Ledding Library Staff Favorites of 2023 - Books

Books that Ledding Library's staff enjoyed in 2023, new or old!

Updated December 20, 2023
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Mrs. Nash's ashes
Adler, Sarah
Paper Book
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER! A New York Public Library Best Book of 2023! A starry-eyed romantic, a cynical writer, and (the ashes of) an elderly woman take the road trip of a lifetime that just might upend everything they believe about true love. ...
Light from uncommon stars
Aoki, Ryka
Paper Book
Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts. Hugo...
Normal rules don't apply : stories
Atkinson, Kate
Paper Book
A dazzling collection of eleven interconnected stories from the bestselling, award-winning author of Shrines of Gaiety and Life After Life, with everything that readers love about her novels--the inventiveness, the verbal felicity, the sharp observations on human nature, and the...
Small game : a novel
Braverman, Blair
Paper Book
A gripping debut novel about a survival reality show gone wrong that leaves a group of strangers stranded in the northern wilds  Four strangers and six weeks: this is all that separates Mara from one life-changing payday. She was surprised when reality TV producers came...
Rez dogs
Bruchac, Joseph 1942-
Paper Book
Renowned author Joseph Bruchac tells a powerful story of a girl who learns more about her Penacook heritage while sheltering in place with her grandparents during the coronavirus pandemic. Malian loves spending time with her grandparents at their home on a Wabanaki reservation...
Parable of the sower
Butler, Octavia E.
Paper Book
Forced to flee an America where anarchy and violence have completely taken over, empath Lauren Olamina--who can feel the pain of others and is crippled by it--becomes a prophet carrying the hope of a new world and a new faith christened "Earthseed". A stirring portrait of 21st-century America by the...
The underworld : journeys to the depths of the ocean
Casey, Susan
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From bestselling author Susan Casey, an awe-inspiring portrait of the mysterious world beneath the waves, and the men and women who seek to uncover its secrets "An irresistible mix of splendid scholarship, heart-stopping adventure...
The bodyguard
Center, Katherine
Paper Book
Recommended by 2 staff members!
Social justice for the sensitive soul : how to change the world in quiet ways
Cheng-Tozun, Dorcas
Paper Book
A timely, delightfully readable, and much-needed book. --Booklist, starred review Social justice work, we often assume, is raised voices and raised fists. It requires leading, advocating, fighting, and organizing wherever it takes place--in the streets, slums, villages, inner cities, halls...
Lessons at the school by the sea
Colgan, Jenny
Paper Book
The summer holiday brings new passion and new challenges in the enchanting third book of Jenny Colgan's utterly delightful School by the Sea series, set at a girls' boarding school in Cornwall. School is out, following a bit of saucy scandal at Downey House... Beloved...
The measure : a novel
Erlick, Nikki
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! "A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope--read with us." --Jenna Bush Hager ...
What my bones know : a memoir of healing from complex trauma
Foo, Stephanie
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life "Achingly exquisite . . . providing real hope for those who long to heal....
The day of the Jackal
Forsyth, Frederick 1938-
Paper Book
The Jackal. A tall, blond Englishman with    opaque, gray eyes. A killer at the top of his    profession. A man unknown to any secret service in the    world. An assassin with a contract to kill the    world's most heavily guarded man. One    man with a rifle who can change the course of    history....
The murder of Mr. Wickham : a novel
Gray, Claudia
Paper Book
A summerhouse party turns into a thrilling whodunit when Jane Austen's Mr. Wickham-one of literature's most notoriousvillains-meets a sudden and suspicious end in this brilliantly imagined mysteryfrom a New York Times bestselling authorfeaturing Austen's leading literary characters.
Book lovers
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
"One of my favorite authors."--Colleen Hoover An insightful, delightful, instant #1 New York Times bestseller from the author of Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation. Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Oprah Daily ∙ Today ∙...
Happy place
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "The beach-read master hooks us again."--People Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by BuzzFeed ∙ Paste Magazine ∙ Elle ∙ Southern Living ∙ SheReads ∙ Culturess ∙...
People we meet on vacation
Henry, Emily
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers and Beach Read comes a sparkling novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations. Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall...
The fifth season
Jemisin, N. K.
Paper Book
At the end of the world, a woman must hide her secret power and find her kidnapped daughter in this "intricate and extraordinary" Hugo Award winning novel of power, oppression, and revolution. (The New York Times) This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time. ...
The obelisk gate
Jemisin, N. K.
Paper Book
Essun's missing daughter grows more powerful every day, and her choices may destroy the world in this "magnificent" Hugo Award winner and NYT Notable Book. (NPR) The season of endings grows darker, as civilization fades into the long cold night. Essun -- once...
The stone sky
Jemisin, N. K.
Paper Book
Humanity will finally be saved or destroyed in the shattering conclusion to the post-apocalyptic and highly acclaimed NYT bestselling trilogy that won the Hugo Award three years in a row. The Moon will soon return. Whether this heralds the destruction of humankind or...
Nettle & Bone
Kingfisher, T.
Paper Book
Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel An Instant USA Today & Indie Bestseller An Oprah Daily Top 25 Fantasy Book of 2022 A Vulture Best Fantasy Novel of 2022 An NPR Best Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction Book of 2022 A...
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...
Recommended by 2 staff members!
The house in the cerulean sea
Klune, TJ
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, INDIE and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER! A 2021 Alex Award winner! The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner! An Indie Next Pick! One of Publishers Weekly's "Most Anticipated Books of...
Shadow divers : the true adventure of two Americans who risked everything to solve one of the last mysteries of World War II
Kurson, Robert.
Paper Book
In the tradition of Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air and Sebastian Junger’s The Perfect Storm comes a true tale of riveting adventure in which two weekend scuba divers risk everything to solve a great historical mystery–and make history themselves. For John...
Freewater
Luqman-Dawson, Amina
Paper Book
Winner of the John Newbery Medal Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award  An Indiebound Bestseller A New York Times Bestseller Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical,...
STFU : the power of keeping your mouth shut in an endlessly noisy world
Lyons, Daniel
Paper Book
"Entertaining, illuminating, and inspiring! More than a book, it's a public service announcement that we'd all do well to―well, STFU and listen to!" ―Sarah Knight, New York Times bestselling author of Calm the F*ck Down New York Times...
The great believers
Makkai, Rebecca
Paper Book
PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BOOK OF 2018 LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE WINNER ALA CARNEGIE MEDAL WINNER THE STONEWALL BOOK AWARD WINNER Soon to Be a Major Television Event, optioned by...
Sea of Tranquility
Mandel, Emily St. John
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time travel, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years...
Funny, you don't look autistic : a comedian's guide to life on the spectrum
McCreary, Michael
Paper Book
Like many others on the autism spectrum, 20-something stand-up comic Michael McCreary has been told by more than a few well-meaning folks that he doesn't "look" autistic. But, as he's quick to point out in this memoir, autism "looks" different for just about everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder...
Homecoming : a novel
Morton, Kate
Paper Book
The highly anticipated new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Clockmaker's Daughter, a sweeping novel that begins with a shocking crime, the effects of which echo across continents and generations Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a...
Our missing hearts : a novel
Ng, Celeste
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller * A New York Times Notable Book * Named a Best Book of 2022 by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Daily, and more * A Reese's Book Club...
Anger : wisdom for cooling the flames
Nhất Hạnh Thích
Paper Book
"[Thich Nhat Hanh] shows us the connection between personal, inner peace and peace on earth." -His Holiness The Dalai Lama Nominated by Martin Luther King, Jr. for a Nobel Peace Prize, Thich Nhat Hanh is one of today's leading sources of wisdom, peace, compassion and...
Devotions : the selected poems of Mary Oliver
Oliver, Mary
Paper Book
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver presents a personal selection of her best work in this definitive collection spanning more than five decades of her esteemed literary career. "No matter where one starts reading, Devotions offers much to love, from Oliver's exuberant dog...
Heartstopper. Volume 1
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love. A sweet and charming coming-of-age story that explores friendship, love, and coming out. This edition features beautiful two-color artwork. Now streaming on Netflix! Shy and softhearted Charlie Spring sits next to...
Heartstopper. Volume 2
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
The second book in the delightfully sweet Heartstopper series, featuring beautiful two-color artwork! Now streaming on Netflix! Nick and Charlie are best friends, but one spontaneous kiss has changed everything. In the aftermath, Charlie thinks that he's made a horrible...
Heartstopper. Volume 3
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
The third volume in the poignant and sweet Heartstopper series, featuring beautiful two-color artwork! Now streaming on Netflix! Charlie didn't think Nick could ever like him back, but now they're officially boyfriends. Nick has even found the courage to come out to his...
Heartstopper. Volume 4
Oseman, Alice
Paper Book
The fourth volume in the wonderfully sweet Heartstopper series, featuring gorgeous two-color artwork. Now streaming on Netflix! Charlie and Nick's relationship has been going really well, and Charlie thinks he's ready to say those three little words: I love you. ...
Tom Lake : a novel
Patchett, Ann
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK In this beautiful and moving novel about family, love, and growing up, Ann Patchett once again proves herself one of America's finest writers. "Patchett leads us to a truth that feels like life rather than...
Fierce kingdom : a novel
Phillips, Gin
Paper Book
One of the New York Times Book Review's Best Crime Novels of 2017 "Warning: you'll finish this in one sitting." --TheSkimm   "Expertly made thriller . . . clever and irresistible." --The New York Times An electrifying novel about the primal and...
Winter solstice
Pilcher, Rosamunde.
Paper Book
The monster's bones : the discovery of T. Rex and how it shook our world
Randall, David K.
Paper Book
In the dust of the Gilded Age Bone Wars, two vastly different men emerge with a mission to fill the empty halls of New York's struggling American Museum of Natural History: Henry Fairfield Osborn, a privileged socialite whose reputation rests on the museum's success, and intrepid Kansas-born...
The creative act : a way of being
Rubin, Rick
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times bestseller. "A gorgeous and inspiring work of art on creation, creativity, the work of the artist. It will gladden the hearts of writers and artists everywhere, and get them working again with a new sense of meaning and direction. A stunning...
The lost ticket
Sampson, Freya
Paper Book
One of Amazon's Best Books of September! Strangers on a London bus unite to help an elderly man find his missed love connection in the heartwarming new novel from the acclaimed author of The Last Chance Library. When Libby Nicholls arrives in London,...
A first time for everything : a true story
Santat, Dan
Paper Book
*Winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature* A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life. Dan's always been a...
The labors of Hercules Beal
Schmidt, Gary D.
Paper Book
From award-winning author Gary D. Schmidt, a warm and witty novel in the tradition of The Wednesday Wars, in which a seventh grader has to figure out how to fulfill a seemingly impossible school assignment--and learns about friendship, community, and himself along the way....
Great circle
Shipstead, Maggie
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A TODAY SHOW #ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK * The unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own course in life, at any cost: an "epic trip--through Prohibition and World War II, from Montana to London to present-day Hollywood--and...
Romantic comedy : a novel
Sittenfeld, Curtis
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK * A comedy writer thinks she's sworn off love, until a dreamy pop star flips the script on all her assumptions--a "smart, sophisticated, and fun" (Oprah Daily) novel from the author of Eligible, Rodham, and Prep....
Recommended by 2 staff members!
Business or pleasure
Solomon, Rachel Lynn
Paper Book
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES' BEST ROMANCES OF THE YEAR! "Intimate and unflinching."--New York Times A USA TODAY BESTSELLER! An Indie Next Pick A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick One of Amazon's Best Romances of July ...
The woman in me
Spears, Britney
Paper Book
Named a Best Book of the Year by Elle, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, NPR, Financial Times, Vanity Fair, and more! "In Britney Spears's memoir, she's stronger than ever." --The New York Times Over 2 million...
This time tomorrow
Straub, Emma
Paper Book
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER "The pages brim with tenderness and an appreciation for what we had and who we were. I could not have loved it more."--Ann Patchett "One of the most moving and intelligent time travel novels I have ever read. Nostalgic, wise, funny, and filled with...
Loteri?a
Valenti, Karla
Paper Book
The turn of a card could change your destiny in this captivating middle grade adventure based on the Loteria card game and perfect for fans of Coco. While searching for her missing cousin, a young girl is transported to a mythical kingdom, becoming entangled in a perilous game of chance....
Remarkably bright creatures : a novel
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...
Thank you for listening : a novel
Whelan, Julia
Paper Book
From the author of My Oxford Year, Julia Whelan's uplifting novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator--who has lost sight of her dreams after a tragic accident--and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance...
My murder
Williams, Katie 1978-
Paper Book
What if the murder you had to solve was your own? Lou is a happily married mother of an adorable toddler. She's also the victim of a local serial killer. Recently brought back to life and returned to her grieving family by a government project, she is grateful for this second...
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...
Recommended by 2 staff members!

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