Staff Picks - August 2019

By Scott Snyder
Series American Vampire Series
Recommended By Stacey Mencher, Technology and Applications Manager

This volume of the critically-acclaimed AMERICAN VAMPIRE follows the star of AV Volumes 1 and 2, Pearl, and her husband Henry, as he is recruited by a mysterious group of vampire hunters, off to World War II Japan to find a new breed of blood sucker. But what does the notorious vampire Skinner Sweet have to do with it?

By Zoje Stage
Recommended By Evelyn Hershkowitz, Readers' Services Librarian

An ailing woman fights to protect her family from her mute daughter's psychologically manipulative schemes, which are complicated by her doting husband's denial about their daughter's true nature.

By Doris Kearns Goodwin
Recommended By Brenda Cherry, Reference Librarian

Focusing on the broken friendship between Teddy Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft, revisits the Progressive Era during which Roosevelt wielded the Bully Pulpit to challenge and triumph over abusive monopolies, political bosses, and corrupt money brokers only to see it compromised by Taft.

By Al Lockwood
Recommended By Neela Vass, Head of Acquisitions

One mega ship. Two mature travelers. Fourteen days cruising from Barcelona to Miami. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to cruise across the Atlantic Ocean with more than 4,000 passengers, this travel memoir is for you. It answers questions like: Are the crowds crushing? Is the food boring? Is the experience a “get me outta here” nightmare or a dream-come-true adventure? The warm, personal, often humorous observations of Sunny and Al Lockwood will introduce you to colorful characters, enchanting sunsets, and authentic experiences that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

By W. Bruce Cameron
Recommended By Meghan F., Children's Services Librarian

Searching for his purpose over the course of multiple canine lives, Bailey is reborn as a golden-haired puppy after a tragic death as a stray and shares a loving bond with young Ethan before he again dies and starts over.

By Chelsea Cain
Series Archie & Gretchen Series
Recommended By Megan Kass, Systems Manager

Hospitalized after his latest effort to catch serial killer Gretchen Lowell goes wrong, detective Archie Sheridan forges a stalemate agreement to keep Gretchen from committing more murders, a pact that is compromised by one of Gretchen's zealous devotees.

By Lisa Scottoline
Series Rosato Association Novels
Recommended By Marie McLaughlin, Head of Circulation

When nemesis Nick Machiavelli targets her family with frivolous legal claims and slander that escalate to an unthinkable tragedy, Mary DiNunzio discovers her own unsettling capacity for dark retaliation.

By Martin A. Berger
Recommended By Stacey Mencher, Technology and Applications Manager

Presents forgotten photographs that capture the heroism and struggles of black activists during the civil rights movement, in a collection that illustrates why certain events have been edited out of America's photographic history.

By Megan Mullally
Recommended By Lisa H., Readers' Services Librarian

The popular comedic couple trace the story of their relationship, sharing anecdotes, family photos and secrets that reveal how they overcame considerable social differences through their shared values and mutual love of music and laughter.

By Justin Timberlake
Recommended By Nathalie Levin, Children's Services Librarian

The popular entertainer presents a collection of anecdotes, reflections, and observations on his life and work, from his early love of music to his collaborations with other artists, and includes hundreds of candid images from his personal archives.

By Sloane Crosley
Recommended By Stacey Mencher, Technology and Applications Manager

Offers a humorous look at human fallibility and the vagaries of modern urban life by detailing such offbeat situations as the despoiling of an exhibit at the Natural History Museum, the provocation of a boss, and siccing the cops on a mysterious neighbor.

By Robinne Lee
Recommended By Donna Burger, Readers' Services Librarian

A middle–aged art gallery owner begins a passionate fling with a member of her daughter’s favorite boy band, who is 19 years her junior, and must fend off rabid fans and insatiable media after their affair becomes a viral sensation.

By Stuart Nadler
Recommended By Evelyn Hershkowitz, Readers' Services Librarian

When her cherished anonymity is threatened by the reissue of a best–seller from her early career, writer Henrietta navigates scandals in the lives of her daughters over the course of a fateful few days marked by French food, loss and an old rooster.

By Louise Penny
Series Three Pines Mystery
Recommended By Ed Goldberg, Head of Reference

Still coping with the events that led to his suspension, Armand Gamache is curious when he discovers that an elderly woman who was a complete stranger to him has named him as one of the executors of her will.

By Ottessa Moshfegh
Recommended By Lisa H., Readers' Services Librarian

After losing her parents, a young college graduate in New York City spends a year alienating the world under the influence of a crazy combination of drugs.

By Caroline Kepnes
Recommended By Jessikah Chautin, Community Engagement Specialist

Escaping after four years of captivity by a Lovecraft-inspired mad scientist, Jon manifests uncontrollable powers that endanger the woman he loves at the same time a detective puts everything on the line to solve a bizarre string of deaths.

By Fiona Barton
Recommended By Donna Burger, Readers' Services Librarian

Pursuing the story of two British teens who disappeared during a Bangkok hostel fire, journalist Kate Waters struggles to remain objective when her estranged son is declared a main suspect.

By Busy Philipps
Recommended By Lisa H., Readers' Services Librarian

Presents a memoir by the comedic actress known for her roles on "Freaks and Geeks," "Dawsons Creek," and "Cougar Town," who has become a breakout star on Instagram.

By Joanna Cannon
Recommended By Donna Burger, Readers' Services Librarian

Presents the story of an injured woman who meditates on her complicated relationship with a best friend when a man they believed was dead joins her retirement community.

By Lief Enger
Recommended By Ed Goldberg, Head of Reference, Audrey Honigman, Library Clerk

Emerging from an accident with damaged memories and compromised language skills, Virgil Wander, a movie-house owner from a small Midwestern town, pieces together his story and the story of his community with help from affable locals.