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Staff Picks June 2026 Reviews and Recommendations from Our Adult and Teen Services Staff |
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Kristin recommends: This Weekend Doesn't End Well for Anyone by Catherine MackThe third in the witty and captivating series following bestselling author Eleanor Dash, who once again has to swap her sun hat for her detective hat, when a body is found at a murder mystery writing conference in the Bahamas. "Overall, an easy, light read with romance, humor, and a conclusion to the story that began in Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies" (Booklist). |
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Roseanne recommends: Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson A funny, sharp debut about family, wealth, and tennis, Pineapple Street follows three women in an elite Brooklyn Heights clan: one born to money, one married into it, and a millennial determined to give it away. Filled with fallible characters and the indulgent habits of New York’s affluent, this wryly comic novel explores the "haves" and "have-nots." It is a scintillating look at the nuances of class, privilege, and the insanity of first love in an age that disdains inherited wealth. "A remarkably enjoyable visit with the annoying one percent, as close to crazy rich WASPs as WASPs can get" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Mallory recommends: This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby PageTilly Nightingale is stunned to learn her late husband left her a birthday gift: twelve books, one for each month, to help her through her first year without him. With help from Alfie, the kind bookshop owner, Tilly begins a reading-inspired journey of healing. As she vlogs her adventures and connects with others, her story becomes bigger than she imagined. Can a year of books help her turn the page and learn to love again? "The perfect cozy read for book lovers, sure to break and heal hearts" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Abby recommends: Darkening Song by Delphine SeddonEva is just 18 years old and interning at a record label when she discovers 16 year old Alora online. On a whim, Eva offers Alora representation as her manager without knowing the first thing about artist management or what's about to happen to both of them. Alora is swiftly catapulted into the spotlight of superstardom, and as the two navigate the whirling vortex of fame they form a deep bond, becoming found family for one another. But when Alora's dark and mysterious past emerges and Eva's ambition and success blind her to the obvious signs that her client and friend is in trouble, their lives unravel with disastrous consequences. |
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Meghan recommends: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha ChristieOn a three-day journey through the snowbound Balkan hills, Hercule Poirot must weed through an array of international suspects to find the passenger who murdered a gangster on the Orient Express. “Need it be said—the little grey cells solve once more the seemingly insoluble. Mrs Christie makes an improbable tale very real, and keeps her readers enthralled and guessing to the end” (Times Literary Supplement [London]). |
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Astrid recommends: Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig RiceFor the past twelve years, a community of Anishinaabe people have made the Northern Ontario bush their home in the wake of the power failure that brought about societal collapse. Since then they have survived and thrived the way their ancestors once did, but their natural food resources are dwindling, and the time has come to find a new home. Evan Whitesky volunteers to lead a mission south to explore the possibility of moving back to their original homeland, the land where the birch trees grow by the big water in the Great Lakes region. "The humanity and heart on offer here make this a showstopper" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Karen recommends: Hidden Pictures by Jason RekulakFrom Edgar Award-finalist Jason Rekulak comes a wildly inventive spin on the supernatural thriller, for fans of Stranger Things and Riley Sager, about a woman working as a nanny for a young boy with strange and disturbing secrets. "There are no shocking twists here, but Rekulak isn’t looking to keep readers up at night; he’s holding a mirror up to white, affluent Gen X and asking pointed questions about class, trauma, and horror conventions. In that mode, he executes well and sticks the landing" (Publishers Weekly). |
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Mary recommends: Japanese Gothicby Kylie Lee BakerOctober, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls. October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window. "A spectacular, thought-provoking, and chilling story about how the past ties itself to the present in ways humans cannot comprehend or explain" (Library Journal). |
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Carly recommends: Happy Ending by Chloe LieseThea and Alex have three things in common--they love food, they hate where they live, and they're both divorced. Otherwise, they couldn't be more different. Beyond a few friends in common, a couple small-world connections, their lives look nothing alike. Fast forward two years, and they're truly the best of friends, despite what friends and family seem to think. No one would ever know their friendship began as a lie... But when their exes invite them on a two-week, two family beach vacation, Alex and Thea start to wonder if this story they've spun might have gotten away from them, and if it's led them to the last place they ever thought it could: a happy ending. "...will spark joy in readers as both a gorgeously written romance and a love letter to the power of friendship" (Booklist). |
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Batavia Public Library
10 S. Batavia Ave., Batavia, Illinois 60510
630-879-1393bataviapl.org |
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