Staff Picks
January/February
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women
by Kate Moore
The heartbreaking story of the girls, some as young as 14, who painted watch faces and military dials with radioactive paint that slowly and painfully killed them, and their fight for justice. Taking place between the start of WWI and the start of WWII, this is the true story of the handful of girls and their very few supportive dentists, doctors, and lawyers, that stood up against the Radium corporations and fought for compensation and workers’ rights, sometimes until their dying breaths. Packed with horrifying firsthand accounts of Radium poisoning from the girls and their family members, and the outright lies and negligence of the Radium corporations that ruined their short lives. This book is a testament to the strength and resilience, in the face of certain death, to see justice served.
~ Lisa
Not Another Love Song
by Julie Soto
Not Another Love Song features two musical prodigies fighting for their spot on center stage and the attraction they feel for one another. This is Soto’s second book and it is just as good as the first! Xander and Gwen are thrown together more than once in their small social circle, including working together at the Pops Orchestra. Their chemistry, both on stage and off, is challenged when talk of a publicity stunt surface. I was absolutely floored by the writing and choice of language and how music was really worked into every part of this book. Full of tension with rivals to lover’s vibes, and very romantic moments, I can’t recommend this book enough.
~ Myra
Upright Women Wanted
by Sarah Gailey
Upright Women Wanted is a futuristic Western novella that follows Esther’s escape from her old town and life after her best friend and lover was executed. When Ester runs away to join the librarians, she learns that life can be more than the small town she is from. Ester’s journey with the librarians teach her that there is a space for people like her to exist within the confinements of society. Full of cowboy librarians and bad decisions, this novella by Gailey is remarkably funny for a piece that is antifacist in its depictions of censorship. This is a quick read that is perfect for fans of western and/or dystopian fiction.
~ Reana
A Good Marriage
by Kimberly McCreight
Lizzie is working at a prestigious law firm when she receives an unexpected call from an old friend who has been arrested for the murder of his wife. As she delves into the couple’s social circle in an attempt to prove her client’s innocence, their seemingly-perfect marriages have her questioning her own marriage. But Lizzie soon learns that beneath the picture-perfect façade, her client and his acquaintances are caught in a web of scandalous secrets. And unless Lizzie can act fast and find the killer, her own dark secrets threaten to come to light. A Good Marriage is a suspenseful psychological thriller that will keep you entertained and guessing until the very end.
~ Melissa
My Last Innocent Year
by Daisy Alpert Florin
I just finished reading My Last Innocent Year by Daisy Alphert Florin and I loved it. It is about Isabel, a college student in New Hampshire, and she gets involved in an affair with her college professor. I like that the affair is not the most important part of the story. It is a piece on the multitude of experiences that shape the woman she’s becoming. Trigger warning for sexual violence.
~ Dee Dee
Assistant to the Villain
by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Desperate to find income to support her sick family, Evie Sage spontaneously accepts an offer of an assistantship from the most nefarious, and rich, man in her town: The Villain. Evie’s confidence grows as she constantly deals with irritating co-workers, stray magic, and severed heads hanging from the ceiling while struggling to keep her sunshine personality. Things grow more complicated when Evie develops a teensy crush on her brooding boss. However, chaos soon follows as the duo learn that someone is trying to sabotage the business and kill The Villain. But who, in the laundry list of suspects, is responsible?
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer is a fun, fantasy romcom with an intriguing mystery. If you take the TV shows: The Office and Once Upon a Time and merge them together, you’ll get the vibes of this book. I would recommend this book if you’re looking for something to read that’s fantasy, fun, and not too serious.
~ Jenny