicker
After Sloane gets tired of Joel abandoning her for his novel and leaves him, Joel decides he needs to get away. What he does not expect is to meet Scarlett, and end up investigating a murder that took place at the hotel years earlier and led to them changing room 622 to 621A. The writing, the story, the twists, all made this story fantastic.
This book is available in the library and on OverDrive/Libby as an e audiobook.
Recommended by: Chris Schultz, Graphics Information Clerk
Posted in: Adult Fiction