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Looking for your next favorite? Explore our latest staff picks and featured programs below. Visit our website to browse or subscribe to additional newsletters covering books offered by the Library.
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Live Music Sunday, Sept. 11 2 - 2:30pm Central Library For: All Ages
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Perler Creations Thursday, Sept. 22 4 - 5pm Politi Library For: Middle/High School
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Color Me Calm Thursdays 6 - 7pm Reedley Library For: Adults
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Free and Discounted Passes Museums & Attractions Fresno County Public Library now offers free and discounted passes for museums and attractions across California through the Discover & Go platform.
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California State Parks Passes
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Available now!
In partnership with the First Partner's Office and the California State Library, State Parks is providing free vehicle day-use passes to over 200 participating state park units to library card holders across California. Fresno County Public Library is pleased to make these passes available locally, so that our library users can more easily visit our beautiful State Parks. Visit our website to learn more.
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Enjoy talks from authors and thinkers
We're excited to share a mix of online author talks from a diverse group of authors and genres. Each event will include the opportunity for patrons to ask questions. Explore upcoming talks and browse past event recordings here.
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My First Day
by Phung Nguyen Quang; illustrated by Huynh Kim Lien
Recommended by: Thomas W.
What it is: In this dazzlingly-illustrated picture book, a young Vietnamese boy embarks on a journey across the Mekong Delta during flood season. What will he find at the end of his adventure?
About the authors: Quang and Lien are an author-illustrator duo whose work is inspired by Vietnamese and Asian folk culture.
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Ten Beautiful Things
by Molly Beth Griffin; illustrated by Maribel Lechuga
Recommended by: Thomas W.
What happens: Lily is moving to Gran's farm in Iowa. During the long drive, Gran challenges her to find ten beautiful things that they can share together.
Reviewers say: "Lechuga's digital drawings feel almost cinematic, alternating between dramatic vistas and intense moments of introspection and connection" (Publishers Weekly).
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The Tea Dragon Tapestry
by K. O'Neill
Recommended by: Thomas W.
What it is: A cozy middle grade graphic novel (with truly outstanding art!) about self-discovery, growing from loss, and supporting others. A quick read—but one that will stay with you.
Series alert: This is the third and final book in a trilogy. New readers will want to start with the absorbing opening volume, The Tea Dragon Society.
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Iron Widow
by Xiran Jay Zhao
Recommended by: Heather B.
What it is: An action-packed "Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale" fictional retelling of the only female empress in Chinese history, Wu Zetian.
Why we loved it: The combination of vengeance and love makes for a story that I could not put down.
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Tiny Dancer
by Siena Cherson Siegel; illustrated by Mark Siegel
Recommended by: Michelle B.
What it is: A beautifully-composed graphic memoir.
The setup: Siena is a teenage ballet dancer who has only ever wanted to be a ballerina. After an injury, Siena starts dealing with issues relating to doubt, self-esteem, and purpose. How does one define one's life when a dream, a major part of one’s identity, changes and no longer brings the joy it once did?
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Jade Fire Gold
by June CL Tan
Recommended by: Ashlee G.
The premise: Altan is a lost heir who has his future stolen as a child. Ahn has no past and no family. When they meet, they both see how the other can help them. But will the price be too high?
About the author: June CL Tan writes fantastical tales inspired by Singaporean culture and wuxia. Jade Fire Gold is her debut novel.
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The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy
by Mackenzi Lee
Recommended by: Heather B.
What happens: In Felicity Montague's quest to make a name for herself in a time when women were expected to simply become wives, she finds herself scheming and adventuring all across Europe.
Why we loved it: This is an excellent tale for anyone looking for an adventure!
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Fruits Basket
by Natsuki Takaya
Recommended by: Jessica D.
What it's about: Tohru Honda is an orphan with no place to go until the mysterious Sohma family offers her a place to call home. Now her ordinary high school life is turned upside down as she's introduced to the Sohma's world of magical curses and family secrets.
Further viewing: Check out the anime after you finish the manga!
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A Psalm for the Wild-Built
by Becky Chambers
Recommended by: Heather B.
What it's about: This wonderful hopepunk novella is about a tea monk named Dex, who doesn't quite know what they should be doing with their life. While traveling, they meet a robot and the two spend time learning about and understanding each other and their perspectives.
About the author: Becky Chambers is known for her character-driven, Hugo Award-winning science fiction.
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In the Distance
by Hernan Diaz
Recommended by: David S.
The setup: In the 1840s, a young Swedish immigrant is separated from his brother and becomes a man; the man, despite himself, becomes a legend and outlaw.
Why we loved it: This is a brilliant and fresh take on the old-school western. Described as "Cormac McCarthy by way of Gabriel García Márquez" and written with a clarity and spareness that reflects the vast, empty, arid spaces of the West.
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Fair Trade
by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Recommended by: Penny H.
What it's about: The ongoing story of Terran trader Jethri Gobelyn, who's not only looking for deals to make his unlikely Liaden foster mother proud, but is also advancing a plan to help all traders.
Series alert: This is the latest entry in the long-running Liaden Universe series, following Trader's Leap.
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
by V. E. Schwab
Recommended by: Hannah V.
What it's about: Village girl Addie is chafing at the restrictions of life as a woman in early 18th-century France, so she makes a deal with the devil for "a chance to live and be free."
The problem: The devil grants her wish... literally. So now Addie is immortal, and for 300 years everyone she meets forgets her. Everyone but the man who just caught her returning some books she previously "borrowed" from a New York bookshop.
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Memoirs of a Geisha
by Arthur Golden
Recommended by: Joy S.
What happens: Nitta Sayuri recounts her life, from her beginnings in a small fishing village to her experiences as a geisha in Kyoto.
Why we loved it: This is a tragic, difficult novel that is tremendously well-executed.
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Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood
by Danny Trejo; with Donal Logue
Recommended by: Michelle G.
What it's about: This memoir traces the author's journey from crime, prison, addiction, and loss to unexpected fame.
Why we loved it: The audiobook is read by Danny Trejo himself. He often laughs at himself while reading. He's had a fascinating life and so many Hollywood deaths.
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Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
by Amanda Montell
Recommended by: Alyssa F.
Why we loved it: This is a must-read for those fascinated with how cults are born and how language is used to instill absolute devotion.
You might also like: Sounds Like a Cult, an ongoing podcast in which Montell further explores these themes.
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Atomic Habits
by James Clear
Recommended by: Joy S.
Why we loved it: Clear presents the promise of editing your present habits, to tailor the habits you want to achieve.
Want a taste? "It is only when looking back two, five, or perhaps ten years later that the value of good habits and the cost of bad ones becomes strikingly apparent."
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The Education of an Idealist
by Samantha Power
Recommended by: Shannon M.
Why we loved it: Power has played a major role in the American landscape and it is fascinating to hear about her life—from her childhood in Dublin, to the streets of war-torn Bosnia, to the White House Situation Room and the world of high-stakes diplomacy.
Reviewers say: "Power has a gift for finding the perfect anecdote to illustrate a larger idea or theme, and this is the rare political memoir where you definitely shouldn't skim the 'early years' chapters" (Slate).
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The Girl with Seven Names
by Hyeonseo Lee
Recommended by: Ashlee G.
Why we loved it: This is a harrowing and essential account of what North Koreans suffer in their efforts to obtain freedom.
Did you know? The author's TED Talk has been viewed more than 19 million times on YouTube.
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Marshland
Recommended by: Alyssa F.
What it is: A neo-noir thriller about two police officers hunting a serial killer in a remote area of Spain. Or as IMDB puts it: "Two cops lost in the deep south of Spain. One serial killer to catch. A lot of secrets and lies to disclose."
Did you know? This movie won Best Film, Best Director, and a number of other honors at the Goya Awards (often referred to as the Academy Awards of Spain).
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Alamar
Recommended by: David S.
What it's about: Jorge takes his young son Natan to the pristine Chinchorro Reef to teach him about their Mayan heritage and the rhythms of a fisherman's life, above and below the surface of the sea.
Reviewers say: "Shimmeringly beautiful" (Los Angeles Times).
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