Driftwood Public Library: The Good Stuff for January 2026

The Good Stuff

From the Staff of Driftwood Public Library

January 2026

Staff Picks

Kirsten Recommends

Reading By Ear: Audiobooks I Love

I've tended to declare myself too fidgety for audiobooks. Unless I was in the midst of a long drive, I had trouble seeing the appeal, because I can't sit in one spot and listen when there's so much to do! Over the past year, though, I've belatedly discovered that listening to podcasts on my Bluetooth earbuds is an excellent way to make boring tasks like washing dishes a lot more fun. And even more belatedly, I discovered that audiobooks are just as much fun as podcasts, and don't have commercials! The Libby app has become my best friend. I especially appreciate the sleep timer, which will automatically stop the book either after a set period of time or at the end of the chapter. Relaxing before sleep with an old favorite is a great way to wind down, and the timer makes sure I don't miss too much if I fall asleep (or gently reminds me not to stay awake listening for too long!).

Here are some recent favorites I've checked out from Libby. Some are sadly only available digitally, but others are also available on CD through Driftwood!

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsin Muir,

read by Moira Quirk

It's no secret this is one of my favorite books. I'd heard that the audiobook version was fantastic, and boy, that was under-selling it! Moira Quirk is such a good reader that I found myself considering checking out other audiobooks just because she was the narrator!

This genre-defying space fantasy is laugh-out-loud snarky, has a deliciously twisty plot, and is heartbreaking in the best way.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells,

read by Kevin R. Free

This science fiction adventure is now a great TV series on Apple TV. With the launch of the series, the publisher released a new full-cast audiobook of All Systems Red, but I prefer this earlier one. Kevin R. Free does an amazing job with voices. One of the things I appreciate is that when he does women's voices, they sound believably like women and he doesn't give all women the same voice. The best and worst thing about this book is that since it's a novella, the audiobook is quite short: only about three hours. This means it's a relatively quick listen, but it also means you'll be feeling bereft when it's over. Fortunately, it's just the first book in a series, all of which are available through Libby!

Watership Down by Richard Adams, read by Peter Capaldi

Watership Down may be one of the books I've re-read most often; I know I read it five times between fifth and 12th grade, and I've read it several times since. The amazing Scottish actor Peter Capaldi does a bang-up job as a reading on this one. My favorite thing is the storytelling voice he uses in the chapters that relate stories of the rabbit folk hero El-ahrairah. He sounds like a father telling children a much-too-exciting bedtime story, and it's perfect in context. This one is available through the library as both an e-audiobook and as a book on CD.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer, read by Carolyn McCormick.

I wasn't sure how Jeff VanderMeer's weird science fiction/horror Southern Reach series would work as an audiobook, but I am loving Annihilation and can't wait to move on to Authority (which is read by actor Bronson Pinchot!). A great aspect of listening to this book rather than reading it is that it's giving me an opportunity to fully absorb VanderMeer's gorgeous prose. VanderMeer based the setting of the Southern Reach heavily on St. Mark's Wildlife Refuge in Florida, one of his beloved haunts, and his love for the landscape and wildlife shines through in the voice of the main character, The Biologist. If you're a fan of books that refuse to be categorized, this series is for you. I've linked to the Libby version above, which combines the first three books in the series into one omnibus audiobook, but the individual titles are also available both as e-audiobooks and as books on CD through Driftwood.

Matthew Recommends

The January 6th report: the report of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol

"Presents the full text of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol's report, which addresses the origins of the insurrection, how it was organized and funded and the role of Donald Trump and other high-ranking officials." -- Provided by publisher.

Lisa Recommends

It's the craziest...

And this month's winner for the craziest new book summary goes to...

The Hitch by Rachel Yoder.

"From the author of the cult classic Treasure Island!!!, a seductively outlandish novel following a woman as she attempts to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her nephew and renegotiate the borders of her previously rational world. As an antiracist, Jewish secular feminist eco-warrior, Rose Cutler knows the right way to do everything, parent her six-year-old nephew Nathan. But while she's looking after him in his parents' absence, things veer disastrously off course --Rose's Newfoundland attacks and including kills a corgi at the park, and Nathan starts acting strangely: barking, overeating, talking to himself. Rose mistakes this for repressed grief over the corgi's death, but Nathan insists he isn't grieving, and the corgi isn't dead. Her soul leaped into his body, and she's living inside him. Now, Rose must banish the corgi from her nephew before his parents return. From the outrageously original mind of Sara Levine, The Hitch is a delightfully raucous comedy about loneliness, bad boundaries, and the ill-fated ambition of micromanaging everything and everyone around you"-- Provided by publisher.

Congratulations to author Rachel Yoder for coming up with this delightfully unhinged plot. I wish her a future filled with plot ideas so outrageous her book publisher will ask her to take a drug test.

Hobbes Recommends

The Beauty of Slow Cinema

Last night I was watching a movie review in which one of the reviewers was critical about the slow pacing of a much-anticipated upcoming theatrical release. The critic he was speaking with responded “but you’re such a fan of ‘slow cinema’!” His reply was that the difference lies in the filmmaker’s intent.

That term, Slow Cinema, captured my imagination. I did some research, and discovered that I too am an ardent fan of Slow Cinema. I have always referred to movies like this as either “slow burn” movies, or what a friend of mine calls “slice-of-life” movies (and he hates slice-of-life movies).

So, what is Slow Cinema? It is simply a form of art cinema, frequently minimalistic, which often lacks a strong narrative structure. Slow Cinema favors contemplative long takes and developed atmosphere. In other words, movies that aren’t necessarily focused on action or resolution, but instead are more concerned with setting a scene, character exploration, the exploration of a theme or idea. Often Slow Cinema movies are visually striking and emphasize the poetry of film, asking the viewer to watch at a slower pace and to pay close attention to details. The movie that is most commonly cited as a prime example is Tsiang Ming-liang’s 2003 movie Goodbye, Dragon Inn [on order].

Here are some of my favorite examples of Slow Cinema:

Mirror (1975)

Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky

The recollections of a dying poet flash before the eyes, his dreams mingling with scenes of childhood, wartime, and marriage, all imbued with the mystical power of a trance.

Enys Men (2022)

Directed by Mark Jenkin

A wildlife volunteer on an uninhabited island descends into madness, pushing her into a living nightmare.

General Orders No. 9 (2009)

Directed by Robert Persons

Awarded for its visionary cinematography, General Orders No. 9 marries experimental film-making with an accessible, naturalist sensibility to tell the epic story of the clash between nature and man's progress, and reaches a bittersweet reconciliation all its own.

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)

Directed by Béla Tarr & Ágnes Hranitzky

In an unknown time in an unnamed village, where, one day, a mysterious circus -- complete with an enormous stuffed whale and a shadowy, demagogue-like figure known as the Prince -- arrives and appears to awaken a kind of madness in the citizens that builds inexorably toward violence

Last of England (1987)

Directed by Derek Jarman

A portrait of England, overrun by greed and repression and the damage done to the cities, the land, the air, human souls and bodies. This visionary work is a mysterious, well-crafted montage of image and sound, evoking a world of apocalyptic fury.

The lighthouse (2019)

Directed by Robert Eggers

A hypnotic and hallucinatory tale of two lighthouse keepers on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Perfect days (2023)

Directed by Wim Wenders

In a radiant performance of few words but extraordinary expressiveness, Koji Yakusho plays a public-toilet cleaner in Tokyo whose rich inner world is gradually revealed through his small exchanges with those around him and with the city itself.

New Books

ADULT Non-Fiction

The healing power of trees: The definitive guide to forest bathing
by Olga Terebenina

Forest bathing is more than just a walk in the woods - it's the mindful practice of reconnecting with nature through your senses. Recent research shows that just 15 minutes outside can enhance mood, concentration and physical health. Packed with expert insights and captivating photography.

Elon Musk: American oligarch
by Darryl Cunningham
Graphic novel

The book draws from a bevy of published books, reports, and interviews about Musk and other featured characters. It renders Musk as an enigmatic figure, his motivations unclear and his statements contradictory. A compelling, cohesive, and often critical narrative is formed, illuminating the personal life, business ventures, and politics of a person with an outsized influence on the contemporary world.

Winter: The story of a season
by Val McDermid

Ruminating on a single winter in her life as she journeys into the heart of the season's ever-evolving community-based traditions, McDermid takes us on an adventure through the season, from the frosty streets of Edinburgh to the windblown Scottish coast. A hygge-filled journey through winter nights, a time of rest, retreat and creativity, scribbling in notebooks and settling in beside the fire.

Gursha: Timeless recipes for modern kitchens, from Ethiopia, Israel, Harlem, and beyond

by Beejhy Barhany

Born in Ethiopia, Barhany fled to Sudan before eventually settling in Harlem, where she became the chef and owner of Tsion Café. The cookbook features over 100 recipes, reflecting her journey, such as Injera Fish Tacos and Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cake. Along with the recipes, Barhany offers insights into Ethiopian Jewish (Beta Israel) rituals, holidays, and milestones.

Bird School: A beginner in the wood
by Adam Nicolson

This intimate exploration of the lives of birds and their inter-actions with man, follows Adam Nicolson's progress over two or three years in trying to learn about, and eventually to create an environment friendly to, the birds of the farm where he lives in Sussex. Here is a set of lessons for someone who knows little but cares a lot about the living world that is in such dire crisis. Here is life in the rough grounds, on the edge of culture and nature.

YOUNG ADULT and JUNIOR Non-Fiction

The stuff that stuff is made of:

The things we make with plants
by Jonathan Drori
Ages 7 and up.

Did you know that there's seaweed in ice cream, cork in spacecraft and dandelion in truck tires? Have you wondered how paper or thread are made, or why the mandrake is so mysterious? This book of wonder gives a young reader the knowledge of how the things we use every day are born from natural materials, and the surprising stories behind their creation.

Basket ball: The story of the all-American game
by Kadir Nelson
Ages 8 and up.

The sage voice of an elder player narrates the journey from the early days of the slow game of “basket ball” to today’s dazzlingly athletic and fast-paced sport. Engaging profiles of revolutionary players — including Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry— are featured, along with notable quotes from major figures of the game.

Sole survivor
by Norman Ollestad
Ages 10 and up.

This astounding true story chronicles how a California sixth grader survived a deadly mountainside plane crash during a snowstorm. A riveting real-life survival adventure reminiscent of Hatchet.

Create your own webcomics with Webtoon:

The ultimate guide to the exciting world of webcomics with tutorials, techniques, and insider tips!

by WEBTOON Entertainment

Ages 13 and up.

"Unleash your creativity and dive into the world of webcomics with the tutorials, techniques, and insider tips in Create Your Own Webcomics with WEBTOON." -- Provided by publisher.

Create Your Own Webcomics with Webtoon: The Ultimate Guide to the Exciting World of Webcomics with Tutorials, Techniques, and Insider Tips! by Webtoon Entertainment

ADULT Fiction

Disinheritance: The rediscovered stories
by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala began publishing fiction in 1956 and continued to do so until her death in 2013. This special collection of short stories demonstrates Jhabvala's powers of keen observation as she examines the westernization of India's middle class, the interplay of social and romantic ambition, and the social mores that plague her characters, regardless of their geographical background.

Midnight somewhere: A short-story collection
by Johnny Compton

A thrilling collection of horror short stories that range from mysterious to murderous. A man gets into a car that can take him anywhere he can imagine -- including the past, to alter the worst mistake of his life... A seemingly harmless, forgettable film about alien hand syndrome inspires a wave of self-harm among viewers -- and even stranger things a... A woman tries to bring her dead lover to life through a macabre ritual that requires attacking his corpse.

The bookbinder's secret
by A. D. Bell

Lily Delaney, apprentice to a master bookbinder in Oxford in 1901 is given a burned book. She finds, hidden beneath the binding, a fifty-year-old letter speaking of love, fortune, and murder. Lily is pulled into the mystery of the young lovers and discovers there are more books and more hidden pages telling their story. Lilian becomes obsessed with the story but sinister forces are closing in willing to do anything for the lost books and their hidden mysteries.

Crux
by Gabriel Tallent

In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape the hopelessness of their lives and chase a different future through rock climbing." -- Provided by publisher.

Mystery

Wreck your heart
by Lori Rader-Day

A distraught young woman arrives at the Dahlia's country music bar, asking after her missing mother -- Dahlia's mother, too. Though no one is using the word sister any time soon, Dahlia lets herself be drawn into reuniting the family that might have been hers. But when a body is discovered outside McPhee's Tavern, the crime threatens not just the place Dahlia has made into a home, but everything she's believed about her past, her dreams for the future, and the people she was just, maybe, beginning to let into her heart.

The quiet mother: A Detective Konrad novel
by Arnaldur Indridason

A woman is found murdered in her Reykjavik home, her apartment ransacked. Days earlier, she had begged retired Detective Konrad to find the child she gave up nearly fifty years ago. He turned her away. Now, haunted by guilt, he vows to uncover the truth -- for her and for himself. Each revelation in the case points to a hidden life that connects her death to a decades-old murder -- and to shadows from Konrad's own family history.

The murder at world's end
by Ross Montgomery

Knives out meets Downton Abbey. Cornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse of Halley's Comet. By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow. Stephen Pike, Tithe Hall's newest under-butler and his unlikely ally Miss Decima Stockingham, navigate secret passages, buried grudges, and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late...

Definitely maybe not a detective
by Sarah Fox

Emersyn Gray is a twenty-something juggling a tumultuous love life, the responsibilities of adulting, and trusting men after her boyfriend, Hoffman, stole most of her money. Freddie, superintendent of Emersyn's apartment building, is murdered, and Mr. Nagy, Emersyn's neighbor, is accused of killing him. Which brings Emersyn into contact with sassy, wheelchair-bound teen Theo and drop-dead gorgeous Wyatt. Part twisty murder mystery, part zany screwball comedy.

Fantasy / Sci-Fi

An Arcane Inheritance (Standard Edition) by Kamilah Cole

An arcane inheritance
by Kamilah Cole
Fantasy

Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her Freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely...familiar. The sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister. Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before.

Next stop
by Benjamin Resnick
Science fiction

A political fable set in an alternate present where the nation of Israel vanishes into a black hole. The story follows tech writer Ethan Block and magazine photographer Ella Halperin, who are raising Ella's young son, Michael, in an unnamed city loosely modeled on New York, where residents are dismayed by the "First Event:" Israel's disappearance. Resnick skillfully uses the raw materials of postapocalyptic fiction and speaks lucidly to his Jewish characters' legacy of displacement.

Exo
by Colin Brush
Science fiction

Over hundreds of years, Earth's oceans have transformed into an annihilating liquid entity--the Caul. The only people left on Earth are scientists studying the Caul and penitents who seek it out. Eighty-one year-old Mae Jemison is one of the penitents who lives alone near the shore. One day she comes across little Siofra, the daughter of scientist Carl Magellan. Mae searches for Magellan and finds his body hanging in a cabin -- she realizes he has been murdered and begins her own unauthorized investigation.

YOUNG ADULT Fiction

Through our teeth
by Pamela N. Harris

Hope Jackson is dead. Liv, one of Hope's best friends believes her boyfriend Brendan's alibi doesn't really check out. With the help of Hope's other two best friends, Kizzie and Sherie, Liv is determined to bring Brendan's actions to light. But as their plans keep escalating, Liv begins to have second thoughts -- especially as she's realizing that Brendan may not be the only one with the motive or opportunity to kill Hope.

Split the sky
by Marie Arnold

Lala Russell is a talented teen cellist who dreams of pursuing a career in music far away from the sundown town of Davey, Tex. She also possesses a gift for premonition, passed down through the Black women in her family. When she has a vision of a Black activist student being killed, Lala resolves to prevent it, but her grandmother warns that if she interferes, she could potentially derail "the next nationwide Civil Rights Movement." Now Lala must decide if sacrificing one person for the betterment of others is worth the progress it would bring.

16 forever
by Lance Rubin

It's Carter's 16th birthday--for the sixth time. Every time he's supposed to turn 17, he loops back a year. His memory gets wiped clean, his body ages backward --- the rest of the world moves on, just not him. His girlfriend, Maggie Spear, on the other hand, has been dreading this day. She can't be in a relationship with someone who is just going to forget her but eventually find themselves falling in love all over again. With Maggie soon leaving for college and Carter's birthday quickly coming around again, will they be able to find a forever that isn't stuck at 16?

CHILDREN'S Library

Picture Books & Easy Readers

Spooky
by Sally Anne Garland
Ages 4 and up.

When a family moves into a big, old house they soon discover a black cat is already living there, and it is spooked by the new owners. They unpack and settle into their new home deciding to not disturb the cat and to pretend that they don't see it padding around from room to room. Will the family and their spooky housemate ever feel at home?

Little Red and big, bad Fred
by Ashley Belote
Ages 4 and up.

Little Red loves to visit his great-grandfather. He makes the trip through the woods any time of year! The best part is when Little Red meets Fred along the way. Little Red is completely oblivious to the fact that Fred is, in fact, a very hungry wolf that is trying to eat him.

Butt or Face? Volume 3: Super Gross Butts by Kari Lavelle

Butt or face?: Super gross butts
by Kari Lavelle
Ages 4 and up.

Examine a close-up photo of an animal and then guess whether you're looking at the top or the...um...bottom. The answer is revealed on the next page with a photo of the complete animal. Includes fun animal facts and information about camouflage and other sneaky animal tricks.

Nunu and the sea
by Isabella Kung
Ages 4 and up.

"A misunderstood girl with overwhelming emotions creates an origami boat and journeys to the sea where she can feel free." -- Provided by publisher.

I dance
by Diana Rañola
Easy reader ; ages 4 and up.

Explore Philippine folk dances in this vibrant early reader. A Filipina girl describes and demonstrates cultural folk dances using six words or fewer per page.

Chapter Books and Graphic Novels

Alice with a why
by Anna James
Ages 8 and up.

England, 1919. Alyce -- with a Y -- is sent to live with her grandmother, the original Alice, after having lost her father in war. When a mysterious invitation to a tea party hits her square in the face, Alyce realizes that her grandmother's strange stories of a place called Wonderland might have some truth to them after all. Soon Alyce is tumbling down into Wonderland herself.

X marks the haunt
by Lindsay Currie
Ages 8 and up.

When a lost crypt key awakens a dark force at Graceland Cemetery, twelve-year-old Will, armed with his graveyard know-how, teams up with his friends to uncover the spirit's identity and end the haunting for good before it destroys both the place he loves and the people he holds most dear.

A year without home
by V. T. Bidania
Ages 10 and up.

After U.S. troops pull out of Vietnam, eleven-year-old Gao Sheng and her family are forced to flee their home in Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand. As a year passes at the camp, Gao Sheng discovers how to rebuild home no matter where she is and finally find her voice.

Absolutely Everything: A Graphic Novel by Damian Alexander

Absolutely everything
by Damian Alexander
Graphic novel ; ages 9 and up.

Sixth grade seems complicated on purpose. Marcella keeps forgetting her homework or getting distracted while she's doing it. Plus, her bestie has new friends, and her parents even want to move apartments. Absolutely everything is stressing her out! Author-artist Damian Alexander tells a story of growing up, ADHD, and focusing on what makes you who you are.

We hope to see you at the library soon!

Sincerely,

Your friends at Driftwood Public Library

Driftwood Public Library

801 SW Hwy 101, Second Floor

Lincoln City, OR 97367

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Email: librarian@lincolncity.org

www.driftwoodlib.org

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