Staff Recommendations

March 2023

Chris: The Eight by Katherine Neville "A quest in which the heroine tries to recover a legendary chess set once owned by Charlemagne."

Julie: Descartes' Bones by Russell Shorto "Shorto investigates Enlightenment history by focusing on Rene Descartes, whose twin enemies were "authority...and fuzzy thinking."

Katie: How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

Philip: Papyrus: the Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo "[This book] reveals how writing came about, and how the papyrus plant was harvested, and prepared for use to write on. And I learned that, today, in our present world, a new book is published every half-minute!"

February 2023

Chris: Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen - "Entertaining contemporary story of a woman who gets caught up in a knockoff scam."

Parker: I 'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Becca: How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix - "A terrifying window into one family's experience with their mother's favorite puppet, Pupkin; nightmare fuel."

Katie: Checkout 19 by Claire-Louise Bennett - "A fun & chaotic novel about a London writer & the eccentric characters she creates."

Julie: The Mandelbaum Gate by Muriel Spark - " In her lovely prose, Spark details the intrigues and adventures of Barbara Vaughan, an English schoolteacher, and a cast of archaeologists, diplomats, spies, and scallywags."

Ery: Atlas of the Heart , Brené Brown - "Helpful research-based exploration of emotions and how our awareness of them can lead to healthier conversations, relationships & lives."

Philip: The World Broke in Two by Bill Goldstein. - "This takes off from a remark that the American novelist Willa Cather made about the year 1922 when both Joyce's "Ulysses," and Eliot's, "The Wasteland," were published."

January 2023

Chris & Katie: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Becca: Middlegame by Seanan McGuire - "A dark fantasy driven by alchemy and emotional bonds."

Katie: Happy Hour by Marlowe Grandados - "This book is like if Lucia and Mia from White Lotus lived in New York City in 2013."

December 2022

Leslie: The Almost Nearly Perfect People by Michael Booth

Chris: Properties of Thirst by Marianne Wiggins

Julie: Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

Becca: A Queen in Hiding by Sarah Kozloff

Katie: The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty

November 2022

Chris: Confidence Man by Maggie Haberman