Staff Picks

Born a Crime is a hilarious and heartbreaking autobiography about Trevor Noah. It tells about Trevor’s childhood, mischief, and curiosity, woven with the challenges of apartheid. He struggles with fitting in with his classmates, as well as in his family, when his stepdad comes into the picture. His resilience keeps his relationship with his mom steady and respectful throughout his life. This book was very impactful and not just about surviving in a difficult world, but about finding humor, hope, and the strength to survive the worst-case scenario.

 

Publisher's Description:

One of the comedy world's fastest-rising stars tells his wild coming of age story during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

 

A hilarious and educational journey through the history of English rulers, from King Arthur to Queen Elizabeth I. If you like dry British wit and history, this is the perfect read for you! And for an extra bonus, try the author-narrated audiobook--Mitchell's reading sounds like you're just having a chat over a pint about a thousand years of British heritage.

 

Publisher's description:
Think you know the kings and queens of England? Think again. In Unruly, David Mitchell explores how early England’s monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects’ destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky bastards who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear today in their portraits. Taking us back to King Arthur (spoiler: he didn’t exist), Mitchell tells the founding story of post-Roman England up to the reign of Elizabeth I (spoiler: she dies). It’s a tale of narcissists, inadequate self-control, middle-management insurrection, uncivil wars, and a few Cnuts, as the English evolved from having their crops stolen by the thug with the largest armed gang to bowing and paying taxes to a divinely anointed king. How this happened, who it happened to, and why the hell it matters are all questions that Mitchell answers with brilliance, wit, and the full erudition of a man who once studied history -- and won’t let it off the hook for the mess it’s made. A funny book that takes history seriously, Unruly is for anyone who has ever wondered how the British monarchy came to be -- and who is to blame.

Find Unruly in our online catalog.

 

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

 

This is so funny!! I loved it! I too hate men! It was very smart and witty, and I loved the author's tone and style of writing. It reads exactly the way I, a semi-hip, internet-obsessed, millennial woman, talk and think. Blythe Roberson is an amazing social commentator. There were so many lines that had me laughing out loud. Read this if you would like a sharp, entertaining exploration on modern dating, womanhood, social media, and Harry Styles.

 

Publisher's description: From New Yorker and Onion writer and comedian Blythe Roberson, How to Date Men When You Hate Men is a comedy philosophy book aimed at interrogating what it means to date men within the trappings of modern society. Blythe Roberson’s sharp observational humor is met by her open-hearted willingness to revel in the ugliest warts and shimmering highs of choosing to live our lives amongst other humans. She collects her crushes like ill cared-for pets, skewers her own suspect decisions, and assures readers that any date you can mess up, she can top tenfold. And really, was that date even a date in the first place?

 

The bestselling author of High Fidelity mines the biographies and work of two wildly different cultural icons to produce an engaging little book about creativity and genius. Fans of Chuck Klosterman's accessible yet richly detailed cultural analyses will find much to enjoy here. 

 

Publisher's description:

Every so often, a pairing comes along that seems completely unlikely--until it's not. Peanut butter and jelly, Dennis Rodman and Kim Jong Un, ducks and puppies, and now: Dickens and Prince. Equipped with a fan's admiration and his trademark humor and wit, Nick Hornby invites us into his latest obsession: the cosmic link between two unlikely artists, geniuses in their own rights, spanning race, class, and centuries--each of whom electrified their different disciplines and whose legacy resounded far beyond their own time. When Prince's 1987 record Sign o' the Times was rereleased in 2020, the iconic album now came with dozens of songs that weren't on the original--Prince was endlessly prolific, recording 102 songs in 1986 alone. In awe, Hornby began to wonder, Who else ever produced this much? Who else ever worked that way? He soon found his answer in Victorian novelist and social critic Charles Dickens, who died more than a hundred years before Prince began making music. Examining the two artists' personal tragedies, social statuses, boundless productivity, and other parallels, both humorous and haunting, Hornby shows how these two unlikely men from different centuries "lit up the world." In the process, he creates a lively, stimulating rumination on the creativity, flamboyance, discipline, and soul it takes to produce great art.

 

A hilarious, heartwarming guide/memoir by the creators of the podcast "My Favorite Murder"! K + G get into their childhoods, their friendships, their obsession with true crime, and all the lessons they've learned along the way. Weet woo!

 

Publisher's description:

Sharing never-before-heard stories ranging from their struggles with depression, eating disorders, and addiction, Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, the voices behind the podcast "My Favorite Murder" irreverently recount their biggest mistakes and deepest fears, reflecting on the formative life events that shaped them into two of the most followed voices in the nation. They focus on the importance of self-advocating and valuing personal safety over being "nice" or "helpful." They delve into their own pasts, true crime stories, and beyond to discuss meaningful cultural and societal issues with fierce empathy and unapologetic frankness.

 

This hilarious collection takes the worst reviews of National Parks and turns them into illustrations peppered with fun facts! Both outdoor and indoor enthusiasts will enjoy looking at and reading about our National Parks in a whole new way.

 

Publisher's description: 

Subpar Parks, both on the popular Instagram page and in this humorous, informative, and collectible book, combines two things that seem like they might not work together yet somehow harmonize perfectly: beautiful illustrations and informative, amusing text celebrating each national park paired with the one-star reviews disappointed tourists have left online. Millions of visitors each year enjoy Glacier National Park, but for one visitor, it was simply Too cold for me! Another saw the mind-boggling vistas of Bryce Canyon as Too spiky! Never mind the person who visited the thermal pools at Yellowstone National Park and left thinking, 'Save yourself some money, boil some water at home.' Featuring new material, the book will include more depth and insight into the most popular parks, such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Acadia National Parks; anecdotes and tips from rangers; and much more about author Amber Share's personal love and connection to the outdoors. Equal parts humor and love for the national parks and the great outdoors, it's the perfect gift for anyone who loves to spend time outside as well as have a good read (and laugh) once they come indoors.

 

Find Subpar Parks in our online catalog.

Publisher's description: 

Chronicling General Lafayette's years in Washington's army, Vowell reflects on the ideals of the American Revolution versus the reality of the Revolutionary War. Riding shotgun with Lafayette, Vowell swerves from the high-minded debates of Independence Hall to the frozen wasteland of Valley Forge, from bloody battlefields to the Palace of Versailles, bumping into John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Lord Cornwallis, Benjamin Franklin, Marie Antoinette and various kings, Quakers and redcoats along the way. Drawn to the patriots' war out of a lust for glory, Enlightenment ideas and the traditional French hatred for the British, young Lafayette crossed the Atlantic expecting to join forces with an undivided people, encountering instead fault lines between the Continental Congress and the Continental Army, rebel and loyalist inhabitants, and a conspiracy to fire George Washington, the one man holding together the rickety, seemingly doomed patriot cause. While Vowell's yarn is full of the bickering and infighting that marks the American past--and present--her telling of the Revolution is just as much a story of friendship: between Washington and Lafayette, between the Americans and their French allies and, most of all between Lafayette and the American people

 

Find Lafayette in the Somewhat United States in our online catalog.