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In celebration of our recent snowfall, I'd like to recommend the novel Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson. Taking place on a small island off the coast of Washington state, the story follows the 1954 trial of Kabuo Miyamoto who stands accused of murdering well-known fisherman Carl Heine. In the years after World War II, pervasive racism permeates the Japanese American's trial from the witnesses to the jury members and the press. However, a local journalist drawn to the trial due to his romantic past with the defendant's wife, has uncovered knowledge that -- if he chooses to expose it -- will seal Kabuo's fate.

The author provides a strong sense of place for the backdrop for an immersive, emotional story centered around love, morals, and justice. This book is a great pick for readers who like historical fiction, especially the 1930's to 1950's era. 

Every 90 years 12 young people reincarnate as 12 gods of old. Ameratsu, Baal, Baphomet, Sakhmet, Lucifer, Persephone, and more. They are loved, they are hated, and in two years, they are dead. The Wicked + The Divine combines Kieron Gillen's phenomenal writing, Jamie McKelvie's incomparable visuals and my personal favorite colorist in the business, Matthew Wilson; together they serve up an unforgettable eyeful of a story. It's about fame, celebrity, death, identity, pop culture, and being young. It's a roller coaster ride of a story that's hard not to try to devour in one sitting.

At the start of the novel, Hannah Jones finds out that the man who murdered her college roommate has died in prison. The book switches chapters from "Before" the murder (ten years ago) and "After" the murder, as we trace the steps of Hannah's first days as a freshman at Oxford, to her present-day life in Edinburgh with her husband Will, as they prepare for the birth of their first child. As the novel unfolds, everything is not as it seems, including the people Hannah counted on as her closest friends. A fairly gripping whodunit, The It Girl by Ruth Ware, is a fun read that doesn't require any heavy lifting on the reader's part.

This sci-fi comedy is the story of rock group, Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeros, being chosen to represent Earth in a galactic talent competition. Contestants must perform original work. Jones and the Zeros feel tremendous pressure when they learn the home planet of the last place act will be destroyed.

Some online reviewers complained that the book was too wordy and unnecessarily long. It's true author Catherynne M. Valente frequently goes off on some tangents, but those diversions are filled with the puns and one-liners that kept me going back to hear them again. And others must agree, because Space Opera was a Hugo Award finalist.

Narrator Heath Miller has an appealing British accent. Space Opera (2018) clocks in at just under 10 hours. Listen to the audiobook on Hoopla today.

Steampunk fantasy eldritch horror action. If any of those words appealed to you, pick Monstress by Marjorie Liu up right now. Read it because the art is gorgeous. Read it for the nekomancers, warrior-poet cat necromancers. Read it for the complex worldbuilding, the twisting mystery, and the complex, flawed characters struggling to survive, let alone do the right thing, in a world torn apart by war. Read it because Maika Halfwolf has a monster inside of her that could destroy the world, or maybe save it. Read it for the shark-headed lady pirate. Read it because it will leave you spellbound. Heads up, though, maybe don't read this if gore, mature themes, harm to children, or body horror are upsetting elements for you.

This book is a fun holiday read featuring twin sisters who have to swap places during the holidays. One sister runs a bakery in a small mountain town while the other sister lives in LA and has her own baking show. This book has romance and holiday cheer, which is perfect for the upcoming season!

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox is available as an ebook and eaudiobook on eMediaLibrary (Libby).

When Sharks Attack with Kindness by Andres J. Colmenares Such a cute book and a quick read for anyone who needs their spirits lifted and a smile.

I picked this book up, Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi after seeing on social media and really loved the heartwarming tales in this book. This book features a time traveling seat in a café in Tokyo, Japan and contains four different stories of people who want to go back in time. All stories have the same café staff who explain the different rules for time traveling. The explanations of why the people want to go back in time are really special and emotional. I definitely recommend checking it out as well as the sequel Tales From the Cafe.

In a dystopian future, society is divided into five factions based on each individual's dominant attributes. Beatrice Prior has reached the age of sixteen, the age at which she must choose the faction where she will spend the rest of her life. But she has traits from many factions. Which should she choose? This is the first book in a young adult adventure trilogy which takes an extreme look at the rites of passage of adolescents as well as focusing a lens on class distinctions in society. Also a movie. 

I picked up this book after hearing all the kerfuffle about the new Netflix adaptation. Persuasion by Jane Austen is beautiful and I am so happy to have picked it up. This novel is more melancholy compared to Austen's other novels, but with the same thoughtfulness and relatability.

Anne Elliot is a 27-year-old who differs drastically from her father and sisters. They are superficial and egotistical while Anne is a thoughtful, caring, and quiet young woman. Years ago, Anne called off her engagement to Captain Wentworth, the love of her life, at the insistence of her family due to his lower social standing. Years later, Captain Wentworth returns and Anne deals with changed feelings and circumstances of the relationship.

Although the setting and time of this book are a lot different than today, the book is a great read. Jane Austen has created a classic that involves themes and situations relatable to today. A great read!

Available as an ebook and eaudiobook on eMediaLibrary (Libby).

I was intrigued by this book from the start. The concept of having two people who just met during the early stages of the pandemic is something that can be applied to everyone. The twists and turns of this book are rather eye opening into how other people's lives were affected by covid. There were highs and lows of this book, but was an overall a good read. 

If you have never read any of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, this is as good a place to start as any. Vimes is an inspector on the Anhk-Morpork city watch, content to while away his time in a drunken stupor. But when a dragon appears on the scene along with a rookie cop determined to do everything by the book, it turns his world on end. With a cast of absurd characters placed in ludicrous situations, Guards! Guards! is sure to lighten your spirits. 

Alice is a filmmaker who has been obsessed with the story of the sudden disappearance of the residents of her grandma's home village, Silvertjärn, a remote mining village in Sweden. Gathering a group to help her accomplish her dream of creating a documentary on the lost village they venture out into the remote area, deep into the forest. There they find the abandoned village lost to time. As they explore the village to unravel the mystery of what happened all those years ago and plan out their film; the group begins to notice that they are not alone. The story is told through a few perspectives that helps bring the past into the present. The audiobook narrator, Angela Dawe, gave a wonderful performance of bringing the characters to life and helped set the unsettling atmosphere. I could not stop listening until I found out the secrets that the village held. The Lost Village by Camilla Sten is a suspenseful and eerie read that is told from the perspective of Alice and a resident of the lost village.

Available as both an ebook and eaudiobook on eMediaLibrary (Libby).

The Longest Day of the Future by Lucas Varela is different . It has no words, side text or even thought bubbles. I really liked the different take on how you have to focus on the images more to get the story. At first, I thought the book moved around a little bit and it took a second for me to understand where the novel was going, but the story as a whole was good. 

Can't afford to travel this summer? Then pick up The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah and feel like you're traveling into the mystical deserts of "1001 Nights"! The setting of this retelling is definitely the highlight, the descriptions so lush you'll swear you can feel the burning sand on your feet! Packed with magic and tricky jinn, The Stardust Thief is the first book to a new trilogy that will leave you saying, "I wish I had book two!".