Looking for your next good read? Why not try a book off of our Staff Recommends page? Updated each month, you will find lots of recommendations from FPL Staff!
2015
Book Talk: We Recommend
Recommended
by Mary Murphy, Borrower Services
Inside the
O’Brien’s by Lisa Genova
Neuroscientist Lisa Genova has
written this novel bringing attention to the lethal neurodegenerative
disease called Huntington’s.
There
is no current treatment or cure for this disease. This story is about
Joe O’Brien who is a 44 year old police officer who begins to display
uncharacteristic bouts of rage and uncontrolled movements. These
symptoms make his family and his fellow officers think that he has
either a drinking or a drug problem. Finally, his wife and his partner
convince him to see a neurologist and this is when he is handed down the
diagnosis. Joe and his wife Rose have four adult children who have a
50% chance of developing Huntington’s. Life continues in turmoil as he
has to give up his job and tell his children that he has possibly given
them this disease. Joe comes to realize that each moment is precious and
with his self-awareness tries to comfort his family members. This
novel skillfully emphasizes the emotional struggle of friends and family
and how they try to pull together and live their lives.
Also available as an
E-Book
and
Audiobook.
Book Talk: We Recommend
Recommended
by Lena Kilburn, Assistant Supervisor, Branch Services
The 5th Wave, by Rick Yancey
(Also available as an
E-Book and
Audiobook)
An immersive and breathtakingly thrilling read,
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey tells the story of an alien
invasion and the subsequent systematic annihilation of the human race,
unleashed in four waves of destruction upon the Earth. Cassie, a
16-year-old girl who has managed to survive the first four waves, is
left alone in a nightmarish world where the invaders have suddenly
become indistinguishable from humans and no one can be trusted. Alone
and devastated by the loss of her parents, she survives harrowing
brushes with death, clinging to the hope that she will be reunited with
her 6-year-old brother Sam.
When Cassie nearly dies from a gunshot by an invader, she is
rescued and nursed back to health by a mysterious young man named Evan
Walker. Though Evan has become the only person Cassie can possibly call a
friend, she begins to notice unsettling peculiarities about him, which
become increasingly difficult to ignore. Cassie must choose whether to
trust Evan and accept his help in what seems the impossible task of
rescuing her brother from an encampment controlled by, Cassie suspects,
humans under alien mind control. Here the narrative begins to switch
between Cassie and another young survivor, known as Zombie, also being
held at this same encampment where he is being trained as a soldier,
ostensibly to wage war on the invaders. As Cassie's and Zombie's
narrative evolve, both are forced to question the true nature and
intentions of those around them. Cassie finds her relationship with Evan
growing more complex and Zombie begins to realize his mission is not
what it appears. When their narratives meet in the novel's
heart-stopping climax, both are forced to confront the horror of the
fifth and final wave of annihilation already underway.
Though The 5th Wave has all the hallmarks of popular YA
fiction, it differs from other post-apocalyptic YA books in its
unrelenting detail and realism. Were it not for the young protagonists,
this book could easily have been billed as a novel for adults. The novel
evokes brutal images of post-apocalyptic destruction and it's
unflinching in its depiction of human suffering, both emotional and
physical. This grim backdrop however is tempered by Cassie's and
Zombie's pitch-perfect adolescent voices, funny and smart and full of
the unfailing drive and optimism that could arguably only be sustained
in the face of such horrors by someone so young. Overall,
The 5th Wave is a great story about survival and human resilience. I highly recommend it for readers of any age.
Book Talk: We Recommend
Recommended
by Janet Drake, Borrower Services
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Why,
when we tidy our homes, do we have so little time to enjoy our new
clarity before the clutter comes bounding back? Marie Kondo knows
what's going on. This world renowned tidiness guru tells why our usual
ways of decluttering don't last and why her repeatedly proven way does.
Based on her belief that clearing is for the person we are becoming,
not for the person we used to be, the author guides us in refining our
possessions to revitalize us in our relationship with our belongings.
She shows that putting your home in order with the things that touch
your heart is the magic that transforms a cluttered home into a space of
serenity and inspiration.
Also available as an
E-Book
and
Audiobook.
The Transition Companion by Rob Hopkins
If
you have an interest in helping any community you’re a part of, this is
the gem you’ll feel glad you found. Without sugar coating the grave
problem of living beyond our earth’s resources, every chapter offers
examples of positive change and problem solving in moving away from
fossil fuel dependency. With a positive viewpoint born from experience,
The Transition Companion offers you help, hope, and problem solving tips to know the ways you can make a difference.
Book Talk: We Recommend
Recommended
by Laraine Worby, Information and Research ServicesThese two novels,
Nora Webster by Colm Toibin and
We Are Not Ourselves
by Matthew Thomas, feature Irish working class women, one in 1960’s
Ireland and one in mid-20th century New York. Their lives are somewhat
parallel, with each finding their way as an independent woman and both
making questionable choices in her journey.
Nora Webster by Colm Toibin
Nora
Webster’s journey is one of mourning, healing and a slow awakening. As
a young widow, she is living a lonely life, wanting only to protect and
be surrounded by her children as she grieves and attempts to ignore the
society around her. We realize that her whole life has been lived
through her beloved husband, with opportunities unexplored and rejected,
never having had a chance to form her own self or create her own life.
As
she comes to terms with her new situation, she is slowly and cautiously
drawn back into a world filled with outside relationships and
interests. Through the re- discovery of her love of music she begins to
find her own voice.
We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas
We Are Not Ourselves
is both a tale of the changing landscape and values of middle
class America in the late 20th century, and one of enduring familial
love.
Eileen
Leary, the main character at the heart of the novel, longs to leave
behind the harsh, working class world in which she was raised. She
marries a man, Ed, who she believes will facilitate that escape, and is
disillusioned when she realizes that he is not interested in the upward
climb that she desires.
A strong woman, Eileen embarks on the
path to rising mobility anyway, with determination and fierceness. They
have a son, Connell, who they both adore. Eileen is constantly pushing
Connell academically while Ed is more affectionate.
Along the
way, Ed begins to exhibit uncharacteristic, strange behavior and the
family dynamic is altered dramatically. His decline occupies the final
two-thirds of the novel, as Eileen and Connell struggle for normalcy,
but the consequences of his disease are inevitable. Eileen soon learns
that plans and dreams have no power over reality as she attempts to
maintain his dignity and her control.
Book Talk: We Recommend
Recommended
by Jennifer T., Information and Research Services
The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
A
short but powerful read, this World War I novel tells the story of a
shell-shocked soldier named Chris Baldry whose injury during the war
leaves him with partial amnesia. After a concussion, Chris wakes up in a
hospital bed and cannot remember anything from the past fifteen years
of his life. His cousin Jenny and wife Kitty are strangers to him, but
who he does remember is his first love, a woman from his past named
Margaret Allington. More cheerful than ever, Chris eagerly telegrams the
now Mrs. Margaret Grey to arrange for a meeting, despite not having
spoken to her in over a decade. Shocked, Kitty and Jenny watch
helplessly as he falls in love with Margaret all over again, as they are
left wondering whether he was ever happy living with them in the first
place, or if his amnesia unmasked the inner feelings he had been
harboring all along.
Read Online:
Project
Gutenberg EBook
Book Talk: We Recommend
Recommended
by Helen Lui, Borrower Services
Me
Before You by Jojo Moyes
Inspiration comes from the least
likely of characters in this story about a quadriplegic and his
caretaker. What starts out as a menial job for Lou becomes an eye
opening experience and the opportunity to discover a life beyond her
small English town. The relationship between the two main characters is
acerbic in the beginning but develops into one of mutual gratitude.
Also browse our recommendations from 2014, 2013, and more!
