A collection of library staff recommendations. See what we're reading, and maybe find a new favorite book!
Want to recommend a book? Submissions can be made by filling out the form here.
This book is a wonderful glimpse into the TikTok famous Sheepadoodle, Bunny! Bunny and her owner are able to communicate through a button-vocabulary system, which shows us how much dogs really understand about the world. Such a sweet read!
Recommended by Lierin S.
This was by far my favorite series as a kid!! So it has a very special place in my heart. I used to dog-ear every page that made me laugh, which was most pages. Now I'm a librarian and don't dog-ear anymore.
Recommended by Emily L.
My real answer is any of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I love reading a good mystery novel and reread Sir Doyle's works whenever I want to jump back into the world of a detective in Victorian England.
Recommended by Lida S.
Still Life is the first in the Armand Gamache mystery series, and a World of Curiosities is one of the more intense in the series. They've all got a lot of emotions, introspection, and questions around character and action for a mystery series, and there's a few multi-book love stories to grow increasingly invested in. Still Life is not the best of the bunch, but important as a starting point for an excellent series.
Recommended by Leea S.
Dreamy, beautiful, funny, and at times haunting, this memoir is a courageous exploration of race, nature, and community. Drawing on his own experiences as a Black naturalist in the rural South, J. Drew Lanham's story provides a fresh take on what it means to be at home in nature. I came for the birdwatching content but stayed for the enchanting, insightful prose.
Recommended by Clark G.
This book is so lovely and heartbreaking, but one of the most thought-provoking books I've ever read. It deals with quantum physics and alternate reality timelines, but in a way that reads like a mystery. It is also the interconnected story of a teenage girl, and the woman who discovers her diary washed up at sea after the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Its a book I have reread several times and it gets better each time!
Recommended by Sabrina F.
A richly written tapestry of a book, weaving together disparate genres, time periods, and voices into a compellingly multi-layered narrative about two scholars uncovering a previously-unknown relationship between two Victorian poets. If you've ever gotten caught up in the thrill of esoteric research, this book is for you.
Recommended by Nicole K.
The 33 1/3 series is a great project where each book breaks down a given album and the (sometimes legendary, sometimes infamous) history of its production. I love reading about music and music history, and I love these essays because they are short, engaging, and give my favorite records a whole new meaning when I listen to them!
Recommended by Georgia M.
Sometimes lovestories have happy endings. Other times... Less so... But that doesn't make the story any less special, nor the love between two people any less beautiful. Radclyffe Hall explores all dimensions of love---pain, bliss, community, isolation, intimacy, estrangement---in her novel.
Recommended by Eleanor F.
I re-read this book so many times I broke the spine, and bought a new copy. I've only read the new copy twice so far, but both times I got something new out of it. Malcolm X led a complicated life full of ups and downs, and in turn he left a complicated legacy. His autobiography details his formation at each step in the journey of life -- and how each experience (including being a victim of violence, living a life of crime, becoming incarcerated, learning to read, and finally taking a pilgrimage) shaped him, changed him, and at times forced him to undergo a shift in perspective, as he slowly came to arrive at and embrace a philosophy of boundless love. This is the quintessential American autobiography that can teach readers so much about the world we live in, and that can inspire them to think more deeply about how the lives they have led, those they inhabit, and those they wish to lead as they become their best selves!
Recommended by Aidan O.
"I recently read this short tale that subverted my expectations in delightful ways. While is it a story of a princess setting out on a winding journey involving magic & trials to protect someone she loves and stop a violent corrupt leader, the band of heroes are all over 30 & a majority female. I think the story is filled with characters that show each person has strengths & weakness & wisdom & struggles to overcome, but inherent value being exactly who they are. I love this story & the characters so much that before I finished it I had recommended it to multiple loved ones. I hope you love it too!"
"T. Kingfisher is a master of taking classic fairy tale elements and using them in a new and unique way - I never get tired of Marra's journey!"
Recommended by Jocelyn F. and Kellyn J.
When life is chaotic or overwhelming, I like retreat to a world in which the cares are fleeting and lightly satirized, and the comedy involves an eccentric gentleman, the Earl of Emsworth, his prize-winning pig, the Empress of Blandings, and whatever visitors and interlopers disrupt his wealth-cushioned tranquility. In this omnibus of three titles, the key one is Something Fresh, which includes a scene that never fails to send me into uncontrollable laughter and remove all the cares of the world. When you encounter George Emerson sneaking through a dark Blandings Castle hallway at 2am to deliver a snack of cold tongue to the door of the beautiful Aline, ready yourself for a comedy of collisions. Here is the signal: "Coming down to first causes, the only reason why collisions of any kind occur is because two bodies defy Nature's law that a given spot on a given plane shall at a given moment of time be occupied by only one body."
Recommended by Steve R.
I find myself thinking about this book often and returning to it every few years. Patti Smith is an insightful and honest storyteller who lives life to its fullest. Despite her fame and notoriety, she maintains a level of refreshing humility and has the great ability to relish the small pleasures in life. I'm a fan of all Patti's work but most appreciate how Just Kids gives us a glimpse into her creative world.
Recommended by Erin S.
This is a queer romantasy that highlights slow burn love, mystery, and court intrigue. This is character development heavy with an emphasis on the journey of healing from sexual assault. As odd as it sounds, this is Alexis Hall meets Game of Thrones. Or, a more romantic centered The Priory of the Orange Tree. (There is also a newly published sequel!)
Recommended by Sophie L.
Book Lovers expertly weaves the passion for literature into an enticing enemies-to-lovers romance, creating a perfect combination of love and literary charm. A perfect ode to bibliophilic joy, it beckons those who relish the idea of losing themselves for hours, if not days, amidst the stacks of a cherished bookstore or library
Recommended by Elizabeth K.
Be it a bit macabre to say I'm "in love" with stories about serial killers whether in the genre of True Crime or in Thriller/Suspense Fiction, it is more accurate to state that I am devoted to the stories of the survivors. This title reimagines the reaction from the viewpoint of a sorority president to the gruesome killing of her two sisters at Florida State University by Ted Bundy. "Bright Young Women" blends elements of True Crime and Fiction, advocating for the women and girls profoundly affected by such insanity.
Recommended by Abby W.
I love fiction featuring immigrants and migration stories. Angie Cruz's How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water is about a Dominican immigrant woman, Cara Romero, who has worked 26 years for the same company. The factory where she worked has closed, she has completed employee retraining classes and is now in counseling to help her find the best job for her. The book consists of her counseling sessions where she hilariously talks at break-neck speed, finally able to tell the story of her life.
Recommended by Karen B.
This is the second book in the Locked Tomb series and it's my favorite! I loved having absolutely no idea what was happening for most of the story while following Harrow who just makes the absolute worst choices in any given situation. She's a disaster and I'm obsessed with her. It's like if the song Would've, Could've, Should've by Taylor Swift was made into a book about the most emotionally repressed lesbian you've ever met <3
Recommended by Hilary C.
A short story collection that reads like a novella. This book is quite humorous with a sprinkling of magical realism lore, yet heavy with melancholic themes from life on a reservation. But you will find threads of hope, growth, forgiveness, and imagination weaved among the interconnected stories that are moving and beautiful. This is a familiar title on my bookshelf.
Recommended by Jesse M.
This book is so delicious! Filled with sauces, dressings, and savory jams that provide a Korean-Mexican flavor profile for dishes as standard as rice or noodles. Flavor becomes affordable! Unmi and her family run a restaurant in Wester Mass called Coco (named after their daughter). The depth of flavor and the warmth of their kitchen comes forward with each page turned.
Recommended by Melissa W.
This book has an Ocean's 11 heist set in a magical fantasy world with an extremely lovable cast of characters! It's the kind of story that's so immersive and complex it makes you want to re-read it again and again!
Recommended by Madeline D.
A perfect, short novel that's lush and centers the reader in the character.
Recommended by Tim L.
Fictional thriller on international archival research in folklore, myths, and Dracula? Yes, please! Great physical book, great audio book.
Recommended by Mandy F.
