Staff Picks
Before she knew him
Swanson, Peter, 1968- author
2019
From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing--the hair-raising tale of a young suburban wife who believes a killer is living right next door. And fears only the next murder, maybe her own, will make everyone believe her.
The calculating stars
Kowal, Mary Robinette, 1969- author
2018
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process. Elma York's experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition's attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn't take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can't go into space, too.
The forgotten daughter : a novel
Goodman, Joanna, 1969- author
2020
In 1992, an assassin's daughter fights for Quebec's independence at the side of the man she loves, a separatist-opposing journalist whose sister, one of the Duplessis orphans--thousands of children falsely certified as mentally ill in the 1950s and 1960s by the provincial government--joins a reparations coalition.
I must betray you
Sepetys, Ruta, author
2022
In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country.
I'm glad my mom died
McCurdy, Jennette, 1992-, author
2022
A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor--including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother--and how she retook control of her life.
Leviathan wakes
Corey, James S. A., author
2011
Ice miner Jim Holden is making a haul from the rings of Saturn when he and his crew encounter an abandoned ship, the Scopuli. Uncovering a terrifying secret, Jim bears the weight of impending catastrophe. At the same time, a detective has been hired by well-heeled parents to find a missing girl, and the investigator's search leads him right to the Scopuli.
What lies between us
Marrs, John (Freelance journalist), author
2020
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past. Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. There are many things about the past that Nina doesn't know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way - even if it kills her.