Staff Picks

See what the HPL staff recommends based on our reading.  You can also  find your next good book by stopping by or calling the Reference Desk, or by using our online form:  Your Next Good Book

The Nightingale By Hannah, Kristin 2015-02 - St. Martin's Press 9780312577223 Check Our Catalog Awards: National Jewish Book Award (2015), Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2016) #1 New York Times bestseller Named a best book of the year by: Buzzfeed, iTunes, Library Journal, Paste, self.com, The Wall Street Journal, The Week In love we find out who we want to be. In war we find out who we are. FRANCE, 1939 In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, …More

The Watermelon King By Wallace, Daniel 2003-02 - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) 0618221387 Check Our Catalog From a beloved author whose work has been praised for its "wit, subtle compassion, and an offbeat originality" ("Boston Globe") comes a novel as unforgettable as it is compelling. "The Watermelon King" takes readers back to Ashland, Alabama, a fictional town whose identity is based on its long-ago abundance of watermelons. HPL patron: Overall I enjoyed the …More

The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living By Wiking, Meik 2017-01 - William Morrow & Company 9780062658807 Check Our Catalog HPL patron: Initially, I closed the book and thought it was so-so. Not bad, but not really great either. But the more I reflected, the more I like it and look to make things more hygge. I also tried the Boller I Karry (Danish meatballs in curry) recipe. It is delicious and easy to make. HPL patron: A light read that made me …More

After the Quake By Murakami, Haruki Translator Rubin, Jay 2002-08 - Alfred A. Knopf 0375413901 Check Our Catalog In 1995, the physical and social landscape of Japan was transformed by the Kobe earthquake and the poison gas attacks in the Tokyo subways. By a world-class writer, this is a short but powerful book whose importance is emphasized by its hideous timeliness, and whose great gift is both comfort and understanding. HPL patron: …More

The Princess Saves Herself in This One By Lovelace, Amanda 2017-02 - Andrews McMeel Publishing 9781449486419 Check Our Catalog Winner of the 2016 Goodreads Choice Award, the princess saves herself in this one is a collection of poetry about resilience. It is about writing your own ending. From Amanda Lovelace, a poetry collection in four parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, and you. The first three sections piece together the life of the author while the final section serves as a note …More

Where'd You Go, Bernadette By Semple, Maria 2012-08 - Little Brown and Company 9780316204279 Check Our Catalog Awards: Alex Awards (2013), Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2013), Women's Fiction AKA Orange Prize (2013) To her Microsoft-guru husband, Bernadette's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to her 15-year-old, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. HPL patron: I listened to the audiobook-it was fantastic! The narrator did a …More

News of the World By Jiles, Paulette 2016-10 - William Morrow & Company 9780062409201 Check Our Catalog HPL patron: I listened to the book on CD. The story was engaging and well-written. The narrator was fantastic. It made my road trip go much quicker. HPL patron: Interesting story of an era that we don't see much from. Loved the vivid descriptions and the unique story. Found the characters hard to connect with emotionally. …More

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher: Stories By Mantel, Hilary 2014-09 - Henry Holt & Company 9781627792103 Check Our Catalog One of the most accomplished, acclaimed, and garlanded writers, Hilary Mantel delivers a brilliant collection of contemporary stories. HPL patron: This was a fun collection of stories. I listened to the playaway and the narration was great. It added a nice element to the final story, especially. …More

Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries By Stamper, Kory 2017-03 - Pantheon Books 9781101870945 Check Our Catalog Do you have strong feelings about the word "irregardless"? Have you ever tried to define the word "is"? Brimming with intelligence and personality, this vastly entertaining account of how dictionaries are made is a must-read for word mavens. Many of us take dictionaries for granted, and few may realize that the process of writing dictionaries is, in fact, as lively and dynamic as …More

Devonshire Scream By Childs, Laura 2016-03 - Berkley Books 9780425281666 Check Our Catalog HPL patron: Fun romp through Savanah with fun characters. …More

Ming Tea Murder By Childs, Laura 2015-05 - Berkley Books 9780425281642 Check Our Catalog It's scones and scandal for Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning in the latest from the" New York Times "bestselling author of "Steeped in Evil" Normally Theodosia wouldn't attend a black tie affair for all the tea in China. But she can hardly say no to her hunky, handsome boyfriend, Max, who directs public relations for the Gibbes Museum in Charleston. Max has organized an amazing …More

Steeped in Evil By Childs, Laura 2014-03 - Berkley Prime Crime 9780425252956 Check Our Catalog In the newest mystery from the "New York Times "bestselling author of "Sweet Tea Revenge, "Indigo Tea Shop owner Theodosia Browning is about to learn the true meaning of terror... …More

The Firefly Code By Blakemore, Megan Frazer 2016-05 - Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books 9781619636361 Check Our Catalog Mori and her friends live a normal life on Firefly Lane in their utopian community, Old Harmonie. In a world this safe and perfect, they've never had to question anything . . . never had to wonder about how their lives came to be. Until a new girl named Ilana moves in. She's so perfect that Mori and her friends are curious . . . Where exactly did Ilana come from, and why does she act so …More

The Force By Winslow, Don 2017-06 - William Morrow & Company 9780062664419 Check Our Catalog The acclaimed, award-winning, bestselling author of The Cartel--voted one of the Best Books of the Year by more than sixty publications, including the New York Times--makes his William Morrow debut with a cinematic epic as explosive, powerful, and unforgettable as Mystic River and The Wire. Recommended for summer reading by Amazon, …More

Murder in Saint-Germain By Black, Cara 2017-06 - Soho Crime 9781616957704 Check Our Catalog Paris, July 1999: Private investigator Aimee Leduc is walking through Saint-Germain when she is accosted by Suzanne Lesage, a Brigade Criminelle agent on an elite counterterrorism squad. Suzanne has just returned from the former Yugoslavia, where she was hunting down dangerous war criminals for the Hague. Back in Paris, Suzanne is convinced she's being stalked by a ghost--a Serbian warlord her …More

The Last Chance Matinee By Stewart, Mariah 2017-03 - Gallery Books 9781501165351 Check Our Catalog From New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart comes the first novel in her all-new series, The Hudson Sisters, following a trio of reluctant sisters in the aftermath of their father's passing who, as they set out to fulfill his dying wish discover the truth not only about their pasts, but about each other--and themselves--in a way that will forever alter their futures... …More

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk By Rooney, Kathleen 2017-01 - St. Martin's Press 9781250113320 Check Our Catalog NOW A NATIONAL INDIE BESTSELLER "Transporting...witty, poignant and sparkling." --People (People Picks Book of the Week) "Prescient and quick....A perfect fusing of subject and writer, idea and ideal." --Chicago Tribune "Extraordinary...hilarious...Elegantly written, Rooney creates a glorious paean to a distant literary life and …More

House of Cards By Dobbs, Michael 2014-03 - Sourcebooks Landmark 9781492606611 Check Our Catalog The USA Today Bestseller from the Executive Producer of the hit Netflix series House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey. A dark tale of greed, corruption, and unquenchable ambition, House of Cards reveals that no matter the country, politics, intrigue and passion reign in the corridors of power. Francis Urquhart has his hand on every secret …More

Seinfeldia: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything By Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin 2016-07 - Simon & Schuster 9781476756103 Check Our Catalog "Her book, as if she were a marine biologist, is a deep dive...Perhaps the highest praise I can give Seinfeldia is that it made me want to buy a loaf of marbled rye and start watching again, from the beginning." --Dwight Garner, The New York Times Book Review The hilarious behind-the-scenes story of two guys who went out for coffee and dreamed up …More

Faithful By Hoffman, Alice 2016-11 - Simon & Schuster 9781476799209 Check Our Catalog From the New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and The Dovekeepers comes a soul-searching story about a young woman struggling to redefine herself and the power of love, family, and fate. Growing up on Long Island, Shelby Richmond is an ordinary girl until one night an extraordinary tragedy changes her fate. Her best friend's future is …More