Season's Readings 2022: Home

* Top Pick Submitted by Four Staff Members!* This book captures the struggles, the discrimination and the sexual abuse often faced aspiring women scientists in the early ‘60s. The author has a great sense of humor and nails the characters and times; this book is funny, heartwarming and the protagonist will stay with you long after the book is done.

This book is a charming story about the exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus. I fell in love with Marcellus as soon as I met him on paper.

True-crime podcast mogul Ashley Flowers' first novel, set in a small town in Indiana, draws from both her real-life experience living in the midwest, and lessons learned from her research into real-life crimes. The tension is palpable and the ending will leave you breathless.

The son of an Appalachian teenager uses his good looks, wit and instincts to survive foster care, child labor, addiction, disastrous loves and crushing losses.

Bird Gardener’s father has instructed his son never to stand out, to always blend in. Bird follows his father’s dire warnings until a cryptic letter arrives prodding him to plan a perilous journey in search of answers.

A long-lost painting sets in motion a plot intertwining the odyssey of a famed 19th-century thoroughbred and his trainer with the 21st-century rediscovery of the horse's portrait.

A true-crime blogger stumbles into the interview of a lifetime when she happens to meet the wealthy heiress who decades before was tried and acquitted of two murders. But although she's scored the interview, she could be digging up things better left buried, and putting her own life at risk (again) in the process.

A hotel maid insists on performing her job to perfection, until her tidy world is turned upside down when she finds a regular guest dead in their room. Now it's up to her to solve the mystery while police name her as a main suspect in the case.

What would you do if the answer to your future was sitting outside your door? It's the decision that people around the world must make after mysterious boxes appear, bearing strings of different lengths. 

True crime writer Gage Johnson moves in to the Devil House to research and write his latest novel. This book blurs the line between fiction and non fiction and its impact on everyone involved. 

Pey works on the fifth floor of Hell, signing deals with unsuspecting souls. It's not a bad job, but he has a plan to get out. But are things ever as they seem, either in Hell or on Earth?

Racing after the most dangerous kind of criminal--a desperate father--and with the ghosts of their own pasts never far behind, Max and Lyle go on the hunt within a treacherous landscape, determined to bring an evil man to justice, and to bring a terrified child home alive.

The latest in the New York Times bestselling Cork O'Connor Mystery Series follows Cork in a race against time to save his wife, a mysterious stranger, and an Ojibwe healer from bloodthirsty mercenaries. Based on real events in Minnesota’s Northwoods and an international conspiracy to control and sell precious water resources.

This author writes with such intensity your pulse quickens and your mind places you in this fictional setting where you can't stop reading until the very end.

A setting by the lake that should be serene but turns dark and mysterious.

Absolutely loved this book. Who would think a woman could be a bodyguard to a big tough Hollywood heartthrob? Wonderfully written rom com with laugh out loud moments along with sentimental moments. Couldn't put this book down.

Two friends discover that although they have different preferences for activities, seasons and more, they have at least one important thing in common: they like each other and enjoy each other's company.

This inspiring picture book is a sequel to The Day You Began. A brother and sister benefit from their grandmother's wisdom to imagine a better world.

Magical fairy-dusted pictures depict the Icelandic Book Flood tradition begun in World War II when, to save resources, printing books was reserved for the holiday shopping season. Children will enjoy spotting the clever way book page snippets are integrated into the illustrations.

A sweet picture book told in short rhyming couplets for children who love cats and all their silly antics.

Chester Van Chime loves to rhyme, but he wakes up on morning and realizes he has forgotten how to do it! No matter how hard he tries, and what his classmates do to help, he cannot come up with any rhyming words. This funny picture book is told in couplets that should rhyme, but do not.

If you have read every Elephant and Piggy book and need something new- try Bobo and Pup-Pup. Two animals who love blowing bubbles might need some encouragement to be best friends too.

This is a beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book for elementary aged kids who love to learn about animals, particularly of the creepy deep-sea variety.

There’s something strange about the new boy at school -- something not quite human -- in this sweet and silly sci-fi novel for children written in the spirit of Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick.

Naomi is practicing her Torah portion for her Bat Mitzvah when a mysterious gift from an anonymous sender arrives. When she opens it, she discovers a clay Golem that comes to life and obeys her commands. What could go wrong?

Sai is apprenticed to Paiyoon Wongyai, the nation’s best mapmaker, famous for his intricately accurate shorelines. The pair are hired to go on a sea voyage to chart previously unexplored lands that are rumored to be inhabited by dragons in this fantasy novel inspired by Thai mythology.

When Ukrainian citizens were forced to abandon their homes in the wake of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Natasha was forced to leave her puppy behind. This is the story of how this puppy survived and thrived and the people who helped him along the way.

Join Mark Wilson as he shadows researcher Denver Holt who monitors the Alaskan nesting grounds of the Snowy Owl and attempts to document their habits. Complete with breathtaking photographs.

The first book in a new Graphic Novel series perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier. Gabby, Priya, and Mindy love animals, but none of them are able to have pets of their own. In order to get their fix of cuddly puppers, they start their own dog walking business.

A group of sea creatures turn an old scuba suit into a ship that they can pilot on land and exit the ocean in search of Aqualand, a marine theme park that they believe is a sanctuary for sea creatures.

Eighth grader Cory and his diverse group of friends practice for their last dance competition before they go to separate high schools. However, when Cory's parents ground him for his poor grades and hire a peer to tutor him, Cory will have to figure out how to balance dance, school work, and his burgeoning friendship with his tutor.

This book of scary short stories is truly terrifying.

This book takes a look back into the many sharks in natural history especially the prehistoric era. The illustrations are fantastic and a definite must-read for any school-aged shark enthusiast.

Based upon a true story, 13-yr. old Jama, a Masasai, is more interested in nature than boys, unlike her peers. She befriends an elephant herd and inadvertently stumbles onto a dangerous situation that could mean life or death for humans and elephants alike.

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 modern-day Huck Finn, Buck casts off down the river accompanied by an eccentric crew of daring shipmates. Over the course of his voyage, Buck steers his fragile wooden craft through narrow channels dominated by massive cargo barges. In addition, he charts his own geographical and emotional journey while also delivering a richly satisfying work of history that brings to life a lost era.

Our “Personal Astrophysicist” and host of the wildly popular StarTalk podcast examines war, race, truth, beauty, law, religion, and gender by offering different data-driven perspectives and asks the ultimate question, “What would first-time visitors to Earth think about the human race?”

The stirring story of one of the great feats of exploration of all time, and its complicated legacy. The Nile River is the longest in the world. Its fertile floodplain allowed for the great civilization of ancient Egypt, but for millennia the location of its headwaters was shrouded in mystery.

For those looking to write their life story, Aronie is a no-nonsense yet friendly mentor. Her bite-size chapters (If Your House Is Clean, You’re Not Writing; You Don’t Get to Skip the Pain Part) promise to coach the every-day memoirist until they reach finish line.

While commemorating the bicentennial of Clement Clark Moore’s beloved Christmas poem, (first published in the Troy Sentinel!) this resplendent coffee table history becomes a window into a country finding itself. Expect to find a painting by Winslow Homer, not-so-subtly condemning slavery; an enlarged image of Moore’s cursive writing of the poem; and two centuries worth of gorgeous commercial illustrations of dear Saint Nick.

When Jenny Tough (her real name) decided to run solo and unsupported across mountain ranges on six continents, she expected injuries, difficult weather conditions and scanty rations. What she did not anticipate was that even in the Canadian Rockies, the world is not seen as a safe place for women and in more remote corners, women are routinely exploited.

A celebrated travel writer tells the story of the tiny, fascinating island of Pitcairn, home of precisely 49 people, all descendants of the original founders of the island, the famous mutineers who were the basis for the novels and movie, The Mutiny On the Bounty. Based on original notes from officers of the Bounty, Presser delves into its history: investigating the motives of the original mutineers who felt the need to burn their boats when they found this unmapped piece of rock in the middle of the Pacific, and why so many years later, people still stay there.

A page-turning book about human senses and people who experience them differently than most.

In the 1970s, something was bubbling up from beneath a tiny neighborhood in east Niagara Falls. Something that the residents could not fathom but would endanger their lives all the same. This eminently readable true story of power, corruption, and the people at the bottom who fought back will keep you turning pages chapter after chapter.

Wanda Coleman holds her own next to William Shakespeare with her erudite and audacious collection of 100 sonnets, introduced by poet Mahogany Brown. In this posthumous volume, Coleman references, honors, and subverts a broad swath of poets and poems, while reverberating with her own voice and vision.

The newest US Poet Laureate continues to write gem-like poems in plain language, honestly confronting her inner and outer worlds, thereby inevitably moving the reader.

"Wanna get haunted?" Take a dive into a chilling story of trying to communicate with the dead by any means necessary...even if it means taking hardcore drugs that can lead you down a path of doing whatever it takes to get your next fix.

The conclusion to Novik's Scholomance series contains all the whip-smart, snarky, and heartfelt world building and character development of the first two, with a dose of social commentary thrown in. Fun, engrossing, and sure to stick with you for a long time after.

Just thinking of Daphne summons her ghost, who is still seeking revenge for her death. Josh Malerman's latest book combines a murderous ghost with a teenage girls' basketball team and one question...who will make it out alive?

The latest installment of the sci-fi/fantasy series about star-crossed lovers and intergalactic warfare.

An unlikely friendship, a dog, and a cassette tape lead a teenager to uncover a whole other world inside a shed, putting him in the middle of a fight between good and evil.  

Squid Game meets the Hunger Games in this life-threatening game of hide and seek set in an abandoned amusement park.

Barrio-noir infused with supernatural elements & suspense, The Devil Takes You Home tells the story of a desperate man making destructive decisions in hopes of saving his family.

A group of estranged friends reunite & return to their hometown to face off against a terrifying man (monster?) they first encountered as teenagers.

It is 1882, and some children are born with "talents." Talents that make them outsiders to most and in danger of manipulation or harm from others. There is a school in the UK that collects these children to keep them safe, but the school itself may be in danger--both from outside and from within.

Isaac and Marco are neighbors and best friends, despite having different interests and talents. Isaac is great at school and is interested in robotics and coding, and Marco is a star athlete. This year they are starting middle school, and both boys have plans to re-invent themselves. Marco is committed to getting his grades up to make his mom proud, and Isaac wants to join the basketball team to impress his absentee father.

Aafiyah has a bad habit – she likes to steal things. Just small things, like lip gloss from a friend. When her father is stopped at customs in a foreign country and arrested for a crime he did not commit, Aafiyah has to figure out how she can help her family. Novel in verse.

Each year, Mina’s village sacrifices a girl to the ocean, so she can become the Sea God’s bride. It is believed that only the true bride can awaken the Sea God from a cursed slumber, allowing him to end the raging storms that destroy their homeland. This year, Mina throws herself into the sea and descends into a spirit world full of gods, demons, and ancestors in a retelling of the Korean legend, the Tale of Shim Cheong.

In this fantasy novel inspired by Jewish myths and legends, 17-year-old Hannah begins waking up each day with a new animal mutation – lizard-like eyes, fish gills, bat-like wings. Hannah and her brother must track down family members they did not know they had and unearth a family secret, a curse with roots as far back as their grandmother’s childhood in Nazi occupied Prague.

In this coming-of-age book with plenty of LGBTQ representation, four formerly inseparable friends, Gabriel, Reese, Sal, and Heath, all go their separate ways the summer before senior year. Reese attends a design program in Paris, Gabriel volunteers in Boston, Sal interns for a US Senator, and Heath works in his aunt’s store in Daytona Beach.

This book follows two Pakistani teens, Salahudin and Noor, in their small desert town of Juniper, CA. Sal’s mother just died, and he is struggling to run the family motel without her while his dad’s grief causes him to spiral back into alcoholism. Noor is working on applying to colleges in secret, so as not to inspire the wrath of her legal guardian uncle, who expects her to stay and work in his store full time after high school.