Season's Readings 2021: Home

A tour de force by Pulitzer Prize winning author Anthony Doerr, this novel takes us to Constantinople in the 15th century, a life changing event in a public library during current times and aboard an interstellar voyage in the future. Tying it all together is the ancient text in the book's title and how it intertwines all these time periods and individual stories.

Teacher of the Year, Teddy Crutcher, has a plan - make the privileged students and staff at Bellmont Academy pay -- after all, it's for their own good. A witty, twisted thriller.

Enjoy some good dry humor about Charlie Barnes coming to terms with his life. Told through the lens of his son charged with writing his autobiography, capturing the truth and perspective of those who think they knew Charlie best. Nick Offerman does a stand-up job narrating the audiobook version, so listen if you can.

A sweeping story of a mother's love and the "American Dream" during one of the most formidable times in American History.

After meeting barnstormers, Mariam Graves lives to fly, and her story becomes a grand adventure. Decades later, Hollywood actress Hadley is cast to play Miriam in a bio-pic. The way that their stories are shaped by gender and expectations of their times is a fascinating theme in an exciting story.

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur is the sequel to the Reese Witherspoon book club pick, The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi, but can easily be read as a stand-alone. Author Joshi paints a rich picture of her native India with vivid descriptions and a cast of characters that will stay with you from the first page to the last.

Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Nikel finds himself driving a truck across the country with two giraffes bound for the San Diego Zoo during the Depression. In this coming of age story, Woody, his friends, many with secrets, and the giraffes journey across a country living through hard times on the cusp of World War II.

Penny and Clinton teamed up to craft this fast paced conspiracy thriller from the perspective of a newly appointed Secretary of State who quickly realizes she has been "set up" for failure.

The Seaside Cafe mysteries are a great new take on the cozy for readers who never got into them before. I'm not sure how many people have to die before the tea shop closes, but owner always manages to solve the murder and provide a great recipe.

Newman, a flight attendant, pens a detailed, high-energy-high-stakes, pure popcorn thriller of an airline hijacking, where a pilot must choose between crashing the plane and saving his family.

Murder, suicide and a pregnant homeless teenager disrupt a small community in the Northwest. Can these ingredients bring the community together?

A cryptic scribbled message: “Protect Her” begins this gripping tale of deception, lies and redemption.

Thought provoking ideas cause Inspector Gamache and the residents of Three Pines to consider motives of human behavior.

This Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series set in the American southwest involve deception, murder and Navajo tradition.

Here is a group of short stories featuring not Dubliners, but less shiny characters who inhabit the small towns and countryside of modern Ireland. Flaunting an ear for dialogue, Barry fleshes out his subjects' inner lives with dry humor and compassion.

The sequel to The Thursday Murder Club, the cast of charming septuagenarian residents of Coopers Chase return to dissect clues both offsite and in the Jigsaw Room.

An entertaining homage to the late 1960's Harlem underbelly of crime, gangsters, dirty cops, and a cast of characters just trying to do their best to get by. A neighborhood furniture store owner is trying to go straight but his cousin ropes him into "one more scheme." Harlem Shuffle will delight those who enjoyed Deacon King Kong by James McBride.

When an Ivy League-educated lawyer's boss, her secret romance, turns up dead, Ellice Littlejohn finds herself in charge of the firm and stumbles upon some shady secrets. Will her sketchy past catch up with her before she can discover the root of the firm's criminal activity and protect the brother she tried to save years ago?

The author of the memorable YA novel, The Face on the Milk Carton and dozens of other books, Cooney is now writing mysteries. The first in the series, Before She Was Helen, tells of murder in a Memory Care Center. This sequel is the story of Freddy, one of the resident's grandsons and how a murder in the room next door to his grandmother's turns his world upside down.

Lila Nash is on the verge of landing her dream job--working as a prosecutor under the Hennepin County Attorney--and has settled into a happy life with her boyfriend, Joe Talbert. But when a woman is pulled from the Mississippi River, barely alive, things in the office take a personal turn.

From the man who invited us into the compelling Cemetery of Forgotten Books universe comes a posthumous story collection that both returns readers to the Shadow of the Wind series and introduces us to new journeys and musings.

Lansdale, who is a genre unto himself, delivers a Southern-gothic crime noir about an orphaned boy, now an adult in the late 1960s, searching for the truth behind his mother’s death, and becomes involved in a bigger mystery concerning a Texas town’s racist past.

The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P. Morgan's personal librarian-who became one of the most powerful women in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her dreams come true.

This prequel to the acclaimed Cork O'Connor series is "a pitch perfect, richly imagined story that is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and an evocative, emotionally charged coming-of-age tale."

Followers of investigator, Maisie Dobbs, will enjoy this latest. Maisie resolves an international spy crises between France and England during WW2 and settles her personal life conflicts.

In The Whistler, Lacy Stoltz took on a crime syndicate that was paying millions to a crooked judge. Now the crimes are even worse. The man hiding behind the black robe is not taking bribes-but he may be taking lives.

This is the story of two teenage schoolteachers who are faced with life and death decisions when a blizzard unexpectedly descends on their prairie communities in 1888. It is also an exploration of the false promises that were made to lure immigrants to settle the plains.

Towles creates another loveable, quirky character-driven saga along an unexpected cross-country route.

This is the straight-up story of the silver screen’s most widely-recognized, universally-loved bad guy, who has worked with everyone from Kermit the Frog to Quentin Tarantino, and the long, violent & redemptive journey he undertook to get there.

Eisner-Award winning illustrator, Powell & true-crime laureate, Schechter, partner on this richly drawn and researched account of Gein’s life and crimes juxtaposed with the 1960 release of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and the impact both had on America’s cultural consciousness.

Now approaching eighty, Bernard Heinrich, a biologist, naturalist and masters champion runner shows us how to take a circle of life approach to aging as he examines lifespans in nature, examining how bodies change and how we might alter some of the inevitability of old age by resetting goals.

From the author of The Midnight Library comes another book filled with hope and happiness presented as self-compassion instead of fiction. A self-identified survivor of mental health challenges, Haig shares his years of notes, affirmations and stories that helped him on his journey to heal.

Stanley Tucci exposes the role of food and gatherings growing up in an Italian-American family, revealing the stories behind the recipes in his previous cookbooks The Tucci Cookbook and The Tucci Table. If you prefer to listen, Tucci narrates his wonderful collection of heartwarming memories centered around his upbringing at the kitchen table.

Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman compares his life chronicles growing up in Virginia to that of "listening back to an old song he cannot wait to share with the world." Grohl's reminiscing on a humble yet star-studded career, parenthood, and everything in between has critics, fans and readers calling this "a must-read memoir."

Ribald raconteur and 1/2 of the Two Dope Queens podcast duo, Robinson holds forth on a range of topics with humor, wisdom and compassion. In this her third book of essays, she explains, for example, why self-care is serious business in the black community, while rivaling Dave Eggars with her use of footnotes.

An unbelievable true story about an enduring Japanese internment camp youth football team who in spite of overcoming all odds to attain their amazing seasonal record become torn between forced enlistment in the WWII armed forces or resisting the draft.

An undisputed descendent of both Thomas Jefferson and Peter Hemmings (the brother of Sally Hemmings) recounts family generational stories illustrating the meaning of the life of a black woman growing up in America, facing racism while upholding the legacies of her ancestors.

The wild and suspenseful story of one of the most crucial and least known campaigns of the Revolutionary War when America's scrappy navy took on the full might of Britain's sea power.

This second anthology edited by Joy Harjo during her current tenure as U.S. Poet Laureate brings together living Native American poets who write movingly, and often with humor, of aspects of being Indian in the 21st Century. The one exception to the 'living' status is the recently deceased william bearheart, whose beautiful poem Transplant seamlessly interweaves an organ donation procedure and a painting by Georgia O'Keeffe.

In this eye-opening book, Johannes Krause, director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and journalist Thomas Trappe offer a new way of understanding our past, present, and future.

A book of essays filled with acutely profound testaments, historical documentations and life lessons. Each piece is a week's worth of thought, discussion and reflection.

Wondering what to do with fabric left over from a major project? Sewing Stashbusters has 25 projects specially designed to use up your leftover stash.

Patrick Radden Keefe, staff writer for the New Yorker and author of Say Nothing, tackles the complicated yet fascinating chronicle of how Arthur Sackler and his brothers Mortimer and Raymond
amassed a fortune promoting OxyContin, a product of their company Purdue Pharma. As physicians, they knew the drug was highly addictive and the burgeoning cause of multiple deaths but abandoned their ethics, morality and sense of responsibility by continuing to market the drug in their ruthless pursuit of fortune and power.

This beautifully written autobiography by Suleika Jaouad, the author of the Life Interrupted column in the New York Times, is a brutally honest yet inspiring tale of her journey between the kingdom of the well and the kingdom of the sick, and back again. Saratoga residents will appreciate the local connection of this New York Times bestseller, as Suleika spent part of her childhood here because her father is a professor at Skidmore College.

This book is a gripping tale of Dutch explorer William Barents’ three 16th century polar expeditions to the far north. On the last trip, one of the ships became icebound and the crew barely survived the bitter cold (without adequate clothing or materials), the devastating polar bear attacks, and navigating an improvised vessel to replace the irretrievably damaged ship that had brought them north.

Shortly after the Declaration of Independence, a Cherokee/Shawnee raiding party kidnapped Daniel Boone’s 13-year-old daughter, Jemima, and two of her best friends. Boone and a small group from his frontier settlement in Kentucky tracked the party (with the help of clues left behind at great personal peril by Jemima), and freed the girls, killing some of the abductors, leading to years of revenge conflicts. This fascinating tale highlights not only the great personal charisma of Daniel Boone and the intelligence and grit of his daughter, but also exposes the deadly plight of the Native Americans on the frontier who were squeezed between the British and the Colonists during the War for Independence.

Even if you don't like baking, enjoy browsing these visually impressive cookie recipes that range from basic to the more unusual and fun fossil cookies or cookie shooters.

Considering a diet with less meat or cooking for people with food allergies? Dada offers a variety of healthy, Indian-inspired recipes.

This randomly alphabetized taxonomy of herbs and fruit, which in turn riffs into personal essays and recipes, delightfully defies categorization. For example, the P for Pomegranate section covers Persephone, the Doctrine of Signatures, the spring run of the Spokane River, and a recipe for Pomegranate Molasses.

A romantic comedy about a Jewish author who secretly LOVES Christmas. Not only that, she hides her romance novelist career from her family. Perhaps by attending The Matzah Ball in search of inspiration to write the Hanukkah Romance her publisher demands, she will find more than motivation to write.

An out of work traditionally cautious data analyst is faced with making a life-changing decision after she attends her friend's wedding in India and meets a musician from London who really seems to get her.

What do you get when you cast a vengeful spell on an old boyfriend who is back in town and just as gorgeous as the day he left, but also more accident prone than ever? A spicy brew of comedy and love that will cure the most fatal of broken hearts.

Anyone who has binged all of Bridgerton and needs something new has to read this. Kleypas brings together characters from two or her most famous series in this fun romance set in the past.

Aaron Decker, haunted by his wife’s presence after her death at the hands of a mass shooter, uncovers evidence that she was living a double life--evidence that drives him to investigate the mystery while resisting being overcome with obsession, even as it risks his life and connection with reality.

In this sequel to A Deadly Education, El just can't leave well enough alone and get her own dang self safely out of the Scholomance; much to her chagrin, she finds herself plotting to help her classmates out, too, to her own detriment. And the weird thing is, the school itself might be trying to encourage her to help her classmates, too...

One could compare this charming rom-com to a mash-up of the musical Rent and the television series New Girl. Endearing characters to root for, laugh out loud comedy, a hustle and bustle setting and the protagonist's unexpected true love story are what you will find in this upbeat novel from the author who gave us Red, White and Royal Blue.

Fans of Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse and Black Mirror's "Metalhead" will find another satisfying series with this first installment where bone shard magic animates creations that seem all too life-like.

On a near-future interstellar mission to save the world, after a lengthy medically-induced coma, Ryland Grace wakes up, the only survivor on his ship, and attempts to piece together the memories of how he got there and how he’s supposed to fulfill his mission to save Earth from an extraterrestrial-ecological threat...with a little help from an unexpected ally!

Nathan & Maddie Graves, along with their teenage son, return to the rural PA town they grew up in, and are forced to confront lost trauma, dark magic, and the “thing” that once prowled the town’s coal mines & dark forests. It was once a very real part of our world, but it has found a way to traverse different planes of existence, causing chaos in the fabric of time.

A book of psychological suspense that defies description, it’s a story about a man (wrongfully?) accused of kidnapping a child, the man’s daughter, their talking cat, and the missing child’s sister, now grown, who has never stopped searching for the truth...and it may also be that none of these things are true.

Inspired by the Alice Hardy character from Friday the Thirteenth parts I & II, Hendrix’s novel tells the story of the horror heroine’s life after the big-bad has been dispatched, the media attention has evaporated, and the well-wishing public gets on with their lives, examining the lifelong PTSD and recovery that comes with being the lone survivor of a slasher incident, a “lucky one”...a “final girl.”

Jones, winner of the 2021 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award for The Only Good Indians, returns with a reimagining of the “final girl” horror trope, introducing readers to Jade, a young, half-Native American woman with an encyclopedic knowledge of slasher horror films who sees patterns emerging in her daily life that echo these once seemingly fictional stories.

Billy Summers is a good guy in a bad job, and he wants out. He takes on a very complicated, very lucrative job that he hopes will be his last. He's got a perfect new identity lined up and a scrupulously orchestrated, flawless escape plan. And then something happens that changes everything.

This is a mystery and a ghost story with an ending that you won't see coming! After his journalist wife is murdered, the narrator searches for the truth behind her secret obsession.

In this newest book in the series, Stevie thought she was in for a boring summer. Then she gets an invite to Camp Wonder Falls, the site of a famous unsolved murder and Stevie starts to work on a new cold case.

This is a verse novel about life in Brooklyn's Bushwick through the eyes of Sarai, a young teen of Puerto Rican descent. Along with the wrenching account of poverty, injustice, and complicated relationships, there is also Sarai's sense of pride in her heritage and optimism about the future.

Devon, a scholarship kid, and Chiamaka, the popular girl of the prestigious Niveus Academy have nothing in common until... an anonymous stalker called Aces begins to target them both, spreading dark secrets via text to the entire student body. As the messages from Aces begin to verge on sinister, the two must work together to figure out who is out to get them and why, while their futures hang in the balance.

The beautiful Hollow sisters disappear one night on a street in Edinburgh, only to reappear again in the same spot one month later, ravenous and with a small scar on each of their necks. Years later, the eldest sister Grey goes missing. As they search for her, terrifying memories from their past begin to emerge, and it seems they aren’t the only ones looking for Grey.

Nora O'Malley is a survivor, just like Rebecca, Katie, and Ashley... only a few of the girls she's been. Life has been mostly normal since she escaped from her con-artist mother, until the day she and her friends get caught up in the middle of a bank heist. It’s a life-or-death situation, but the bank robbers don't know exactly who they're dealing with and honestly, neither does "Nora".

Zoe is focused on leading her field hockey team to State and getting recruited to her dream school. But then she is sexually assaulted at a party, and everything gets derailed. Her team decides to take back the night so no other girl is ever unsafe, but could these parkour-inspired vigilantes take things too far?

Count 20 big trucks as they work to erect a giant Christmas tree in the town square.

A charming story of three latkes all claiming to taste the best. See what happens when they ask the hungry cat to decide!

A precious story of a family whose little boy tries to wait up to see the real Santa, but he falls asleep dreaming about many different Santas! See who tucks him into his bed!

Enjoy the funny antics as a host of different animals audition for the job of pulling Santa's sleigh.

Steve Sheinkin's books are always a really exciting and approachable way to experience history. This telling of the Cold War shows just how tense the relations between two superpowers was and how close we came to destruction.

You may not have known that you needed a pig named Baloney in your life, but I'm here to tell you that you do. Baloney and his friends are having more adventures including writing their own theme song; fans of Elephant and Piggie will love Baloney.

In this graphic novel, Kate is totally horse crazy. All she wants to do is spend time at her barn. Unfortunately, life is getting in the way. Mean girls at the stable are bullying her and she is dealing with body insecurity issues.

In this graphic novel retelling of the classic Secret Graden, Mary moves to her uncle's New York City house after both her parents die. She discovers an abandon rooftop garden that she secretly restores and begins to heal her life.

Marvel is anxious about everything and it's really affecting her life. That is, until she rescues a fainting goat named Butter and her life changes forever.

Recently deceased children's author Gary Paulsen reflects on his life from his earliest recollections as a neglected child to his adult life as a soldier and writer. Especially meaningful is how his relationship with a librarian changed his life when he was a teenager.

This book of scary short stories is truly terrifying.

A follow-up to Chester and Gus, meet Frankie, a homeless cat who becomes Amelia’s service cat and helps her cope with an overwhelming world. Enlightening insight into the minds of service animals everywhere.

Follow the life cycle of trees around the world and learn, through prose, poetry and dramatic water color illustrations, how they communicate and form families through the World Wide Web

A monthly reflective guide on how to work from home, take care of your kids, clean your house and still maintain your sanity.