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Staff Picks Newsletter January 2026 |
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What to read next? It's a new year and a new chance to try something different. 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? |
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At the library
Call us, email us or stop in and we'd be happy to help choose something perfect just for you. |
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Books we enjoyed ... you might too! |
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11/22/63
by Stephen King
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? In this brilliantly conceived tour de force, Stephen King--who has absorbed the social, political, and popular culture of his generation more imaginatively and thoroughly than any other writer--takes readers on an incredible journey into the past and the possibility of altering it. It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, whose life is upended when his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And the dying Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession--to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson, in the world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere and to the small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love.
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Batman - Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns
by Jeff Parker
A high-stakes holiday adventure in which Batman, Robin, Zatanna, and Santa Claus must fight to save the season from a chilling supernatural threat! The Justice League has vanished, the dead are rising, and a chilling evil threatens to snuff out the holiday spirit forever! With the Silent Knight's power growing, Damian Wayne and Zatanna must turn to an unexpected ally--the one and only Santa Claus--to rescue Earth's greatest heroes. As they battle through eerie winter landscapes and face off against supernatural foes, they'll need the help of Mary Marvel, Robotman, and even Mrs. Claus herself to stop the Silent Knight before he reshapes the world in his dark image. A thrilling, magical crossover that blends holiday cheer with high-octane superhero action! Collects Batman - Santa Claus: Silent Knight Returns #1-5.
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Cursed Daughters
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
A young woman must shake off a family curse and the widely held belief that she is the reincarnation of her dead cousin in this wickedly funny, brilliantly perceptive novel about love, female rivalry, and superstition from the author of the smash hit My Sister, the Serial Killer (A bombshell of a book... Sharp, explosive, hilarious'--New York Times) When Ebun gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi, on the day they bury her cousin Monife, there is no denying the startling resemblance between the child and the dead woman. So begins the belief, fostered and fanned by the entire family, that Eniiyi is the actual reincarnation of Monife, fated to follow in her footsteps in all ways, including that tragic end. Cursed Daughters is a brilliant cocktail of modernity and superstition, vibrant humor and hard-won wisdom, romantic love and familial obligation. With it's unforgettable cast of characters, it asks us what it means to be given a second chance and how to live both wisely and well with what we've been given. This is a Read with Jenna pick.
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The Doorman
by Chris Pavone
A pulse-pounding novel of class, privilege, sex, and murder, from the New York Times bestselling author of Two Nights in Lisbon.
Chicky Diaz is everyone's favorite doorman at the Bohemia, the most famous apartment house in the world, home of celebrities, financiers, and New York's cultural elite. Up in the penthouse, Emily Longworth has the perfect-looking everything, all except her husband, whom she'd quietly loathed even before the recent revelations about where all the money comes from. But his wealth is immense, their prenup is iron-clad, and Emily can't bring herself to leave him. Yet. And downstairs in 2A, Julian Sonnenberg--who has carved himself a successful niche in the art world, and led a good half-century of a full and satisfying, cosmopolitan life--has just received a devastating phone call that does nothing at all to alleviate his sense that, probably for better and worse, he has aged out and he's just not that useful to anyone any more. Meanwhile, gathered in the Bohemia's bowels, the building's almost entirely Black and Hispanic, working-class staff is taking in the news that that just a few miles uptown, a Black man has been killed by the police, leading to a demonstration, a counterdemonstration, and a long night of violence across the tinderbox city. Tonight in the city, enemies will clash, loyalties will be tested, secrets will be revealed--and lives will be lost. This is a New York Times Notable Book of 2025.
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The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England
by Brandon Sanderson
A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the real world should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?--
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Girl with All the Gifts
by M. R. Carey
Not every gift is a blessing. Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh. Melanie is a very special girl. Emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end, The Girl With All The Gifts is the most powerful and affecting thriller you will read this year.
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Heated Rivalry: MM Hockey Romance
by J. M. Jackie
With graduation looming, I'm forced to take an extra credit athletic course in hockey-a sport I despise. The ice, the cold, and the game itself are everything I detest. But when a bone-shattering shove on the ice threatens to fracture my knee, I must confront my fears and learn to play. In a shocking revelation, I discovered that it was Devon who had shoved me hard on the ice. Devon Black. A demon. A force to be reckoned with, notorious for his bullying tactics on and off the ice. I hate Devon with every fiber of my being, yet beneath the surface of my hatred lies an undeniable and confusing attraction. It's as if the very essence of him is both repulsive and magnetic, drawing me in against my will. Graduation approaches and the choices we make will determine our fate-whether bitter separation or a love that transcends the icy battleground we call home. Can Devon and I find a way to bridge the divide, or will life's forces tear us apart? Warning: this is a high-heat M/M hockey romance, filled with explicit language and some violence. Please be advised.
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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.
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Krampus: The Yule Lord
by Brom
He tinkers darkly with the beloved mythology of Santa Claus. Set in Appalachia, Krampus the Yule Lord is a twisted fairytale about a failed West Virginia songwriter who gets ensnared on Christmas Eve in an eternal war between a not-so-saintly Saint Nick and his dark enemy Krampus, aka Black Peter, an ancient trickster demon. Krampus the Yule Lord is Gregory Maguire (Wicked) meets Susanna Clarke (Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell) in the realm of Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, as Clive Barker (Mr. B. Gone) works his dark sorcery from the shadows. Once again featuring Brom's chillingly beautiful artwork throughout, Krampus the Yule Lord is a feast of wonder straight from the kitchen of Sweeney Todd.
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
When this adaptation of C. S. Lewis's classic children's story opened at the RSC Stratford in November 1998, it received rave reviews and broke box office records. Four children are evacuated from London during the Blitz. While exploring the Professor's house, they stumble across the gateway to another world, and the adventure begins. The land of Narnia is under the spell of the wicked White Witch, and the four very quickly find themselves caught up in a deadly struggle between good and evil.
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The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
by David Grann
A grand mystery reaching back centuries. A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve it. The Lost City of Z is a blockbuster adventure narrative about what lies beneath the impenetrable jungle canopy of the Amazon. After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century: What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z? In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. For centuries Europeans believed the world's largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it. But Fawcett, whose daring expeditions helped inspire Conan Doyle's The Lost World, had spent years building his scientific case. Fawcett embarked with his twenty-one-year-old son, determined to prove that this ancient civilization which he dubbed Z existed. Then he and his expedition vanished. Fawcett's fate and the tantalizing clues he left behind about Z became an obsession for hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness. For decades scientists and adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett's party and the lost City of Z. Countless have perished, been captured by tribes, or gone mad. David Grann's quest for the truth and his stunning discoveries about Fawcett's fate and Z form the heart of this complex, enthralling narrative.
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The Magician of Tiger Castle
by Louis Sachar
The beloved author of Holes presents his first adult novel, a modern fantasy classic of forbidden love, a crumbling kingdom, and the unexpected magic all around us. Long ago and far away (and somewhere south of France) lies the kingdom of Esquaveta. There, Princess Tullia is in nearly as much peril as her struggling kingdom. Esquaveta desperately needs to forge an alliance, and to that end, Tullia's father has arranged a marriage between her and an odious prince. However, one month before the wedding of the century, Tullia falls in love with a lowly apprentice scribe. The king turns to Anatole, his much-maligned magician. Seventeen years earlier, when Anatole first came to the castle, he was regarded as something of a prodigy. But after a long series of failures--the latest being an attempt to transform sand into gold--he has become the object of contempt and ridicule. The only one who still believes in him is the princess. When the king orders Anatole to brew a potion that will ensure Tullia agrees to the wedding, Anatole is faced with an impossible choice. With one chance to save the marriage, the kingdom, and, of most importance to him, his reputation, will he betray the princess--or risk ruin?
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The Magician's Nephew (the Chronicles of Narnia) - C. S. Lewis
by C. S. Lewis
he Magician's Nephew, book three in the classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia, featuring cover art by three time Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator, David Wiesner, and black-and-white illustrations by the series' original illustrator, Pauline Baynes. On a daring quest to save a life, two friends are hurled into another world, where an evil sorceress seeks to enslave them. But then the lion Aslan's song weaves itself into the fabric of a new land, a land that will be known as Narnia. And in Narnia, all things are possible. Witness the creation of a magical land in The Magician's Nephew, the first title in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy series, which has captivated readers of all ages for over sixty years. This is a stand-alone novel, but if you want to journey back to Narnia, read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia.
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The River Is Waiting
by Wally Lamb
Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that's before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender-hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother's enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?-- This is an Oprah's Book Club pick.
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The Sirens
by Emilia Hart
A spell bounding novel about sisters separated by centuries, but bound together by the sea, from the runaway New York Times bestseller Weyward. 2019: Lucy awakens from a dream to find her hands around her ex-lover's throat. Horrified she flees to her older sister's house on the Australian coast, hoping she can help explain the strangely vivid nightmare that preceded the attack - but Jess is nowhere to be found. 1999: Jess is a lonely sixteen-year-old in a rural town in the middle of the continent. Diagnosed with a rare allergy to water, she has always felt different until her young, charming art teacher takes an interest in her drawings, seeing a power and maturity in them -- and in her -- that no one else has. 1880: Twin sisters Mary and Eliza have been torn from their loving father in Ireland and forced onto a convict ship bound for Australia. -- A breathtaking tale of female resilience and the bounds of sisterhood across time and space, The Sirens captures the power of dreams, and the mystery and magic of the sea.
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The Songbird & the Heart of Stone: The Shadowborn Duet, Book One
by Carissa Broadbent
#1 New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns to the Crowns of Nyaxia series with The Songbird & the Heart of Stone, for the first time in trade paperback. Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire - her home, her humanity, and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who Turned her, redemption feels impossible. But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she's forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself. Yet, Mische's punishment may be the key to her salvation. In a secret meeting, her sun god commands her to help Asar in his mission, only to betray him... by killing the god of death. Mische and Asar must travel the treacherous path to the underworld, facing trials, beasts, and the vengeful ghosts of their pasts. Book four in series.
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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
by Mary Roach
From the early days of anatomy, when people had to dig graves or use the bodies of their loved ones for research, to today we witness the extraordinary contributions of corpses to open up new and more detailed understandings of the human body. Not only the mysteries and shocking stories in the field of autopsy, the author also writes about the ethical issues surrounding the work of researching corpses and the industry behind death.
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Strange the Dreamer
by Laini Taylor
From National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor comes an epic fantasy about a mythic lost city and its dark past. The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around--and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was just five years old, he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the form of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? And who is the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams?
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Tourist Season
by Brynne Weaver
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brynne Weaver comes a wickedly delicious new series where dark romantic comedy meets thrilling suspense--and where falling in love can be a killer. Welcome to Cape Carnage Visit Once, Stay Forever. You can hide in the farthest reaches of the deepest hell, and I will still drag you out. Even the devil can't save you from me. Cape Carnage is a seaside town of colorful houses, quirky shops, and an unusually high body count. With tourists comes trouble, and Harper Starling won't let anyone ruin her picture-perfect home. A skilled gardener with killer instincts, Harper protects her sanctuary--and her aging mentor with a fading memory--at any cost. But Nolan Rhodes isn't your average tourist. Devilishly handsome, disarmingly charming, and skilled with a blade, Nolan is relentless in the pursuit of revenge. On every anniversary of the hit-and-run accident that fractured his life, Nolan slays another target. And he's saved the best for last: the undeniably beautiful Harper Starling. The problem? Harper isn't the monster he expected. Tourist Season is a darkly funny, slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance where destruction and desire are balanced on the edge of a blade--and where love is the most dangerous battleground of all.
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Unmasking for Life: The Autistic Person's Guide to Connecting, Loving, and Living Authentically
by Devon Price
Most masked Autistics have spent a lifetime being told how to perform neurotypically: how to behave, how to carry themselves, what to feel, and how to live. With his previous book, Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price has given them the space and tools to unmask and embrace their neurodiversity. But no matter where you are in the unmasking process, there is still work to be done. Because Autistic people often fear change, struggle to process unfamiliar situations, and have trauma histories that have conditioned them to avoid conflict, they don't always know how to transform their inner revelations into outer realities. They need more than internal healing--they need practical tools to translate acceptance into assertiveness and interpersonal effectiveness. Enter Unmasking for Life, which provides the resources to help you advocate for your needs and invent new ways of living, loving, and being that work with your disability rather than against it--
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Wild Dark Shore
by Charlotte McConaghy
On a remote island near Antarctica, the Salt family's fragile existence is upended by the arrival of Rowan, a mysterious woman who washes ashore during a storm, forcing them to confront rising dangers and the hope of rebuilding trust amidst isolation and loss. This is a Reese's Book Club pick.
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