|
|
Staff Picks Newsletter December 2025 |
|
|
|
What to read next? December has arrived and there are many different titles available. Here are some titles our staff enjoyed and thought you might like as well. Whether you stop in the library for a paperback, hardcover, or audiobook, use Libby or hoopla, there is a title for you. |
Would you like more Staff Picks? |
|
At the library
Call us, email us or stop in and we'd be happy to help choose something perfect just for you. |
or app to access our catalog and more online resources, available 24/7! |
or Instagram to keep up with all the great things we've got happening this month. |
Books we enjoyed ... you might too! |
|
|
|
The Bear and the Nightingale
by Katherine Arden
In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, a stranger with piercing blue eyes presents a new father with a gift--a precious jewel on a delicate chain, intended for his young daughter. Uncertain of its meaning, Pytor hides the gift away and Vasya grows up a wild, willful girl, to the chagrin of her family. But when mysterious forces threaten the happiness of their village, Vasya discovers that, armed only with the necklace, she may be the only one who can keep the darkness at bay--
|
|
|
|
Beautiful Ugly
by Alice Feeney
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life. He calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there--but his wife has disappeared. A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can't sleep, and he can't write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife. Wives think their husbands will change but they don't. Husbands think their wives won't change but they do--
|
|
|
|
Being Henry: The Fonz . . . and Beyond
by Henry Winkler
Henry Winkler, launched into prominence by his role as 'The Fonz' in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny and widely-regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it's simply not the case, he's really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.
|
|
|
|
The Briar Club : A Novel
by Kate Quinn
In 1950 Washington, DC, at an all-female boardinghouse called Briarwood, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic room, drawing her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship, but when a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the women must expose the true enemy in their midst.
|
|
|
|
The Bridges of Madison County
by Robert James Waller
Fall in love with one of the bestselling novels of all time -- the legendary love story that became a beloved film starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. If you've ever experienced the one true love of your life, a love that for some reason could never be, you will understand why readers all over the world are so moved by this small, unknown first novel that they became a publishing phenomenon and #1 bestseller. The story of Robert Kincaid, the photographer and free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting for the fulfillment of a girlhood dream.
|
|
|
|
Buckeye: A Read with Jenna Pick
by Patrick Ryan
In Bonhomie, Ohio, a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. Cal's wife Becky has a spiritual gift: she is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they've lost. Margaret's husband Felix is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm's way--until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have happened. Later, as the country reconstructs in the postwar boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie--but nothing stays buried forever in a small town.
|
|
|
|
Christine
by Stephen King
It's love at first sight for high school student Arnie Cunningham when he and his best friend Dennis Guilder spot the dilapidated 1958 red-and-white Plymouth Fury for sale--dubbed Christine by its original cantankerous owner--rusting away on a front lawn of their suburban Pennsylvania neighborhood. Dennis knows that Arnie's never had much luck in the popularity department, or really taken an interest in owning a car...but Christine quickly changes all that. Arnie suddenly has the new-found confidence to stick up for himself, going as far as dating the most beautiful girl at Libertyville High--transfer student Leigh Cabot -- even as a mysteriously restored Christine systematically and terrifyingly consumes every aspect of Arnie's life. Dennis and Leigh soon realize that they must uncover the awful truth behind a car with a horrifying and murderous history.
|
|
|
|
Coded Justice: A Thriller
by Stacey Abrams
Avery Keene is back! The fan-favorite former Supreme Court clerk has finally gone out on her own, securing a prestigious position at a high-end law firm in Washington, D.C., where she is about to earn real money and get her life in order after a tumultuous run working as a clerk on the Supreme Court. With her reputation preceding her, Avery is quickly tasked at her new job with becoming a corporate internal investigator. Her new client is Camasca-a mega-tech firm that's on the forefront of developing a new integrated AI system poised to revolutionize the medical industry, particularly by delivering vastly improved health care to veterans. The AI potential is breathtaking, but some disturbing anomalies have plagued Camasca in early testing-including the mysterious death of a Camasca engineer. Avery and her colleagues, Jared, Ling, and Noah, find themselves on a journey to determine whether the anomalies are mere technical glitches, or something much more concerning. Book three in the series.
|
|
|
|
Coffin Moon
by Keith Rosson
Duane Minor is back home after a tour in Vietnam, a bartender just trying to stay sober; save his marriage with his wife, Heidi; and connect with his thirteen-year-old niece, Julia, now that he's responsible for raising her. Things aren't easy, but Minor is scraping by. Then a vampire walks into his bar and ruins his life. When Minor crosses John Varley, a killer who sleeps during the day beneath loose drifts of earth and grows teeth in the light of the moon, Varley brutally retaliates by murdering Heidi, leaving Minor broken with guilt and Julia filled with rage. What's left of their splintered family is united by only one desire: vengeance. So begins a furious, frenzied pursuit across the Pacific Northwest and beyond. From grimy alleyways to desolate highways to snow-lashed plains, Minor and Julia are cast into the dark orbit of undead children, silver bullet casters, and the bevy of broken men transfixed by Varley's ferocity.
|
|
|
|
The Enigma of Room 622
by Joël Dicker
Dicker salutes Agatha Christie even as he drops the reader through one trap door into another, so that by the end, we doubt we've ever read another novel quite like it. (We haven't.) Fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley will hug this book in between chapters; the many readers who love Anthony Horowitz's mysteries will celebrate. And me? I'll be reading it again.--A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window. The Wall Street Journal A burnt-out writer's retreat at a fancy Swiss hotel is interrupted by a murder mystery in this metafictional, meticulously crafted whodunit from the New York Times bestselling author of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair. A writer named Joël, Switzerland's most prominent novelist, flees to the Hôtel de Verbier, a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps. Disheartened over a recent breakup and his longtime publisher's death, Joël hopes to rest. However, his plans quickly go awry. It all starts with a seemingly innocuous detail: at the Verbier, there is no room 622.
|
|
|
|
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir
by Matthew Perry
So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who travelled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; 14-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; and 24-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us and so much more. In an extraordinary story that only he could tell - and in the heartfelt, hilarious and warmly familiar way only he could tell it - Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he's found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way.
|
|
|
|
The Grey Wolf
by Louise Penny
A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Chief Inspector Gamache reading“this might interest you,” a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list—and then a murder all propel Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization: something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching. Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. The 19th book in the series.
|
|
|
|
Here, Where Death Delights: A Literary Memoir
by Mary Jumbelic
A literary memoir of an extraordinary female forensic pathologist who brought grace to the complex process of death investigation, comfort to those left behind, and hope to her own life. Mary Jumbelic, M.D. is an author from Central New York and the former chief medical examiner of Onondaga County. A board-certified forensic pathologist, Mary has performed thousands of autopsies during her 25 year career.
|
|
|
|
How to Seal Your Own Fate
by Kristen Perrin
New York Times bestselling author Kristen Perrin is back and better than ever with her second Castle Knoll Murder Mystery.Welcome to Castle Knoll, the idyllic English village home to a surprising number of murderers. Present day: Annie Adams is just settling into life in Castle Knoll when local fortune teller Peony Lane shares a cryptic message only hours before being found dead inside the locked Gravesdown Estate. Annie has no choice but to delve into the dark secrets of her new countryside home in order to find out just what Peony Lane was trying to warn her about, before her brand new life comes crashing down around her. 1967: Teenage Frances Adams, Annie's great aunt, finds herself caught between two men. Ford Gravesdown is one of the only remaining members of a family known for its wealth and dubious uses of power. Archie Foyle is a local who can't hold down a job and lives above the village pub. But when Frances teams up with Archie to investigate the car crash that killed most of Ford's family, it quickly becomes clear that this was no accident.
|
|
|
|
The Impossible Fortune: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery
by Richard Osman
Who's got time to think about murder when there's a wedding to plan?
It's been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal. But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang's next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable--something worth killing for-- Book five in the Thursday Murder Club series.
|
|
|
|
In the Veins of the Drowning
by Kalie Cassidy
The monster is always slain... Imogen Nel is hiding. Hiding from a cruel kingdom that believes Sirens are monstrous, blood-hungry creatures. Hiding from a king and his captain who viciously hunt her kind. Hiding from her own alluring abilities. By keeping herself from the sea, Imogen's bloodlust is dulled, and her black wings remain concealed beneath her skin. Book one of two in The Siren Mage.
|
|
|
|
An Inside Job
by Daniel Silva
#1 New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva delivers another action-packed tale of high stakes international intrigue. Featuring Gabriel Allon-- Gabriel Allon has been awarded a commission to restore one of the most important paintings in Venice. But when he discovers the body of a mysterious woman floating in the waters of the Venetian Lagoon, he finds himself in a desperate race to recover a lost masterpiece by Leonardo de Vinci. An elegant and stylish journey through the dark side of the art world and the Vatican's murky finances.
|
|
|
|
Just Mercy : a Story of Justice and Redemption
by Bryan Stevenson
The executive director and founder of the social advocacy group, Equal Justice Initiative, Bryan Stevenson that has helped relieve condemned prisoners explains why justice and mercy must go hand-in-hand through the story of Walter McMillian, a man condemned to death row for a murder he didn't commit. Named one of the most influential books of the decade by CNN. Just Mercy is the winner of multiple awards. In 2019, it became a major motion picture starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx.
|
|
|
|
The Lost Apothecary
by Sarah Penner
Secretly dispensing poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them, a London apothecary triggers unintended consequences that shape three lives across multiple centuries. With crackling suspense, unforgettable characters and the remarkable ways women can save each other despite the barrier of time. A first novel.
|
|
|
|
No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson
by Gardiner Harris
An explosive, deeply reported expose of Johnson & Johnson, one of America's oldest and most trusted pharmaceutical companies--from an award-winning investigative journalist. Filled with shocking and infuriating but utterly necessary revelations, No More Tears is a landmark work of investigative journalism that lays bare the deeply rooted corruption behind the image of babies bathing with a smile.
|
|
|
|
Penric's Demon: A Fantasy Novella in the World of the Five Gods
by Lois McMaster Bujold
On his way to his betrothal, young Lord Penic comes upon a riding accident with an elderly lady on the ground, her maidservant and guardsmen distraught. As he approaches to help, he discovers that the lady is a Temple divine, servant to the five gods of this world. Her avowed god is The Bastard, "master of all disasters out of season", and with her dying breath she bequeaths her mysterious powers to Penric.
|
|
|
|
Red, White & Royal Blue
by Casey McQuiston
A big-hearted romantic comedy in which the First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends. What at first begins as a fake, instagramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. "Red, White & Royal Blue is outrageously fun. It is romantic, sexy, witty, and thrilling. I loved every second." - Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six.
|
|
|
|
The Road to Tender Hearts
by Annie Hartnett
A darkly comic and warm-hearted novel about an old man on a cross-country mission to reunite with his high school crush--bringing together his adult daughter, two orphaned kids, and a cat who can predict death--At sixty-three years old, million-dollar lottery winner PJ Halliday would be the luckiest man in Pondville, Massachusetts, if it weren't for the tragedies of his life: the sudden death of his eldest daughter and the way his marriage fell apart after that. Since then, PJ spends both his money and his time at the bar, and he probably doesn't have much time left--he's had three heart attacks already. But when PJ reads the obituary of his old romantic rival, he realizes his high school sweetheart, Michelle Cobb, is finally single again. Filled with a new enthusiasm for life, PJ decides he's going to drive across the country to the Tender Hearts Retirement Community in Arizona to win Michelle back.
|
|
|
|
The Second Death of Locke
by V. L. Bovalino
Grey Flynn has dedicated her life to her mage, Kier. She will be his blade on the battlefield, his healer and protector. The deep well of raw power inside her is Kier's to wield. They are bound together by blood and magic, but there is one truth Grey dare not reveal . . . not even to Kier. When a quest to protect the child of an enemy kingdom pulls them into a dangerous mission, Grey will need to decide what she's willing to sacrifice to protect her secret. For Grey is no ordinary magical well, and if she dies, all magic dies with her--
|
|
|
|
Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Ever since a man was found dead in Vera's teahouse, life has been good--for Vera, that is. She's surrounded by loved ones, her shop is bustling, and best of all, her son Tilly has a girlfriend! All thanks to Vera, because Tilly's girlfriend is none other than Officer Selena Gray. The very same Officer Gray she had harassed while investigating the teahouse murder. Still, Vera wishes more dead bodies would pop up in her shop, but one mustn't be ungrateful, even if one is slightly-- bored. Then Vera comes across a distressed young woman who is obviously in need of her kindly guidance. The young woman is looking for a missing friend. Fortunately, while catsitting at Tilly and Selena's, Vera finds a treasure trove: Selena's briefcase. Inside is a file about the death of an enigmatic influencer--who also happens to be the friend that the young woman was looking for--
|
|
|
|
|
|