staff recommendations

~Tommy Orange

 An honest and eye-opening historical fiction novel focused on the impacts of genocide and violence upon Native peoples in the U.S., both historically and in current-day society. The stories of father-and-son Jude and Charles Star and their descendants highlight the duality of hardship and resilience, as well as the importance of community and cultural identity for Indigenous Americans. 

~Julie Leong

Novice Certainty has been studying hard to reach her goal of joining the Mage's Guild with little success. When offered the chance to earn her mage's circles in the form of a quest to secure a variety of magical artifacts, she jumps at the chance, but an unexpected travelling companion will make things very interesting. A cozy queer romantasy sure to make your season merry and bright!

~V. E. Schwab

If you're looking for something to hit those same feels as a Gaiman novel did but without the Gaiman, Schwab seems to be the author for you. Dark fairy tale trappings in this young adult (but fit for adults, too!) novel make a happy ending seem just barely not impossible. Will it all work out in the end? Who can say. Who can say.

~P.J. Nelson

After leaving Georgia to pursue a career on the stage with little success, Madeline Brimley receives news that her beloved Aunt Rose has died. Madeline, who is now the owner of her aunt’s unique bookshop, returns home to take over the business, but things take a turn when she begins to receive threats from an anonymous caller. When she fails to heed these warnings and a murder occurs in the bookshop, Madeline must find the killer in order to save the shop and her own future.

~by Yasushi Kitagawa, translated by Takami Nieda

Shuichi is down on his luck. Not only is he in debt to the company he works for, forcing him to cancel the vacation to Paris he and his wife have been planning for a year, but his daughter has also stopped going to school and won’t leave her room. Just when he is feeling like he is the unluckiest man in Japan, he comes across a mysterious taxi that promises to take him to his next opportunity.

~Trang Thanh Tran

I've been on a huge horror kick recently, I guess. They Bloom at Night is great horror because you, as the reader, know a lot more about what's going on with Nhung and the town of Mercy than she's willing to reckon with. As the world falls apart and she discovers what she does have in abundance, it gets truly touching at times. I'm a big fan of 'young adult that reads like it's for adults' and this is certainly that.