Staff Picks

Recommendations from staff members at the Trumbull Library System.

Updated April 10, 2024
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West with giraffes
Rutledge, Lynda
Paper Book
"Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes . . ."

Although many of the characters and events are fictional, the giraffes and their journey across the United States in 1938 in a small truck on small roads through small towns with their head sticking out for all to see, is completely real. I still can't get that wondrous image out of my head. - Zdena

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution :
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller from the author of The Poppy War   "Absolutely phenomenal. One of the most brilliant, razor-sharp books I've had the pleasure of reading that isn't just an alternative fantastical history, but an interrogative one; one that grabs colonial...

The author writes with such clarity and eloquence. - Paula

Birnam Wood
Catton, Eleanor
Paper Book
The name of the wind
Rothfuss, Patrick
Paper Book
Discover #1 New York Times-bestselling Patrick Rothfuss' epic fantasy series, The Kingkiller Chronicle. "I just love the world of Patrick Rothfuss." --Lin-Manuel Miranda   OVER 1 MILLION COPIES SOLD! DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND ...

This is the first book in the King Killer Chronicle. The story introduces the main characters, who all have interesting back stories and talents. - Keith

Are you listening? /
Walden, Tillie,
Paper Book
The graphic novel Are You Listening? is an intimate and emotionally soaring story about friendship, grief, and healing from Eisner Award winner Tillie Walden. Bea is on the run. And then, she runs into Lou. This chance encounter sends them on a journey...

A masterful odyssey of self -discovery with internal monologues and dialogues that compliment the dynamic; and at times, experimental art. - Willy

Strange Sally Diamond
Nugent, Liz
Paper Book

An exceptional, unsettling novel that will evoke strong emotions. - Elise

East of Eden
Steinbeck, John
Paper Book
'There is only one book to a man,' Steinbeck wrote of East of Eden, his most ambitious novel. Set in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley, California, this powerful, often brutal novel, follows the intertwined destinies of two families - the Trasks and the Hamiltons - whose generations...

An incredible tale of two families whose generational journeys represent the story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel respectively. The author explores Fate, forgiveness, prejudice, and original sin against the backdrop of the ever evolving Salinas Valley, California. This was my favorite read of the past year. - Willy

Fourth wing
Yarros, Rebecca
Paper Book
Don't miss out on the series that everyone can't stop talking about! 'Pure escapism - think Hunger Games meets Fifty Shades' -The Sun 'We weren't expecting to become obsessed with Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing, but we very much are - and we're not alone . . .' ...

An exciting tale of a war college filled with intrigue, romance, magic and lots of dragons. - Zdena

This book is exciting, tense, unpredictable, and full of dragons! - Elise

Check & mate
Hazelwood, Ali
Paper Book
In this clever and swoonworthy new novel from the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis, life's moving pieces bring rival chess players together in a match for the heart. Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess....

Super cute YA romance book with a relatable protagonist. - Katie

Emily Wilde's encyclopaedia of faeries
Fawcett, Heather
Paper Book
'A darkly gorgeous fantasy that sparkles with snow and magic, this book wholly enchanted me' Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches Enter the world of the hidden folk - and discover the most whimsical, enchanting and heart-warming tale...

Whimsical and "cottagecore-esque." - Katie


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