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Staff Picks

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Cover ArtIncredibly captivating story about the day to day life of 39 women living in a bunker with no memory of how they got there or why they're being kept there. It follows the story of the youngest woman there, with her being the key to the others' future.
 

Publisher's description:
Deep underground, thirty-nine women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only a vague recollection of their lives before.

As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl—the fortieth prisoner—sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground.

Jacqueline Harpman was born in Etterbeek, Belgium, in 1929, and fled to Casablanca with her family during WWII. Informed by her background as a psychoanalyst and her youth in exile, I Who Have Never Known Men is a haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic novel of female friendship and intimacy, and the lengths people will go to maintain their humanity in the face of devastation. Back in print for the first time since 1997, Harpman's modern classic is an important addition to the growing canon of feminist speculative literature.

Find I Who Have Never Known Men in our online catalog

 

Cover ArtThis is such a fun book. Graphics are eye-catching, the rhymes are punchy and memorable, and it's a book you can't help but dance along with. I recommend this for a great interactive read with a repetitive chorus that ensures it will be put into your sing-along memory bank!
 
Publisher description:
At night when you are sleeping. There's a party in your house, It's a pumping, jumping, funky bash. When all the lights go out. When the sun goes down, the Kitchen Disco starts up and all the fruit in the fruit bowl come out to play. There are lemons who break-dance, tangerines who twirl and some very over-excited apples. Kitchen Disco is a zany and hilarious rhyming picture book for young children
 
Cover ArtTan diverges from her normal fare to share personal bird observations. I read this during a time when I added my own backyard birdfeeders and began observing my avian neighbors up close. Tan's book makes one understand the amazing intricacies that are easily missed if we don't observe closely!
 
Publisher's description:
In 2016, author Amy Tan grew overwhelmed by the state of the world: Hatred and misinformation became a daily presence on social media, and the country felt more divisive than ever. In search of peace, Tan turned toward the natural world just beyond her window and, specifically, the birds flocking to the feeders in her yard. But what began as an attempt to find solace turned into something far greater--an opportunity to savor quiet moments during a volatile time, connect to nature in a meaningful way, and imagine the intricate lives of the birds she admired. Tracking the natural beauty that surrounds us, The Backyard Bird Chronicles maps the passage of time--from before the pandemic to the days of quarantine--through daily entries, thoughtful questions, and beautiful original sketches. With boundless charm and wit, Amy Tan charts her foray into birding and the natural wonders of the world.
 
03/26/2025
Boulder Library
Cover ArtThis was a more challenging book than I had anticipated. Reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, this book addresses good vs. evil, power, and conformity among a group of high school boys. It requires you to consider what you would do in such a situation and what your outlook on life would be. To sum it up, one must consider: is it worth it to disturb the universe? And if so, under what circumstances and at what costs?
 
Publisher description:
A high school freshman discovers the devastating consequences of refusing to join in the school's annual fund raising drive and arousing the wrath of the school bullies.
 
03/24/2025
Boulder Library
Cover ArtThis book made me laugh, cry, and everything in between. Careful if you read it in public--you might not be able to control your reactions. A tender, hilarious, and heartfelt journey of unexpected connections and new beginnings. Phoebe completely won my heart!

Publisher description:
It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years--she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan--which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other. This is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagine--and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us.

Find The Wedding People in our online catalog
03/24/2025
Carrie Wolfson
Cover ArtThis is a great read for kids in upper elementary and middle school who love fantasy. Beasts of legend and fast-moving adventures grab you, and the end is genuinely moving. The author's scholarly cred comes through, but not in an over-the-top way. Hoping for a sequel!
 
Publisher description:
The day that Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake would change his life forever. It’s the day he learned about the Archipelago—a cluster of unmapped islands where magical creatures of every kind have thrived for thousands of years, until now. And it’s the day he met Mal—a girl on the run, in desperate need of his help. Mal and Christopher embark on a wild adventure, racing from island to island, searching for someone who can explain why the magic is fading and why magical creatures are suddenly dying. They consult sphinxes, battle kraken, and negotiate with dragons. But the closer they get to the dark truth of what’s happening, the clearer it becomes: no one else can fix this. If the Archipelago is to be saved, Mal and Christopher will have to do it themselves.
 
03/22/2025
Boulder Library
Cover Art
This book is a slow burn with back-to-back twists making for a scalding ending. The novel explores the importance of gathering multiple perspectives to make an informed judgment. The reader has to evaluate his truth vs. her truth vs. The Truth. A provocative, mysterious, and challenging read.
 
Publisher's description:
1945: War widow Peggy is grateful to have inherited Orchard House from her husband's Aunt Maude; she looks forward to making a fresh start in rural Cambridgeshire with her young son. The moment she sets eyes on the rambling property, however, doubt sets in. From the bricked up cellar to the scent of violets and rotting fruit, the place seems shrouded in dark mysteries. When Peggy discovers Maude's teenage diary gathering dust she begins to read, searching for answers. 1876: Orphaned Maude is forced to leave London, and her adored brother, Frank, to live with a stranger. Everyone-especially Frank-tells her not to trust Miss Greenaway, the enigmatic owner of Orchard House, but Maude can't help warming to her new guardian. Encouraged by Miss Greenaway to speak her mind, follow her curiosity, and form her own opinions, Maude finds herself discovering who she is for the first time, and learning to love her new home in the orchard. But when Frank comes for an unexpected visit, the delicate balance of Maude's life is thrown into disarray. Complicating matters more, Maude witnesses an adult world full of interactions she cannot quite understand with implications beyond her grasp. Her efforts to regain control and right the future as she sees fit result in a violent tragedy, the repercussions of which will haunt Orchard House for the rest of Maude's life-and beyond.
 
Cover ArtThis book will simultaneously break and heal your heart. An exploration of how expectations can often be limiting and of the difficulty in navigating the maze that is family dynamics. Julia's journey to understanding her family and her self is inspiring and identifiable across many cultures. Easily one of my top three recommendations for teen readers, a truly excellent book.
 
Publisher description:
Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents' house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga's role. Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed.
 
Find I am not your Perfect Mexican Daughter in our online catalog
Cover ArtThis is one of those graphic novels that changes with you as you change as a reader. I remember being the fiercely independent teen crowded by the expectations of others trying to figure out how, or whether, I wanted to fit in. I have been the side character cousin angry at everyone for pretending that trauma is normal. I am now the mother, watchful and aware that I have to step back and let my kids be themselves. Highly recommend.
 

Publisher's description:
Ash has always felt alone.
Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash's age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. Even Ash's family seems to be sleepwalking through life.
The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it's still there, waiting for him to come back...or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life.
But making the wilds your home isn't easy. And as much as Ash wants to be alone...can they really be happy alone? Can they survive alone?
From New York Times–bestselling author and illustrator Jen Wang comes a singularly affecting story about self-discovery, self-reliance, and the choice to live when it feels like you have no place in the world.

Find Ash's Cabin in our online catalog

Cover ArtMagical realism meets radical trans liberation meets rock 'em sock 'em New York, a big city tumultuous ride to freedom and self actualization. A fun, heart-breaking romp through Kai Cheng Thom's take on what it takes to be trans in America.
 
Publisher's description:
Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir is a coming-of-age story about a young Asian trans girl, pathological liar, and kung-fu expert who runs away from her parents' abusive home in a rainy city called Gloom. Striking off on her own, she finds her true family in a group of larger-than-life trans femmes who make their home in a mysterious pleasure district known only as the Street of Miracles. Under the wings of this fierce and fabulous flock, she blossoms into the woman she has always dreamed of being, with a little help from the unscrupulous Doctor Crocodile. When one of their number is brutally murdered, our protagonist joins her sisters in forming a vigilante gang to fight back against the transphobes, violent johns, and cops that stalk the Street of Miracles. But when things go terribly wrong, she must find the truth within herself in order to stop the violence and discover what it really means to grow up and find your family.
 
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