August 2017

09 Wednesday Aug 2017

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Dawn’s Picks

The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

Morningstar: Growing Up with Books by Ann Hood

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

It’s Always the Husband by Michele Campbell

Sam’s Picks

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

On Second Thought by Kristen Higgins

Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

Karen’s Picks

Dead and Breakfast by Kate Kingsbury

All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris

The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

 

 

 

 

Sam’s Summer Picks

28 Thursday Jul 2016

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Grunt-Mary Roach

Roach has managed to answer questions you never knew wanted to know about humans at war. True to Mary Roach’s writing style I found myself being both entertained and enlightened all at once. Fans of non-fiction can’t go wrong with this title.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things-Iain Reid

This was the first novel for Reid and I can’t wait to see what he does next! While there were a few loose ends not quite tied up in the end, it was a fast paced thrill that kept you wondering…….long after the final page.

Sleeping Giants-Sylvain Neuvel

This book was told through journal entries and case files. I was not sure how it was going to read at first, but then I found myself unable to get enough! If you liked Andy Weir’s The Martian, then your going to want to give this one a try!

Confess-Colleen Hoover

Hoover is one of my new favorite authors this summer. After reading November 9 at the beginning of summer, I was thrilled to see Dawn found a new title to add to the collection. In Confess we are taken into the lives of people who know love in all its many forms. It was heartbreaking and yet hopeful. I even found myself enjoying the art.

Time for some STAFF PICKS….

20 Monday Jun 2016

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On this official FIRST day of summer 2016, I thought I’d post some books that I have recently read that would be great to pick up for the summer!

First pick is “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” by new author Iain Reid. WOW. WOW. WOW. This small, 244 page book kept me reading late into the night and when I finished it I wanted (needed) to start all over again! I immediately came into work the next day and told Sam that ‘she had to read it’ and when she did she said the same thing. What the heck was going on in this book?? I’d love to discuss it with anyone. Great read and an author that I will be watching for in the future.

Other titles that I feel are worthy of picking up are:
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
If I Forget You by Thomas Christopher Greene (Author of “The Headmaster’s Wife” which was a favorite of mine last year)
The Children by Ann Leary
The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

Call us to put one of these titles on hold for your summer list!
~dawn

A few of Sam’s Staff Picks

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

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Hostage Taker-Stefanie Pintoff

This thriller’s backdrop is St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC. It’s Christmas time in the city that never sleeps when a deranged man takes the city’s most iconic building and its inhabitants hostage. Eve Rossi and her team of ex-cons are thrust into the job at a time when their own lives are beginning to unravel. The story was fast paced and easy to follow. It kept you on the edge of your seat from first page to last. Fans of Lisa Gardner and Tami Hoag will enjoy this book.

The Things We Keep- Sally Hepworth

I really liked Sally’s last title-The Secrets of Midwives and was anticipating another fantastic story. I was not disappointed! This book is a heart wrenching journey of a young woman facing early onset Alzheimer’s. Her story is one of love, loss and compassion.

When Breath Becomes Air- Paul Kalanithi

This book had me thinking about it days after I finished the final chapter. In searching for the meaning of life the author finds he must face his own death after learning he has stage 4 terminal cancer. The brilliant doctor becomes the struggling patient in this moving and unforgettable memoir. Warning: After reading you may find that you have been forever changed.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

03 Wednesday Feb 2016

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Wow. I read this book with tears in my eyes. Makes you really think about your priorities in life. A must read. ~ dawn

For readers of Atul Gawande, Andrew Solomon, and Anne Lamott, a profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir by a young neurosurgeon faced with a terminal cancer diagnosis who attempts to answer the question What makes a life worth living? ~ From Goodreads

Staff Picks

14 Thursday Jan 2016

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Wow…. so sorry that we haven’t been keeping up with our staff picks! We promise to be better…. but keep in mind you can always visit us and go to our ‘staff picks’ wall which is ALWAYS loaded with great picks!

Chip’s Picks
Chip has a list of intriguing reads to share:
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking by Richard Nisbett
The Monopolists by Mary Pilon
It’s a Long Story: My Life by Willie Nelson

Sam’s Picks
As a New Year’s resolution I am trying to read more things I feel are out of my “comfort zone”. It has been a pretty interesting journey! My non-fiction picks are WE ARE MARKET BASKET by Daniel Korschun and Grant Welker, Good Mourning by Elizabeth Meyer, and Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. I enjoyed Furiously Happy so much I can’t wait until the library gets it in in Audio book, it should be a hoot to listen to!

My fiction picks are Day Four by Sarah Lotz, The Martian by Andy Weir, and Time of Departure by Douglas Schofield. Right now I am reading The Dirt on the Ninth Grave by Darynda Jones. She is one of my favorite authors and while I am only 100 pages in, I find myself cursing the alarm clock in the morning, having found it impossible to put the darn book down the night before! If anyone is ever looking for a quirky, fun, light read-with a dark side you should give the this series a go! The bumper sticker and t-shirt sayings alone are laugh out loud.

In trying to go out of my little “comfort zone” I am one disc away from finishing Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. These guys are well known for a podcast they have, so I figured why not? It’s weird but in such a funny way that I am finding myself leaving to go to work a few minutes early just to get to listen to the story. You would not believe what they say about librarians-it’s not true I tell you! LOL! Not the kind of book that I normally go for but it’s been a pretty fun ride. It’s my first time trying to listen to audiobooks, not a bad way to get a book in!

Dawn’s Picks
Laugh out loud funny is how I describe The Martian by Andy Weir. I have to say I was very reluctant to pick this book up but after a astounding “YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK” by a good friend, I started the first page and then couldn’t put it down. For me it is another, ‘the book is better than the movie’ but I must admit that I did enjoy Matt Damon as the lead character! Another great fiction read for me was Fates and Furious by Lauren Groff. Wow… this book was all over the place and made for some great discussions!
Other favorites:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
The Mountain Story by Lori Lansens
Time of Departure by Douglas Schofield
Best Boy by Eli Gottlied
In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
Did you Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

Karen’s Picks
We welcome Karen Howell, our new part time staff member here at Springvale. Stop in to meet her! Here are her reading suggestions.
Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
The Lake House by Kate Morton
The Forgotten Room by Lincoln Child
Dark Rooms by Lilli Anolik
The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward
The Mourning Hours by Paula Treiol DeBoard

Have a safe winter everyone!

Sam’s Staff picks

02 Thursday Apr 2015

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This winter Sam has gotten some serious reading done! But in all the books she’s read it’s the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre that has really caught her interest. Burned written by Karen Marie Moning is the long awaited book two of the Dani O’Mally series, a continuation to the Fever series that were in Mac’s point of view. The writing was fast paced and full of details that you have been dying for since Iced. The only complaint I have is having to wait for the next book!

The Golden Son is also book two of a series, this one a trilogy, was written by Pierce Brown. The book seamlessly brings you back into the saga of Darrow and his struggle to do the right thing for all.The characters are all so vivid that you either love or hate them on the spot. The book reads like you are in an action adventure movie, I even found myself holding my breath during the tense parts! If you are anything like me your left wondering why the clock says hours have passed when it feels like you have only been reading for minutes!

Not normally that into non-fiction, but this winter Sam discovered some great finds! Check out This is what you just put into your mouth? by Patrick Di Justo, The Undertaker’s Daughter by Kate Mayfield, and Working Stiff-Two years, 262 bodies, and the making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek M.D.