Staff Picks

Check here every month to 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

Alison's Picks

The Alienist By Carr, Caleb 2006-10 - Random House Trade 9780812976144 Check Our Catalog Now back in print--this fast-paced, convincing "New York Times" bestselling thriller is set in New York City in 1896, where two men and a brave, determined woman embark on a quest that takes them into the tortured mind of a barbaric serial killer. …More

Damien's Picks

Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit By Matthews, Chris 2017-10 - Simon & Schuster 9781501111860 Check Our Catalog New York Times Bestseller A revealing new portrait of Robert F. Kennedy that gets closer to the man than any book before, by bestselling author Chris Matthews, an esteemed Kennedy expert and anchor of MSNBC's Hardball. With his bestselling biography Jack Kennedy, Chris Matthews shared a new look of one of America's most beloved Presidents and the patriotic …More

Lisa's Picks

The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir By Bui, Thi 2017-03 - Harry N. Abrams 9781419718779 Check Our Catalog National bestseller ABA Indies Introduce Winter / Spring 2017 Selection Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Spring 2017 Selection An intimate and poignant graphic novel portraying one family's journey from war-torn Vietnam, from debut author Thi Bui. This beautifully illustrated and emotional story is an evocative memoir about the search for …More

Warcross By Lu, Marie 2017-09 - G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers 9780399547966 Check Our Catalog When a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths in this sci-fi thriller by #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author Lu, who conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all. …More

Penance By Minato, Kanae 2017-04 - Mulholland Books 9780316349154 Check Our Catalog The tense, chilling story of four women haunted by a childhood trauma. When they were children, Sae, Maki, Akiko and Yuko were tricked into separating from their friend Emily by a mysterious stranger. Then the unthinkable occurs: Emily is found murdered hours later. Sae, Maki, Akiko and Yuko weren't able to accurately describe the stranger's appearance to the police …More

Delphine's Picks

How the Hell Did This Happen?: The Election of 2016 By O'Rourke, P. J. 2017-03 - Atlantic Monthly Press 9780802126191 Check Our Catalog This election cycle was so absurd that celebrated political satirist, journalist, and die-hard Republican P. J. O'Rourke endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. As P.J. put it, "America is experiencing the most severe outbreak of mass psychosis since the Salem witch trials of 1692. So why not put Hillary on the dunking stool?" In How the Hell Did This Happen?, P.J. brings his …More

Liz's Picks

The Heart's Invisible Furies By Boyne, John 2017-08 - Hogarth Press 9781524760786 Check Our Catalog Selected one of New York Times Readers' Favorite Books of 2017 From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Boy In the Striped Pajamas, a sweeping, heartfelt saga about the course of one man's life, beginning and ending in post-war Ireland Cyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never …More

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President By Millard, Candice 2011-09 - Doubleday Books 9780385526265 Check Our Catalog Awards: ALA Notable Books (2012), Edgar Allan Poe Awards (2012) James A. Garfield was one of the most extraordinary men ever elected president. Born into abject poverty, he rose to become a wunderkind scholar, a Civil War hero, and a renowned and admired reformist congressman. Nominated for president against his will, he engaged in a fierce battle with the corrupt political establishment. But four months after his inauguration, a deranged office seeker tracked …More

Diana's Picks

The One and Only Ivan By Applegate, Katherine Illustrator Castelao, Patricia 2012-01 - HarperTorch 9780061992254 Check Our Catalog Awards: Black-Eyed Susan Award (2014), Bluebonnet Awards (2013), Bluebonnet Awards (2014), Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens (2013), Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (2015), Christopher Awards (2013), Cybils (2012), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2014), E.B. White Read Aloud Award (2013), Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (2013), Golden Archer Award (2014), Grand Canyon Reader Award (2015), Great Stone Face Book Award (2013), Kentucky Bluegrass Award (2014), Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (2015), Maine Student Book Award (2014), Massachusetts Children's Book Award (2016), Nene Award (2014), Nene Award (2015), Nene Award (2016), Newbery Medal (2013), North Carolina Children's Book Award (2016), Nutmeg Book Award (2016), Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2014), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award (2015), Rhode Island Children's Book Awards (2014), Sequoyah Book Awards (2015), Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (2014), Virginia Readers Choice Award (2014), Volunteer State Book Awards (2015), West Virginia Children's Book Award (2014), Young Reader's Choice Award (2015) Bestselling author Applegate presents an unforgettable and uplifting tween animal fantasy that explores the power of friendship, art, and hope with humor and touching poignancy. Illustrations. …More

Jocelyn's Picks

Behind Her Eyes: A Suspenseful Psychological Thriller By Pinborough, Sarah 2017-01 - Flatiron Books 9781250111173 Check Our Catalog THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER "You should read Behind Her Eyes...It's bloody brilliant." --Stephen King "An eerie thriller...Pinborough keeps us guessing about just who's manipulating whom - until the ending reveals that we've been wholly complicit in this terrifying mind game." …More

Little Fires Everywhere By Ng, Celeste 2017-09 - Penguin Press 9780735224292 Check Our Catalog The runaway New York Times bestseller Named a Best Book of the Year: People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Book of the Month, Paste, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads, Library Reads, and many more "I am …More

Artemis By Weir, Andy 2017-11 - Crown Publishing Group (NY) 9780553448122 Check Our Catalog The bestselling author of The Martian returns with an irresistible new near-future thriller--a heist story set on the moon. Jasmine Bashara never signed up to be a hero. She just wanted to get rich. Not crazy, eccentric-billionaire rich, like many of the visitors to her hometown of Artemis, humanity's first and only lunar colony. Just rich enough to move out of her …More

I'm Thinking of Ending Things By Reid, Iain 2016-06 - Gallery/Scout Press 9781501126925 Check Our Catalog HPL patron: Weird, strange, chilling. Read it in 3 hours then went back to the beginning. Couldn't stop. Wouldn't answer the phone. After the first 50 pages I wanted to stop-glad I stayed with it. What was that? …More