A few good reads
As the days grow colder, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a good book. Celebrate National Book Month with your local librarians, who have given their recommendations for readers of any age.
Chrissie Humphrey
Head librarian
Mt Laurel Library
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Synopsis: Narrated by the personification of Death, this book follows young Liesel Meminger as she lives through the tragedies of World War II and the Holocaust in Nazi Germany.
Genre: Young adult historical fiction
Humphrey’s thoughts: “It’s very heartwarming, it’s sad. But it was very good... You see a whole different side of Death and how compassionate he is and how funny, too.”
Relic by Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston
Synopsis: Special Agent Pendergast must solve a string of murders in a New York museum. The culprit is more mysterious and terrifying than he can imagine.
Genre: Horror
Humphrey’s thoughts: “A good old-fashioned horror book about a creature in the Museum of Natural History in New York City.”
Kristy Hearn
Library clerk and storyteller
Mt Laurel and North Shelby Libraries
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Synopsis: Set in the 1850s Gold Rush in California, this Christian fiction is a retelling of the biblical story of Hosea and Gomer.
Genre: Christian romantic fiction
Hearn’s thoughts: “It’s the process of the redemption and how they found faith together and love together... It’s probably one of the most life-affirming romance novels I’ve ever read.”
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
Synopsis: When a bus driver has to leave the bus, he asks the reader to make sure the Pigeon does not drive it. This is the first in a series of stories about the Pigeon’s adventures.
Genre: Picture book, ages 2-6
Hearn’s thoughts: “It’s a wonderful little story. I have told it so many times and the kids get excited. They get excited when I tell the story because they want to be part of it.”
Dana Polk
Head librarian Chelsea Library
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Synopsis: The classic story of Cinderella set in a future where the protagonist, Linh Cinder, is a cyborg with a talent for fixing things. Cinder is the first of the Lunar Chronicles series.
Genre: Young adult science fiction
Polk’s thoughts: “[For] somebody that just likes the fairytales but wants a different take, I think this would be just a good way to go.”
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Synopsis: This origin story of Peter Pan was produced by one of Disney’s publishing companies and follows the early adventures of Peter, his friend Molly and the Lost Boys.
Genre: Children’s adventure, grade 6-8
Polk’s thoughts: “I’ve always wondered, ‘Well, where did Peter Pan come from?’ And this is really excellent.”
Kate Etheredge
Young adult librarian
North Shelby Library
Orleans by Sherri L. Smith
Synopsis: The Gulf Coast has been quarantined after hurricanes and a plague, and a new primitive society has formed. The two protagonists must survive and escape the wreckage of a former civilization.
Genre: Young adult apocalyptic fiction
Etheredge’s thoughts: “There’s a girl who’s trying to survive and a man who’s trying to get in to see if he can cure the plague, and it’s about their struggle to survive.”
Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
Synopsis: This companion novel to the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy continues the story of Isabel and the werewolf Cole.
Genre: Young adult paranormal romance
Etheredge’s thoughts: “The first three books in the series have been going out like hotcakes... Find out what happened to Cole and Isabel after you left the world of Shiver.”
Dee Green
Circulation manager
North Shelby Library
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Synopsis: Chinese immigrant Henry Lee grew up in World War II and lost his childhood love, Keiko, when her family was taken to the Japanese internment camps. Decades later, he must sort through his troubled relationship with his father as he tries to find Keiko again.
Genre: Historical fiction
Green’s thoughts: “When I finished reading it, I called my daddy and told him how much I loved him.”
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
Synopsis: Lexi, a teenager with a difficult past, finds friendship and love with Mia and Zach Farraday. Then, a disaster one summer night changes everything for Lexi and the Farraday family.
Genre: Fiction
Green’s thoughts: “It’s about a family through a struggle and through a very sad time, but finding peace and finding forgiveness... I think everybody should read it, especially if you have teenagers.”
Cecelia Dean
Children’s librarian
North Shelby Library
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
Synopsis: Jennifer Strange runs an employment agency for magicians. Her life changes when a prophecy suggests she might kill the last dragon in the world.
Genre: Children’s fantasy, grades 5-9
Dean’s thoughts: “She has to kill a dragon and she doesn’t really want to because the dragon hasn’t done anything wrong. It all plays out and it’s really good. My 10-year-old daughter just read it and she loved it.”
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
Synopsis: Aliens have invaded the earth and taken 11-year-old Gratuity’s mom. In her quest to find her mother, Gratuity ends up befriending one of the aliens and saving the earth.
Genre: Children’s science fiction, grades 4-7
Dean’s thoughts: “It is the story of their journey to find her mom. And it’s so funny.”