Stop by every month to see what materials a staff member has to recommend.

Staff Picks

1. The Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver
Colter Shaw travels the country as a survivalist helping people in need with his great tracking skills. He also helps police solve crimes. In this book he helps the police with a kidnapping case. A young, female college student has gone missing in Silicon Valley. Shaw tracks her to the world of videogaming. There he encounters gamers who are suspicious characters obsessed with gaming. People who not only design games, but play these games with intense desire. Through mystery and intrigue, Shaw begins to wonder if someone is trying to bring these games to life involving real people in real designed situations. A scary idea well implicated. A national television station, CBS, has brought this book to their line-up. They changed the name to “Tracker” and this show with the guidance of Deaver has become extremely popular. The next Colter Shaw book is due out sometime next year. This character has become a favorite of many readers. However, the most recognized character by Deaver is Lincoln Rhyme and another book featuring him is due out in 2026. 

2. "A" is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
This book is the first in Grafton’s alphabet series of books. Each title starts with a letter of the alphabet and the main character, Kinsey Millhone, is a retired policeman turned private investigator. In each book the story is written in first person with Millhone telling the story. These books do not need to be read in order as each book, even with the same character, is a totally different story. Not many fiction books are written in first person, but I enjoyed this premise as making the book more personal with revealing insight and emotion. The story follows an eight year old murder of a lawyer blamed on his wife. A strange murder plot involving a ground-up antihistamine tablet mixed with oleander erases an alibi for the wife as this type of murder would be alibi for the wife as this type of murder would be hard to prove when the victim ingested the poison. Grafton admitted she was going through a divorce while outlining her story and would fantasize how she would murder her husband. Of course, she did not kill her husband. Grafton’s last book in this series was “Y is for Yesterday”. She died before she could finish her alphabet books. The last title was to be “Z is for Zest”. Sent from 

3. I Spy Spooky Night by Walter Wick
This children’s book combines reading and an activity making it very interactive. Each page has a large picture with two lines of rhyming sentences. These sentences contain items that can be found in the picture. For example, “ I spy four pumpkins, a ruler, a bat. Eight pine cones, a ladder, three acorns, a cat.” Not only are these cute rhymes for a child, but encourages the child to listen for the items and then find them in the picture. At the very end of the book, there is an “Extra Credit Riddles “ page. And also, a “Find me Riddle and Find the Pictures ”that go with these riddles. These two sentences rhyme and encourage children to scan back through the book looking for answers. There are at least fifteen “I Spy” books written by Wick with different topics. Not only do these books keep the interest of the child by looking for objects, but also teaches them word association with those objects. 

4. The Official Graphic Novel - Sports Superheroes by Stephen Curry, NBA Basketball Star
Graphic novels are extremely popular with young readers as they tell a story along with illustrations. Curry’s first book, “I Have a Superpower”, is about his dream path to becoming a super star basketball player. He reminds readers that being a superhero is not about being the tallest or strongest. Curry emphasizes the most important thing is to stay positive, keep a good attitude and have fun. This graphic novel details Curry’s path to greatness filled with numerous obstacles and how he never gave up. Considered to be one of the greatest shooters of all time, he proved NBA scouts and coaches wrong. In my opinion, this book is a very positive lesson for every young reader. The illustrations are outstanding and vibrant drawn by Damion Scott. 

5. Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
A New York Times best seller, this book chronicles the story of a young country singer’s quest to become a country singer star. It includes other characters such as a retired country music star and a guitarist helping her through her past and reaching her dream of star status. It is a book of murder, mystery and determination. I admire Dolly Parton as she rose from poverty to become a talented singer and musician, but I think her “Imagination Library” is one of her greatest gifts. Dolly sends two million books to children in five countries every month. Families sign up for this program and income is never an issue as these books are free! Ages of children included are birth to five years old. What a great gift to every child! This not only encourages children to read, but teaches listening, as well. A very generous and thoughtful gift benefiting children around the world.