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• Staff Picks Newsletter • |
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Books or movies we just couldn't put down ... |
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Some Bright Nowhere
by Ann Packer
Eliot and his wife Claire have been happily married for nearly four decades. They've raised two children in their sleepy Connecticut town and have weathered the inevitable ups and downs of a long life spent together. But eight years after Claire was diagnosed with cancer, the end is near, and it's time to gather loved ones and prepare for the inevitable. Over the years of Claire's illness, Eliot has willingly--lovingly--shifted into the role of caregiver, appreciating the intimacy and tenderness that comes with a role even more layered and complex than the one he performed as a devoted husband. But as he focuses on settling into what will be their last days and weeks together, Claire makes an unexpected request that leaves him reeling. In a moment, his carefully constructed world is shattered--
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I'll Be Gone for Christmas by Georgia K. BooneBee Tyler needs a break. In the bustling San Francisco tech community, no one ever seems to stand still--especially her perfect sister and business partner, Beth. So when her best friend suggests a getaway on the wildly popular house-swap app, Vacate, Bee decides a countryside retreat might be exactly what she needs. Clover Mills has had a year. Between losing her mother and making the complicated decision to leave her fiancé, sticking around the idyllic Christmas obsessed town of Salem, Ohio, just doesn't feel right. So when she hears about Vacate, she jumps at the chance to spend the holidays in the unfamiliar city of San Francisco. Soon enough, Bee is living in Clover's cozy Salem cottage, and Clover is living in Bee's sleek San Francisco apartment. As Clover can't seem to stop running into Bee's frustratingly gorgeous sister, Beth, and Bee finds herself spending more and more time with Clover's ultra charming ex-fiancé, Knox, the two women realize that this Christmas they may find just what they were looking for and more...
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Sisters in the Wind: A Good Morning America Book Club Pick
by Angeline Boulley
Ever since Lucy Smith's father died five years ago, 'home' has been more of an idea than a place. She knows being on the run is better than anything waiting for her as a 'ward of the state.' But when the sharp-eyed and kind Mr. Jameson with an interest in her case comes looking for her, Lucy wonders if hiding from her past will ever truly keep her safe. Five years in the foster system has taught her to be cautious and smart. But she wants to believe Mr. Jameson and his 'friend-not-friend, ' a tall and fierce-looking woman who say they want to look after her. They also tell Lucy the truth her father hid from her--She is Ojibwe; she has--had--a sister, and more siblings, a grandmother who'd look after her and a home where she would be loved. But Lucy is being followed. The past has destroyed any chance at safety she had. Will the secrets she's hiding swallow her whole and take away any hope for the future she always dreamed of? When the past comes for revenge, it's fight or flight--
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The Irish Goodbye
by Heather Aimee O'Neill
National Bestseller A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick In this emotionally resonant and gripping novel, three adult sisters struggle with the past as they reunite for a Thanksgiving weekend on the East End of Long Island. It's been years since the three Ryan sisters were all together at their beloved family home. Two decades ago, their lives were upended by a fatal accident on their brother Topher's boat. Now the Ryan women are back for Thanksgiving, eager to reconnect, but each carries a heavy secret. The eldest, Cait, still holding guilt for the role no one knows she played in the boat accident, rekindles a flame with her high school crush. Middle sister Alice has been thrown a curveball that threatens the career she's restarting and faces a difficult decision that may doom her marriage. And the youngest, Maggie, is finally taking the risk of bringing the woman she loves home to meet her devoutly Catholic mother. When Cait invites a guest from their shared past to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions boil over and new truths surface, nearly overpowering the flickering light of their family bond. Far more than a family holiday will be ruined unless the sisters can find a way to forgive one another--and themselves.
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The Mighty Red by Louise ErdrichIn the Red River Valley of North Dakota, several lives revolve around a wedding fraught with desire, jealousy, and uncertainty. Gary Geist, a terrified young man set to inherit two farms, is desperate to marry Kismet Poe, an impulsive, lapsed goth who can’t read her own future but will settle for fulfilling his. Her best friend, Hugo, a gentle, red-haired, homeschooled giant, also loves Kismet and is determined to steal her away and build a life together. Kismet’s mother, Crystal, drives a truck for Gary’s family, and on her nightly runs, tunes in to the darkness of late-night radio, experiences visions of guardian angels, and worries about what’s to come, for her daughter and herself.
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The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
by Michael Finkel
For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stâephane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than two hundred heists over nearly ten years-in museums and cathedrals all over Europe-Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than three hundred objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion. In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser's strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in a single room where he could admire them to his heart's content. Possessed of a remarkable athleticism and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtakingly number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict's need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend's pleas to stop-until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down--
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Merry and Bright by Debbie MacomberMerry Knight is pretty busy these days. She's taking care of her family, baking cookies, decorating for the holidays, and hoping to stay out of the crosshairs of her stressed and by-the-book boss at the consulting firm where she temps. Her own social life is the last thing she has in mind, much less a man. Without her knowledge, Merry's well-meaning mom and brother create an online dating profile for her--minus her photo--and the matches start rolling in. Initially, Merry is incredulous, but she reluctantly decides to give it a whirl. Soon Merry finds herself chatting with a charming stranger, a man with similar interests and an unmistakably kind soul. Their online exchanges become the brightest part of her day. But meeting face-to-face is altogether different, and her special friend is the last person Merry expects--or desires. Still, sometimes hearts can see what our eyes cannot. In this satisfying seasonal tale, unanticipated love is only a click away.
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Song of the Saints: Celebrating the Saints with Anglican Prayer Beads by Catherine GotschallHave you ever wondered what the saints would say if they could speak to you? Saints have long been a source of inspiration and solace for Christians-from Ambrose of Milan of the early Church, to Hildegard of Bingen of the medieval period, to Frederick Douglass of nineteenth-century abolitionist renown-but few would say they truly know these sources of timeless wisdom. The prayers in Song of the Saints, intended for use in conjunction with Anglican prayer beads, offer a remedy: a tried and tested prayer practice designed to bring readers into a deeper communion with the saints throughout the liturgical year. Selected from various Christian liturgical calendars, the featured saints are accompanied by an icon-like image, an original prayer, and a brief spiritual biography, which offers readers a window into the context in which the saint lived. Ultimately, readers aren't just learning about the saints-they're engaging with them, actively exploring their lives, their teachings, and most of all, their heart.
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The God of the Woods
by Liz Moore
When Barbara Van Laar is discovered missing from her summer camp bunk one morning in August 1975, it triggers a panicked, terrified search. Losing a camper is a horrific tragedy under any circumstances, but Barbara isn't just any camper: she's the daughter of the wealthy family who owns the camp--as well as the opulent nearby estate, and most of the land in sight. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared in this region. Barbara's older brother also went missing 16 years earlier, never to be found. How could this have happened yet again? Out of this gripping beginning, Liz Moore weaves a ... textured drama, both emotionally nuanced and propelled by a double-barreled mystery--
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What Happened to Millennials: In Defense of a Generation by Charlie WellsAt the birth of America's largest living generation, the outlook was strong: unparalleled economic growth, the emerging Internet, the rise of the cell phone, and a geopolitics that had allegedly reached the end of history all set expectations exceedingly high for a cohort entering adulthood at the dawn of the new millennium. That adulthood--a work in progress for more than a quarter century--has been disrupted by war, recession, pandemic, and a sharp turn toward cultural and economic polarization. It has also been endlessly critiqued by others as immature, lazy, weak, incomplete, selfish, and supposedly riddled with failure. Now, 25 years after the first millennials began turning 18, Bloomberg News reporter Charlie Wells comes to the generation's defense with a cultural history of an adulthood disrupted. Drawing on hundreds of hours of intimate interviews with five millennials from across the country, he explores how the biggest events, ideas, and transformations of the century played out in private lives. Between the data points and statistical studies, news reports and archival records, his brutally honest, on-the-record conversations about love, loss, work, addiction, tragedy, and sacrifice reveal how a generation once minimized can no longer be ignored. What Happened to Millennials charts a path from our nostalgic past to a better future, shaped by the challenges we have surmounted, the people we have loved, and the adults we have become.
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Staying Alive: The Go-To Guide for Houseplants
by Janet Melrose
Whether you have one tiny succulent on your desk at work or a massive collection of tropical plants in your home, caring for houseplants can be a real source of joy--and the occasional moment of wild frustration. In this Q&A guide to happy, healthy houseplants, lifelong gardeners Sheryl Normandeau and Janet Melrose are here with the insight you need to take you from perusing the plant shop to the dreaded repotting to splitting your mama spider into little spidies to share with friends.--
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When We're in Charge: The Next Generation's Guide to Leadership
by Amanda Litman
Litman offers a guide for emerging leaders seeking to adopt new leadership approaches and move away from traditional models. Drawing on her own experiences as a founder and executive, as well as insights from interviews with over 100 next-generation leaders in various fields, the book provides practical advice for navigating leadership challenges and evolving workplace expectations. It addresses topics such as maintaining authenticity while leading, managing social media presence, and establishing work-life balance. Litman also presents arguments for practices like a four-day work week, intentional transparency, and the importance of family leave for both employees and leaders
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