Staff Picks

Recommendations from staff members at the Trumbull Library System.

Updated April 10, 2024
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When books went to war :
Manning, Molly Guptill,
Paper Book
When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned over 100 million books and caused fearful citizens to hide or destroy many more. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations....
This was an accidental find, and those are often the most rewarding. I was completely unaware of the wonderful joint efforts of libraries, the US Government and the publishing industry to bring small paperbacks to troops all over the world, and how much the soldiers treasured these books. - Zdena
West with giraffes : a novel
Rutledge, Lynda
Paper Book
An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America. "Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes..." Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But...

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
THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NYT BESTSELLER 'One for Philip Pullman fans' THE TIMES 'This one is an automatic buy' GLAMOUR 'Ambitious, sweeping and epic' EVENING STANDARD

The author writes with such clarity and eloquence. - Paula

Birnam wood
Catton, Eleanor
Paper Book
The name of the wind
Rothfuss, Patrick
Paper Book
The lyrical fantasy masterpiece about stories, legends and how they change the world. The Name of the Wind is an absolute must-read for any fan of fantasy fiction. 'This is a magnificent book' Anne McCaffrey 'I was reminded of Ursula...

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

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...

Sometimes you just need a story where the villains win. And the sequel is coming out later this year. - Chelsie

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

Every duke has his day /
Enoch, Suzanne.
Paper Book
Brain meets Beauty in this sparkling, fresh take on the classic Bringing Up Baby - if Jane Austen had written it! A romantic comedy with a dash of chaos featuring the most ill-behaved poodle in Regency London, by New York Times bestseller Suzanne Enoch. Michael...

Romantic, sweet, and funny with a perfect ending! - Elise

Strange Sally Diamond
Nugent, Liz
Paper Book

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

East of Eden.
Steinbeck, John
Paper Book
A masterpiece of Biblical scope, and the magnum opus of one of America's most enduring authors A Penguin Classic  In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden "the first book," and indeed it has the primordial power...

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
" Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the...

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 curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town to study faerie folklore, where she discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love, in this heart-warming and enchanting fantasy. Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a...

Whimsical and "cottagecore-esque." - Katie


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