ADULT FICTION
“Beautiful World, Where Are You” by Sally Rooney — “A cool, captivating story . . . Rooney establishes a distance from her characters’ inner lives, creating a sense of privacy even as she describes Alice and Eileen’s most intimate moments. It’s a bold change to her style, and it makes the illuminations all the more powerful when they pop. As always, Rooney challenges and inspires.” — Publishers Weekly (Starred)
“Bewilderment” by Richard Powers — “Powers succeeds in engaging both head and heart. And through its central story of bereavement, this novel of parenting and the environment becomes a multifaceted exploration of mortality.”― The Economist
“Billy Summers” by Stephen King — “[A] tripwire-taut thriller… King meticulously lays out the details of Billy’s trade, his Houdini-style escapes, and his act to look simpler than he is, but the novel’s main strength is a story within a story… This is another outstanding outing from a writer who consistently delivers more than his readers expect.” —Publisher’s Weekly, starred
“Black Ice” by Brad Thor — “We get to see Brad Thor at his best with action sequences that will literally chill readers while simultaneously taking their breath away. Scot Harvath is the hero we need.” ― Bookreporter
“Bolla” by Pajtim Statovci — “Astounding writing distinguishes this portrait of love, loss, and war . . . [Bolla is] an eloquent story of desire and displacement, a melancholy symphony in a heartbreaking minor key. Statovci is a master.”—Publishers Weekly, starred
“Damnation Springs” by Ash Davidson — “Davidson’s impressive debut chronicles life in a working-class community so thoroughly that the reader feels the characters’ anguish as they’re divided over environmental concerns that threaten their lives and livelihoods….The depiction of ordinary people trapped by circumstances beyond their control makes for a heart-wrenching modern American tragedy.”—Publisher’s Weekly
“Hello, Summer” by Mary Kay Andrews — “Andrews can be counted on for beach-worthy depictions of southern women with chutzpah and a talent for finding trouble with humor and romantic interest mixed in. Fans of Elin Hilderbrand and Kristy Woodson Harvey shouldn’t miss it.” —Booklist
“Matrix” by Lauren Groff — “Just when it seems there are nothing but chronicles of decline and ruin comes Lauren Groff’s Matrix, about a self-sufficient abbey of 12th-century nuns—a shining, all-female utopian community… it is finally its spirit of celebration that gives this novel its many moments of beauty.” –Wall Street Journal
“Nine Lives” by Danielle Steel — A woman who longs to avoid risk at all cost learns that men who love danger are the most exciting in this moving novel from New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel. — Amazon.com
“Songbirds” by Christy Lefteri — “In this heartfelt novel by the author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, a Sri Lankan domestic worker goes missing from her employer’s home in Cyprus, and the widowed homeowner herself sets out to find her after the police show no interest.”—The New York Times (New and Noteworthy)
“Sunflower Sisters” by Martha Hall Kelly — “A well-researched, realistic narrative . . . It’s the women and their activism that tell the story of the struggle to end slavery. They become the real heroes of the war. Kelly tells this story without either romanticizing or sweeping over the horrors that split the nation in the nineteenth century and continues to do so today.”—The Spokesman-Review
“The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn — “…In an enthralling new historical novel from national bestselling author Kate Quinn, two women ― a female spy recruited to the real-life Alice Network in France during World War I and an unconventional American socialite searching for her cousin in 1947 ― are brought together in a mesmerizing story of courage and redemption.” — Amazon.com
“The Cellist” by Daniel Silva — “The pace of The Cellist never slackens as its action volleys from Zurich to Tel Aviv to Paris and beyond. Mr. Silva tells his story with zest, wit and superb timing, and he engineers enough surprises to startle even the most attentive reader.” — Wall Street Journal
“The Forest of Vanishing Stars” by Kristen Harmel — “In this always compelling, sometimes harrowing tale, THE FOREST OF VANISHING STARS draws readers into a singular story of survival and bravery. Set against the backdrop of Eastern Europe during World War II, the resourceful Yona, forced to become expert in the ways of the forest when a sage, prescient elderly woman takes Yona from her German family, must decide whether she’ll rise up to claim the destiny foretold about her when faced with a band of Jewish refugees hiding in her beloved woods.Inspiring and gripping.” — New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict
“The Ghost Clause” by Howard Norman — “…he has a keen eye for the way loss uneasily sticks with those left behind. What opens as a ghost story turns out to be something of a love story instead…he still has a knack for finding emotional resonances in muted, unlikely scenarios.” —Kirkus
“We Germans” by Alexander Starritt — “A thoughtful, unsettling chronicle… Starritt’s gritty depictions of the horrors of war and the moral choices faced by soldiers add intensity to the ruminations on courage. This is a fascinatingly enigmatic addition to the literature of Germany’s coming to terms with the past.”―Publishers Weekly
ADULT MYSTERY
“Dead by Dawn” by Paul Dorion — “Part survival story, part mystery-suspense, Doiron’s narrative is fast-paced and engaging.” –Library Journal
“The Bounty” by Janet Evanovich with Steve Hamilton — The dynamic, often-humorous storytelling won’t let readers out of its grip, and there’s a compelling romantic subplot, to boot. Fans of Evanovich won’t need any convincing here, but also offer this one to fans of The Da Vinci Code, as ancient symbols and academic sleuthing play a strong part in the unraveling of the mystery.”—Booklist (starred review)
“The Finders” by Jeffrey B. Burton — “Action-packed…an intense, graphic serial killer novel with a likable, aw-shucks hero and a remarkable dog.”–Library Journal (starred review)
“The Keepers” by Jeffrey B. Burton — “The follow-up to The Finders sets a relentless pace. Corrupt politicians, the mob, a brutal killer, and a shocking death combine in a fast-paced story of an ordinary man and his extraordinary dogs.”―Library Journal (starred review)
“The Madness of Crowds” by Louise Penny — “Provocative… brilliant… Seamlessly integrating debates about scientific experimentation and morality into a fair-play puzzle, Penny excels at placing her characters in challenging ethical quandaries. This author just goes from strength to strength.” ―Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Trojan Horse” by S. Lee Manning — “Continues the experiences of Jamie, who in 1830 after escaping slavery passes himself off as a wealthy white silversmith, only to risk everything to save a beloved servant who has been captured and sold in the South.” — Annotation
ADULT BIOGRAPHY
“Born a Crime: Stories from South African Childhood” by Trevor Noah — “[Noah’s] electrifying memoir sparkles with funny stories . . . and his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Joe Biden: The Life, the Run and What Matters Now” by Evan Osnos — “Evan Osnos reveals how Biden’s trials and tribulations have forged in him an uncommon empathy. The President-elect emerges as a man uniquely qualified to lead America through the next four challenging years.” —Detroit Free Press
“Ladyparts” by Deborah Copaken — “Ladyparts is a first-rate example of the contemporary memoir, harrowing, sad, funny, revelatory, true. Were you to misconstrue the title, you might think this was all simply anatomy, which would be fine, but as with all the best memoirs what this work really anatomizes is how it all feels–in the mind, in the soul, and in the nick of time. Copaken’s memoir is poignant, necessary, and very rewarding.”
—Rick Moody, award-winning author of The Ice Storm and The Long Accomplishment
“Racing the Clock: Running Across a Lifetime” by Bernd Heinrich — “Passionate meditations on the pleasures and pains of a lifetime of running, with greatest appeal to fellow runners.” — Kirkus Reviews
ADULT NON-FICTION
“Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History” by Craig Whitlock — U.S. government and military officials took part in an “unspoken conspiracy to mask the truth” about the war in Afghanistan, according to this searing chronicle. … Whitlock paints a devastating portrait of how public messaging about the conflict consistently belied the reality on the ground. He details internal rivalries in the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department, and the fatigue and pessimism of soldiers on the front lines. …A costly program to eradicate opium poppy fields in Helmand province backfired spectacularly, turning the region into a “lethal stronghold for the insurgency” and earning harsh criticism from veteran diplomat Richard Holbrooke and others. Whitlock also delves into the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden, the Obama administration’s skewing of statistics to support its war strategy, evidence of Afghan government corruption, and the Trump administration’s complex peace plan with the Taliban. Rigorously detailed and relentlessly pessimistic, this is a heartbreaking look at how America’s leaders “chose to bury their mistakes and let the war drift.” — PUBLISHERS WEEKLY,
“Blue: In Search of Nature’s Rarest Color” by Kai Kupferschmidt — “In readily accessible prose, Kupferschmidt, an experienced science reporter, walks readers through intricate material in chapters that describe blue in stones, vision, plants, language, and animals. . . . The complexities are laid out with wonderful diagrams and illustrations in an engaging and approachable manner. . . . Blue is charming and readable.”—Booklist
“Further Beyond: The Poetry of R. Sheldon Shay” by R. Sheldon Shay
“Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law” by Mary Roach — “This book is such a rich stew of anecdotes and lore that it’s best savored slowly, bit by bit… No matter the situation, Roach approaches it with contagious enthusiasm.”
― Alice Cary, BookPage (starred review)
“House Planted: Choosing, Growing and Styling the Perfect Plants for Your Space” by Liza Munoz — Green up your living space with this bright, fresh, stylish introduction to choosing, caring for, and designing with houseplants. … In House Planted, interior plant designer Lisa Muñoz guides you step by step and room by room through picking the perfect plant for the perfect spot and incorporating plants into your indoor decor….There are creative ideas for displaying plants, tips on caring for your new leafy friends, and primers on potting and troubleshooting.” — ONIX Annotations
“How the World is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America” by Clint Smith — “Both an honoring and an exposé of slavery’s legacy in America and how this nation is built upon the experiences, blood, sweat and tears of the formerly enslaved.”―The Root
“I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump’s Catastrophic Final Year” by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker — “Incisive, dramatic and masterful . . . Leonnig and Rucker capture it all. Just when we think, in absorbing these horrific events of the transfer of power to Joe Biden, that we can’t be shocked any more—we are. The tumult is raw and real and ugly. The Trump Oval Office is a place defiled. As they showed us previously, their reporting is as authoritative and seamless as the legends they have now succeeded—Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein—under the shield of the venerable Post.” —The Sydney Morning Herald
“Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art” by Rebecca Wragg Sykes — “[T]hrough painstaking forensic analysis of an eclectic collection of fragmented artifacts, and in a manner at times achieving the suspense and excitement of a Hollywood thriller, Ms. Wragg Sykes makes a bold and magnificent attempt to resurrect our Neanderthal kin.” ―The Wall Street Journal
“Let’s Make Dumplings!: A Comic Book Cookbook” by Hugo Amano — “This terrific book is perfect for anyone obsessed with stuffed doughy morsels!”—Andrea Nguyen, James Beard Award–winning author, The Pho Cookbook and Asian Dumplings
“Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts In Your Yard” by Douglas W. Tallamy — “To support conservation efforts, you need look no farther than your own backyard… Nature’s Best Hope offers practical tips for creating habitat that protects and nurtures nature.” —National Geographic
“No Spring Chicken: Stories and Advice from a Wild Handicapper on Aging and Disability” by Francine Falk-Allen — “Part of her book is designed to encourage all of her readers―disabled or not―to go out and explore the wider world, hence the amount of practical advice in these pages… She looks squarely at the additional challenges handicapped people face when traveling and offers exuberant encouragement. A fun, spirited book…” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk and the Bet of the Century” by Tim Higgins — “[Power Play] eschews sensationalism for a high-resolution portrait of how exactly an unusual man and an unusual company managed a meteoric rise…. The tale of Tesla’s ascent is inherently dramatic and compellingly told.” —NPR.org
“Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut” by Nicholas Schmidle — “A riveting account of the underreported commercial space race, which has up until now lacked a worthy storyteller…The sections of the book that narrate how Virgin Galactic gets to space are replete with white-knuckled descriptions of booster rockets, pilots braving the ‘transonic zone,’ everything you’d hope to read were Mailer or Wolfe alive today to tell the tale…[a] deeply reported and deeply personal book. It is a masterly work, a reminder of what should inspire us all.” ―The New York Times Book Review
“The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power” by Shoshana Zuboff — “A definitive, stunning analysis of how digital giants like Google, Facebook, etc. have single-mindedly pursued data on human behavior as fodder for generating predictions and shaping outcomes salable to advertisers and others…The scope of her analysis is extraordinary; in addition to covering philosophical, social, and political implications she discusses needed privacy regulation…This book is pathbreaking, illuminating, and unnerving.”―CHOICE
“This Is Your Mind on Plants” by Michael Pollan — “Delightful . . . [This Is Your Mind On Plants] aims to collapse the distinctions between legal and illegal, medical and recreational, exotic and everyday, by appealing to the principle that unites the three: the affinities between plant biochemistry and the human mind.” —New York Review of Books
PARENTING
“8 Great Smarts: Discover and Nurture Your Child’s Intelligences” by Kathy Koch — Do you wish your child could see how smart he or she is?
Find hope in 8 Great Smarts. You’ll be empowered and equipped with new language and creative ideas for how to:
- Accept and affirm your child’s unique smarts
- Motivate your child to learn and study with all 8 smarts
- Reawaken any “paralyzed” smarts
- Redirect misbehavior in new, constructive ways
- Guide your child spiritually, relationally, and to a good career fit” — Amazon.com
PICTURE BOOKS
“A Map Into the World” by Kao Kalia Yang
“Areli Is a Dreamer” by Areli Morales
“Green on Green” by Dianne White
“How to Write a Story” by Kate Messner
“If You Go Down to the Woods Today” by Rachel Piercey
“Jenny Mei is Sad” by Tracy Subisak
“Julian At the Wedding” by Jessica Love
“Love is Powerful” by Heather Dean Brewer
“Made by Hand: A Crafts Sampler” by Carole Lexa Schaefer
“Night Walk to the Sea” by Deborah Wiles
“On the Trapline” by David Robertson
“Outside, Inside” by LeUyen Pham
“Sleep Tight Farm: A Farm Prepares for Winter” by Eugenia Doyle
“The Night Walk” by Marie Dorleans
“The Old Truck” by Jarrett Pumphrey
“The Tree Guardian” by Lea Vis
“The Water Lady: How Darlene Arviso Helps a Thirsty Navajo Nation” by Alice B. McGinty
“Titan and the Wild Boars: The True Cave Rescue of the Thai Soccer Team” by Susan Hood
“Usha and the Stolen Sun” by Bree Galbraith
“What’s Cooking at 10 Garden Street?” by Felicita Sala
“Wild is the Wind” by Grahame Baker-Smith
“Wishes” by Muon Van
“Wonder Walkers” by Micha Archer
JUVENILE FICTION
“A Good Kind of Trouble” by Lisa Moore Ramee — “Shayla navigates the world of middle school and the troubled world beyond with wit and endless heart. A timely, funny, and unforgettable debut about friendship, facing your fears, and standing up for what’s right.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
JUVENILE NON-FICTION
“Amazing Science: 83 Hands on S.T.E.A.M. Experiments for Curious Kids!” by Aubre Andrus — “…incredibly engaging….Readers will turn their kitchens into laboratories to practice the scientific method, collect data, test hypotheses, and have so much fun getting their hands messy as they explore food science, water, energy, motion, games, slime, grime, and the great outdoors…. Amazing Science is fun for parents and kids alike, who will all appreciate learning and enjoying time together along the way.” — Booklist, starred review
“Monarch Butterflies: Explore the Life Journey of One of the Winged Wonders of the World” by Anne Hobbie — “Monarchs are a favorite and familiar North American butterfly, and their incredible annual migration has captured the popular imagination for generations. As populations of monarchs decline dramatically due to habitat loss and climate change, interest in and enthusiasm for protecting these beloved pollinators has skyrocketed. With easy-to-read text and colorful, engaging illustrations, Monarch Butterflies presents young readers with rich, detailed information about the monarchs’ life cycle, anatomy, and the wonders of their signature migration, as well as how to raise monarchs at home and the cultural significance of monarchs in Day of the Dead celebrations. As the book considers how human behavior has harmed monarchs, it offers substantive ways kids can help make a positive difference. Children will learn how to turn lawns into native plant gardens, become involved in citizen science efforts such as tagging migrating monarchs and participating in population counts, and support organizations that work to conserve butterflies.” — ONIX annotations
“Out of the Blue: How Animals Evolved from Prehistoric Seas” by Elizabeth Shreeve — “This short book guides the reader from the beginnings of life eons ago through to the present day, beginning with an Earth devoid of life and following water-dwelling, single-celled creatures that develop and change as they move “out of the blue” and onto land. The text explains the adaptations that were necessary for animals to live out of the water, as well as how some animals survived (and how others didn’t) during the several extinction events that Earth has suffered.” —School Library Connection
YOUNG ADULT GRAPHIC NOVEL
“Orange: The Complete Collection” by Ichigo Takano — “Orange: The Complete Collection is a romantic comedy manga series by shoujo author and artist Ichigo Takano. This critically-lauded manga series will tug at your heartstrings with its central plot device about time travel and communication with a future self.” — McMillan Palgrave
