Find your next great read and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2021 prompt to "Read a book suggested by a Library staff member" with these personal recommendations from our colleagues!
Kris, Business & Careers, Richland Library Main
Saipan: The Battle that Doomed Japan in World War II by James Hallas.
This book documents the heart wrenching stories and battles from mid June to early July of 1944 in the Pacific. Hallas details the battles within Saipan like no other writer has done before. He discusses the battles on the beaches before entry on the island, the U.S. aerial attacks, and the clashes on rugged and rocky island terrain. The research that is presented is best I have seen coming from a World War II book in recent years. Some stories are tragic and sad but yet, need to be told. If you are looking for a great historical and military read, then this factual and accurate account of the battle of Saipan is the ultimate book for you
Sarah, Research & Readers' Advisory, Richland Library Main
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This multigenerational family drama tells the story of one incendiary night – an exclusive Malibu party thrown by four famous siblings in August of 1983. I found this book impossible to put down and particularly enjoyed that Reid gives us multiple points of view; experiencing the events from so many different angles lends this epic drama far more richness and nuance than a single teller would. Reid skillfully weaves these voices into an alluring net that captures her reader’s attention until the story has fully played out. Pick up this title if you enjoy mid-to-late 20th century historical fiction that focuses on family relationships, stories that shift back and forth in time, well-developed characters, and southern California surfing culture.
Dusty, Walker Local History Room, Richland Library Main
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell
This is a science fiction-romance featuring a same-sex couple in another galaxy who must marry for political reasons, and it follows their journey through a political crisis and self-discovery in their relationship. I loved the world building in this novel, and the author created a unique culture that wasn't too complex to figure out and follow along in this standalone novel. Seriously one of the cutest couples I've read about all year! And I'm definitely here for romance in space.
Bland, Business & Careers, Richland Library Main
Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA, by Neil Shubin
In this 2020 title, evolutionary biologist and paleontologist Shubin explains various breakthroughs in scientists' understanding of the evolutionary process thanks to the insights provided by the genetic code from which all life is built. Along the way, he presents the stories of several obscure scientists who made significant contributions to the field of evolutionary biology. He also writes of his own evolution as a scientist, starting out with the study of fossils but gravitating toward the use of genetics as a key to understanding how life developed. This is Shubin's third science book written for a popular audience, and I think he does a great job of explaining some fairly complex matters in an engaging way.
Thomas, Teen Center, Richland Library Main
Press Reset: Ruin and Recovery in the Video Game Industry by Jason Schreier
Today's blockbuster video games tend to employ armies of technically skilled coders and artists for years at a time. What kinds of deals are struck in order to get these projects up and running? What happens once the shiny new game is complete? Schreier interviews employees and leaders from various game studios to unveil the sorts of narratives not usually associated with digital playgrounds. Art and commerce butt heads repeatedly in each story, sometimes connecting the fall of one studio with the rise of another, with countless careers uprooted in the process. Schreier has a great talent for including the sharp little details that bring these human stories to life, whether he's describing a visionary talent moving across America to start over or a sports broadcaster's TV contract leading to a Mickey Mouse game. This book will change the way you look at video games.
Kristin, Richland Library Ballentine
Circe by Madeline Miller
This bewitching story follows the banished witch daughter of Titans as she hones her powers and interacts with famous mythological beings before a conflict with one of the most vengeful Olympians forces her to choose between the worlds of the gods and mortals. The writing is lyrical and the story is beautifully told, but what brings this whole novel together is Circe's character. She is a woman who has done awful, evil things, and yet remains unfailingly human. She is lonely, harsh, and hiding herself in sarcasm much of the time, and yet there is not a moment in this novel in which I didn’t adore her, and I loved to see her character develop from the first page to the last. This is a story of female empowerment, discovery, and what it means to be human in this world.
Morgan, Richland Library Sandhills
Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Step into a smoky, sepia-toned 1970s Mexico City as bored secretary Maite gets wrapped up in a brutal game of cat and mouse. After her beautiful neighbor Leonora goes missing, record-loving, romance-reading, self-conscious Maite becomes a critical link to the case. Thugs are watching her every move, there's violence and gunfire all around, political unrest abounds, and the dangerous life of Russian spies, government agents, hitmen and student protesters all culminate into one explosive ending in this historical noir. The author even made a Spotify playlist to accompany the book!
Chantal, Research & Readers' Advisory, Richland Library Main
The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
A fantasy novel, that takes place in a future set, dystopian Edinburgh.
In order to take care of her Gran and little sister 14 year old Ropa dropped out of school to become a full time ghost talker – and ghosts sure do love to talk. Now she speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to those they left behind for a fee. One ghost in particular wants her to find her missing son and Ropa takes on the investigation.
This was a fun read and I loved Ropa's voice. The Scottish street cant and the snarky dialogue was right up my alley. I also enjoyed the combination of Zimbabwean and Scottish culture - Ropa's magic and ability to talk to ghosts is very much tied to her Zimbabwean ancestry. And I always enjoy the genre blend of fantasy and mystery. If you enjoy Ben Aaronvitch's Rivers of London series, you'll want to give this one a try.
I'm very much looking forward to Huchu's second book in the Edinburgh Nights series.