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Sonoma County Library Staff Picks
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Fourth wing
by Rebecca Yarros
This was the most voted for title from our staff picks survey this year!
Despite hoping to enter the Scribe Quadrant, the bookish Violet Sorrengail is forced to become one of the hundreds of candidates risking their lives to be a dragon rider in the first novel of a new series. 350,000 first printing.
Incredible world building. - Sandra, Library Headquarters
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What you are looking for is in the library : a novel
by Michiko Aoyama
This tribute to the magic of libraries, friendship and community follows Tokyo's most mysterious librarian, Sayuri Komachi, as she gives her visitors one unexpected book, which has life-altering consequences, giving the borrower the motivation they didn't realize they need to change their life.
Short stories about the many stages of life and how a small neighborhood library can help those who need it to find their path. - Sandra, Library Headquarters
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Sonja, Cloverdale Regional Library
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A wonderfully ridiculous read. - Sandra, Library Headquarters
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Jordan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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It was an incredibly engaging and fun story of ghosts, politics, romance, and mystery in Victorian England. The book also has a very smooth pacing to it and is a quick read as a result. - Jonathan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Holly, Windsor Regional Library
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Fantastic horror as always from Kingfisher, great vibes and wonderful details. Perfect for a gloomy winter day. - Sandra, Library Headquarters
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Holly, Windsor Regional Library
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Kate, Library Headquarters
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Allison, Guerneville Regional Library
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Kate, Library Headquarters
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Emma, Petaluma Regional Library
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A smart, hilarious satire focused on an enigmatic social media influencer and the hangers-on looking to monetize her charisma. - Allison, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Emma, Petaluma Regional Library
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Allison, Guerneville Regional Library
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Kate, Library Headquarters
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A jaw-dropping comedy that had me screaming with laughter and disbelief. Greta transcribes therapy sessions for a sex coach and starts to fall in love with one of the clients she hears in these recordings. They meet in real life - and chaos ensues. Currently in development as a limited series for television. - Allison, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Jesmyn Ward is a brilliant writer. In this novel, just as she did in Sing, Unburied, Sing, she manages to seamlessly blend the spirit world with the brutality of the tangible world. Her prose is both haunting and impeccable. I will read anything she writes! - Terra, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Amy, Petaluma Regional Library
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A unique and compelling dystopian novel about a world in which citizens who have been deemed to have “done wrong” are cursed with an extra shadow and forced to live in constant subjugation and public humiliation. I love that while this is dystopian, it reads more as character-driven literary fiction than science fiction. It’s smart, snarky, and insightful. - Terra, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Scott, Northwest Santa Rosa Library
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A cold-case page-turner with current relevancy and classic potential. -Staff member, Library Headquarters
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I love this author's historical fiction and fantasy works, and it turns out that I love her science fiction, too! A fiercely compassionate, thrilling space opera with a fascinating, flawed protagonist. It manages the difficult trick of balancing weighty "big picture" questions with engaging characters and plenty of action. - Rose, Library Headquarters
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Bonnie, Forestville Community Library
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Chlorine, by Jade Song. An intense and visceral tale that describes the body horror that can accompany adolescence. Dark, disturbing, and gorgeously written. - Jessica, Sebastopol Regional Library
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This slow burn read is for true suspense and horror fans. Great characters and a great payoff for all the tension built throughout the novel. - Jason, Guerneville Regional Library
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It had all my favorite things about romantic comedies: the laugh out loud moments, the sweet swoony moments, the hints and anticipation along the way about what might happen, the challenges to overcome, the fun twist, and a happy ending (of course!). I especially liked the author’s note at the end where she explained where her love of romance stories came from and how much fun they are for her to read and write because of how they celebrate love and positivity. - Mary, Petaluma Regional Library
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Very atmospheric, lots of classic horror elements including witches, ghosts, demonic possession. All this wrapped up in a tribute to Shirley Jackson and The Haunting of Hill House! Amazing. Jane, Library Headquarters
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Sonja, Cloverdale Regional Library
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A really great book that is way too short and needs a whole series. It is set in the future southwest with gunslinging librarians fighting for revolution. - Sandra, Library Headquarters
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Emeline, Sebastopol Regional Library
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I loved this strength and energy of the main character, Elizabeth. Her determination to follow her love of science, stand up for what she believed in, and refuse to accept the sexist expectations of the people around her, were inspiring. It is a reminder that women can do hard things and stand up for themselves, and that we don't always need to let society tell us who we should be. - Mary, Petaluma Regional Library
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A very fun sci-fi adventure told across multiple time periods. The author is also a local from Santa Rosa who only recently moved out of the area. - Jonathan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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It's the most unique and bone chilling book I've ever had the pleasure and displeasure of reading. 10/10, will give you a headache. - Deer, Windsor Regional Library
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The further adventures of the cast of the John Dies at the End series is funny and weird as usual. This time it's a lot of time-travel related shenanigans.- Jonathan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Emeline, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Dianne, Windsor Regional Library
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This novella is a wonderful story that is equal parts noir and sapphic romance. Polk really knows how to set a scene description as well, so there is always a vivid mental picture of every moment. - Jonathan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Holly, Windsor Regional Library
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Local author, very creepy and well written. Loved this book! - Lillian, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Holly, Windsor Regional Library
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Full of suspense, excellent world building, just all around an excellent read. - Lillian, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Moonglow is a novelized memoir, and not for the faint of heart. In this work at least, Chabon provides a hearty dose of dark humor, and no small amount of plain darkness. The writing is exceptional. As any serious and truly meaningful text should, Moonglow offers both the scientific and the inexplicable. One ventures to describe it as American (in the US sense of the word), and not to be missed. - Lars, Petaluma Regional Library
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When everyone is talking about AI in either the context of job-stealing chatbots or Terminator-like machines, it's nice to read a fascinating blend of both sci-fi and commentary from a renowned futurist, talking about both the positives AND negatives of artificial intelligence-- where it is, where it's going, and how long it'll take us to get there. - Meredith, Petaluma Regional Library
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Allison, Guerneville Regional Library
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Emma, Petaluma Regional Library
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Sarah, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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Lisa, Library Headquarters
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James, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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This book made me feel all the feels. It takes place at the beginning of the Covid 19 outbreak as things go into lockdown. The main character becomes stranded in the Galapagos islands where she learns to slow down and examine life, love, and what choices will really make her happy in the future. Meanwhile, her boyfriend is back home working in a hospital on the front lines of the pandemic and sharing the fear and uncertainty of that time. Nothing about this book was what I expected it to be, but I loved the emotional ride it took me through and the way it encouraged me to look back on my own pandemic experience. - Mary, Petaluma Regional Library
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Live Production of Let the Right One In at the Berkeley Repertory Theater. The Petaluma Library crew got together after work to go see this play and it was well worth the trip to the East Bay. A wonderful telling of the story by John Ajvide Lindqvist. The blood effects were on point and the theater was icy cold for this snowy vampire tale. - Petaluma Library staff member
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A beautiful friendship between an octopus and a widowed woman; it is intensely emotional and deeply human. - Jessica Ferris, Sebastopol Regional Library I loved how the writer engaged both the human and non-human narrator voices in this gentle, sad yet heart-warming story. - Loren, Library Headquarters
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This was one of the books we read for our Classics you Missed Book club. The book, published in 1985 and telling the story of a winged circus performer named Fevvers in 1899, this novel was a wild ride. Rich in texture and wild and magical in story, I loved the metaphors and overt criticism of patriarchy. It was also a great book club selection because we had many differing opinions about it! - Adriel Ahern, Sebastopol Regional Library It has been a long time since I've read a book that had me saying "What!?!?" and laugh lout loud. A real rollercoaster ride, but the writer keeps the story on the tracks. - Loren, Library Headquarters
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I checked this book out to bring with me for a vacation, and I accidentally spilled water all over it halfway through reading it. I wasn't upset about having to pay the library and keeping the damaged book because even before causing the water damage, I knew I needed to get a copy to add to my own collection of Le Guin's works. Each of the three novellas in this collection highlight her strength as an author who weaves character-driven narratives that are set in societies simultaneously strange and familiar to our own. - Samuel, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Lisa, Library Headquarters
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I came for the haunted bookstore, but I stayed for the tender human story. This was the first book that I have read set in 2020 during the beginning of the COVID pandemic and the summer of police brutality protests that really captures the emotional rollercoaster of that time period. Louise Erdrich is an excellent writer and her characters in this book really stuck with me after I finished it. - Terra, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Lisa, Library Headquarters
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Brilliant, appealing retelling of David Copperfield set in beautiful rural Virginia during the challenging "Dopesick" era, a real American reckoning. -Staff member, Library Headquarters
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Jaime, Library Headquarters
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Surprising, delightful, short and satisfying puzzle box tale with purposeful fan-fiction nods to CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia & Space Trilogy. -Staff member, Library Headquarters
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This book checks all the boxes for what I want in a collection of short stories: Bizarre? Check. Queer? Check. Devastating? Check. - Terra, Sebastopol Regional Library
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"The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us." Read how this strange and vaguely baleful slogan - created by lonely teens - goes "viral" in pre-Internet days. -Staff member, Library Headquarters
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Aleta, Library Headquarters
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Peggy, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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A great mixture of high adventure, mystery, and thoughtful questions about free will, community, and the possibilities of the future, all seen through the fractured lens of a brilliant but unreliable narrator. A dense, chewy-yet exhilarating sci-fi with incredibly immersive worldbuilding. This was by far the best book I read this year - I was knocked flat by the elegant, powerful prose, complex characters, and deeply thought-out ideas, and inhaled this book and its sequels in quick succession. - Rose, Library Headquarters
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I liked this series a lot because of the parallel storytelling—the main character is dead upon the beginning of the story, but is resurrected into someone who sacrificed his body to bring him back. The storyline switches between the present, as the protagonist investigates a murder mystery, and the past, as the protagonist reminisces on his first life. - Ceci, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Denise, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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I thought this was a wonderful deconstruction of colonialism interspersed with a unique system of magic. The attention to detail was impressive! - Jessica, Sebastopol Regional Library
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I found this through a previous Staff Picks survey (thanks, Kyle!), and I'm so glad I did! A queer-centric urban fantasy full of found family and cinematic action sequences. It reminded me of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files (without the toxic masculinity) or Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber (updated for the 21st century). - Rose, Library Headquarters
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Engaging suburban noir. No big heists here, just a small time crook doing small time jobs while trying to figure his life out. Of course, he gets in over his head. - Jason, Guerneville Regional Library
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My favorite part about the book was that there is an actual musical soundtrack that accompanies it. The author hired a musician to write and record the songs that the characters create together in the story, and you can listen to them for free on YouTube as you go through the story. It was such a neat experience to have a story like this come to life with the addition of the music! The "Maybe Someday" song is super catchy, and I still catch myself singing it months after I read the story. - Mary, Petaluma Regional Library
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Full of anxiety, really riveting. An addiction horror tale that I couldn't put down, even though I wanted to because it was freaking me out. - Jane, Library Headquarters.
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Jordan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Sonja, Cloverdale Regional Library
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Jordan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Jose, Roseland Regional Library
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Jaime, Library Headquarters
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Bing, Cloverdale Regional Library
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Finds parallels between the irreverent attitudes of punk and the Buddhist appreciation of skepticism, in which individuals are encouraged to explore ideas on their own and come to their own conclusions. Weaves together personal anecdotes with philosophical exploration, written in a plainspoken and engaging style. - Marcos, Central Santa Rosa Library
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I'm an enthusiastic fan of the podcast of the same name, which reveals interesting insights about various parts of the Bay Area. This is a collection of some of their best stories, along with a few ones exclusive to the book. - Meredith, Petaluma Regional Library
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I hardly dare begin to even explain this collection of sonnets by so seminal a writer as Borges. The translators and editors provide a brilliant summary analysis; the effect on me as a reader will perhaps remain unarticulated. In both content and form, the rich gift of having the complete sonnets at one's disposal--English translations notwithstanding--is infinite nutrition for heart, mind, soul ... - Lars, Petaluma Regional Library
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Stuart, Guerneville Regional Library
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Karin, Guerneville Regional Library
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Stuart, Guerneville Regional Library
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Kathleen, Guerneville Regional Library
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Liam, Petaluma Regional Library
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Kathleen, Guerneville Regional Library
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Jodi, Windsor Regional Library
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Lisa, Library Headquarters
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Rokhsan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Jordan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Emma, Petaluma Regional Library
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Mara, Rincon Valley Regional Library
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Equally entertaining and informative, this book details how cryptocurrencies are functionally unstable speculative assets traded on what amount to unlicensed securities exchanges. It also highlights the fraud and other social ills that followed from that central fact about crypto. The audiobook version is actually narrated by one of the co-authors, actor-turned-journalist Ben McKenzie, and his retelling of some of the interviews he conducted were a highlight of the listening experience (especially his critical conversation with the now-convicted now-former CEO of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, during a time when the media and politicians were hailing him as the "responsible face" of the industry). - Samuel, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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A respectful yet clear-eyed examination of Polly Klaas's kidnapping from her Petaluma home in 1993. Well-written and painstakingly researched, this book is a tribute to Polly's family, friends, and the community that rallied together to find her. - Allison, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Dining with the Dead is not only a sumptuous, full-color illustrated cookbook of traditional Mexican recipes for celebrating Dia de Los Muertos/the Day of the Dead but a detailed treasure map that leads the reader on a journey into the Mexican cultural traditions for honoring loved ones who have passed on. Devotees of homemade Mexican cuisine will appreciate the step-by-step instructions for both the recipes and making your own altars and ofrendas at home. - Vandy, Library Headquarters
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This exhibition catalog highlights Rivera's work in Mexico and the United States from the early 1920s through the mid-1940s. Though the exhibition is over, you can view Diego’s Pan American Unity mural at the SFMOMA through January 2024. Want more? Watch Diego Rivera: Moving a Masterpiece . - Vandy, Library Headquarters
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I kept this book in my car for reading emergencies and once took it out while i was waiting to do school outreach to a 2nd grade class. This was a mistake, because every poem in this book makes me cry and teaches me something about myself. - Adriel, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Watts is a wickedly talented singer, musician, and comedian known for his oddball humor and improvisational skills. His memoir focuses less on his rise to fame but more about growing up in Montana as a Black multilingual teen struggling to find his place in the world. - Allison, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Scott, Northwest Santa Rosa Library
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Mara, Rincon Valley Regional Library
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Bing, Cloverdale Regional Library
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Marshall, Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library
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A suspenseful narrative account of enslaved couple Ellen and William Craft's courageous 1848 escape to freedom and further journeys on the abolitionist circuit and beyond. - Sarah, Library Headquarters
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Jaime, Library Headquarters
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A fascinating window into the unique professions that deal with death on a personal level. Dark, yet hopeful. - Jessica, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Marshall, Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library
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A very poetic nonfiction book about early deep-sea exploration, complete with many color images and log book excerpts. - Jason, Guerneville Regional Library
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Learn how the sense of taste works, then apply your new knowledge to better enjoy your food and drink! - Sarah, Library Headquarters
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Jaime, Library Headquarters
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This nonfiction book about a child actress tackles various abuses, eating disorders, manipulation, exploitation, and mental health with thoughtfulness and a charming wit that I found addictive. - Jessica, Sebastopol Regional Library
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If you think most manga are about teenagers going on world-saving adventures, think again: this emotional story is often without dialog, but tells the story of an older woman insistent on living on her own terms-- even if that means actively defying Death by trapping it in a vacuum cleaner (no, I am not kidding). - Meredith, Petaluma Regional Library
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Jordan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Jodi, Windsor Regional Library
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Terra, Windsor Regional Library
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Cailin, Petaluma Regional Library
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Cailin, Petaluma Regional Library
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Aleta, Library Headquarters
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Cailin, Petaluma Regional Library
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The Trials of Morrigan Crow
by Jessica Townsend
Have you ever felt cursed as a child? Blamed for everything that goes wrong, whether or not you were even there? Morrigan Crow is such a cursed child...fated to die on her eleventh birthday. Until she's whisked away to compete for a coveted spot in the Wonderous Society. Fast paced, magic, Harry Potter meets Alice in Wonderland...how can you ask for more? - Jackie, Petaluma Regional Library
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Nikelle, Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library
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Sarah, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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Kathleen, Guerneville Regional Library
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Kevin, Northwest Santa Rosa Library
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Aleta, Library Headquarters
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Cailin, Petaluma Regional Library
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This new series with titles Leviathan and The Beyond is like a video game in a book. Highly interactive choose-your-own-adventure comic panels are paired with plot, problem-solving and a hint of classic gaming commands (think "Look East"). - Sarah, Library Headquarters
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Elbert in the Air by Monica Wesolowska tells the story of t young boy who floats. The simple style of the illustration give greater poignancy to the story of a child whose family and community makes great efforts to include him, even when he thinks he will never find a community. - Adriel, Sebastopol Regional Library
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You had me at poop. Grumpy, terrible rabbit has a secret. He doesn't want anyone to know...not even bear whose food he's been stealing and who slowly becoming his friend. After all...would you want anyone to know that you eat your own poop? - Jackie, Petaluma Regional Library
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As one might expect, this authoritative atlas provides a clear overview of all things Pokémon. We all need clarity on the big picture. Books such as this one guide enthusiasts in their exploration, with plenty of detail and fun facts along the way. - Lars, Petaluma Regional Library
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It was a happy accident that I discovered this graphic novel a month before Oppenheimer was released in theaters this summer. The book details aspects of building the atomic bomb that the film didn't have time to cover. A riveting read for all ages! - Allison Palmer, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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The Skull by Jon Klassen is a dark, creepy, fairytale for children. The muted tones of the illustration and the muted emotional response of the child in the story are well-matched. Ultimately though, I love the story of unexpected friendships in dark places, even between a runaway girl and a skull. - Adriel, Sebastopol Regional Library
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During the time of the Plague, we meet Boy, a hunchback who just wishes to be a normal boy. A pilgrim seeking St. Peter's relics takes Boy, as a servant on his perilous quest...Pretty soon the reader starts to suspect that neither character is "normal". Are they even from this world? - Jackie, Petaluma Regional Library
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Can two pranksters call a truce long enough to pull off the biggest prank their school has ever seen? Laugh and learn...odd facts about cows. - Jackie, Petaluma Regional Library
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Don't you hate having a perfect sibling? It's hard living in their shadow! Earlybird is the fast flying bird who always catches the worm. Speed bump is his little brother who has a oversized head, short wings, loves music, sleeping in and can't catch a worm to save his life...But can he save his brother's life when the worms rise up to kill Earlybird? You can't help but root for the under-bird in this well-illustrated funny book! - Jackie, Petaluma Regional Library
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Lauana, Library Headquarters
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Emma, Petaluma Regional Library
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Lauana, Library Headquarters
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As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow
by Zoulfa Katouh
The book is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. To read about the horrors of war but also read on the importance of keeping hope alive despite all the anguish is told beautifully by the author. Plus, the twist revealed halfway through the story blew my mind! - Giselle, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
Jodi, Windsor Regional Library
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Lauana, Library Headquarters
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Nicole, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Nikelle, Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library
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A Snake Falls to Earth
by Darcie Little Badger
Fifteen-year-olds Nina and Oli come from different words--she is a Lipan Apache living in Texas and he is a cottonmouth from the Reflecting World--but their lives intersect when Oli journeys to Earth to find a cure for his ailing friend and they end up helping each other save their families.
Nikelle, Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library
Aleta, Library Headquarters
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Nikelle, Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library
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Jodi, Windsor Regional Library
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Rokhsan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Rokhsan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Rokhsan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Jerry, Windsor Regional Library
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You probably already know Gabrielle Zevin for her 2022 adult novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, but did you know she's also a prolific Teen author? Check out All These Things I've Done (2011), book #1 in her Birthright series. It's a realistic science-fiction book set in 2083, when chocolate and coffee are illegal. Sixteen-year-old Anya is trying to get through high school with the weight of being the daughter of New York City's (deceased) and most notorious crime boss, who ran the Family's chocolate trade. She's also trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. - Lara, Healdsburg Regional Library
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Children's author and illustrator Phoebe Wahl came out with an amazing semi-autobiographical YA novel! She mixes in great humor and illustrations which make the book ten times better! - Destiny, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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Such a creative, engaging, and beautiful graphic novel. I could not put it down. - Destiny, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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Nicole, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Nicole, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Nicole, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Thus far a 3-volume series (volume 4 should be coming out sometime in 2024...hopefully!), this adorable series of 4-panel comics is a great mood-booster whenever you need a giggle or a deep breath. A variety of cats and kittens under the direction of the purple-caped Feline Commander aims to make humans do their bidding! - Meredith, Petaluma Regional Library
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Another heartwarming, cat-centric manga, this one has a storyline of sorts: an overtired office worker stumbles on a massage parlor run AND staffed entirely by cats, and soon converts his entire workforce into cat fanatics. Different cats have different massage styles for the many types of worker complaints out there! - Meredith, Petaluma Regional Library
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Kelly, Central Santa Rosa Library
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A cute and touching Bilingual (Eng/Spa) book about an outcast black cat who just wants to be loved. The illustrations are gorgeous as well! - Destiny, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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Amazing illustrations and a great way for children (and parents) to re-evaluate how we see the world. -Aleta, Library Headquarters
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El autor recuerda varios momentos en su vida y la vida de su familia que corresponden y iluminan a los eventos de sus novelas, todo escrito en un lenguaje rico y elegante. - Marcos, Central Santa Rosa Library
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In both content and form, the rich gift of having the complete sonnets at one's disposal--English translations notwithstanding--is infinite nutrition for heart, mind, soul. - Lars, Petaluma Regional Library
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Kelly, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Comme un roman d'été
by Emily Henry
I listened to Comme un roman d'ete (Beach Read) by Emily Henry and I loved being able to listen to a French audiobook of such quality and great voice! - Emi, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Spider-Man
The music and characters were all amazing, but most of all, the art was jaw-dropping!!! You can really see the love and care that was put into each and every frame. The Lego sequence was especially sweet because it was animated by a fan whose Lego version of the Spider-verse trailer went viral, and was noticed by the production crew who subsequently invited him to create a Lego scene for the movie. - Ceci, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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A fast paced and action filled installment in an already great series of films. -Lillian, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Looking for a dark, dark comedy? Check out the Palme d'Or-winning satire Triangle of Sadness. Not for the faint of heart! - Lara, Healdsburg Regional Library
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Lars, Petaluma Regional Library
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Nikelle, Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library
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Liam, Petaluma Regional Library
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Did you watch Joanna Hogg's superb movie The Souvenir on Kanopy? "...an exquisite story of first love, a woman falls into an intense, emotionally fraught relationship with a charismatic but untrustworthy older man. Enigmatic and enrapturing, The Souvenir is a lush, dreamlike portrait of young adulthood." Did you know that Hogg created The Souvenir Part II? It's true! It's an "extraordinary portrait of a life lived through art." Lara, Healdsburg Regional Library
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Sarah, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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Australian horror film starring a cursed embalmed hand that makes teens go temporarily loco, except for one teen who takes it too far while deep in the desperation of grief. - Michelle, Petaluma Regional Library
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Jordan, Central Santa Rosa Library
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Set in the Italian interwar period, Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of this classic fairy tale mixes a deeply moving story with meticulously crafted figurines filmed using stop-motion animation. - Sam, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Stuart, Guerneville Regional Library
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Courtney Klein, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Jaime, Library Headquarters
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Kevin, Northwest Santa Rosa Library
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Marshall, Sonoma County History and Genealogy Library
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Based on the book Slow Burn by Leon Neyfakh, check out Gaslit, a limited series by Starz. It's a modern take on the 1970s political Watergate scandal focusing on untold stories and forgotten characters of the time. -Lara, Healdsburg Regional Library
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Kate, Library Headquarters
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Sarah, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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I recommend every season of this show, but Season 3 has one of my favorite episodes, the one guest-starring Harry Belafonte. That episode culminates with a final performance of "Turn the World Around" featuring puppets specially designed by Belafonte and Jim Henson. - Sam, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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The Library has DVDs of "All The Great Star Trek Series You Might Otherwise Have Missed Without Streaming or Cable"... and Lower Decks is a treat. Who knew that Starfleet could be so fun, as the crew of the USS Cerritos boldly goes where pretty much everyone has gone before? - Library Staff, Library Headquarters
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Peggy, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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2020 adaptation Gorgeous photography of Yorkshire. Gentle, heartfelt. I liked watching this show in the summer; it cooled me off to see the Yorkshire snow. - Loren, Library Headquarters
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Denise, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Amazing actors doing their thing in Yorkshire. Fun soap opera with beautiful settings and cool accents. -Loren, Library Headquarters
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Denise, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Gorgeous photography of Oxford! Engaging mysteries with a compelling story arc. It's a prequel to the series Inspector Morse, but you don't have to watch that series first to know what's going on. - Loren, Library Headquarters
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The Barbie album in Hoopla! It has been my soundtrack ever since I saw the movie. - Suzanne, Library Headquarters
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Kate, Library Headquarters
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Tinariwen, meaning "deserts," is a very listenable group from northern Mali. They play electric guitars and basses alongside djembe-type hand drums. Both solo and group voices make for a well-balanced overall texture. - Lars, Petaluma Regional Library
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Weyes Blood is one of the most inspirational and important artists of our time. Her latest album And in the Darkness, hearts aglow dropped Nov. 2022 and has been the soundtrack to my life this year. - Michelle, Petaluma Regional Library
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One of my favorite new K-pop groups! Their 2nd album was so fun, ETA is my personal favorite! - Destiny, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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Courtney, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Every song is unique and the lyricism is amazing. I've been listening to it nonstop since its release. This album has no skips. And it's wonderful to listen to an artist who is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community. - Giselle, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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V is a member of K-POP group, BTS. This is his first solo album and he delivers a blend of jazz and pop. His soulful voice goes perfect with the slow jam vibes of the album. Perfect to listen to on the drive home from work. - Giselle, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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RM is one of the rappers of K-POP group BTS. Listening to Indigo feels like a warm hug. Though RM is a rapper, he also sings. My favorite song off the album is Closer, it has a hint of early 2000's R&B. And the song, Hectic, is the perfect song after a long day. - Giselle, Sonoma Valley Regional Library
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ImageQuest - eResource
by Britannica
In our branch we have a handful of children with very specific animal obsessions. ImageQuest lets me print pictures of these animals for the children to take to create their endangered animal book, or put up chicken pictures on their wall at home. We also use that interest to teach the local children about databases vs. the internet and how to use the computers to write books, letters to build support for their animals, the printer, and the wealth of resources available to them. I use this resource extensively myself to create a Nature Guide that we share with patrons; as well as for the display of local flora and fauna we have in the children's area. - Adriel, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Yellowface
by R. F. Kuang
After the death of her literary rival in a freak accident, author June Hayward steals her just-finished masterpiece, sending it to her agent as her own work, but as emerging evidence threatens her success, she discovers how far she'll go to keep what shethinks she deserves.
I blew through this audiobook in two days! It is a trainwreck that I couldn't turn away from. I loved to hate the unreliable main character. I think that R.F. Kuang nailed some of the big issues (racism, plagiarism, cultural appropriation, etc.) in the publishing world with this astute and satirical gem. - Terra, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Heartbreak : a personal and scientific journey
by Florence Williams
After her 25-year marriage ends, a journalist reveals her personal insights and explores the cutting edge science of“social pain,” including checking her blood for grief markers and receiving electrical shocks, to explain why heartbreak hurts so much.
Narrated by the author and accompanied by in-the-moment diary recordings and interviews, Heartbreak is an immersive audiobook that taps into one of the most shared experiences in the animal kingdom: heartbreak. - Mara
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The elegance of the hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery
The lives of fifty-four-year-old concierge Rene Michel and extremely bright, suicidal twelve-year-old Paloma Josse are transformed by the arrival of a new tenant, Kakuro Ozu
Really good as an audiobook.- Allison, Guerneville Regional Library
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Family Lore
by Elizabeth Acevedo
Follows the lives of several generations of women in the Marte family after gathering to honor Flor, who can predict the day someone will die, decides to throw herself a huge party as a living wake.
Aleta, Library Headquarters
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Master and commander
by Patrick O'Brian
First in the series. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin form a friendship in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Life aboard a man-of-war in Nelson's navy is described
Being able to listen to the entire, 20-book Aubrey-Maturin series (for the third time!) in Hoopla. I never thought I could be so enamored of tales of the 19th century British Royal Navy, but author Patrick O'Brian is a "master" storyteller and reader Patrick Tully has a "commanding" narrative style that brings this epic adventure saga to brilliant life. - Suzanne A, Library Headquarters
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Falling back in love with being human : letters to lost souls
by Kai Cheng Thom
An award-winning writer, performance artist and community healer presents a collection of tender and poetic love letters that guide readers towards cultivating empathy, forgiving others and embracing oneself while teaching readers to fall back in love with being human.
Courtney, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Milk Fed
by Melissa Broder
Transitioning from her Jewish faith to dieting to maintain an illusion of existential control, Rachel bonds with an Orthodox woman at a frozen yogurt shop before embarking on a journey of food, desire and spiritual fulfillment
Courtney, Sebastopol Regional Library
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Realms : the roleplaying game art of Tony Diterlizzi
by Tony DiTerlizzi
Known for his illustrations that defined the worlds of Planescape and Magic: The Gathering, the New York Times best-selling artist showcases his work, including never-before-seen artwork and photographs.
Stuart, Guerneville Regional Library
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Tastes like war : a memoir
by Grace M. Cho
"Grace M. Cho grew up in a small, rural American town as the daughter of a white American merchant marine and the Korean bar hostess he met abroad. When Grace was fifteen, her Korean mother experienced the onset of schizophrenia, a condition that would continue for the rest of her life. Part food memoir, part sociological investigation, TASTES LIKE WAR is a hybrid text about a daughter's search through intimate and global history to understand herself and the cultural roots of her mother's condition"
Bonnie, Forestville Rural Station
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Open world, full of things to discover, cool enemies, and gluing rocks to the end of your sword. Great time! - Lillian, Central Santa Rosa Library I really loved Breath of the Wild, so I was very excited to play this game. The story is great but the most exciting part of these games to me is exploring and experiencing all the different environments in the open world. You can also build/engineer in this game, making things like hot air balloons and boats and such possible avenues of travel. - Ceci, Rohnert Park-Cotati Regional Library
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Scott, Northwest Santa Rosa Library
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Jerry, Windsor Regional Library
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