2024 February Staff Picks

Check out what we've been reading/watching and loving!

Updated February 1, 2024
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After world : a novel
Urbanski, Debbie
Paper Book
One of Booklist's Top 10 SF/Fantasy and Horror Debuts: 2024 One of Los Angeles Times's Best Tech Books of 2023 One of San Francisco Chronicle's Favorite Books of 2023 A Climate Reality Project Book Club Pick An "intelligent,...

Jessica says: Okay, I didn't actually *like* this book, but I will certainly never forget it! Readers beware: this book will take you to dark places and drown you in climate change dread.

Hench : a novel
Walschots, Natalie Zina
Paper Book
"This book is fast, furious, compelling, and angry as hell." -- Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author The Boys meets My Year of Rest and Relaxation in this smart, imaginative, and evocative novel of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption, told with razor-sharp wit and...

Ashlee says: When the ends don't justify the means in the battle of good versus evil, you find yourself rooting for the villainous henchwoman bent on bringing down the superheroes!

The invisible hour : a novel
Hoffman, Alice
Paper Book
One brilliant June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia's mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community -- an oppressive cult in western...
Bonnie says:
Jane Austen's wardrobe
Davidson, Hilary (Fashion historian)
Paper Book
Hilary Davidson delves into the clothing of one of the world's great authors, providing unique and intimate insight into her everyday life and material world   What did Jane Austen wear?   Acclaimed dress historian and Austen...
Heather says: This is an intimate look at the clothing and accessories that Jane Austen may have worn throughout her life based on her letters to her sister Cassandra. Every 1-3 pages is about a different garment, so it's a very browsable book and fun to pick up and read about one or two things at a time. Recommended for anyone who wants to know more about Jane Austen as a person or is interested in historical fashion!
Maybe next time : a novel
Major, Cesca
Paper Book
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK  A heartwarming and emotionally poignant time-loop novel about a stressed woman who must relive the same day over and over, keeping her family and work life from imploding as she attempts to spare her husband from an unfortunate fate.  It is an...

Maria says: Maybe Next Time was heart wrenching and I wasn't able to put it down. 5 stars!

One summer America, 1927
Bryson, Bill.
Paper Book
A Chicago Tribune Noteworthy Book A GoodReads Reader's Choice In One Summer Bill Bryson, one of our greatest and most beloved nonfiction writers, transports readers on a journey back to one amazing season in American life. The summer of 1927 began...

Stephanie says: So much to learn! This book takes you through not just a single summer in world history, but also sets the stage for more well-known later events, such as the Great Depression.

The reformatory : a novel
Due, Tananarive
Paper Book
*Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner * New York Times Notable Book * Locus Award Finalist * Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award * "You're in for a treat...one of those books you can't put down...Due hit it out of the park." --Stephen King ...

Jill says: The Reformatory is a page turning historical fiction and ghost story blend set in Jim Crow Florida. The characters are richly developed and the story covers themes of racism and family bonds. I found the personal inspiration the author drew on to create the characters and write the story fascinating.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Zevin, Gabrielle
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Sam and Sadie--two college friends, often in love, but never lovers--become creative partners in a dazzling and intricately imagined world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality. It...
Meg says: It was special to me because the characters felt so true to life and I related to the ways they loved one another.
Untangled : guiding teenage girls through the seven transitions into adulthood
Damour, Lisa
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * An award-winning guide to the sometimes erratic and confusing behavior of teenage girls from the author of Untangled and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers Dr. Lisa Damour worked as an expert collaborator on Pixar's Inside Out 2!...

Ashlee says: Parenting a teen girl doesn't have to be dreaded or contentious! If you can listen to the audiobook, do it, because Damour's voice soothes and encourages you like great advice from a favorite aunt or a big sister.

The Wager : a tale of shipwreck, mutiny and murder
Grann, David
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager...

Renee says: Surprising, suspenseful, and riveting. This book is for anyone who likes a spell-binding, and dramatic true story! The author also has other amazing titles, such as Killers of the Flower Moon and The Lost City of Z. I highly recommend this book and their other works!

What the river knows : a novel
Ibañez, Isabel, (Novelist)
Paper Book
The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez's lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race. Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera...

Maria says: What the River Knows enraptured me in a historical fantastical fiction world full of intrigue and mystery. I rated it 5 stars, which I never give!


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