Staff Picks

Love your library First celebrated in 1958, National Library Week will be held the week of April 11-17, 2010, a time to recognize the various ways in which libraries enrich our lives and our communities. The best way to mark the occasion is by making time to stop by and support your library--and don't forget to check out a book while you're here. You might enjoy Marilyn Johnson's This Book is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All, which reveals the fundamental importance of librarians in an era of unprecedented challenges and changes in information flow. For the young reader in your life, you might also want to borrow a copy of the Newbery-winning The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, who just happens to be the Honorary Chair of National Library Week 2010.

At our staff meetings we take a few minutes to talk about the books we are reading. This is a list of recent favorites. STAFF PICKS for April

Local By Wood, Brian Editor Jones, James Lucas Illustrator Kelley, Ryan 2008-09 - Oni Press 9781934964002 Check Our Catalog From Brian Wood (Demo, DMZ, Northlanders) and Ryan Kelly (Lucifer, American Virgin) comes Local, a collection of twelve interconnected short stories. Crossing genres as it crosses the country, Local examines Megan McKeenan, a young woman who sets off from Portland, OR with nothing but a backpack and a bad case of wanderlust. Each emotional vignette is a self-contained story that represents one year in the life of this young vagabond as she struggles to find a place to call home, both physically and spiritually. …More

Fantasy in Death By Robb, J. D. 2010-02 - Putnam Adult 9780399156243 Check Our Catalog When someone cuts off the head of Bart Minnock, the genius founder of the computer gaming company U-Play, apparently while he was role-playing against an imaginary opponent in a prototype of a fantasy adventure that could rock the industry, Eve investigates. Security logs show no one entered Minnock's building around the time of his murder, presenting a futuristic variation on the classic locked-room mystery. …More

Lead Me on By Dahl, Victoria 2010-01 - Harlequin Books 9780373774340 Check Our Catalog Raw, animal magnetism... ...is a big red flag to prim and proper office manager Jane Morgan. After a rough childhood with a mother who liked her men in prison-jumpsuit orange, Jane changed her name, her look and her taste for bad boys. So why is she lusting for William Chase with his tattoo-covered biceps and steel-toed boots? The man blows things up for a living! She gives herself one explosive, fantasy-filled night with Chase. The next day it's back to plain Jane and safe men. But when her beloved brother becomes a murder suspect, it's Chase who comes to her rescue. And Jane discovers that a man who's been around the block knows a thing or two about uncovering the truth.... …More

Plain Truth By Picoult, Jodi 2007-08 - Washington Square Press 9781416547815 Check Our Catalog In a triumph of contemporary storytelling, Picoult presents a fascinating portrait of Amish life rarely witnessed by those outside the faith--and discovers a place where circumstances are not always what they seem, where love meets falsehood, and where relationships grow strong enough to span two worlds. …More

Hitman: Forty Years Making Music, Topping Charts, & Winning Grammys By Foster, David With Fenjves, Pablo F. 2008-11 - Pocket Books 9781439103067 Check Our Catalog Hit Man is the story of Foster's triumphant four decades in the tumultuous music industry--with 45 Grammy nominations, four wins, and three Oscar nominations. 8 pages of b&w photographs. …More

The Complete Persepolis By Satrapi, Marjane 2007-10 - Pantheon Books 9780375714832 Check Our Catalog Satrapis groundbreaking two-part graphic memoir of her unforgettable girlhood within a large family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution--now available in one volume--has been transferred to the big screen in a major animated film from Sony Picture Classics. …More