Need to relax on winter break? Enjoy reading or listening to a good book? Library staff have some great recommendations for you!
The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata
This is a **really** slow burner, but TOTALLY worth the read/time it takes to read.
(Available through SearchOhio)
The Artificial Silk Girl by Irmgard Keun
This book is set in Weimar Germany and was banned by the Nazis in 1933. I love the book because Doris writes about surviving obstacles still experienced by women today, but also trying to navigate pre-war Berlin. She does what she needs to do to survive, pushing the envelope of what is morally correct.
(Available through OhioLINK)
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See
Very good insight to ancient medicine and other practices in China.
(Available through OhioLINK)
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
A fun book!
(Available through OhioLINK)
Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Moyes
If you like JoJo Moyes you’ll like this one, too!
(Available through OhioLINK)
Triptych by Karin Slaughter
The first book in her Will Trent series features Trent, from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, trying to solve a series of murders and determine which of many players could be the killer. A riveting story!
(Available through OhioLINK)
Susan, Linda, Nina, and Cokie by Lisa Napoli
A biography of four women who defined NPR and served as the voice of American news for decades. A fascinating history of the origin of National Public Radio in the 1970s.
(Available through OhioLINK)
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
In a world where magic is dismissed, but real, only a contest can decide which of two teaching methods produces the better more stylish result. The venue is a Circus filled with imaginative tents, each contestant trying to out-awe the other. The contest has consequences for those who design the venue, work in the circus, and, unexpectedly, for those who visit. Morgenstern builds a sumptuous environment and multi-dimensional characters with her descriptive text.
(Dunbar 3rd Floor PS3613.O74875 N54 2010)
Earth Abides by George Stewart
A young hiker rebuilds society following a plague in the ’70s. The arc of the novel follows problems of immediate survival through successful and unsuccessfully rebuilt social groups. Stewart’s narrative is part journey quest, part social commentary, and an always intriguing post-apocalyptic what-if.
(Available through OhioLINK)
Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival by Peter Stark
A fascinating account of a corner of American history I knew little about, the establishment of a colony at the mouth of the Columbia River.
(Available through OhioLINK)
Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
(Dunbar 3rd Floor E185.61 .V744 2001)
Beastie Boys Book by Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz
It’s especially great as an audiobook, as it has a collage sort of feel with both of them taking turns narrating. I recommend frequently pausing it to stop and listen to the bands they mention, as it paints a vivid picture of the musical and cultural landscape of the ’80s & ’90s.
(Available through OhioLINK)
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
This is one of those books that I’d heard of and always meant to get around to, but then didn’t for a few decades. When I finally did, I expected that it’d feel outdated due to the changes in technology/media, but instead it was shockingly relevant.
(Available through OhioLINK)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
It’s rare to have two of your favorite authors write a book together and have it retain exactly what you love about each of them, and also to have a tv adaptation that manages to get everything exactly right. It’s a great excuse to read it for the first time, or to revisit it.
(Available through OhioLINK)
Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution by Rainn Wilson and Hachette Go
I am a fan of The Office TV show, and I enjoy discussions on faith. This seemed like a good fit, and the tone makes this a fun read!
(Available through SearchOhio)
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
A suspenseful historical fiction novel about an Ohio woman who uses historical materials to unravel the story of an 18th-century murderous apothecary.
(Available through OhioLINK)