Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
Following the success of her New York Times Bestseller,
The Girl on the Train, Hawkins' latest novel follows the demise of a single mother obsessed with the "drowning pool" in Beckford, England. Multiple narrators from the town unravel the mystery of the many women and young girls whose lives have been taken there. An eerie tale that will keep you engrossed to the very end.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
Take a step back in time with the mathematically talented Charlie St. Clair as she joins forces with a veteran female spy to track down her cousin, Rose, who has gone missing in the aftermath of World War II. The narrative shifts between Charlie's search for Rose to World War I when espionage agent Eve Gardiner is stationed in France working as a waitress for a sadistic war profiteer. "...the lives of two indomitable women intertwine in a plot crackling with suspense. We root for Charlie and Eve, and cheer when they triumph." —
NPR Books
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Angie Thomas's best-selling YA novel follows 16-year-old Starr Carter, who is drawn to activism after her unarmed friend is shot and killed by a police officer. As the sole witness of the incident, Starr is pulled into the overwhelming situation of testifying in front of a grand jury all the while dealing with the average struggles of daily high school life. "Thomas's debut novel offers an incisive and engrossing perspective of the life of a black teenage girl as Starr's two worlds converge over questions of police brutality, justice, and activism." —
The Atlantic
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Nominated for the Booker Prize, Hamid's fourth novel,
Exit West, uses fantastical elements to explore the themes of emigration and life as a refugee. Hamid does not deal in merely the physical difficulties refugees experience, but rather the psychological impact of fleeing one's home and the unimaginable loss that results. Michiko Kakutani of the
New York Times writes, "By mixing the real and the surreal, and using old fairy-tale magic, Hamid has created a fictional universe that captures the global perils percolating beneath today’s headlines, while at the same time painting an unnervingly dystopian portrait of what might lie down the road."
Origin by Dan Brown
This year Dan Brown released his fifth installment in his Robert Langdon series, following 2013's
Inferno.
Origin begins with Langdon arriving at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to attend a major announcement - the unveiling of a discovery that will "change the face of science forever." Creationism and science are pitted against each other in what
The Guardian calls "a Nostradamus for our muddled times."
Where can teens spend a cozy afternoon making crafts and planning service projects that will brighten the day for people (and animals) who could use a little cheer? At the Library. Do Gooders is a new community service club that meets in the Edge. Recent craft projects have included making holiday cards for soldiers and veterans, creating cat toys for the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and designing earrings for a local women's shelter. Early next year, the Do Gooders will host an interactive music program that gives children an opportunity to try different instruments. If you’re a teen interested in community service, please join us and bring your ideas to the table. For dates and times, 
One of the best parts of working in the Collection Development Department is unpacking the boxes and seeing all the new books, audiobooks, DVDs, and music CDs delivered to the library. Some 2,300 items come through the mailroom each month. This Department—made up of 2 full-timers and 2 part-timers—is responsible for ordering, receiving items, tracking the budget and, sometimes, cataloging and processing materials. Staff make sure materials are correctly processed and labeled, accurately reflected in the online catalog, and ready for patrons to check out and enjoy.
Left: At the end of December, our beloved shelver Ruth Royster will retire from her position. Ruth has been with us for eighteen years and will be greatly missed. Please join us in wishing Ruth well in all her future endeavors. Photo by staff.
