Group Blog Home
Group Blog Home

Recent Posts
Three on a Theme: Fiction

Votes have been counted and it's time for this month's Three on a Theme recommendations!

This month's options were FICTION vs. POETRY/ESSAYS celebrating Native American Heritage Month in November and the winner was...FICTION! Check out our staff’s recommendations below! 

Have book recommendation that we missed? Tell us about it in the comments!

ADULTS:
The Round House Cover"The Round House" by Louise Erdrich
"The Round House" won the National Book Award for fiction. One of the most revered novelists of our time-a brilliant chronicler of Native-American life-Louise Erdrich returns to the territory of her bestselling, Pulitzer Prize finalist The Plague of Doves with The Round House, transporting readers to the Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota. It is an exquisitely told story of a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family. Riveting and suspenseful, arguably the most accessible novel to date from the creator of Love Medicine, The Beet Queen, and The Bingo Palace, Erdrich's The Round House is a page-turning masterpiece of literary fiction-at once a powerful coming-of-age story, a mystery, and a tender, moving novel of family, history, and culture.

Elatsoe CoverYOUNG ADULTS:
"Elatsoe" by Darcie Little Badger
Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Seventeen-year-old Elatsoe ("Ellie" for short) lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.
Race to the sun CoverKIDS:
"Race to the Sun" by Rebecca Roanhorse
Guided by her Navajo ancestors, seventh-grader Nizhoni Begay discovers she is descended from a holy woman and destined to become a monsterslayer, starting with the evil businessman who kidnapped her father. Includes glossary of Navajo terms.
Posted by [email protected]  On Dec 03, 2021 at 7:59 AM
  
Three on a Theme: Double Double Toil and Trouble

Votes have been counted and it's time for October’s Three on a Theme recommendations!

October’s options were DOUBLE DOUBLE, TOIL & TROUBLE vs. FALL IN LOVE and the winner was... DOUBLE DOUBLE, TOIL & TROUBLE! Halloween may be over, but that doesn’t mean the magical fun has to end! Check out our below recommendations for books featuring witches, wizards and magic!

Let us know in the comments which ones you've read, which are your favorites and what's on your to-read list!

Adults
Cover of Bait and Witch
“Bait and Witch” by Angela M. Sanders (Witch Way Librarian Mystery Series)
Librarian Josie Way moved to small-town Oregon to lay low. Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities-and a killer on the loose-she's leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble ... Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress's leather-scented stacks-until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon's new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn't as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods ... Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she's descended from a long line of witches-and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie's thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library-and her life! Check out the whole series here.



Young Adults
Cover of The Scapegracers“The Scapegracers” by Hannah Abigail Clarke
An outcast teenage lesbian witch finds her coven hidden amongst the popular girls in her school, and performs some seriously badass magic in the process. Skulking near the bottom of West High's social pyramid, Sideways Pike lurks under the bleachers doing magic tricks for Coke bottles. As a witch, lesbian, and lifelong outsider, she's had a hard time making friends. But when the three most popular girls pay her $40 to cast a spell at their Halloween party, Sideways gets swept into a new clique. The unholy trinity are dangerous angels, sugar-coated rattlesnakes, and now-unbelievably-Sideways' best friends. Together, the four bond to form a ferocious and powerful coven. They plan parties, cast curses on dudebros, try to find Sideways a girlfriend, and elude the fundamentalist witch hunters hellbent stealing their magic. But for Sideways, the hardest part is the whole 'having friends' thing. Who knew that balancing human interaction with supernatural peril could be so complicated? Rich with the urgency of feral youth, The Scapegracers explores growing up and complex female friendship with all the rage of a teenage girl. It subverts the trope of competitive mean girls and instead portrays a mercilessly supportive clique of diverse and vivid characters. It is an atmospheric, voice-driven novel of the occult, and the first of a three-book series. 

Kids
Cover of the Worst Witch“The Worst Witch” by Jill Murphy
Catch up on Mildred Hubble's magical adventures at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches with these reissued editions featuring energetic new covers. Mildred Hubble is starting her first year at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches—and making a mess of it! She can't ride her broomstick without crashing, she's always getting her spells mixed up, and worst of all, the teacher's pet, Ethel, has just become her sworn enemy. Check out the whole series here.

Posted by [email protected]  On Nov 01, 2021 at 10:36 AM
  
Three on a Theme: Best and Brightest

Votes have been counted and it's time for this month's Three on a Theme recommendations!

This month's options were BEST & BRIGHTEST vs. READING REBELS and the winner was...BEST & BRIGHTEST! Take a look at the list below for the the most circulated eBooks from OverDrive in 2020 - decided by our patrons!

Let us know in the comments which ones you've read, which are your favorites and what's on your to-read list!

 
Adult eBooks

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
Fans of Barbara Kingsolver will love this stunning debut novel from a New York Times bestselling nature writer, about an unforgettable young woman determined to make her way in the wilds of North Carolina, and the two men that will break her isolation open. For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark. But Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age ten, she has survived on her own in the marsh that she calls home. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life lessons from the land, learning from the false signals of fireflies the real way of this world. But while she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world--until the unthinkable happens. In Where the Crawdads Sing, Owens juxtaposes an exquisite ode to the natural world against a heartbreaking coming of age story and a surprising murder investigation. Thought-provoking, wise, and deeply moving, Owens's debut novel reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides "The Silent Patient" by Alex Michaelides
Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations--a search for the truth that threatens to consume him....

"Blue Moon" by Lee Child "Blue Moon" by Lee Child
In the next highly anticipated installment of Lee Child's acclaimed suspense series, Jack Reacher comes to the aid of an elderly couple . . . and confronts his most dangerous opponents yet. Check out more Jack Reacher novels here. 






Young Adult eBooks

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" by Suzanne Collins
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Funny, You Don't look Autistic by Michael McCreary"Funny, You Don't Look Autistic" by Michael McCreary
Like many others on the autism spectrum, 20-something stand-up comic Michael McCreary has been told by more than a few well-meaning folks that he doesn't "look" autistic. But, as he's quick to point out in this memoir, autism "looks" different for just about everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Diagnosed with ASD at age five, McCreary got hit with the performance bug not much later. During a difficult time in junior high, he started journaling, eventually turning his pain e into something empowering-and funny. He scored his first stand-up gig at age 14, and hasn't looked back. This unique and hilarious #OwnVoices memoir breaks down what it's like to live with autism for readers on and off the spectrum. Candid scenes from McCreary's life are broken up with funny visuals and factual asides. Funny, You Don't Look Autistic is an invaluable and compelling read for young readers with ASD looking for voices to relate to, as well as for readers hoping to broaden their understanding of ASD.
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalils name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr doesor does notsay could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.


Kids' Chapter Books

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by JK Rowling "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by JK Rowling

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

"Wonder" by RJ Palacio "Wonder" by RJ Palacio
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.







Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School" by Jeff Kinney
Life was better in the old days. Or was it? That's the question Greg Heffley is asking as his town voluntarily unplugs and goes electronics-free. But modern life has its conveniences, and Greg isn't cut out for an old-fashioned world. With tension building inside and outside the Heffley home, will Greg find a way to survive? Or is going "old school" just too hard for a kid like Greg? Check out more "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" here.






Picture Books

The Good Egg"The Good Egg" by Jory John
When the other eggs in his carton behave badly, the good egg feels like he needs to be perfect.








"The Cool Bean" by Jory John "The Cool Bean" by Jory John
Everyone knows the cool beans. They're sooooo cool. And then there's the uncool has-bean . . . Always on the sidelines, one bean unsuccessfully tries everything he can to fit in with the crowd--until one day the cool beans show him how it's done.







"the Bad Seed" by Jory John"The Bad Seed" by Jory John
A naughty seed with a bad attitude, bad temper, and bad manners vows to change his life for the better, but his efforts are met with skepticism by his friends.
Posted by [email protected]  On Sep 24, 2021 at 11:05 AM
  
Three on a Theme: Mountains

Votes have been counted and it's time for this month's Three on a Theme recommendations!

This month's options were MOUNTAINS vs. BEACH and the winner was...MOUNTAINS! Check out our staff’s recommendations below! 

Have book recommendation that we missed? Tell us about it in the comments!

ADULTS:
“The Bear” by Andrew Krivak

The Bear
In an Edenic future, a girl and her father live close to the land in the shadow of a lone mountain. They possess a few remnants of civilization: some books, a pane of glass, a set of flint and steel, a comb. The father teaches the girl how to fish and hunt, the secrets of the seasons and the stars. He is preparing her for an adulthood in harmony with nature, for they are the last two left. But when the girl suddenly finds herself alone in an unknown landscape, it is a bear that will lead her back home through a vast wilderness, which offers the greatest lessons of all, if she can only learn to listen. A cautionary tale of human fragility, of love and loss, “The Bear” is a stunning tribute to the beauty of nature's dominion.

TEENS:
“Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen


Hatchet
After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce.

CHILDREN (J2):
“My Side of the Mountain” by Jean Craighead George 

My Side of the Mountain
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship.
Posted by [email protected]  On Jul 29, 2021 at 8:09 PM
  
Read It!

Votes have been counted and it's time for this month's Three on a Theme recommendations!

This month's options were retellings of GREEK MYTHOLOGY vs. NORSE MYTHOLOGY and the winner by just one vote was…GREEK MYTHOLOGY!

Check out three of Nicole's recommendations for retellings of Greek mythology! Links for each title below.



TELL US in the comments – what’s your favorite mythology retelling?
And let us know if you plan to check out any of these titles!

- “Beasts of Olympus” Series by Lucy Coats
- “Abandon” Series by Meg Cabot
- “Circe” by Madeline Miller - https://bit.ly/3bWssPi
Posted by [email protected]  On May 28, 2021 at 9:37 AM
  
Read It!


Votes have been counted and it's time for this month's Three on a Theme recommendations!

This month's options were MYTHOLOGICAL TRICKSTERS vs. PROBLEM-SOLVING PROTAGONISTS and the winner by just one vote was…MYTHOLOGICAL TRICKSTERS! 

Check out three of Elizabeth’s recommendations for retellings of our favorite mythological tricksters! Links for each title below.
TELL US in the comments – what’s your favorite mythology retelling? And let us know if you plan to check out any of these titles!



All three recommendations available instantly via hoopla digital!
“Loki: Agent of Asgard Vol. 1” by Al Ewing |“The Wicked + The Divine Vols. 1: The Faust Act” by Kieron Gillen | “Aru Shah and the End of Time” by Roshani Chokshi
Posted by [email protected]  On Apr 22, 2021 at 4:47 PM
  
Read It!

Votes have been counted and it's time for this month's Three on a Theme recommendations!
This month's options were HEROES WITH TITLES vs. HATE TO LOVE and the winner, in a landslide, was…HATE TO LOVE! 

Check out three of Tessy’s recommendations of love stories that didn’t quite start out with love! Links for each title below.



TELL US in the comments – what’s your favorite enemies to lovers book?
And let us know if you plan to check out any of these titles!

Ready to read? Check out this week's suggestions from our library!
“A Pho Love Story” by Loan Le
- “Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston
- “The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne
Posted by [email protected]  On Mar 26, 2021 at 9:33 AM