Staff Picks

At our staff meetings we take a few minutes to talk about the books we are reading. This is a list of recent favorites. STAFF PICKS

Father's Day for Foodies Father's Day is June 17, and dads who are King of the Grill love new cooking toys and clever cookbooks. Daniel Duane's memoir How to Cook Like a Man: A Memoir of Cookbook Obsession is all about cooking, eating and enjoying food in the manliest ways possible. Duane recounts an eight-year quest to further his kitchen skills, from butchering whole lambs and hunting pigs in Maui to fishing for salmon in Alaska. For family guys everywhere -- from new dads who hope to help out around the house to older dads who want to improve a favorite hobby -- How to Cook Like a Man is a timely Father's Day treat.

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A Perfect Storm By Foster, Lori 2012-03 - Harlequin Books 9780373776566 Check Our Catalog "New York Times"-bestselling author Foster delivers the fourth sizzling novelin her Men Who Walk the Edge of Honor series. Original. …More

Sugar Rush By Kauffman, Donna 2012-01 - Brava 9780758266347 Check Our Catalog …More

Something Rotten By Fforde, Jasper 2005-07 - Penguin Books 9780143035411 Check Our Catalog Two years after Thursday Next's Ultraworld adventure, the now ex-head of Jurisfiction returns home. But the Swindon to which Thursday returns is not the one she left, for something is rotten in the state of England. …More

Thursday Next: First Among Sequels By Fforde, Jasper 2008-08 - Penguin Books 9780143113560 Check Our Catalog Literary sleuth Thursday Next is once again out to make the world safe for fiction in the fifth installment of Fforde's wildly popular series. Packed with word play, bizarre and entertaining subplots, and old-fashioned suspense, Thursday's newest adventure will be celebrated by fans and critics alike. …More

The Fourth Bear By Fforde, Jasper 2007-08 - Penguin Books 9780143038924 Check Our Catalog In the second adventure by the bestselling author of the Thursday Next novels, "nursery crime" characters Jack Spratt and Mary Mary take on their most dangerous case so far, as a murderous cookie (The Gingerbread Man) menaces the streets of Reading. …More

The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God: And Other Stories By Keret, Etgar 2004-09 - Toby Press 9781592641055 Check Our Catalog Israel's hippest bestselling young writer today, Etgar Keret is part court jester, part literary crown prince, part national conscience. The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God gathers his daring and provocative short stories for the first time in English. Brief, intense, painfully funny, and shockingly honest, Keret's stories are snapshots that illuminate with intelligence and wit the hidden truths of life. As with the best comic authors, hilarity and anguish are the twin pillars of his work. Keret covers a remarkable emotional and narrative terrain-from a father's first lesson to his boy to a standoff between soldiers caught in the Middle East conflict to a slice of life where nothing much happens. Bus Driver includes stories from Keret's bestselling collections in Israel, Pipelines and Missing Kissinger, as well as Keret's major new novella, "Kneller's Happy Campers," a bitingly satirical yet wistful road trip set in the afterlife for suicides. …More

The Great Perhaps By Meno, Joe 2010-04 - W. W. Norton & Company 9780393304565 Check Our Catalog A breakout new novel from the critically acclaimed novelist and playwright Joe Meno, author of Hairstyles of the Damned. Praise for The Great Perhaps . . . "The Great Perhaps is a darkly funny, lyrical, and shrewdly observant chronicle of a family on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Joe Meno has the rare ability to evoke midlife melancholy and teenage angst with equal authority."-Tom Perrotta, author of Election and The Abstinence Teacher "I think The Great Perhaps is the wisest, most humane and transcendent novel on the contemporary family since The Corrections. A marvelous book."-Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting and Crime . . . and for Joe Meno "Joe Meno is an interesting case: a punk/noir stylist who can imitate something more rarefied, poetic, and universal."-Elle "Meno is the closest thing [Chicago's] got to a literary ambassador."-GQ "What to make of Joe Meno, whose icepick-sharp books include many elements that might reasonably be described as quirky, but are rather heartfelt, beautifully written and vivid as a bad dream-or a very, very good one?"-Washington Post Express …More

Ghost Story By Butcher, Jim 2011-07 - Roc 9780451463791 Check Our Catalog The eagerly awaited new novel in the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling series. When last seen, the mighty wizard detective Harry Dresden wasn't doing well. In fact, he had been murdered by an unknown assassin. But being dead doesn't stop him when his friends are in danger. Except now he has nobody, and no magic to help him. …More

Imagine: How Creativity Works By Lehrer, Jonah 2012-03 - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) 9780547386072 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title "New York Times"-bestselling author Lehrer ("How We Decide") introduces readers to musicians, graphic artists, poets, and bartenders to show how they can use science to be more imaginative and make their cities, their companies, and their culture more creative. …More

Fifty Shades of Grey By James, E. L. 2012-04 - Vintage Books 9780345803481 Check Our Catalog When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana's quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too--but on his own terms. …More

Cartooning: The Ultimate Character Design Book By Hart, Chris 2008-05 - Chris Hart Books 9781933027425 Check Our Catalog Hart delivers detailed instructions, inspiring ideas, and invaluable tips for creating appealing and original manga-style characters. Illustrations. …More

The Wizard of Oz By Seder, Rufus Butler 2011-09 - Workman Publishing 9780761163732 Check Our Catalog We re off to see the wizard The magic of Scanimation meets the wonderful "Wizard of Oz," bringing to life 10 memorable scenes from the movie that's enchanted generations of viewers. …More

The Big Test By Danneberg, Julie Illustrator Love, Judy 2011-07 - Charlesbridge Publishing 9781580893602 Check Our Catalog …More

The Monstrous Book of Monsters By Hamilton, Libby Illustrator Duddle, Jonny Illustrator Bitskoff, Aleksei 2011-09 - Templar 9780763657567 Check Our Catalog Packed with nauseating novelties and foul facts, this book will teach readers how to avoid monsters, show them how to spot them in the news or on the street, and give them a peek inside their dangerous (and smelly) world. Full color. …More

Wonderstruck By Selznick, Brian Illustrator Selznick, Brian 2011-09 - Scholastic Press 9780545027892 Check Our Catalog 2012 Schneider Family Book Award Winner-Middle Grades 2012 Children's Choice Award Winner-Illustrator Set 50 years apart, two independent stories weave back and forth with mesmerizing symmetry. Playing with the form he created in his trailblazing debut novel, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," Caldecott Medalist Selznick once again sails into uncharted territory and takes readers on an awe-inspiring journey. …More

Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade By Sweet, Melissa Illustrator Sweet, Melissa 2011-11 - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) 9780547199450 Check Our Catalog 2012 Golden Kite Picture Book Illustration Award 2012 Sibert Award Winner 2012 Orbis Pictus Award Winner In brilliant collage illustrations, the award-winning artist Sweet tells the story of the puppeteer Tony Sarg, capturing his genius, his dedication, his zest for play, and his long-lasting gift to America--the inspired helium balloons that would become the trademark of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Full color. …More

Billy & Milly, Short & Silly By Feldman, Eve B. Illustrator Mourning, Tuesday 2009-06 - Putnam Publishing Group 9780399246517 Check Our Catalog Youngsters are invited to follow Billy and Milly through 13 adventures in these funny and simple short stories. Through very basic storytelling, these brief narratives are told in only three or four words apiece. Full color. …More

One Love By Marley, Cedella Illustrator Brantley-Newton, Vanessa Created by Marley, Bob 2011-09 - Chronicle Books (CA) 9781452102245 Check Our Catalog In this illustrated version of Bob Marley's song, a young girl enlists her friends, family, and community to transform their neighborhood for the better. …More

M.O.M. (Mom Operating Manual) By Cronin, Doreen Illustrator Cornell, Laura 2011-10 - Atheneum Books for Young Readers 9781416961505 Check Our Catalog From a powerhouse pair of picture book rock stars--"Giggle Giggle Quack" creator Cronin and "My Mommy Hung the Moon" illustrator Cornell--comes the ultimate guide for kids: How to handle Mom. Wickedly funny and acutely perceptive, this is a book that, basically, no one should be without. Full color. …More

Ollie the Purple Elephant By Krosoczka, Jarrett J. 2011-10 - Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers 9780375866548 Check Our Catalog Ollie is a purple elephant who is lost and has no place to call home. Until Shelby and Peter find him in the park--and invite him to live with them. Soon Ollie is a regular part of the family. He doesn't have a room to call his own, but he doesn't mind. He is happy. He loves hopscotch and kickball--but most of all he loves the dance parties the McLaughlins have after dinner. But Mr. Puddlebottom, the downstairs neighbor, most certainly does not love Ollie. And neither does the McLaughlins' cat, Ginger. Ollie has taken her spot on the couch at night. When the conspirators hatch a plan to get rid of Ollie, the purple elephant walks right into their trap--and onto a circus cart. Will he ever be reunited with his family? …More

Little Man [With CD (Audio)] By Warwick, Dionne Author Wooley, David Freeman Illustrator Willingham, Fred 2011-10 - Charlesbridge Publishing 9781570917318 Check Our Catalog Little Man is a drummer, thats his thing. He wants to take lessons to get better, but he'll need a bike to get him there. In the meantime, a little encouragement from his father and friends keeps Little Man practicing his cool beats. Soon he has enough confidence to play the drums at the local block party. Its no shock that Little Man is a big hit, but its a pleasant surprise when his neighbors donate enough money for him to buy the new bike. CD recording included. …More

Library Lily By Shields, Gillian Illustrator Chessa, Francesca 2011-06 - Eerdmans Books for Young Readers 9780802854018 Check Our Catalog First published in Great Britain in 2011 by Gullane Children's Books: London. …More