Quick Picks

What better time to talk about patriotism and what it's like to be an American than Independence Day? And no matter how you feel about events going on in the country right now, you know deep down you have love and a pride in the idea of America, what it is, and what it could be with some work. Here are books that epitomize American life throughout history, the good and the bad.

Discussed:

Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann

There, There - Tommy Orange

Round House and The Sentence - Louise Erdrich

Flight - Sherman Alexie

Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer

The Witches - Stacy Schiff

Five Days at Memorial - Sheri Fink

1776 - David McCullough

Band of Brothers - Stephen E. Ambrose

The Good Soldiers and Thank You For Your Service - David Finkel

War Dogs - Rebecca Frankel

Midnight Assassin - Skip Hollandsworth

The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule

Black Dahlia - James Ellroy

Devil in the White City - Erik Larson

I'll Be Gone In the Dark - Michelle McNamara

Missoula - Jon Krakauer

Beloved - Toni Morrison

Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys and Harlem Shuffle - Coleson Whitehead

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehisi Coates

The Hate You Give - Angie Thomas

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

Twelve Years a Slave - Solomon Northup

I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter - Erika L. Sanchez

Ask a Mexican - Gustavo Arellano

The Devil's Highway - Luis Alberto Urrea

Operation Pedro Pan - Yvonne Conde

Hillbilly Elegy - JD Vance

Educated - Tara Westover

Into the Wild - Jon Krakauer

Malcom X, autobiography

Lost Continent and I'm a Stranger Here Myself and A Walk In the Woods - Bill Bryson

Book Woman of Troublesome Creek - Kim Michele Richardson

The Great Alone - Kristin Hannah

Small Great Things - Jodi Picoult

This Is Where It Ends - Marieke Nijkamp

Alex & Eliza - Melissa de la Cruz

The Help - Kathryn Stockett

Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chobsky

Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

The Crucible - Arthur Miller

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Happy Pride Month! We have a number of Pride-related programs going on at our library this month and in addition, Tana and I have lots of books to recommend from authors who identify as LGBTQ+ or have main characters who do. We hope there is something for everyone on our list. 

Discussed:

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, by Mariko Tamaki

Check, Please! (series), by Ngozi Ukazu

The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang

Vence (series), by C.S Pacat

The Times I Knew I Was Gay, by Eleanor Crewes

One Last Stop, by Casey McQuiston

Upright Women Wanted, by Sarah Gailey

The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai

Outlawed, by Anna North

And the Band Played On, by Randy Shilts

The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

Guncle, by Steven Rowley

Aristotle & Dante (series), by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Burn It All Down, by Nicholas DiDomizio

In the Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado

Girl, Woman, Other, by Bernadine Evaristo

Author T.J. Klune

Peaces, by Helen Oyeyemi

This Is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel

Author Sarah Waters

The Cabin at the End of the World, by Paul Tremblay

Mrs. Everything, by Jennifer Weiner

The Portrait of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

The Danish Girl, by David Ebershoff

Beartown (series), by Fredrik Backman

Naked Nutrition, by Daniel O'Shaughnessy

Nick, our commercial announcer, has a new book club at our library called Adult Popular Fiction, which meets the third Saturday of every month, and he has just finished the third book, so we thought we'd share the books he's had for the book discussion and what he thought of them.

Discussed:

The Tiger Mom's Tale, by Lyn Liao Butler

Women of Salt, by Gabriela Garcia

May is Asian Heritage Month and to celebrate we are highlighting Asian authors who have written books we've loved that we wanted to share. There are a lot of countries in Asia and we don't have representation for all of them today, but stay tuned and we will surely have more to come.

Discussed:

Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Housekeeper and the Professor, by Yōko Ogawa

Pachinko, by Lee Min-jin

Last Story of Mina Lee, by Nancy Jooyoun Kim

Author Julie Otsuka: When the Emperor Was Divine; Buddha in the Attic; Swimmers

On Earth We're  Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong

Time Is a Mother, by Ocean Vuong

Night Tiger, by Yangsze Choo

Dial "A" for Aunties, by Jesse A. Sutanto

Clark & Division, by Naomi Hirahara

Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng

Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

Traveling Cat Chronicles, by Hiro Arikawa

Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore, by Kim Fu

Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro

Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan

Searching for Sylvie Lee, by Jean Kwok

They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei

The Mountains Sing, by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

Library of Legends, by Janie Chang

White Chrysanthemum, by Mary Lunn Bracht

Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan

Other staff recommendations:

A Taste for Love, by Jennifer Yen

Cursed Bunny, by Bora Chung

Lonely Castle in the Mirror, by Mizuki Tsujimura

Author: Gen Luen Yang

Persepolis, by Maryjane Satrapi

She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan

The Chosen and the Beautiful, by Nghi Vo

The Cat Who Saved Books, by Sōsuke Natsukawa

Farewell My Concubine, by Lilian Lee

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden

Most of us have strong feelings about movies and TV shows made from books we've read, and opinions are as wide-ranging as ever. Today we're sharing our choices of the bad, the meh, the good, and the even better adaptations than books.

Streaming info will need verification because it changes so often. We recommend the website JustWatch to see where you can find a movie to stream; check with your local library. 

Bad:

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty -- Big Little Lies 

All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness -- Discovery of Witches 

Monster by Walter Dean Myers -- Monster

Lost Girls by Robert Kolker -- Lost Girls

Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance -- Hillybilly Elegy

Meh:

Coraline by Neil Gaiman -- Coraline 

Harry Potter by JK Rowling -- Harry Potter

Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin -- Game of Thrones

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay -- Sarah's Key

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris -- Manhunter/Red Dragon

Good:

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson -- Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish)

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer -- Into the Wild

Book Thief by Markus Zusak -- Book Thief

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay -- Dexter

Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman -- Man Called Ove

Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris -- Silence of the Lambs

Color Purple by Alice Walker -- Color Purple

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier -- Rebecca

Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell -- Wallander

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan -- Brain on Fire

Call the Midwife Jennifer Worth -- Call the Midwife

Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- Sherlock

Crow Trap by Ann Cleeves -- Vera

Harlan Coben books/screenplays on Netflix

News of the World by Pauline Jiles -- News of the World

Crazy Rich Asians, by Kevin Kwan -- Crazy Rich Asians

Hate U Give by Angie Thomas -- Hate U Give

Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín -- Brooklyn

Better-than-the-book:

Princess Bride by William Goldman -- Princess Bride

Different Seasons by Stephen King -- Stand By Me; Shawshank Redemption; Apt Pupil

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton -- Thirteenth Warrior

Upcoming:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - Netflix

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson - Hulu

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Prime

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - Hulu

Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix - HBOMax

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley - Netflix

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews - Lifetime

Grendel (graphic novel) by Matt Wagner - Netflix

Guncle by Steven Rowley - Lionsgate

Henna Artist by Alki Joshi - Netflix

Kay Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell - TBA

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann - Paramount

Kinsey Millhouse series by Sue Grafton - A&E

Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman - AppleTV

Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave - AppleTV

Lily & the Octopus by Steven Rowley - Prime

Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connolley - Netflix

Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner - Fox

Maidens by Alex Michaelides - Miramax

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo - Prime

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore - Prime

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead - HBOMax

Seven ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton - Netflix

Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides - TBA

Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix - Prime

Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali - HBO

Strange Planet by Nathan Pyle - AppleTV

Three Pines by Louise Penny - Prime

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - Sony

We have become a binging society, and what better to binge than a scrumptious book series? Tana and I have read and continue to read a ton of series of multiple genres and we're sharing a few of our favorites.

Discussed:

William Kent Krueger: Cork O'Connor

Robert B. Parker: Spenser, Jesse Stone, and Sunny Randall

Sara Paretsky: V.I. Warshawski

Elizabeth Berg: Mason

Stephen King & Richard Chizmar: The Button Box

JoJo Moyes: Me Before You

Clive Cussler: Fargo Adventures

Daniel Silva: Gabriel Allon

Fredrik Backman: Beartown

Katherine Arden: Winternight Trilogy

Charlaine Harris: Sookie Stackhouse

Mark de Castrique: Sam Blackman

Pat Barker: Women of Troy

Henning Mankell: Wallander

Elizabeth Peters: Amilia Peabody

Linda Castillo: Kate Burkholder

Ausma Zehanat Khan: Rachel Getty and Esa Khattak

Carlene O'Connor: Irish Village Mysteries

Camilla Trinchieri: Tuscan Mysteries

Erin Sterling: Ex Hex

Naomi Novik: Temeraire

B. Michael Radburn: Taylor Bridges

Tana French: Dublin Murder Squad

Joanna Fluke: Hannah Swensen Mysteries

Sue Grafton: Kinsey Millhone

Louise Penny: Chief Inspector Gamache

James Patterson: Women's Murder Club

Robert Crais: Elvis Cole and Joe Pike

Nick's Library Suggestion:

Hoopla

There seems to be two types of historical fiction, these days: WWII, and everything else. Today we're going to talk about everything else, from ancient history to the 20th Century. Some are lighter than others, many have female protagonists, and some will surprise you with a glimpse at the women behind the famous men in history.

Discussed:

Author, Marie Benedict

Author, Susan Messiner

Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell

Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah

Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner

The Exiles, by Christina Baker Kline

The Stationery Shop, by Marjan Kamali

House of Names, by Colm Tóibín

Circe, by Madeline Miller

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

Mary Jane, by Jessica Anya Blau

The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai

Nick's Library Suggestion:

Are you or people you love going hog-wild for manga lately? Well, we have two experts on staff who are here to tell you all about the manga they have been reading forever to help you find new things to read or to understand why your kids are obsessed. Aleece and Stephanie are our manga experts and have a lot to share with everyone.

Discussed:

Skip and Loafer, by Takamatsu, Misaki

Voice Over! Seiyu Academy, by Minami, Maki

Honey So Sweet, by Meguro, Amu

Spy x Family, by Endō, Tatsuya

Ajin: demi-human, by Sakurai, Gamon

Prince Freya, by Keiko Ishihara

Yona of the Dawn, by Mizuho Kusanagi

Ima Koi, by Ayuko Hatta

Tokyo Ghoul, by Sui Ishida

My Hero Academia, by Kohei Horikoshi

Boruto, by Ukyo Kodachi

Seraph of the End, by Takaya Kagami

Blue Exorcist, by Kazue Kato

Demon Slayer, by Koyoharu Gotouge

Skip Beat, by Yoshiki Nakamura

Haikyu, by Haruichi Furudate

Chainsaw Man, by Tatsuki Fujimoto

One-Punch Man, by ONE

Bleach, by Tite Kubo

Sailor Moon, by Naoko Takeuchi

Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto

Nick's Library Suggestion:

March is many things to many people: the change of seasons, spring break, Lent, and the start of Daylight Savings. However, we are going to focus on Women's History Month to highlight female authors writing short stories. It's a shorter podcast but we still have quite a few suggestions for everyone and hope you find something you like among them.

Southern Lady Code: Essays -- Helen Ellis

Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light -- Helen Ellis

Simple Murder -- Linda Castillo

Seven Stones to Stand or Fall -- Diana Gabaldon

Everything Inside -- Edwidge Danticat

The Souvenir Museum -- Elizabeth McCracken

Stone Mattress: Nine Tales -- Margaret Atwood

Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket -- Hilma Wolitzer

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good -- Helene Tursten

Classics: 

Daphne du Maurier

Agatha Christie

Nick's Library Suggestion:

To celebrate Black voices, we would like to highlight some of our favorite authors/writers and those our coworkers also recommend for various ages, genres, and interests.

Discussed:

Girl With the Louding Voice - Abi Abi Daré

His Only Wife - Peace Adzo Medie

Boy, Snow, Bird - Helen Oyeyemi

Homegoing, and Transcendent Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi

Between the World and Me, and The Water Dancer - Ta-Nehisi Coates

Red at the Bone, and Before the Ever After - Jacqueline Woodson

Books by S.A. Cosby

Books by Coleson Whitehead

Behold the Dreamers, and How Beautiful We Were - Imbolo Mbue

Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid

The Hate You Give - Angie Thomas

Books by Attica Locke

Books by Jerry Craft

Hair Love - Matthew A. Cherry

The Me I Choose To Be - Natasha Anastasia Tarpley

Other recommendations

Classics

Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison

Souls of Black Folks - W.E.B. Du Bois

Things Fall Apart (series) - Chinua Achebe

Up From Slavery - Booker T. Washington

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry - Mildred D. Taylor

Fic

The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

Black Buck - Mateo Askaripour

Wild Seed (series) - Octavia E. Butler

The Fifth Season (series) - N.K. Jemisin

The Man Who Lived Underground - Richard Wright

Friday Black - Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

Nonfic

How the Word is Passed - Clint Smith

How to Be an Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi

Memoir

Self Inflicted Wounds - Aisha Tyler

Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson

On Juneteenth - Annette Gordon-Reed

Willie: The Game-Changing Story of the NHL's First Black Player - Willie O'Ree

The Girl Who Smiled Beads - Clemantine Wamariya

March (series) - John Lewis

The Radical King - Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Cornel West)

Haiku

Haiku: This Other World - Richard Wright  

Morning Haiku -Sonia Sanchez

Urban Haiku and Other Selected Poems - Regina Harris Baiocchi

Wild Flowers - Crystal Simone Smith 

Chocolate Chips: Contemporary Haiku - Michael Moore

YA

Ace of Spades - Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

The Taking of Jake Livingston - Ryan Douglass

Dear Haiti, Love Alaine - Maika & Maritza Moulite

Black Birds in the Sky - Brandy Colbert

Books by Jason Reynolds

Books by Tiffany D. Jackson

Children of Blood and Bone (series) - Tomi Adeyemi

Cameron Battle and the Hidden Kingdoms - Jamar J. Perry

Check, Please! (series) - Ngozi Ukazu

Kids' chapter books

Root Magic - Eden Royce

Kids' picture books

That Is My Dream - Langston Hughes

Nick's Library Suggestion: