Staff Choices

Miss Marple, Jessica Fletcher and now a grittier version in Maggie E, long retired from the CIA. An old case suddenly bursts into her Maine retirement life in a small Maine town.

Aided by 4 other CIA retirees, she is thrust back to Thailand, Italy and dangers galore. Calling themselves The Martini Club, the five neighbors thought they were settled into shared meals of dishes from their exotic former posts, good alcohol and fitting into small town life. When danger intrudes, their tradecraft and smarts kicks in.

This is not Tess Gerritsen’s first series. Her Rizzoli and Isles crime series entertained us on the page and on TV.

Can’t wait to see what Gerritsen will serve up in The Martini Club Book 2.

At seventeen years old, Anna Horn wants nothing more than to fly under the radar. Graduate high school, clean casino hotel rooms (her part-time job), and maybe eventually be brave enough to start a cultural preservation society for the Takoda Tribe on the rez. She'd also ideally like to reconnect with her younger sister, Grace. However, change is coming to the rez, and Anna--like it or not--is drawn into the heart of things when Grace goes missing. Stuck in a tangled knot of jurisdictional arguments and complicated race relations, Anna is the only person who can find answers...if the disembodied rolling head of her nightmares doesn't get to her first.

Sisters of the Lost Nation is local author Nick Medina's debut novel, which blends Indigenous folklore with real, ongoing social issues in this mystery/suspense/thriller. Although the Takoda Tribe is fictitious, Medina is a member of the Louisiana Tunica-Biloxi Tribe; much of the rez setting is inspired by his heritage. Medina's writing raises awareness of the "silent crisis" of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, while uplifting Native communities through the richness and revitalization of their cultural heritage. Just as Anna learns how her people's stories can empower her, so, too, can we be reminded how the past can inform and influence the future.

Readers interested in stories about Indigenous heritage, identities, and/or life on the rez may enjoy A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power, Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah, Reclaiming Two-Spirits by Gregory D. Smithers, and Rez Metal. Other Indigenous authors of interest may include Stephen Graham Jones and Rebecca Roanhorse. Those interested in history may like Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, and An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, while those interested in Indigenous folktales may enjoy American Indian Myths and Legends edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz. Finally, readers may want to peruse curated booklists for Native American Heritage Month: Fiction and Nonfiction, as well as Sisters of the Lost Nation Readalikes.

If you’re looking to round out your reading year with something cozy, look no further. Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer was such an unexpected joy to read. A true cozy fantasy with the grumpy/ sunshine trope, Maehrer did a wonderful job creating characters with histories and personalities you care about. It helps that the world building is kept simple, with more time spent developing the characters, relationships and evolving mystery. 

Evie Sage is an optimist. An unemployed optimist who desperately needs a job to keep her family afloat. With a father sick with a mysterious illness spreading through the kingdom and a younger sister still in school, she needs to find a job fast. It doesn’t help that her village finds her odd and her last employer was a terrible human being. Enter, the Villain. Handsome, secretive and entirely evil (or is he?), after a harrowing meet cute in the woods, he offers Evie a job as his personal assistant.  

When the Villain’s evil plans start to go south, Evie takes it upon herself to weed out the rat in the organization. Having finally found a place she feels useful and accepted, Evie will do what it takes to make sure her employer stays in business. The more they work together the more she realizes the Villain is more than his evil persona, and that maybe the heroes are the true villains of this story. 

This is my first time reading a book by Lou Berney, and it definitely won't be my last.

The story centers around Hardy "Hardly" Reed, who is aimlessly going through life working at an amusement park. He lives in a garage. Hardy was placed in foster care after his mother passed away. Preston, his foster brother, is the closest thing to family he has. Preston is the one who dubbed him Hardly.

Hardly goes to delay payment on a ticket, and it is here that he notices two children sitting by themselves. Out of concern, Hardly wonders where their parents are and tries to engage them in a conversation. He notes what looks like injuries.

Hardly struggles to move on and thinks the kids rely on him as their only hope. He's always stayed in his comfort zone and is content with his current situation. Despite this, he thinks it's worth taking a risk, and along the way, he finds authentic friends who care about him.

I enjoyed Hardly's character development and having a purpose in his life. My favorite character is Eleanor, who acts unapproachable but strikes a deal with Hardly to exchange favors. Without them knowing, they become friends, and she gets him out of a tight jam. Eleanor's grandmother is a hoot too. If you're a fan of thrillers, don't miss out on this one!

A Winter in New York by Josie Silver follows Iris as she embarks on her new life in New York, carrying the grief of losing her mom and the trauma of a bad relationship back in London. Iris brings with her the gelato recipe from her mom that has been a source of comfort throughout her life. When she stumbles upon a familiar door that she recognizes from her mom’s photo album she meets Gio Belloti, and they embark on a star-crossed journey of love, loss, secrets, and family togetherness.

The story follows two timelines - one of Iris in the present day, her struggles, love interest, finding out more about her mom who passed a few years ago, and a secret she feels she needs to keep from Gio. The other is of Iris’ mom life in New York… and how Iris came to be.

I loved that this book had more depth than a typical rom-com and dealt with some heavier themes. Although I found the main conflict not such a conflict at all in my mind, I chose to willingly accept it as such and just enjoy the story. This is a wholesome read, focused on family, love, loss, and finding yourself.

The audiobook version of this was delightful with the British accent. I recommend this one as a cozy winter read!

I tend to use the term "Breezy Fiction" for books that are well written, have a good story line and characters, but are also rather charming, Leonard and Hungry Paul is one of those books.. The title characters, both men in their 30's are charming and thoughtful friends. They are content with the ordinariness of their lives. Leonard writes children's encyclopedias, and Hungry Paul volunteers in the community. Spending time with their families, and meeting up to play board games seems to be enough for them, until it isn't. When Leonard's loneliness is too much and he meets someone at work, and Hungry Paul's life starts to expand, their status quo suddenly shifts. There are colorful relatives and friends who fill the pages as we see the quiet changes of these simple lives. This debut novel by Ronan Hession is heartwarming, and thoughtful and will find you cheering the quiet bravery of these two friends as they test the waters of a grown up life. 

I will admit, if I’d read this book as a student studying creative writing, I would have put down my pen and switched my major because the book I’d always dreamed of writing now existed. She Who Became the Sun, the first book of a duology by Shelley Parker-Chan (they/them pronouns), combines alternate Chinese history with a dash of fantasy; it features complex characters, intricate plot, and explores LGBTQIA+ themes (especially gender), family duty, and revenge. The book is Parker-Chan’s debut novel.

She Who Became the Sun reimagines the origin story of the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644): What if he wasn’t actually a ‘he’? Told from opposing but equally complicated protagonists, the novel follows historical figure Zhu Chongba (a peasant turned Buddhist monk who would become the Hongwu Emperor) and the fictional Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) eunuch general Ouyang (whose family had been executed by the ruling Mongols). Although they are set on enemy sides of the historical Red Turban Rebellion/Yuan Dynasty conflict, they may have more in common than they think. Fans of political intrigue and plot twists may enjoy this story, as would connoisseurs of historical fiction and fans of both strong female characters and nuanced relationships between men.

Readers who enjoy She Who Became the Sun may also be interested in the sequel, He Who Drowned the World and Parker-Chan’s list of real historical figures that appear in the series. Novels with similar themes include The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, The Unbroken by C.L. Clark, and A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark. Fans of epic fantasies may like The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu and A Hero Born by Jin Yong (trans. Anna Holmwood), while those interested in alternate history-fantasy series may enjoy His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik and The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Other nonbinary authors of interest include Xiran Jay Zhao (Iron Widow, they/them pronouns) and Neon Yang (Genesis of Misery, they/them pronouns).

The English Understand Wool by author Helen DeWitt is a 69 page novella that covers a lot of territory. It is told through the eyes and experiences of Marguerite, a young woman, not quite an adult, raised in wealth, culture, good tailoring and an expansive social life. Her mother cultivated savvy friendships and loyalty with her many business relationships and domestic staff. When her mother mysteriously disappears, a major family secret is uncovered. A book publisher soon courts Marguerite for the rights to her story. As the tale quickly unspools, she finds out that the world can be treacherous and underhanded. So, what is a 17 year-old girl to do?

Without giving anything more away, I found this novella delightful to read and finished it in an hour. Marguerite's narration is in a clipped, detached manner that makes the telling almost amusing and enhances the story. Its peculiar content is unexpected and wraps up neatly in a bow.

Readers may be familiar with author Helen DeWitt's earlier novel The Last Samurai.

"All the people have the right of access to library materials whenever they need them."

—Statement on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries, Japan Library Association

As Banned Book Week 2023 has come and gone, I am reminded of a series that I first read as an adolescent, but which rings even more hauntingly now. Library Wars: Love & War, drawn by Kiiro Yumi, is a manga (Japanese graphic novel) adapted from an award-winning light novel series by Hiro Arikawa. The light novels were originally published in the mid-2000s in Japan, with the manga first published in 2008 and its English translation (by Kinami Watabe) in 2010.

The story takes place in an alternate future Japan, not so different from our world, except for one key fact: censorship has become not only accepted, but widespread, enforced by a government agency called the Media Betterment Committee. This committee censors and restricts all media, including books. In response, libraries created Defense Forces, which protect libraries' freedom to acquire and circulate materials in their collections and to thereby resist censorship, a last bastion of intellectual freedom. 

Iku Kasahara, an athletic airhead and passionate bookworm, is not only the first woman in her library's Defense Force, but also the first woman on the Task Force—an elite group of Defense Force members who are charged not just with protecting the library and its patrons, but also with day-to-day desk work done by non-combatant librarians and library staff. She has dreamed of joining the Defense Force ever since an agent saved one of her favorite books from censorship when she was a teenager. However, will her grumpy superior officer Sergeant Dojo and condescending fellow recruit Corporal Tezuka wear her down? (And how do you find that one book, anyway?!)

Inspired by the Japan Library Association's Statement on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries, Library Wars is a fun, light mix of science fiction, drama, workplace romance, and food for thought. While the reader learns, laughs, and struggles along with Iku, they simultaneously must consider the ethical quandaries of censorship, and where (or how, or if) a line must be drawn.

While the original Library Wars novels have not yet been translated into English, readers interested in Arikawa's work may enjoy The Traveling Cat Chronicles. For another fictional work centered around censorship, try Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. Fans of Library Wars may also enjoy the live action films and the anime adaptation of the same name. (The anime is available on Crunchyroll via the International Roku Stick).

This has been the year of fun covers that turn out to be amazing stories for me, and Starter Villain by John Scalzi is no exception. I had so much fun reading this book. I don’t often laugh out loud while reading, but I found myself giggling quite a few times. The banter is intelligent, the humor is dry and the story moves at a perfect pace. It’s also fun that the main character lives in Barrington and the story includes some fun local locations. 

While classified as science fiction, this story is rooted more in reality than that suggests. There’s some fun conceptual technology described, but I’d say it’s more of a mystery, complete with surprise ending.  

Charlie is in his 30s and doesn’t have much to brag about other than the love of his cats and a house that’s not really his. That is until the estate of his estranged uncle comes knocking. Now he’s the sole heir to a supervillain business worth trillions of (hypothetical) dollars, a multitude of shell companies with complicated subscription models, cat spies, dolphin security and a not-so-secret island lair complete with a volcano. Charlie must navigate this new world of villainy while the convocation of elite villains attempts to welcome him into their fold, but maybe also kill him, that’s all really up in the air.