I have to admit, I’ve been a little lazy with posting our staff picks on our blog and I truly apologize for that!! Sometimes time just seems to move so quickly… especially over the holidays! Hope everyone had a very happy holiday season. Here are quite a few books that we’ve read… check them out!!! Happy reading! ~ dawn
Marie’s January Staff Picks
The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie (Alan Bradley)
This is an older title and is first in a mystery series revolving around an eccentric eleven year old girl named Flavia De Luce. The newest Flavia mystery just came out.
Etiquette & Espionage (Gail Carriger)
This young adult title was enthusiastically recommended by a library patron. I found it to be a fun, fast moving steampunk adventure of manners.
The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion)
I listened to the audio edition and enjoyed the Australian accent in this offbeat love story.
Want Not (Jonathan Miles)
In this darkly humorous book, a pleasing jumble of eccentric characters connect in surprising ways.
The Circle (Dave Eggers)
A young woman demonstrates where technology and social networking can take society in this horrifyingly true-to-life fictional account.
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
This beautifully written book is worth the time commitment!
Mercy Snow (Tiffany Baker)
Magical realism creeps into this haunting story set in a mill town in New Hampshire. The ending could have been more complete, but, all in all, the story pulled me along.
Sheila’s Picks
Sheila has two new young adult novels to recommend that adults will want to take a look at. For those who like sci-fi thrillers try MILA 2.0 by Debra Driza, Sixteen year old, MILA finds out that she is actually an android with human cellular function and her Mom is actually one of her creators. Face paced, sci-fi thriller that pulls you into the inner dilemmas that an android with humanity deals with while she grows. For those who enjoy Maine based fiction try Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian. Tom Bouchard, rising senior at Einnston, finds himself doing community service and becoming changed in the process when both the soccer team and the children at the community center become the focal point of a community racial protest. Padian does an amazing job of creating realistic characterizations of high students and the conflicts that arise when Somalian immigrants must learn the “American Way” in a small Maine community.
The one “adult” novel Sheila has read lately was The Rosie Project and her response to that little gem was: “ Loved, loved, loved it! As a huge fan of the TV show “The Big Bang Theory” and all things psychological, this was right up my alley! Enjoyed the perspective, humor and the reality of sorts.”
Dawn’s Picks
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
A long book at 700+ pages but with all the hype about it, I just had to read it. Overall a very good story that I can see being translated for the big screen at some point. Would love to go and see the actually “Goldfinch” painting now!
The Circle (Dave Eggers)
Wow. Loved this book but also scary. This is one of those books that it’s hard to stop thinking of, as it deals with technology and social media. Get off Facebook and put down your smart phone and then read this…..
The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion)
I have been passing this book out to everyone and one patron described it as a ‘light delight’. I agree. Just a wonderful, laugh out loud quick read.
Once We Were Brothers (Ronald H Balson)
Didn’t think it was the best written story, but the concept of the story was intriguing. Ben Solomon accuses one of the richest, most philanthropic men in Chicago of being the Nazi, Otto Pietak. It’s called a legal thriller but my favorite part was going back and forth in time to WWII with the main character, Ben.
Here are a few other titles that I enjoyed:
Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell)
Never Look Away (Linwood Barclay)
Too Close to Home (Linwood Barclay)
Between a Mother and her Child (Elizabeth Noble)
Where the Moon Isn’t (Nathan Filer)
Help for the Haunted (John Searls)