Staff Picks Audience: Adults

How Lucky by Will Leitch [Book]

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On the surface, this novel is a mystery story about the disappearance of a young college student. Mystery novels are obviously numerous, but it is the narrator (Daniel) that sets this book apart and above other typical mystery stories. Confined to a wheelchair and virtually non-verbal, the novel is told through Daniel’s curious, sharp, and often hilarious point of view. He watches the world go by from his front porch and, after witnessing the abduction already mentioned, works with a loveable and quirky cast of characters to solve the crime. While entertaining from start to finish, this book also gives a unique look into the world of those that suffer from degenerative diseases, and gives a voice to those that are often overlooked or underestimated.

Bleak House [Book]

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Though the title, age, and overall length (almost 1000 pages!) of this book may turn some readers away, this classic is well worth a read! Dickens’ writing style is evident in full force here and his lengthy descriptions of everything from fog to court judges contain beautiful insights and nuanced observations. It is the characters of this book that really shine though; fans of everything from Anna Karenina to Bridgerton will love the wide array of expertly named characters. From the somber and mysterious Lady Deadlock, to the cold and calculating Tulkinghorn, readers are pulled into the drama of the court case that the whole story centers around. There are twists and turns, triumphs and tragedies; a perfect book for a rainy day and an intrepid reader!

Sunflower Sisters by Martha Hall Kelly [Book]

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Century Spice Road by Emerson Matsuuchi [Library of Things]

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Century Spice Road is a wonderfully simple and compelling game for 2-5 players. I love it. Here are some of the best things about it:

• Setup is quick–not much more than just shuffling two decks of cards and counting out a few tokens
• The game is easy to learn and quick to play
• The competition is low key
• The art on the cards is beautiful and the pieces (wooden cubes, metal coins, and plastic bowls) are tactilely satisfying
• It’s a deck building game of sorts, but it is refreshingly different from other deck building games I’ve played
• The gameplay is fun whether you win or lose

The premise is that you are a merchant, trading in spices. There are four types of spices in the game, each represented by wooden cubes of a specific color: yellow for turmeric, red for cayenne, green for cardamon, and brown for cinnamon. Market cards let you acquire or trade spices and spices can be traded for victory point cards. The trick is that you must have the have the right spices to pay the card’s cost. That victory card that is worth 20 points may be very tempting, but how are you going to obtain the five cinnamon cubes necessary to pay for it?

Everyone starts out with the same two market cards and a few cubes of turmeric and players compete to acquire market cards and victory point cards from an ever changing supply–each time someone acquires a card the cards to the right of it are slid left and a new card is dealt in the rightmost spot. Some clever mechanics ensure that their is generally an incentive to acquire the leftmost cards (the leftmost victory cards come with coins for bonus points and the leftmost market cards cost the least) which encourages turnover in the supply.

The gameplay can vary a great deal from game to game and there is no one winning strategy. Do you have a good way of obtaining new spices? Are your trades efficient? Are you able to easily obtain any spice you need or do you find yourself with a glut of cayenne or turmeric without a good way of obtaining the other spices you need? It’s different every game.

I very much Century Spice Road. Borrow it from the library and give it a try!

Crying in H Mart [Book]

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Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (also known by her band name Japanese Breakfast) is a beautifully crafted memoir about Zauner’s relationship with her mother and coming to terms with her mother’s slow decline and death. It grapples with themes of identity, loss, love, grief, and culture. She tells us about her and her mothers connection through vivid descriptions of Korean food and how food connects people, families, and cultures. It is a warm and yet heartbreaking story (one that will make you cry within the first chapter) that teaches us how we must not only remember the people who formed us, but also that we have the power to construct our own identities too.

All Girls by Emily Layden [Book]

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Layden’s debut novel, set in the fictional all-girls Atwater boarding school, is filled with longstanding traditions, social complexities, shifting alliances, and shocking secrets. The story of an academic year is told through the eyes of nine different students, month by month. From a freshman legacy student whose grandmother and mother both attended to a talented senior who is the school’s poster girl, each young woman reveals her motivations and concerns as she attends classes, participates in events, and lives her life. A twenty-year-old scandal resurfaces as students arrive to begin the year, and the school’s handling of the situation at the time has lasting effects for the institution itself and the students readers grow to care about over the months. Readers will find themselves thinking about the vividly and compassionately rendered characters long after their chapters end, and considering decisions they would make in the same situations. Give it to grown up fans of Gossip Girl and readers of Curtis Sittenfeld and Emma Straub. YA crossover appeal for, again, fans of Gossip Girl and aspirational prep school students.

The Queen’s Thief Series [Book]

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With some of the most unexpected twists in young adult literature, this “best series you have never heard of” is a great match for those looking for a mixture of Greek Mythology, adventure, humor, political intrigue, and mystery. The series follows that character of Gen, who begins the first novel languishing away in prison. With the proclamation “I can steal anything!” Gen is sent on a mission that brings him face to face with the gods and his destiny. The novels mature in both theme and writing style, much like the Harry Potter series, and by the end readers will have jaws tired from dropping from the twists that this intentionally vague review is leaving out. Lovers of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and genuinely good writing should flock to this series. Start with The Thief and make your way through the realm of Attolia, you won’t regret it!

Pandemic (Board Game) by Matt Leacock [Library of Things]

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Though we all may be sick of the subject matter, this team-style board game is a great way to escape from the pandemic by defeating it! This game has elements of Risk and other strategy games but would appeal to a group of friends or a family that want to work together instead of against each other to take down a global virus that spreads with every roll of the dice. Roles for players to take on include Epidemiologist, Field Operative, and Containment Specialist and the Geography of the world is explored from Manila to Lagos to Bogata to Miami. This fast-paced, cooperative, addictive game will be a favorite both pre and post pandemic.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir [Book]

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If you liked Weir’s The Martian you will love Project Hail Mary. This is a tale of a good, but flawed man who has to think his way out of a seemingly impossible situation. A very plausible story, set in the near future, with more heart than The Martian because not only does the main character have to save himself, he has to save others. Science nerds will love the internal ruminations as the protagonist overcomes each problem. Non-nerds might learn some physics, painlessly.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten [Book]

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Catherine Alexeyevna (Catherine I) was the second wife of Peter the Great, a woman who progressed from humble origins as a serf to Empress of all the Russias in her short life. The first woman to rule Russia in her own right, she was by the side of the man whose legacy of modernizing Russia in the early 18th century is well-documented in popular culture. Lesser known is the sometimes bloody story of the woman who spent more than twenty years coddling, supporting, and challenging him. Ellen Alpsten’s debut novel relates a compelling if unverified story of Catherine’s (then known as Marta) early years before she entered Peter’s orbit and became his companion and, later, wife. Catherine bore him twelve children, only two of whom lived to adulthood. She traveled with him to the front in his various wars over many years. She was a constant in his life through successes, failures, triumphs, disappointments, and numerous mistresses. She was the best thing that ever happened to him, and the one person who could soothe his rages and return him to reason. Illuminating the realities of life in premodern Russia and the growth and changes brought about in the Petrine Era, It’s a fascinating and extraordinary ride from slavery to royalty for an incredible woman.

“Fiction about real people” is a great genre for readers who like history and also like to listen in on conversations. Offer this to fans of historical fiction, Russia, political intrigue, and powerful women.

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 [Book]

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This very readable history of why and how we got involved in the mess of competing tribes and loyalties that is Afghanistan explained in short, digestible chapters each detailing an event or a person. The long chain of events that led to September 11 and the failure of intelligence services is enlightening if grim reading. This writer will be interested in the author’s sequel to see if we’ve learned anything at all.

Fall or, Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson [Book]

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This is a cheeky poke at nerdy types and downright funny if you are one (with a sense of humor). Stephenson’s written a thoroughly enjoyable send-up of geek culture. Still underneath this near-future tale of the desire for immortality he asks some big questions and reflects on contemporary societal divisions and where they might lead.