Staff Picks
March/April
Camelot 3000
by Mike W. Barr
It’s the year 3000, and the English have failed to maintain a sufficient food supply and aliens have come down in an attempt to enslave the human race. With little means of protection and the inability to defeat the aliens on their own, Britain has got a crisis on their hands. While in an effort to find safety, a young man stumbles upon a tomb and awakens its inhabitant, the legendary King Arthur. Britain soon finds itself in the arms of Sir Lancelot and Merlin as these knights are reunited to help defeat the aliens. Illustrated by Brian Bollard, Camelot 3000 is an exceptional futuristic yet timeless tale of adventure and heroism.
– Anna
Iron Widow
by Xiran Jay Zhao
Set in a futuristic world where humanity is constantly fighting for their home planet and their survival, Wu Zetian is given the highest honor for a woman- a pilot’s concubine. This position is meant to help special soldiers remain in control of and bring about new power in the giant robots they pilot to combat their enemies, but the cost is usually the concubine’s life at the end of a battle. Wanting revenge for her sister’s death at the hands of one particular pilot, Zetian plots and successfully kills the pilot who murdered her sister, taking control of his robot by sheer will of her own. She is marked as an “Iron Widow” as a result, where she can pilot machines by herself and use men just like they use women to help with their machines. There is political chaos, a bunch of ancient Chinese important figures thrust into the spotlight, and the ending will have you at the edge of your seat and wanting more.
– Carolyn
Under Loch and Key
by Lana Ferguson
Upon the death of her dad, Keyanna McKay brings his ashes from the US to his birthplace in Scotland near Loch Ness. Key’s dad always told her a story of how he saw the famed Loch Ness Monster, and that the beast saved him from the Loch one night. It was all her dad could remember at the end of his life and begged her to bring him back and find the truth. Key has her hands full trying to reconcile with family that she has never met and a handsome but surly farm hand, Lachlan, that is keeping a family secret of his own. This spicy Romantasy has family drama, secrets everywhere, Scottish folklore, enemies to lovers, and an inventive spin on the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.
– Lisa
The Favorites
by Layne Fargo
If you like novels that are messy and keep you on the edge of your seat, you’re going to love Layne Fargo’s The Favorites. Readers will find the interview style narration reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six and any person who has found the Olympic figure skating pair, Virtue and Moir’s Moulin Rouge performance at the forefront of their mind, will certainly love this one.
Fargo highlights the elite competitive figure skating world with characters you can’t help but love (even if you want to hate them). The story features fiercely independent characters willing to do anything to accomplish success, no matter what it costs them. Romance mixed with epic moments of hatred and happiness drive the plot of this novel, making it impossible to put down.
– Myra
Real Queer America
by Samantha Allen
As a queer woman from Utah, journalist Samantha Allen has only lived in red states. She first came out while living in Georgia, and later met her wife in Indiana. Despite this, it appears that everyone seems to gloss over queerness in conservative areas, reserving it for the blue coasts. Motivated to explore and explain LGBTQ culture in conservative spaces, Allen road trips across the United States. Along the journey she talks to local business owners, politicians, activists, and residents to explore why people stay in their red states, instead of moving to the blue coasts. This book is one of reliance, community, and inspiration. Whilst there is slight New York bashing, the amazing people Allen talks to makes up for it.
– Reana
We Love the Nightlife
by Rachel Koller Croft
We Love The Nightlife by Rachel Koller Croft follows the story of two women who meet on the dance floor of a late 70s disco club, each seeking companionship. Nicola, who turns out to be a vampire, convinces Amber—an unhappy newlywed—to become her lifelong dance partner and friend in the vampire world. After nearly 50 years together, Nicola does the one thing Amber has asked her never to do, pushing Amber to want out of their friendship for good. However, walking away from Nicola’s manipulative grip comes with deadly consequences. When Nicola opens a nightclub, Amber seizes the opportunity to hatch a dangerous escape plan.
Though I don’t typically gravitate toward vampire stories, I’m so glad I gave We Love The Nightlife a chance. It’s a fun, fast-paced, and thrilling page-turner that kept me hooked. The writing is cinematic and easy to visualize, pulling you into the world of these characters in no time.
– Dee Dee
Revenge of the Librarians
by Tom Gauld
Writers, library workers, and bibliophiles alike will enjoy this witty collection of literary comics authored by famed cartoonist and illustrator Tom Gauld, whose work is regularly published in The New Yorker, The Guardian and New Scientist. Filled with musings about a world run by librarians, literary stereotypes, the effects of modern technology and social media on literacy, as well as cleverly updated titles to classic works of literature and satire over the drudgery of pandemic lockdowns, Revenge of the Librarians is a fun, quick read for any booklover.
– Melissa
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
by Patrick Radden Keefe
I recommend Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe. The author has succeeded in taking the sprawling and complex history of the “Troubles”, and writing a gripping narrative non-fiction that grabs you from the first paragraph. The history is compellingly told by weaving it around the abduction and disappearance of a mother of ten in Belfast in 1972. Her story and its effect on her children for the rest of their lives carries this history forward to 2003 when her body was finally recovered.
Say Nothing uses the investigation into her murder as the focal point to describe the lives of two teenage sisters who join the IRA, along with other key figures in the organization. By using four or five main characters, Keefe humanizes the desperation and the horror of the time.
The author interviewed over a hundred sources for this book, and spent four years researching the history. He acknowledges that a comprehensive account of the Troubles is problematic because there are so many conflicting accounts, and witnesses are reluctant to talk even today. However, this book is a good start in understanding the conflict.
I listened to the audiobook, and can recommend it for the narrator’s Northern Irish accent which added a level of authenticity.
– Noreen
Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is a no-nonsense woman working in a male dominated field at Hastings Research Institute. She prides herself on her work and scientific view of the world. Her co-workers only see her as a secretary and someone to steal work from. Elizabeth trudges through the monotony of the work day until she charges into the lab of a certain nobel-winning, recluse, Calvin Evans and unexpected chemical reactions change the course of her life forever.
Life, however, is unpredictable, and Elizabeth soon finds herself a single mother, unwed, and fired. She struggles to find purpose in life and in an unexpected turn of events, ends up the unlikely host of a TV show, Super at Six. From this new platform, Elizabeth is determined to give women the courage to ask questions and to help change the current status quo of cultural misogyny. However, she soon discovers that not everyone is happy with her worldview and has made powerful enemies.
Lessons in Chemistry is a historical fiction novel set in 1960s California that explores the issues of sexism in the workplace. Bonnie Garmus expertly creates both lovable characters that you’ll want to root for and loathsome characters that you’ll despise throughout the book. This book is definitely one to choose if you like stores that are uplifting, offbeat comedies, yet still have serious overtones.
– Jenny