Hearing book suggestions from coworkers is one of the best perks of working in a public library! We hear about books from publishers, library journals, patrons, coworkers, and friends, and we love sharing favorites. Here’s what Baldwin staff members are enjoying this month:
Fiction for Adults
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
In this droll first of a quartet, a self-aware robot who hacked his governor just wants to be left alone to binge watch its shows yet keeps getting embroiled in human altercations. –recommended by Syntha, librarian
Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict
Delightful imaginative story about why Carnegie became a philanthropist. –recommended by Phebe, Technical Services
Iced in Paradise by Naomi Hirahara
Set on Kaua’i, this mystery is wonderfully evocative of small-town Hawai’i and will make you long for shave ice even in the depths of winter! Hirahara has already written a terrific series featuring a Japanese-American gardener working in California (the Mas Arai mysteries), and her new series is proving to be just as readable and enjoyable. –recommended by Kristen, Head of Circulation Services
The Innocents by Michael Crummey
Evered and Ada Best are orphaned at the ages of 11 and 9. How will they survive without their parents in a remote cove on the coast of Newfoundland in the early 1800s? The Innocents is a serious and often discomfiting tale of struggle against the natural world and human nature. –recommended by Maria, Head of Adult Services
Twenty-one Truths about Love: A Novel by Matthew Dicks
A darling novel written in list format by a guileless bookshop owner and dad-to-be. –recommended by Wesleyann, librarian
When All is Said by Anne Griffin
Maurice Hannigan over the course of one evening raises a toast to five different influential people of his life. The toasts to these people chronicle his 84 year life in Ireland during the 20th century. –recommended by Melissa, librarian
Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
Loosely built upon the 1991 L.A. murder of Latasha Harlins, this novel is set in the present day and features families of both the African-American victim and the Korean-American perpetrator involved in the 1991 murder (names and details changed) and imagines what might happen nearly 30 years after the first murder. The author masterfully examines the cultural and racial tensions in these two communities and how a murder’s effects can ripple through generations. –recommended by Rebekah, Associate Director
Non-Fiction for Adults
Carrie Fisher: A Life on the Edge by Sheila Weller
This is a sympathetic biography of Carrie Fisher, who, as the daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, was born into instant celebrity. Some people remember her best as Princess Leila, or perhaps as Mrs. Paul Simon, but, as these entertaining quotes, anecdotes, and testimonials show, she was a witty, wise, and strong woman who dealt with mental health issues throughout her entire life. –recommended by Kathleen, librarian
Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition by Buddy Levy
The true harrowing story of the 1881–84 Greely Polar Expedition disaster. The Expedition was trapped with dwindling to no food supplies in subzero degree northern Greenland for 2 plus years awaiting for rescue ships to reach them. –recommended by Mick, librarian
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