Staff Picks – December 2021

Persuasion
by Jane Austen

“At twenty-seven, Anne Elliot is no longer considered young enough for worthy romantic prospects. Eight years earlier, she had been persuaded by her friend Lady Russell to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, a handsome naval captain with neither fortune nor rank. What transpires when they encounter each other again is movingly told in Jane Austen’s last completed novel. A brilliant satire of vanity and pretension, Persuasion is, above all, a love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities.” -amazon.com.

Christmas in Camelot
by Mary Pope Osbourne

“When Jack and Annie receive an invitation to spend Christmas Eve in Camelot-a magical place that exists only in myth and fantasy-they know they are in for their biggest adventure yet. What they don’t know is that the invitation will send them on a quest to save Camelot. Can they succeed even though Camelot’s greatest knights have failed?

Formerly numbered as Magic Tree House #29, the title of this book is now Magic Tree House Merlin Mission #1: Christmas in Camelot. The Merlin Missions books are more challenging adventures that will delight experienced readers who are fans of the original chapter book series!” -amazon.com

Cielo y Tierra
by Nora Roberts

“Ripley Toddo aspira a llevar una vida apacible en su isla natal de Tres Hermanas. Pero hay algo que le inquieta: los poderes especiales que posee y que, aunque lo intente, no es capaz de controlar. Cuando el carismatico MacAllister Booke llega a la isla para hacer una investigacion sobre brujeria queda inmediatamente impactado no solo por los centelleantes ojos verdes de Ripley sino tambien por la lucha interior que esta mantiene.” -amazon.com

Dune
by Frank Herbert

This Hugo and Nebula Award winner tells the sweeping tale of a desert planet called Arrakis, the focus of an intricate power struggle in a byzantine interstellar empire. Arrakis is the sole source of Melange, the “spice of spices.” Melange is necessary for interstellar travel and grants psychic powers and longevity, so whoever controls it wields great influence. The troubles begin when stewardship of Arrakis is transferred by the Emperor from the Harkonnen Noble House to House Atreides. The Harkonnens don’t want to give up their privilege, though, and through sabotage and treachery they cast young Duke Paul Atreides out into the planet’s harsh environment to die. There he falls in with the Fremen, a tribe of desert dwellers who become the basis of the army with which he will reclaim what’s rightfully his. Paul Atreides, though, is far more than just a usurped duke. He might be the end product of a very long-term genetic experiment designed to breed a super human; he might be a messiah. His struggle is at the center of a nexus of powerful people and events, and the repercussions will be felt throughout the Imperium. Dune is one of the most famous science fiction novels ever written, and deservedly so. The setting is elaborate and ornate, the plot labyrinthine, the adventures exciting.

As Time Goes By
by Michael Walsh

“You may have seen it once — or so many times that the lines, the characters, and the noble sentiments of this legendary film are a part of you. You may simply love stories of wartime intrigue, romance, and courage. Or you may yearn to hear the voices of Rick, Ilsa, Victor, Louis, and Sam, even Sacha and Carl, once more…find out what happened after Ilsa and Victor left on the plane for Lisbon…learn about the lives of Rick, Ilsa, Louis, and Sam before they came to Casablanca…and, most of all, be there when Rick and Ilsa meet again. Either way, you won’t want to miss…” -amazon.com

The Hound of The Baskervilles
by Arthur Conan Doyle

“A country doctor has come to 221B Baker Street, the lodgings of famed detective Sherlock Holmes, with the eerie tale of the Hound of the Baskervilles. The legend warns the descendants of the Baskerville family never to venture out on the moors that surround their ancestral home, for fear that they will meet the devil-beast that lurks there.

Such a story sounds preposterous to any man of reason, but now Sir Charles Baskerville is dead—and the footprints of a giant hound have been found near his body. Sherlock Holmes and his faithful friend Dr. John Watson agree to investigate the truth of the matter. They will soon learn that in this case, nothing is quite as it seems…” -amazon.com.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
by Vicki Myron

The story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat, starts in the worst possible way. Only a few weeks old, on the coldest night of the year, he was stuffed into the book return slot at the Spencer, Iowa, Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director, Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. Dewey won her heart, and the hearts of the staff, by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. For the next nineteen years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility (for a cat), and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most.

Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown

This book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. It traces the story of the team that defeated elite rivals at Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Olympics, sharing the experiences of their enigmatic coach, a visionary boat builder, and a homeless teen rower.

How the Finch Stole Christmas
by Donna Andrews

“Meg’s husband has decided to escalate his one-man show of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol into a full-scale production with a large cast including their sons Jamie and Josh as Tiny Tim and young Scrooge and Meg helping as stage manager.

The show must go on, even if the famous—though slightly over-the-hill—actor who’s come to town to play the starring role of Scrooge has brought a sleigh-load of baggage and enemies with him. And why is Caerphilly suddenly overrun with a surplus of beautiful caged finches?” -amazon.com

A Christmas Carol (audiobook)
by Charles Dickens

“A Christmas Carol is one of Charles Dickens most cherished and loved stories. Loved by both adults and children. The story of Ebenezer Scrooge on a cold Christmas Eve Night, three ghosts take him on a scary journey and show him the error of his ways. Showing him his past, present and future. Scrooge eventually learns to love Christmas and everyone around him! A must read (or listen!) at Christmas time.” -amazon.com