SCLS Staff Picks - Summer 2024

What we're reading - all available to borrow from our branches.

Updated August 8, 2024
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All the colors of the dark :
Whitaker, Chris,
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of We Begin at the End comes a soaring thriller and an epic love story that "hits like a sledgehammer . . . an absolutely must-read novel" (Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl). Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as...
All the light we cannot see : a novel
Doerr, Anthony
Paper Book
*NOW A NETFLIX LIMITED SERIES--from producer and director Shawn Levy (Stranger Things) starring Mark Ruffalo, Hugh Laurie, and newcomer Aria Mia Loberti* Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, the beloved instant New York Times bestseller...
The antique hunter's guide to murder :
Miller, C. L.
Paper Book
USA TODAY BESTSELLER In this fun, cozy, debut mystery, an antiques hunter investigates a suspicious death at an isolated English manor, embroiling her in the high-stakes world of tracking stolen artifacts. What antique would you kill for? ...
Ban this book
Gratz, Alan
Paper Book
You're Never Too Young to Fight Censorship! In Ban This Book by Alan Gratz, a fourth grader fights back when From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg is challenged by a well-meaning parent and taken off the shelves of her...
Before the fall
Hawley, Noah
Paper Book
On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are the painter Scott Burroughs and a four...
Braiding sweetgrass : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Bestseller Named a "Best Essay Collection of the Decade" by Literary Hub As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member...
A calamity of souls
Baldacci, David
Paper Book
Set in the tumultuous year of 1968 in southern Virginia, a racially-charged murder case sets a duo of white and Black lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully-accused Black defendants in this courtroom drama from #1 New York Times ...
Camp zero : a novel
Sterling, Michelle Min
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick Libby Book Award Winner for Best Diverse Author In a near-future northern settlement, the fates of a young woman, a professor, and a mysterious...
Dear Mrs. Bird :
Pearce, A. J .
Paper Book
This charming, irresistible debut novel set in London during World War II about a young woman who longs to be a war correspondent and inadvertantly becomes a secret advice columnist is "a jaunty, heartbreaking winner" (People)--for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie...
Demon Copperhead : a novel
Kingsolver, Barbara
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE * WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION New York Times Readers' Pick: Top 100 Books of the 21st Century * An Oprah's Book Club Selection * An Instant New York Times Bestseller * An Instant Wall Street Journal Bestseller * A #1 Washington Post...
Fairy tale : a novel
King, Stephen
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times Bestseller and New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice! Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world...
Finlay Donovan is killing it /
Cosimano, Elle.
Paper Book
"Getting the job done" for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It. A USA Today bestseller! One of Suspense Magazine's "Best Thrillers of 2021" One of New York Public Library's Best Books of 2021 Nominated for...
A gentleman in Moscow
Towles, Amor
Paper Book
A New York Times "Readers' Choice: Best Books of the 21st Century" Pick The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers--Now a Paramount+ with Showtime series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Rostov From the #1 New York Times...
Grandma Gatewood's walk :
Montgomery, Ben.
Paper Book
2014 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in History / Biography Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two hundred dollars. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm...
The great alone
Hannah, Kristin
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Instant Bestseller In Kristin Hannah's The Great Alone, a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in...
The handmaid's tale
Atwood, Margaret
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from "the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction" (The New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss. Look for The Testaments, the...
Heartless
Meyer, Marissa
Paper Book
From Marissa Meyer, the #1 New York Times-bestselling romantasy of Wonderland's most notorious villain: the Queen of Hearts. Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most...
Home is where the bodies are /
Rose, Jeneva
Paper Book
From New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Marriage and You Shouldn't Have Come Here comes a chilling family thriller about the (sometimes literal) skeletons in the closet. After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest,...
The house of wolves /
Patterson, James,
Paper Book
Instant New York Times Bestseller!  James Patterson and Mike Lupica are the thriller dream team! Jenny Wolf's murdered father leaves her in charge of a billion-dollar empire--and a family more ruthless than Succession's Roys and...
How to stay invisible /
Rudd, Maggie,
Paper Book
My Side of the Mountain meets How to Steal a Dog in this high-stakes and heartfelt middle-grade story of a young boy and his dog surviving on their own in the woods. Being alone is something Raymond is used to. Twelve-year-old Raymond Hurley...
The hunting party :
Foley, Lucy
Paper Book
Don't miss Lucy Foley's new book, The Midnight Feast, coming June 18th! THE DEBUT THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE REESE BOOK CLUB PICK THE GUEST LIST All of them are friends. One of them is a killer. "A ripping, riveting murder mystery -- wily as Agatha Christie, charged with...
The Kamogawa food detectives
Kashiwai, Hisashi
Paper Book
" A bestseller in Japan, The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai is a celebration of good company and the power of a delicious meal. The Kamogawa Food Detectives, translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, is the first book in...
Leather & lark /
Weaver, Brynne,
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "I don't just want to hear her laugh, I need to earn it. Every time I gain a little ground, I want more. I want to break out of the shade and back into her light. Without even realizing it, I've become addicted to it....
Liar, temptress, soldier, spy :
Abbott, Karen,
Paper Book
Karen Abbott, the New York Times bestselling author of Sin in the Second City and "pioneer of sizzle history" (USA Today), tells the spellbinding true story of four women who risked everything to become spies during the Civil War. Karen Abbott illuminates one of the most fascinating yet...
Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books
Miller, Kirsten
Paper Book
"Kirsten Miller has that rare ability to take a serious subject and make it very, very funny. I enjoyed this novel and you will too."--James Patterson The provocative and hilarious summer read that will have book lovers cheering and everyone talking! Kirsten Miller, author of The Change,...
Margo's got money troubles :
Thorpe, Rufi.
Paper Book
"Margo's Got Money Troubles is the feel-good novel we need right now." --The Washington Post  "[An] enormously entertaining and lovable book." --Nick Hornby, New York Times Book Review    A bold, laugh-out-loud funny, and heartwarming story about one young woman...
The ministry of time /
Bradley, Kaliane
Paper Book
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF SUMMER 2024 * A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK * ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMER "This summer's hottest debut." --Cosmopolitan * "Witty, sexy escapist...
Normal family : on truth, love, and how I met my 35 siblings
Bilton, Chrysta
Paper Book
This riveting, nuanced memoir about unforgettable individuals thrown together by chance and DNA tells a story of nature, nurture, and coming to terms with one's true inheritance. What is a "normal family," and how do you go about making one? Chrysta Bilton's magnetic, larger-than...
North woods :
Mason, Daniel
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR A WASHINGTON POST TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told...
One puzzling afternoon /
Critchley, Emily,
Paper Book
One of People Magazine's "must-read" books! "A clever, keep-'em-guessing murder mystery, an empathetic yet realistic portrayal of the toll dementia takes, and a meditation on how the brain can bury the most tragic memories...An outstanding must-read." --Booklist, STARRED review ...
The pillars of the earth /
Follett, Ken
Paper Book
If you liked the Century Trilogy, you'll love the "extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece" (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett's already phenomenal career. "Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner," extolled Publishers Weekly on the release...
The power of habit : why we do what we do in life and business
Duhigg, Charles
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * MORE THAN 3 MILLION COPIES SOLD * This instant classic explores how we can change our lives by changing our habits. "Few [books] become essential manuals for business and living. The Power of Habit is an exception."--Financial...
Project Hail Mary : a novel
Weir, Andy
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING RYAN GOSLING AND DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER LORD AND PHIL MILLER From the author of The Martian, a lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this "propulsive" (Entertainment...
Remarkably bright creatures :
Van Pelt, Shelby,
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern Living * USA Today "Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good but deceptively...
Rules of civility /
Towles, Amor.
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and A Gentleman in Moscow, a "sharply stylish" (Boston Globe) book about a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds...
The secrets of Wishtide : a Laetitia Rodd mystery
Saunders, Kate
Paper Book
Mrs. Laetitia Rodd, aged fifty-two, is the widow of an archdeacon. Living in Hampstead with her confidante and landlady, Mrs. Bentley, who once let rooms to John Keats, Laetitia makes her living as a highly discreet private investigator. Her brother, Frederick Tyson, is a criminal...
Sociopath :
Gagne, Patric
Paper Book
The acclaimed New York Times bestselling memoir of the author's struggle to understand her own sociopathy and shed light on the often maligned and misunderstood mental disorder. "A cross between a podcast by relationship therapist Esther Perel and a salacious tell-all."...
The spellshop /
Durst, Sarah Beth.
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER! A #1 LibraryReads pick! An Indie Next pick! A gorgeous hardcover edition featuring lavender sprayed edges! The Spellshop is Sarah Beth Durst's romantasy debut-a lush...
The stranger in the lifeboat :
Albom, Mitch,
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller What would happen if we called on God for help and God actually appeared? In Mitch Albom's profound new novel of hope and faith, a group of shipwrecked passengers pull a strange man from the sea. He claims to be "the Lord." And he says he can only save them if...
Table for two :
Towles, Amor.
Paper Book
An Instant New York Times Bestseller "A knockout collection. ... Sharp-edged satire deceptively wrapped like a box of Neuhaus chocolates, Table for Two is a winner." --The New York Times "Superb ... This may be Towles' best book yet. Each tale is as...
The Thursday murder club
Osman, Richard
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller | Soon to be a Major Motion Picture "Don't trust anyone, including the four septuagenarian sleuths in Osman's own laugh-out-loud whodunit." --Parade We Solve Murders, a new series from Richard Osman, coming...
The underground library : a novel
Ryan, Jennifer
Paper Book
When the Blitz imperils the heart of a London neighborhood, three young women must use their fighting spirit to save the community's beloved library in this novel based on true events from the author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. When the new deputy...
The war that saved my life /
Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker.
Paper Book
* Newbery Honor Book * #1 New York Times Bestseller * Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award  * Forbes 25 Top Historical Fiction Books Of All Time selection * Wall Street Journal Best Children's Books of the Year selection * New York...
When women ran Fifth Avenue :
Satow, Julie,
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A glittering portrait of the golden age of American department stores and of three visionary women who led them, from the award-winning author of The Plaza. * "Ms. Satow's carefully researched book is compulsively readable: I found myself dashing...
The women
Hannah, Kristin
Paper Book
A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times! From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women--at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a...
Yellowface :
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK "Hard to put down, harder to forget." -- Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author White lies. Dark humor. Deadly consequences... Bestselling sensation Juniper Song is not who she says she...

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