Staff Picks
Library to recognize Friends group
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The James V. Brown Library, 19 E. Fourth St., will spend the week of Oct. 18-24 recognizing its Friends of the Library group as part of the 15th annual celebration of National Friends of Libraries Week. The Friends of the James V. Brown Library...
The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue
In Dublin in 1918, the war is still raging in Europe and the city is confronting the dangerous new flu pandemic. Nurse Julia Powell presides over a tiny maternity ward set aside for pregnant women who have contracted the flu. In this understaffed ward, new life and...
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Two half-sisters are born in Ghana in the 18th century in neighboring villages. They are unaware of each other’s existence. One is captured and sold into slavery from the Cape Coast Castle occupied by Englishmen. The other marries one of those Englishmen, and lives a...
The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Nina works in a bookstore and lives alone in an artsy enclave in Los Angeles with her cat, Phil. She is a voracious reader, she runs several book clubs for the store, and she is a fierce bar trivia competitor. She is fatherless, she thinks, but the death of a wealthy...
The Darkness, The Island, and The Mist: Hidden Iceland series by Ragnar Jonasson
The three books in the Hidden Iceland series by Ragnar Jonasson follow detective Hulda Hermansdottir backwards through her career. In this first installment, Hulda is on the eve of her retirement, and has asked for time to close a cold case of a dead Russian immigrant...
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
The book opens up with a girl named Hal who is broke fortune-teller in a beach boardwalk. She receives a letter inviting her a funeral of someone who shares her last name, and the letter indicates it is a relative who will most likely leave her a good sum of money....
Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay
This has been called a domestic noir novel and I couldn’t agree more. It focuses on two women, Jane and Marnie, who have been best friends since they were kids. Marnie falls in love with Charles, and naturally asks her best friend what she thinks of him. Jane lies and...
Young Reader Picks
Magic Tree House: Dingoes at Dinnertime by Mary Pope Osborne – Chase
Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series, the Magic Tree House. Wildfire! That’s what Jack and Annie are up against when they are whisked away to the land of Australia. And they’re not alone! Jack and Annie must...
Magic Tree House: Perfect Time for Pandas by Mary Pope Osborne – Brendan
Time-traveling brother-and-sister team Jack and Annie are whisked off to a village in the mountains of southeast China, close to a world-famous panda reserve. Will it be their easiest adventure yet? Not a chance! Jack and Annie don’t know it, but they’ve arrived on...
Magic Tree House: Night of the Ninth Dragon by Mary Pope Osborne – Paige
Magic Tree House is the #1 bestselling chapter book series! In their NEW adventure, Jack and Annie return to Camelot! In this thrilling adventure steeped in history, Mary Pope Osborne introduces readers to classic Welsh legends and continues her own story of King...
Beast Quest – Warrior’s Road: Targo the Arctic Menace by Adam Blade – Todd
The Warrior’s Road is perilous, and Tom must face an enemy from the air. Linka the Sky Conqueror is here to battle the heroes! Does Tom have the strength to survive another Beast attack? Tom must brave the mysterious Warrior’s Road to prove that he is Master of the...
George Brown Class Clown: How do you pee in space? By Nancy Krulik – Allura
A real-life astronaut is coming to Edith B. Sugarman Elementary School, and one lucky kid gets to interview him! Not only that, a trip to a space adventurer program is also up for grabs. To win the contest, students must complete a physical fitness challenge and come...