Staff Picks - LibGuides at Boulder Public Library

Sonia's life is a mess when she joins a production of Hamlet in the West Bank. What follows is a brilliant examination of art, personal and national identity, and the power of community. The book plays with form and trusts us to read between the lines. The ending, like the title, is haunting.

Publisher's description:

A stage actress returns to Palestine to visit her older sister and becomes unwittingly involved with a local group who wants to put on a production of Hamlet in the West Bank using all Palestinian actors.

Find Enter Ghost in our online catalog

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Abby recommends The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

One of my favorites from recent years, this book is classic Grady Hendrix. Suspenseful, very Southern, and a little gory (especially near the end), it is a yearly re-read for me. The audiobook is phenomenal too!Publisher's description:South Carolina in the '90s: a women's book club must protect its suburban community from a mysterious stranger who turns out to be a real monster.Find The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires in our online catalog...

Rachel recommends Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

Polly Perks lives in Borogravia, a country that has been ravaged by war for as long as she can remember. To find her missing brother, she disguises herself as a boy and enlists in the army, alone in her deception--or so she thinks. Pratchett's signature blend of humor and moving social analysis anchor this tale of what is means to really take pride in your country, and what it takes to fight against the status quo.Publisher’s description:In the small country of Borogravia, there are strict rules citizens must follow. Women belong in the kitchen-not in offices, pubs, nor pants. And certainly not on the front lines when war comes to Discworld. Polly Perks took over running her family's humble inn when her brother, Paul, marched off to war. But it's been more than two months since his last letter home, and the news from the front is bad. To find her missing brother, the resourceful Polly cuts off her hair and joins the army as a young man named Oliver. As Polly closely guards her secret, she notices that her fellow recruits seem to be guarding secrets of their own. And before they've learned to properly march, Polly and her fellow raw recruits find themselves in the thick of a losing battle. All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee. No matter, it's time to make a stand. . . . The Discworld novels can be read in any order but Monstrous Regiment is a standalone.Find Monstruous Regiment in our online catalog....

Juliana recommends The Women by Kristin Hannah

The Women follows Frances, a fictional character representing many women whose Vietnam War service went unrecognized. It focuses on overcoming trauma, the importance of sisterhood, and giving voice to the forgotten. Fans of The Nightingale will likely enjoy The Women.Publisher's description:Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets―and becomes one of―the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.Find The Women in our online catalog....

Stella recommends I Hope This Doesn't Find You by Ann Liang

Some people kickbox, some people eat their feelings. Sadie Wen writes scathing emails but never sends them, and everything is perfect. Until it's not. Fans of Jenny Han and Mindy Kaling will eat up this story of academic rivals and clamor for more. Publisher's description: Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class." It's not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course--she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings--but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work. All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating cocaptain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. "You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain ... I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft ..." Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them ... that is, until they're accidentally sent out. Overnight, Sadie's carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare--now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie -- Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate ... Find I Hope This Doesn't Find You in our online catalog ...

Bergen recommends Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad