Spring 2021 Picks Adult Fiction My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay A mission trip to Indonesia goes horribly wrong when civil war breaks out on a nearby island. The team of teenagers is forced to flee into the mountainous jungle before they, too, become victims of the growing violence. This is a nail biter that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows A World War II novel like no other, Shaffer and Barrow’s book is set on an island off the coast of England. When the German’s occupy the island, the residents devise a unique way to break curfew by starting a book club. The club is filled with an eccentric cast of characters who begin writing to an author on the English mainland. This story is filled with warmth and joy, and it will be treasured by many. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh “The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.”” –Amazon.com
Transcript
Spring 2021 Picks
Adult Fiction
My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKayA mission trip to Indonesia goes horribly wrong when civil war breaks out on a nearby island. The team of
teenagers is forced to flee into the mountainous jungle before they, too, become victims of the growing
violence. This is a nail biter that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann
Shaffer and Annie BarrowsA World War II novel like no other, Shaffer and Barrow’s book is set on an island off the coast of England.
When the German’s occupy the island, the residents devise a unique way to break curfew by starting a book
club. The club is filled with an eccentric cast of characters who begin writing to an author on the English
mainland. This story is filled with warmth and joy, and it will be treasured by many.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh“The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion,
asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating
mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to
anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and
emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through
the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her
questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past,
she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.”” –Amazon.com
Adult Fiction
Adult Nonfiction
No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality
by Michael J. FoxThis self-professed optimist revealed getting a dose of “this is too much.” Luckily, wonderfully supportive
family, friends, and medical providers were all a part of the process of pulling out of the depths.
Some insights: “Good things can come from bad things.” -M.F. “Accept what has happened in the past.
Embrace the present. Remain open to the probability that it will get better in the future.” -The Class of
The Mayo Clinic: Faith, Hope, Science by David Blistein
and Ken BurnsLearn the history of an amazing medical facility that began more than a century ago. Hundreds of photos
document the Mayo Clinic’s transformation from a one-room office to an award-winning facility that focuses
on service and innovation. This is a very interesting read.
The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana TrigianiThe Shoemaker’s Wife is filled with drama, romance, and war while spanning the ocean. Italy and the States
are far geographically, but not when it comes to matters of the heart. This is a beautiful story told by a master
storyteller.
One by One by Ruth WareThis suspenseful thriller is set in a ski chalet in France. An idyllic company retreat goes very wrong when an
avalanche hits and it seems you can’t trust any of your co-workers when it comes to survival on the
mountainside. Ware weaves a web of relationship entanglements and various twists and turns that will keep
you wondering who will be left standing at the end.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid“Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been
shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black
‘stand-in mother,’ Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both
free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina--a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by
an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sister, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey,
and the Black Madonna.” Amazon.com
YA Fiction
Shift by Jennifer BradburyWhen two high school friends head out on a cross-country bike trip, one goes missing. Unfortunately, the
other doesn’t know it because the two had a fight mid trip and went their separate ways. Bradbury chronicles
what happens to both in this shocking and highly suspenseful story.
Rules of the Road by Joan BauerSixteen-year-old Jenna turns shoe-store spy when her boss, the owner of the Gladstone Shoes dynasty,
hires her as a salesclerk. First, Jenna must drive her aged boss across the country in an equally aged
vehicle, but the lessons learned by both occupants spans the generations.
The Outsiders by S.E. HintonA classic worth reading over and over again, The Outsiders is as discussion worthy today as it was when it
was first published 50+ years ago. It is the first realistic fiction title for young adults and was considered by
the publisher to be too violent for a female author, so initials were used in place of her first name. The story
pits the Socs and Greasers against each other. Readers will meet Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, Johnny, and
Two-Bit, characters they won’t soon forget.
Pride by Ibi Zoboi“Zuri Benitez believes Bushwick, their economically stressed neighborhood in Brooklyn, is a good
neighborhood. Zuri doesn’t welcome change, especially when it could alter the culture of the neighborhood.
When the Darcy family moves in across the street, it takes time for Zuri to see that the new neighbors are
respectful of the neighborhood.” –MCLS Teen Services Librarians 2019
Legend by Marie Lu“What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its
neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a
prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-
year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem…
Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills.” —
Amazon.com
J-Fiction
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt“In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets
Lizzie Bright Griffin, an African American girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former
slaves.” Amazon.com
J-Nonfiction
Wednesday Wars by Gary D. SchmidtThis hilarious story centers on seventh grader Holling Hoodhood and his many trials. Holling is forced to
spend his Wednesday afternoons with his teacher because his classmates are in religion class. Holling’s
stint in “solitary confinement” is anything but quiet. Bullies, rats, baseball heroes, and even cream puffs
invade his space.
Do You Really Want to Meet a Moose by Cari MeisterLearn about moose in this colorful book, including where they live, what they eat, how they spend their time,
how to find them, how big they grow, and more.
Fingerprint Drawing Book by Doug EmberleyLearn how to make a cast of characters and objects, including people, flowers, frogs, cars, dragons, and
more, using your fingerprints! Kids of all ages will enjoy creating lots of pictures using Mr. Emberley’s easy-
to-learn techniques.
Mason Jar Science by Jonathan AdolphTry 40 slimy, squishy, super-cool experiments using common household products and a glass mason jar.
Fun activities include making a lava lamp, a string of stalactites, ink from berries, a bug vacuum, a light
bender, and more!
Recent Picks
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Previous Selections
Adult Fiction
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
As Time Goes By by Mary Higgins Clark
The Banker’s Wife by Cristina Alger
Before We Were Yours Lisa Wingate
Beneath the Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
Best Day Ever Kaira Rouda
Blackout by Marc Elsberg
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
by Kim Michele Richardson
Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock
Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict
Death of Ivan Llyich by Leo Tolstoy
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
Eternal Life by Dara Horn
The Fifth Doctrine by Julia Whelan
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts
The First Lady by James Patterson
The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar
The Fountains of Silence by Rita Sepetys
The 49th Mystic by Ted Dekker
Girl Who Knew Too Much by Amanda Quick
A Good Neighbor by Therese Anne Fowler
The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd
Jane of Austin by Hillary Manton Lodge
The Kremlin Conspiracy by Joel C. Rosenberg
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
The Lightkeeper’s Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol
Look for Me by Lisa Gardner
Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly
The Masterpiece by Francine Rivers
Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor
Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
The Only Woman in the Room by Benedict
The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
The Sound of Glass Karen White
Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
The Storyteller’s Secret by Sejal Badani
The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet
We Were the Lucky Ones Georgia Hunter
A Willing Murder by Jude Deveraux
Winter World by A.G. Riddle
Adult Nonfiction
Before and After by Judy Christie and Lisa Wingate
Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease
and Biological Weapons by Kris Newby
The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians
on the Texas Frontier by John Zesch
Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an
Unlikely Hero & the Animals Who Helped Him
Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Croke
A Fine Romance: Falling in Love with the English
Countryside by Susan Branch
Fly Girls by Keith O'Brien
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
Lincoln's Last Trial by Dan Abrams
More Myself: A Journey by Alicia Keys
The New Jim Crow : Mass Incarceration in the Age
of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls
Wilder by Caroline Fraser
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill,
Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik
Larson
YA Fiction
A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World
by C.A. Fletcher
Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe
YA Nonfiction
Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s
Life & Work by Victoria Ortiz
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place
by Julie Berry
Unblemished by Sara Ella
The Wave by Todd Strasser
When We Were Lost by Kevin Wignall
STAMPED by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai
J Nonfiction
Children of Orphan Trains by Holly Littlefield
The Duel by Judith St. George
J Fiction
Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker
The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
The 47 People You'll Meet in Middle School
by Kristin Mahoney
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The
Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
The Long Ride by Marina Tamar Budhos
Louisiana’s Way Home by Kate DiCamillo
Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
by Stacy McAnulty
Gabe & Izzy by Gabrielle Ford
The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky
The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
School Ship Tobermory by Alexander McCall Smith
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly
Squirm by Carl Hiaasen
Things Seen from Above by Shelley Pearsall
Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein
The Unexpected Life of Oliver Cromwell Pitts by Avi
