Past Staff Picks

Here are more great books to read!

People We Meet On Vacation

Author: Emily Henry

Genre: Romance

This is a fun read. It is about 2 best friends, one male and the other female, who are total opposites. After a chance meeting when one needed a ride home from college to their same hometown, they have become great friends and vacation each year for one week together. Though each has a unique personality, it takes 10 years and a lot of vacation and relationship drama before either one admits they are in love with each other. – Cindy S.

The Guest List

Author: Lucy Foley

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

A famous couple’s “perfect” wedding takes place on a remote island off the coast of Ireland but takes a turn for the worse when a dead body is found. Who on the guest list is the killer? Was it a member of the bridal party or one of the many guests with a secret to hide? (Print) – Sue H.

Canterbury Tales

Author: Chaucer, Geoffrey

Genre: Epic poetry/Frame tale

Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories framed in a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas au Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Thirty pilgrims undertake the journey, each telling their story from their individual perspectives. Chaucer’s pilgrims illustrate in hilarious epic/poetic form how human nature has not changed over the centuries. The Miller’s tale is perhaps the funniest and most illuminous illustration that human nature during the period of 1387–1400 remains the same today. Written in Middle English, but available in Modern English translation. (Print with a good modern translation) – Diane H.

Fifty Words for Rain

Author: Asha Lemmie

Genre: Fiction

This is a page turner that follows the life of a girl in Japan during the early 1950’s. It’s the story of her heritage and her strength. You won’t be disappointed. – Ginny S.

The Twisted Ones

Author: T. Kingfisher

Genre: Folk Thriller

“When Mouse’s dad asks her to clean out her dead grandmother’s house, she says yes. After all, how bad could it be?Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there’s more—Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather’s journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants…until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself.” A quietly creepy novel that will give you tingles up your spine. The main character is relatable and one of the best parts is her silly, loveable hound dog. – Erin H.

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Romance Fantasy

“Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So, when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price. Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jeweled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.” Epic, romantic, dark, and gritty, this Beauty and the Beast retelling starts off slow but then completely surprises you by the end. This is being made into a TV show by the showrunner of Outlander. – Erin

Our Woman in Moscow

Author: Beatriz Williams

Genre: Historical Fiction

This is an exciting novel that takes place during the early years of the Cold War. It explores the lives of two sisters and the espionage ring that takes the younger sister to Moscow and the older one to follow in order to bring her baby sister and her children home. The author comments that she got the idea for the book when she came across information about the Cambridge spy ring while doing research for another work. – Sue H.

Nineteen Minutes

Author: Jody Picoult

Genre: Fiction

Jodi Picoult, bestselling author of My Sister’s Keeper and Small Great Things pens her most riveting book yet, with a startling and poignant story about the devastating aftermath of a small-town tragedy. (Amazon.com) – Sharon B.

The Husband’s Secret

Author: Liane Moriarty

Genre: Fiction

Imagine your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not only the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. And then imagine that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive…(Amazon.com) – Sharon B.

All the Light We Cannot See

Author: Anthony Doerr

Genre: Historical Fiction

From Anthony Doerr, the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning author of Cloud Cuckoo Land, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. (Amazon.com) – Sharon B.

The Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

Genre: Fantasy

This was a very thought provoking read. We have all thought back on our lives and the decisions we’ve made along the way; and wondered how different our life may have been if we had chosen an alternate path. This book takes you through the life’s regrets of the main character, Nora, and the many possibilities of different outcomes had she made other choices in her life. This book is worth your time. – Cynthia S.

The Ride of Her Life

Author: Elizabeth Letts

Genre: Biography

The Ride of Her Life is a true story about Annie Wilkins, who in 1954, was a sixty-three-old farmer from Maine. She had just lost her farm to back taxes, had no relatives and had just been diagnosed with cancer and given two years to live. Instead of following the Dr. orders to go into the county’s charity home, she decided she wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before she died. She bought a cast-off brown gelding named Tarzan, put on a pile of men’s clothes and with her mutt started off from Maine in mid-November, hoping to beat the snow. She had no map or phone, and good roads were just coming into being. Elizabeth Letts, also the author of Finding Dorothy, The Perfect Horse and The Eighty-Dollar Companion,includes much interesting information about the places she travels, and the people she meets, including Andrew Wyeth, Art Linkletter and Groucho Marx.

Between 1954 and 1956, she and her companions journeyed more than 4,000 miles through America’s big cities and small towns trusting in her belief that Americans would treat a stranger with kindness. – Bonnie K.

Migrations

Author: Charlotte McConaghy

Genre: Fiction

I just finished this book and it was an interesting read. There were many plot twists and revelations along the way into the main character, Franny Stone. The author takes you almost to the very end before the reality of what happened to the main character is revealed. Worth having in our fiction collection. – Cynthia S.

Maggie Finds Her Muse

Author: Dee Ernst

Genre: Fiction / Light Romance

This is a fun Summer read with a light romantic May-December story between “Maggie”, a frustrated novel writer with writer’s block and a handsome younger man she meets in Paris while trying to find her inspiration. – Cynthia S.

Naked in Death

Author: J.D. Robb

Genre: Fiction

Series: In Death

The In Death series is a futuristic suspense series written by J.D. Robb. The story is set in mid-21st-century New York City and it centers around Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her billionaire husband, Roarke. – Sharon B.

Flat Broke With Two Goats

Author: Jennifer McGaha

Genre: Memoir

If someone had told Jennifer McGaha that she and her husband would lose almost everything in the 2008 recession, she wouldn’t have believed a word. And what if they told her that they would move into a run-down cabin on 53 acres, raising chickens and dairy goats, and living off the land? Well, that is exactly what did happen. In this delightful memoir, McGaha makes no excuses for their situation but gives the reader a glimpse into this new-found life of making soap, fighting off copperheads, and breeding dairy goats. It also has her thinking about her ancestors, who lived as she is now, in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. And with it comes a new appreciation for the knowledge and struggles of those who came before her. This is a great read. – Nancy H.

Moreta

Author: Anne McCaffrey

Genre: Fantasy

Moreta tells an epic tale in Dragonrider history. Pern is an idyllic world, where humans had settled far from earth. They now live in a feudal society shaped by the deadly Thread which arrives every 50 years. Now a new threat appears – a pandemic illness – and they must scramble, scrabble, and search the records of their ancestors to survive the plague. The sequel, Nerilka tells the personal tale of a woman who lives through this tough part of their history. – Julia S.

Happiness Will Follow

Author: Mike Hawthorne

Genre: Adult Graphic Novel – Memoir

I chose Happiness Will Follow because it covers a topic that people not familiar with graphic novels might not recognize as “graphic novel material”. Mike Hawthorne is an American comic book artist. His work appears in well-known books such as Deadpool and G.I. Joe. This memoir depicts growing up in Pennsylvania with his single mother Blanca, a native of Puerto Rico, struggling to get by in the U.S. Because I was unfamiliar with this format, I did find the story difficult to follow at first. However, I eventually picked up the rhythm of the story and found it to be brutally honest. I recommend this book for anyone wanting to try their first graphic novel. It’s not an easy read, but well worth the time. – Nancy H.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

Author: James Herriot

Genre: Nonfiction

This true account of a country veterinarian in the British Isles takes us through 40 years of James Herriot’s life. You will belly-laugh and you will cry reading these engrossing stories. Herriot shares his personal as well as professional life with us. There is beautiful romance and a fair amount of tension as he tells about his courtship with Helen, the woman who becomes his wife. There are heartbreaking and heart-warming stories about his experiences with the animals who are his patients. The quirky characters are skillfully and hilariously highlighted in dialect. This book kicks of an entire series of the life of a gifted author who takes you in with every sentence. – Diane H.

The Promise

by Chaim Potok

Genre: Fiction

From the Back Cover: “A superb mirror of a place, a time, and a group of people who capture our immediate interest and hold it tightly.”
THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: “Young Reuven Malter is unsure of himself and his place in life. An unconventional scholar, he struggles for recognition from his teachers. With his old friend Danny Saunders–who himself had abandoned the legacy as the chosen heir to his father’s rabbinical dynasty for the uncertain life of a healer–Reuvan battles to save a sensitive boy imprisoned by his genius and rage. Painfully, triumphantly, Reuven’s understanding of himself, though the boy change, as he starts to approach the peace he has long sought… (From the Paperback edition) – Sharon B.

Tainted Moonlight

Author: Erin Kelly

Genre: Urban Fantasy

A former Brown Bag Book Club selection, this local authors first in a trilogy, brings to life characters facing a pandemic that changes people into werewolves and vampires. How does the Syracuse area handle the disparity between humans and werewolves? How does our protagonist, Korban Diego survive in his new world when a vicious attack transforms him into a werewolf? Those in our book club that had never read a fantasy novel, enjoyed it! – Jacquie O.

My Name is Asher Lev

By: Chaim Potok

Genre: Fiction

From the Back Cover: “Asher Lev is a Ladover Hasid who keep kosher, prays three times a day and believes in Ribbono Shel Olom, the Master of the Universe. Asher Lev is an artist who is compulsively driven to render the world he sees and feels even when it leads him to blasphemy. In this stirring and often visionary novel, Chaim Potok traces Asher’s passage between these two identities, the one consecrated to God, the other subject only to the imagination. Asher Lev grows up in a cloistered Hasidic community in postwar Brooklyn, a world suffused by ritual and revolving around a charismatic Rebbe. But in time his gift threatens to estrange him from that world and the parents he adores, As it follows his struggle, My Name is Asher Lev becomes a luminous portrait of the artist by turns heartbreaking and exultant, a modern classic.” – Sharon B.

Evergreen

by Belva Plain

Genre: Fiction (First of five in a series)

From the Publisher: “The towering modern classic of passion and ambition that forever changed the way we see the courageous immigrants who came to America’s shores — the story of Anna Friedman transfixes us with the turbulent emotions of a woman and her family touched by war, tragedy, and the devastating secrets of one forbidden love… bittersweet and evergreen.”

“A magnificent story…this beautifully written book will be treasured and reread for many years to come.” — Library Journal.

– Sharon B.

The Thorn Birds

by Colleen McCullough

Genre: Fiction

One of the most beloved novels of all time, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough’s sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback, returns to enthrall a new generation. – Sharon B.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

by Betty Smith

Genre: Fiction

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a 1943 semi-autobiographical novel written by Betty Smith. The story focuses on an impoverished but aspirational adolescent girl and her family living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, during the first two decades of the 20th century. – Sharon B.

Hope Made Real

Author: Arlene D. Brown, co-authored with her daughter, Patricia D. Brown

Genre: Biography

On the morning Arlene Brown read in her hometown newspaper about the abandoned children in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, she did what few retirees would ever consider doing. She joined a mission group to make the long journey to Africa. Her memoir, Hope Made Real is filled with rich experiences and courageous action. Mama Arlene’s quest to help repair the world happens in Nuhanga, Rwanda- the home of the Urukundo Learning Center which she founded. At age ninety, her life continues to move in strange and wonderful directions. Saving the world may be out of her ability. But, with courage, tenaity and most of all love, Arlene continues to make a difference. – Bonnie K.

Mudbound

Author: Hillary Jordan

Genre: Fiction

World War 2 has just ended-racism and the Jim Crow Laws are playing a dominant role in our society. This is the story of Laura McAllan, who is city-bred and gets whisked off to a small town in southern Mississippi. She ends up living on a farm in nothing more than a shack. She endures one struggle after another while trying to raise her family. She endures many hardships, but through strength and determination she survives. – Ginny S.

Judgment Calls

Author: Alafair Burke

Genre: Mystery

If you like watching Law & Order SVU and reading about strong female protagonists, then you’ll enjoy this series starter written by Alafair Burke, daughter of author James Lee Burke. A former deputy district attorney for Multnomah County (Portland, Oregon) Burke’s book gives readers a close look into the judicial system, from gathering evidence to support a case to grand jury sessions. And her lead character, Samantha Kincaid is both smart and compassionate toward her clients. Read this and you’ll want to pick up the next book in the series. – Nancy H.

Fox Crossing

Author: Melinda Metz

Genre: Fiction

Summer is the time for fun and easy reads and this book checks off both boxes. Taking place in the quaint fictional town of Fox Crossing, located on the Appalachian Trail in Maine, this is a hiker’s last stop before beginning the 100-mile wilderness. There’s a town-full of likeable characters led by Annie Hatherley, the head-strong, hiking-knowledgeable proprietor of Hatherley’s Outfitters and Nick Ferrone, who comes to hike the trail to forget recent events in his life. Add an actual fox, who may or may not be what the locals think she is, and you have a delightful rom com adventure story. If you enjoy this one, you’ll want to read Metz’s next book Crazy Like a Fox, coming out this December. – Nancy H.

Into the Drowning Deep

Author: Mira Grant

Genre: Fantasy/Horror

Quote: “The seas did not forgive, and they did not welcome their wayward children home.” Into the Drowning Deep is all the best of the horror genre – tense atmosphere, creative horror, interesting characters, fantastic writing, and something going on beneath the surface. It takes the legend of mermaids/sirens and flips it on its head! I absolutely could not put this book down. Certain scenes stayed with me long after the pages were through. – Erin H.

The House in the Cerulean Sea

Author: T.J Klune

Genre: Fantasy

Quote: “Change often starts with the smallest of whispers. Like-minded people building it up to a roar.” House in the Cerulean Sea is a charming novel, with a heartwarming found family, and how it leads to healing and love. The motley crew of characters are a mixture of lovable, humorous, and frightening. This book leaves you with a feeling of warmth and comfort. – Erin H.

Dark Matter

Author: Blake Crouch

Genre: Science Fiction/Suspense

Quote: “We all live day to day completely oblivious to the fact that we’re a part of a much larger and stranger reality than we can possibly imagine.” This thought-provoking, emotionally gripping book will dig its claws in and not let go. Ever think of what your life would be like if you made just a few different choices? If you enjoy twists and turns, this book is for you. Be prepared to stay up late at night with this rollercoaster of a book! – Erin H.

Shelved Under Murder

Author: Victoria Gilbert

Genre: Adult Mystery

Series: Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #2

Small town Library director Amy Webber is getting ready for the library table which will be part of the yard sale at the annual Heritage Festival. Things go along per usual until Amy and her assistant discover a dead body when they visit an artist’s studio to pick up the paintings that the artist is donation to the library table. Instead of paintings they find the artist dead, murdered by her own pallet knife. Thus starts a series of events and research involving Amy, her aunt, assistant and boyfriend to name a few. As the story progresses Amy’s deceased uncle, an international art theft/forgery ring, another dead body and some intriguing characters all play a role as the story unfolds. It is a great murder mystery story without being too descriptive in terms of the descriptions of the dead bodies. Then just when you think the story has come to a conclusion there is more intrigue. A great story with a littel romance thrown in for good measure. A friend gave me the booking thinking that as someone who likes good mysteries and is a librarian that I would enjoy the book and indeed I did. In fact it is the second story, of five, in the Blue Ridge Library Series and now I am going to read the rest of the books in the series. If you liked the series Murder She Wrote you will like Blue Ridge Library Series. – Meg V.

Clock Dance

Author: Anne Tyler

Genre: Adult Fiction

The quirky but loveable residents of Dorcas Road help Willa find the purpose to her life she has been looking for in this enjoyable novel by Anne Tyler. As with all Ms. Tyler’s books, the story flows well, characters are relatable, and as a woman of about the same age, it was easy for me to relate to Willa. A great summer read. – Nancy H.

The Exiles

Author: Christina Baker Kline

Genre: Historical fiction

By the author of Orphan Train, this historical fiction book chronicles the lives of female convicts sent to the penal colony in Australia in the 1840’s. Her research makes the story authentic and you care about her characters. – Suzanne M.

The Library Book

Author: Susan Orlean

Genre: Narrative nonfiction

On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded at the Los Angeles Public Library. The moment passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual false alarm. It burned for more than seven hours, consumed four hundred thousand volumes and damaged seven hundred thousand more. The question remained 30 years later in terms of whether or not someone started the fire and if so why. The author looks at the investigation and as part of the story, she weaves in the history of the library starting with Mary Foy; who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library. This entertaining history shows the evolution of libraries overall and the role of libraries in society nationally and internationally. It shows how some things that were thought of as new in libraries were actually introduced decades ago. A great read. – Meg V.

Clan of the Cave Bear

Author: Jean M. Auel

Genre: Historical Fiction

I loved this series for several reasons.
Clan of the cave bear is a fictious tale that takes place in prehistoric times. It is very well-researched and surprisingly realistic. The main character, Ayla, is abandoned by her tribe because she is so “ugly.” By today’s standards, many American readers would consider her beautiful. She is tough, resilient and wise. Her life’s ups & downs illustrate how human nature has not changed over the millennia. There is domestic abuse and escape from it, along with many other issues that are still relevant today. Although the main character is a woman, this story can capture the interest of anyone. – Diane E. H.

Pedigree to Die For

Melanie Travis Series

Author: Laurien Berenson

Genre: Mystery

“In the Melanie Travis series of murder mysteries, the primary protagonist is a school teacher, Melanie Travis, who owns and shows several full size pedigree Standard Poodles. All of her (mis)adventures involve the dog show circuit in varying degrees, providing an entertaining view into the world of raising and showing dogs.” Wikipedia

This series is fun, light, full of dogs and humor even while a murderer is being sought. – Sharon B.

Perestroika in Paris

Author: Jane Smiley

Genre: Adult Fiction

This was a good, clean, delight of a read complete with talking animals and the Parisians they encounter (and thankfully completely devoid of anything Gorbachev). I was hooked from the beginning. – Pam D.

Sparks Like Stars

Author: Nadia Hashimi

Genre: Adult Fiction

Reminiscent of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, this book mixes childhood trauma and pilfered treasure. Set in 1978 Afghanistan and 2008 America, this novel won’t disappoint for fans of rich prose. – Pam D.

The Splendid and the Vile

Author: Erik Larson

Genre: Narrative nonfiction

I thought I knew a lot about World War Two, but I learned so much more about the English experience and especially the London Blitz – and yet, it read like a story! I understand much better how the different countries’ stories fit together. Erik Larson has scrupulously crafted the story from first-hand accounts, which means everything in the book was reported by someone who was there. There were a few dull moments, but there were many, many things to discover about the people, places, and events that I never knew. – Julia S.

Last updated: August 2, 2022 RMS