Staff Picks
Alyssa’s Picks
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“A 5 book series filled with “Tamy Tantrums” and enemies to lovers. Come and sip some Suriel tea and dive into Prythian.” - Alyssa
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“I finished this book in a day. I'm not usually one for a forbidden lovers trope, but this one really got me.” - Alyssa
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“ Squirrel Baby Jesus” - Alyssa
Andi’s Picks
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“Before Can’t Resist Her, romance was the only genre I didn’t read. This second chance romance featuring rivals to lovers was my turning point for the genre. If you’re looking for a queer, contemporary romance with characters forced to examine their own moral convictions in a chance for love, look no further.” - Andi
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“While something that very well may get covered in soil doesn’t have to be pretty, the raised flowers on this hardcover gardening journal makes it a centerpiece all on its own. The majority of the logbook is a plant log where you can keep notes on the conditions, progress, and maintenance of each species. Additionally, the logbook contains dotted pages for garden planning, planting tips, hardiness zones, and a pocket on the back cover to keep track of seed packets, stray notes, and more! One of my favorite parts is that there’s enough pages of the plant logs and the planning grids that you can reuse it for years to come.” - Andi
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“If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson books growing up, you’ll love Lore Olympus. Mixing historical Greece with modernity, Rachel Smythe brings the mythology you love to life with beautiful artwork to match. This a masterful retelling of Persephone featuring romance, family issues, and overcoming trauma.” - Andi
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“This is my favorite recent horror novel. Beyond the twisting plot and slasher references, it took me back to being a teenager wearing too much eyeliner and trying to figure out who I was and where I was going in the world.” - Andi
Joanna’s Picks
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“I love to draw whenever I have a spare moment, so the Field Sketchbook is perfect to bring along wherever I go. It also has thick and sturdy pages that prevent erasers and ink from damaging them.” - Joanna
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“The first Redwall book pulled me into one of the first lengthy series I really enjoyed and re-read multiple times. While I do not usually read animal-based books, Redwall has the right touch of adventure mixed with a load of suspense that kept me wondering what was going to happen next.” - Joanna
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“While it took me a little while to learn and memorize the steps to solve the 3x3 Rubik’s Cube, it is something that I will never get bored of solving and improving my speed.” - Joanna
Justine’s Picks
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“A sinister and twisted take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Great for horror fans, and classic retelling fans!” - Justine
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“So much fun, and a great excuse to get outside for a little bit of family friendly competition.” - Justine
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“My son loves this game! Fast paced, and easy way for young ones to show off their ninja-like reflexes.” - Justine
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“Great for the young adventurer in your life, have fun and safely learn how to use a bow and arrow! Plus the designs on the bow/arrows are cool and fun!” - Justine
Katherine’s Picks
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“This is a fast paced story of what life is like on a reservation as well as what it’s like being a teenage native boy. Written like a diary, the pacing of this book makes it a very fast read with a lot of depth.” - Katherine
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“The land of Orisha is a fantastical land reminiscent of African heritage. Children of Blood and Bone brings great storytelling mixed in with magic and strong family ties. Adeyemi spins a great tale of fantasy and magic, but with a very realistic feel.” - Katherine
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“Tamora Pierce is my favorite author. She writes fantasy stories with strong women as main characters. In First Test, the first book in her Protector of the Small series we meet Keladry of Mindelan who faces adversity being the first female training to be a knight without having to pretend to be a boy. As the series name, Protector of the Small denotes, Keladry always fights for the little guy whether it will cost her her goals.” - Katherine
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“Pirates, adventure, and a secret crush set in the eighteenth century makes for a modernized version of a classic style story. Mackenzi Lee writes a fast paced adventure story with good LGBTQ+ representation. Monty is the typical spoiled heir trying to differentiate himself from his father, but through his friendship and the quest for a cure for his friend's epilepsy he learns who he is and who he wants to be.” - Katherine
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“This is a cozy fantasy about an orc that wants to leave her life of violence and open a coffee shop. What can be better than a story about coffee! Although set in a fantasy world, it’s a very lowkey magical book that feels more that you are also living there.” - Katherine
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“I love all of Ruta Sepetys’s writing, I especially like how she writes about lesser known aspects of more widespread points in history or lesser known points that I hadn’t heard of before reading her work. In Salt to the Sea we follow four different characters and their journey to escape the war. I usually do not like multiple perspective stories, but it is done so well in Salt to the Sea that I like all the perspectives (except the one that is meant to not like).” - Katherine
R.J.’s Picks
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“One of the greatest Batman stories ever told and part of the inspiration for a number of recent films. Told over a year, from Halloween to Halloween, and primarily set at the intervening holidays it features numerous classic villains and is never bogged down with the risk that so often entails. Part of the expansion of our graphic novel selection, come check them out!” - R.J.
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“Curious George will always hold a special place in my heart as my dog loved the show, its holiday specials and, most of all, having the picture books read aloud to him. ‘Curious George Goes to a Bookstore’ was always our favorite from this collection; I wonder why…” - R.J.
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“The most important book of the last decade, period.” - R.J.
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“My favorite type of book. People talking. Also, feminism.” - R.J.
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“I rarely go into books looking for ‘fun’; I might try that journey more often if they went as hard as ‘The Shadow Glass’ does.” - R.J.
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“Modern literary fiction that’s on the fun side. The decades-long and ever evolving relationship between the two leads is terrific and Zevin’s willingness to pepper in video game references without choosing to explain them is admirable and never distracts, even for those who don’t recognize them.” - R.J.
Stacey’s Picks
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"I love discovering new authors and I was very excited to see that Morgan Talty, writer of Night of the Living Rez, lives near my hometown. His twelve interconnected stories are set in the Penobscot Tribe reservation located near and a world away from the University of Maine at Orono. The loosely autobiographical stories revolve around David, who appears at different ages throughout the book. At the heart of each story is the deep rooted dysfunction of David's family and the poverty and struggle of reservation life. Despite the overwhelming bleakness of this world, Talty is able to demonstrate with warmth and humor how much the narrator loves his family and friends.
Intelligent and fresh, this is a wonderful, heartbreaking coming of age story and I hope to see a lot more from Morgan Talty"
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Blurb coming soon!
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Blurb coming soon!
Teya’s Picks
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“I’m not usually one for Romance books but that’s one of the great things about this book, it’s not just about romance. It also tells the story of a family of witches"
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“This is easily one of my favorite Stephen King books! One of the things that I love about it is that it’s one of Stephen King's only books without a supernatural element and includes a more realistic situation. If you like horror/ psychological thrillers this book is for you! 😊”
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“Fun Fact! Vincent Bugliosi was actually the prosecutor of Charles Manson so this book is by far the most accurate take on the Manson Case. If you are a true crime fan like I am, you’ll enjoy this one.”
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“I enjoyed that Jennette Mccurdy was not afraid to be completely honest in her debut memoir. Not only does she shed light on the abuse she received from her mother, but she also talks about how toxic show business can be for child actors. It brings you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and is a book you won’t want to put down.”
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“The Outsiders is such a classic! It’s not a big book so it’s ideal for those that are looking for a quick read.“
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“Reef Road kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading it! It’s one of those thrillers that you won’t want to put down.”
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“I’ve always been a big fan of Alan Rickman’s work as an actor so it was nice to see who Alan Rickman was as a person - not as the image on a screen. Throughout the 22 years of diary entries Rickman did not hold back and was refreshingly honest about his life in the limelight.”
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“I always recommend this book when parents/grandparents are looking for recommendations for the kiddos in their life. My mom read this to my siblings and I when we were kids and has continued that tradition with my niece and nephew so this book will always have a special place in my heart.“
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“Not many people knew that Ted Bundy was in a relationship for 6 years when he committed his crimes, so I liked that Elizabeth Kendall made sure her and her daughters story was told in their words instead of through the media.”
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“Another one of my favorite Stephen King books! It’s the perfect mix of suspense, horror, and time travel.”
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“Where the Sidewalk Ends is one of those books that you read in school as a kid and it sticks with you. Shel Silverstein’s poetry and drawings are quirky, fun, and capture the child in all of us.“
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“Cards against humanity is such a great game to play with friends/family (if you have kiddos in your family there is a family edition that’s more PG) . It’s so fun and hilarious to see all of the sentences people come up with. It’s apples to apples for adults! (we do not recommend playing with children)“
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“Petey is so adorable! Who doesn’t love trash pandas (Raccoons) ?! Funny story, my friends bought Petey for me for my birthday but my adorable kitten Ash stole it and now Petey is her favorite toy, she loves to snuggle with it ♥️:)"
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“I'm usually not a fan of slime ( I have a 7 year old Niece and 3 year old nephew so it tends to get messy lol ) but this slime is so cool! Not only are they scented but it has more of a fluffier texture and doesn’t go all over the place like some of the thinner slimes. With this one in particular when you stretch it out it even looks like cotton candy! “