Staff Picks : September

September Staff Picks

Library staff have recommended some of their favorite books for all ages for your fall reading pleasure. If you don’t see what you’re craving here, Novelist, might provide a dose of inspiration. Prefer to read on your mobile device? Overdrive and the LIBBY app offer thousands of eBooks and audiobooks available with a library card. Download here.

Adults: Amy Krasny, Second Floor Reference Desk, recommends engaging reads across all genres.

This is How it Always is by Laurie Frankel
A novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. This is how it always is: Change is always hard and miraculous and hard again, parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts, children grow but not always according to plan. And families with secrets don’t get to keep them forever.  Also available as one of our Book Club Sets.

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy
Vanity Fair calls it one of the most anticipated books. Soon to be a major motion picture starring Scandal's Kerry Washington.  An addictive psychological thriller about a group of women whose lives become unexpectedly connected when one of their newborns goes missing.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
The eighteen personal essays collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty.

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby
Whether talking about how her difficult childhood has led to a problem in making "adult" budgets, explaining why she should be the new Bachelorette--she's "35-ish, but could easily pass for 60-something," she's as deft at poking fun at the ghosts of her past self as she is at capturing powerful emotional truths.

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
This is a series of essays that are hysterically funny and poignant at the same time. The author, Jenny Lawson, suffers from clinical depression, an anxiety disorder, an impulse control disorder, avoidant personality disorder, insomnia, and rheumatoid arthritis among other illnesses. Because of her illnesses, she is chronically depressed. She experiences serious lows, such as days she cannot get out of bed, and she has thoughts of suicide. After one particularly bad period, she decided to be ‘furiously happy’ to counter the sadness.

Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
A short, powerful, illustrated book written by beloved novelist Khaled Hosseini in response to the current refugee crisis, Sea Prayer is composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey. Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city's swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals - in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country - Lisa Wingate's riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.
    

Young Adults: Maggie Mueller, Public Services Librarian, proposes books centered around navigating change.

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt   
As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends, an abusive father, and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him until he finds an ally in Lil Spicer--a fiery young lady. Together, they find a haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon's birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
Sixteen-year old Jessie, still grieving over her mother's death, must move from Chicago to "The Valley," with a new stepfamily but no new friends until an anonymous fellow student emails and offers to help her navigate the school's treacherous social waters.

Where You'll Find Me by Natasha Friend
After her mother's attempted suicide, thirteen-year-old Anna goes to live with her father and his new family and learns to navigate the shifting loyalties of middle school friendships.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
After being saved from death by his vampire girlfriend Victoria, Aden finds himself becoming more like a vampire as his girlfriend becomes more human.

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova
After shunning Jaime, the school nerd, on her first day at a new middle school, Penelope Torres tries to blend in with her new friends in the art club, until the art club goes to war with the science club, of which Jaime is a member.

The Manual to Middle School by Jonathan Catherman
With insight from three guys who have been there, The Manual to Middle School is your 'Do This, not That' guide to nearly everything middle school can throw your way, including lockers, bullies, test taking, cell phone use, homework, gossip, leadership, respect, sports, and more.

 

Children: Marie Boleman, Children’s and Family Outreach Managing Librarian, developed a fascinating list for the start of the school year.

Square (Shape Trilogy) by Mac Barnett     Ages 5-9
This humorous picture book is more than a book about shapes. The illustrations work with the story to stretch perceptions of seemingly simple concepts. It is the second in a trilogy of tales about Triangle, Square, and Circle. If you like Mac Barnett’s style, you are in luck, as he has published many unique, engaging children’s titles.

Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan    Ages 4-8
Finn loves the stories about the ocean and sailing told to him by his late grandfather. Readers follow him as he plans to build a ship and a journey of his own. If you liked The Night Gardener, chances are, you will find Ocean Meets Sky to be just as beautiful and imaginative. 

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate    Ages 8-12
Here is another author with many beloved works, including The One and Only Ivan. In this one, a very old oak tree known as “Red” is the main character who communicates with the creatures that live in and around it. Red also watches over the human community, whose members hang their wishes on its branches each May. One day, hateful messages are hung there about a recent refugee who has come to the community. Can Red or the animals do something to help?  

The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown     Ages 8-12
Roz, the Robot, had been taken from the wilderness to work on a farm. She terribly misses her son, a goose named Brightbill. She is also no longer happy doing the work expected of her on the farm because she can think and solve problems. This is a thought provoking, discussion-generating engaging tale. While this is a follow-up to The Wild Robot, it’s not necessary to read them in order.