FICTION
All the ever afters by Danielle Teller. The untold story of Cinderella’s stepmother, this gives life to the brace and resourceful Agnes, better known as one of fairy tales’ most reviled villains.
The atrocities by Jeremy Shipp. Any fans of haunted houses or strange families will thoroughly enjoy this read.
Beautiful music by Michael Zadoorian. Set in early 1970s Detroit, a racially divided city still reeling from its violent riot of 1967, this novel is the story of a high school boy’s transformation through music.
The captives by Debra Jo Immergut. A riveting story of a woman convicted of a brutal crime, the prison psychologist who recognizes her as his high school crush – and the charged reunion that sets off an astonishing chain of events with dangerous consequences for both.
The cast by Danielle Steel. A magazine columnist meets an array of Hollywood professionals when a producer turns a story about his grandmother into a TV series.
The death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. A tarot card reader mistakenly receives an inheritance letter and attends the funeral of the deceased to collect it.
Denver Moon: the mind of Mars by Warren Hammond. Once considered humanity’s future home, Mars hasn’t worked out like anybody hoped. Plagued by crime and a terraforming project that’s centuries from completion, Mars is a red hell.
The favorite sister by Jessica Knoll. This is a blistering paced thriller starring two sisters who join the cast of a reality TV series. One won’t make it out alive. So…who did it?
Florida by Lauren Groff. A literary tour de force of precariousness set in a blistering place, a state shaped like a gun.
The girl who never read Noam Chomsky by Jana Casale. The interior life of a millennial Everywoman as she matures over the decades. So much fun, so smart, and ultimately profound and beautiful.
The lonely witness by William Boyle. When a young woman with a sordid past witnesses a murder, she finds herself fascinated by the killer and decides to track him down herself.
Motherhood by Sheila Heti. A novel about whether to have children that will spark conversations about womanhood, parenthood, and about how – and for whom – to live.
The optimistic decade by Heather Abel. You say you want a revolution? This energetic and entertaining novel about a utopian summer camp and its charismatic leader asks smart questions about good intentions gone terribly wrong.
The outsider by Stephen King. An unspeakable crime. A confounding investigation. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face?
Shelter in place by Nora Roberts. Survivors of a mass shooting outside a mall near Portland, Maine develop different coping mechanisms and face a new menace years later.
Social creature by Tara Burton. Louise has nothing. Lavinia has everything. After a chance encounter, the two spiral into an intimate, intense, and possibly toxic friendship. A Talented Mr. Ripley for the digital age, this takes a classic tale of obsession and makes it irresistibly new.
Sorority by Genevieve Crane. An addictive, compulsively readable exploration of female friendship and coming of age that will appeal to anyone who has ever been curious about what goes on in a sorority house.
That kind of mother by Rumaan Alam. Can motherhood ever look beyond race? Can we learn to recognize the terrible blindness of our respective cultural perspective?
There there by Tommy Orange. A look at Native American life in Oakland, CA, through the experiences and perspectives of 12 characters. The author articulates the challenges and complexities not only of Native Americans but also of America itself.
Timberline by Matthew Mayo. Based in the northern Rocky Mountains at the beginning of the winter months, this is a tale of adventure, survival, determination, and surprise. Western fans will enjoy.
Time was by Ian McDonald. Brought together by a secret project designed to hide British targets from German radar, Tom and Ben have found a love that could not be revealed. When the project went wrong, they vanished into nothingness, presumed dead. Now they are lost in time, hunting each other across decades, leaving clues in books of poetry and trying to make their desperate timelines overlap.
NONFICTION
Beneath a ruthless sun by Gilbert King. A spellbinding true story of racism, privilege, and official corruption. By turns sobering, frightening, and thrilling, this meticulous account of the power and tenacity of officially sanctioned racism recalls a dark era that America is still struggling to leave behind.
Birds of a feather by Lorin Lindner. Parrots and military veterans bond and heal each other in this powerful story of dedicated service to abandoned birds and veterans and how bringing them together helped save them all.
Calypso by David Sedaris. This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. It is simultaneously Sedaris’ darkest and warmest book yet – and it just might be his very best.
Fight like a girl by Kate Germano. One woman’s professional battle against systemic gender bias in the Marines and the lessons it hold for all of us.
First in line by Kate Brower. An intimate, news-making look at the men who are next in line to the most powerful office in the world – the vice-presidents of the modern era, from Richard Nixon to Joe Biden to Mike Pence.
I’m Keith Hernandez by Keith Hernandez. The legendary first baseman tells all in this gripping memoir. His mission was not to write a “boring” baseball book. Mission accomplished.
The last lobster by Christopher White. Although Maine has been experiencing a lobster “boom” in the past few years, White says a climate-affected fluctuation in lobster populations may be endangering the industry and the Maine culture it supports.
The lives of the Surrealists by Desmond Morris. Life histories of the Surrealists, known and unknown by one of the last surviving members of the movement.
One day you’ll thank me by David McGlynn. A pleasing blend of humor and humility that shows what it means to be a father in America today. Timeless, funny, and honest stories of raising boys.
Paul Simon: the life by Robert Hilburn. An intimate, candid, and definitive bio written with Simon’s participation – but without editorial control – by an acclaimed music writer.
Reporter: a memoir by Seymour Hersh. A revealing memoir of a decades-long career breaking some of the most impactful stories of the last half-century, from Washington to Vietnam to the Middle East.
The restless wave by John McCain. A memoir by the Republican senator from Arizona, an American hero who reflects on his life – and what matters most.
The rise and fall of the dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte. Every week a new species of dinosaur is being discovered somewhere in in the world. EVERY WEEK. We are in a new golden age of dinosaur science, and this provides an insider’s view of that history.
Ruthless tide by Al Roker. A gripping narrative history of the 1889 Johnstown Flood – the deadliest flood in US history.
The soul of America by Jon Meacham. The Pulitzer Prize winning biographer contextualizes the present political climate through the lens of difficult moments in American history.
Tip of the iceberg by Mark Adams. A fascinating and funny journey into Alaska, America’s last frontier, retracing the historic 1899 Harriman Expedition. Tourists will certainly enjoy reading about both the past and the present, and the breezy, self-deprecating tone makes for an obvious vacation diversion.
World War II at sea by Craig Symonds. Many have argued that WW II was dominated by naval operations; few have shown and explained how and why this was the case. This combines story-telling verve, expertly illuminating not only the mechanics of large scale warfare on (and below) the sea but offering wisdom into the nature of the war itself.
PICTURE BOOKS
Aquarium by Cynthia Alonso
Dude by Aaron Reynolds
Fall in Line, Holden! by Daniel W Vandever
Geraldine by Elizabeth Lilly
King of Bees by Lester L. Laminack
No Kimchi for Me by Aram Kim
People Don’t Bite People by Lisa Wheeler
Roar: A Dinosaur Tour by Michael Paul
Teddy’s Favorite Toy by Christian Trimmer
Two Problems for Sophia by Jim Averbeck
Vernon is on His Way: Small Stories by Philip C. Stead
CHAPTER BOOKS
Boy Called Bat by Elana Arnold
I Love You, Michael Collins by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Lulu Is Getting a Sister by Judith Viorst
Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh
Train I Ride by Paul Mosier
Unicorn in the Barn by Jacqueline K. Ogburn
NON-FICTION
Lemonade Stand Cookbook by Kathy Starahs
Rodent Rascals by Roxie Munro
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating
What’s on Your Plate? Exploring the World of Food by Whitney Stewart
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Bolivar by Sean Rubin
Time Museum by Matthew Loux
Do You Know Komodo Dragons? By Alain M. Bergeron
NEW DVDs
Early Man (2018) starring Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston.
G-Force (2009) starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz.
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) starring Michael Caine and Emily Blunt.
Strange Magic (2015) starring Evan Rachel Wood and Kristen Chenoweth.
Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review.