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RFPL Staff PicksNovember 2018
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Click on the title to check availability, and to log in and place holds online. To place holds by phone, please call us at (708) 366-5205. During open hours, you can also chat with us at www.riverforestlibrary.org. It's easy!
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The Library Book by Susan OrleanThe acclaimed best-selling author of Rin Tin Tin and The Orchid Thief reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution—our libraries.
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100 Songs for a Centennial Ella Fitzgerald was unsurpassed as an expressive vocalist who dominated the musical scene, whether singing little ditties or the works of seasoned composers like Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, or the Gershwins. 100 songs culled from the many recordings she made, often with some of the best musical units of the time, mark her many contributions in music across jazz & pop. This extraordinary collection is bound to delight everyone with a deep abiding love for music in general & vocal music in particular.
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Evergreen Tidings from the Baumgartners by Gretchen AnthonyA formidable matriarch learns the hard way that no family is perfect in this witty, sparkling debut novel. Violet Baumgartner has opened her annual holiday letter the same way for the past three decades. And this year she's going to throw her husband, Ed, a truly perfect retirement party, one worthy of memorializing in her upcoming letter. But the event becomes a disaster when, in front of two hundred guests, Violet learns her daughter has been keeping a shocking secret from her, shattering Violet's carefully constructed world.
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Avengers: Infinity War An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War brings to the screen the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
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The End of Your Life Book Club by Will SchwalbeRecounts how the author and his mother read and discussed books during her chemotherapy treatments, describing how the activity involved a wide range of literary genres, furthered their appreciation for literature, and strengthened their bond.
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Fascism: A Warning by Madeleine Korbel AlbrightA former U.S. secretary of state and New York Times best-selling author presents a timely, considered, and personal look at the history and current resurgence of fascism today and the virulent threat it poses to international freedom, prosperity, and peace.
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The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen BrowerAn intimate account of White House life from the perspectives of the service staff from the Kennedys through the Obamas. Details their friendships, marriages, everyday activities, and elaborate state dinners.
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The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M. T. AndersonUptight elfin historian Brangwain Spurge is on a mission: survive being catapulted across the mountains into goblin territory, deliver a priceless peace offering to their mysterious dark lord, and spy on the goblin kingdom - from which no elf has returned alive in more than a hundred years. Brangwain's host, the goblin archivist Werfel, is delighted to show Brangwain around. They should be the best of friends, but a series of extraordinary double crosses, blunders, and cultural misunderstandings throws these two bumbling scholars into the middle of an international crisis that may spell death for them - and war for their nations.
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Where the Woods End by Charlotte SalterTwelve-year-old Kestrel lives in a seemingly endless forest, and in order to escape she will need to defeat her Grabber, a creature that builds its body to reflect her greatest fear.
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Lyric McKerrigan, Secret Librarian by Jacob Sager WeinsteinWhen evil Dr. Glockenspiel threatens all the books in the world, only one person can stop him--a book-wielding, super-secret operative called Lyric McKerrigan.
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Fake Blood by Whitney GardnerIn order to get the attention of Nia, the girl he likes, eleven-year-old A.J. pretends to be a vampire, unaware that she intends to be a slayer.
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Bending the Frame: Photojournalism, Documentary, and the Citizen by Fred RitchinThe older paradigm for photojournalists was to simply record events, with the hope--and frequently the expectation--that people and their governments would be moved to respond to the injustices pictured. Given evolving media and political climates, however, the purpose and effectiveness of media, in particular of visual journalism, has been called into question. Bending the Frame addresses the new and emerging potentials for visual media to impact society.
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Heartbreaker by Claudia DeyA daughter living in a cult community where everyone thinks it is perpetually 1985 frantically searches for her mother, who was the first non-resident to join the town and who may have become the first person to leave.
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North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail by Scott JurekAn expert ultrarunner and best-selling author of Eat and Run describes how he set out to break the speed record for the Appalachian Trail, a 2,189 mile journey that took an unforeseen physical and emotional toll, but also offered him unexpected rewards.
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Uncle Drew When a young man spends his life savings to enter a team into the Rucker Classic street ball tournament, he calls upon an elderly player and his former teammates for help.
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Woman World by Aminder DhaliwalWhen a birth defect wipes out the planet's entire population of men, Woman World rises out of society's ashes. Dhaliwal's infectiously funny comic follows the rebuilding process, tracking a group of women who have rallied together under the flag of "Beyonce's Thighs." Only Grandma remembers the distant past, a civilization of segway-riding mall cops, Blockbusters movie rental shops, and "That's What She Said" jokes.
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Two Dark Reigns by Kendare BlakeKatharine sits on the throne of Fennbirn. Dead bodies have washed up on the shore, but the real Mirabella and Arsinoe are in hiding. There are murmurs of dissent among the people of Fennbirn. The crown has been won, but unexpected renegade is about to wage a war of her own. The battle to be queen is far from done.
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Tower of Dawn by Sarah J MaasA companion novel to the best-selling series follows the character of Captain of the Guard Chaol Westfall, who seeks recovery of his shattered body from the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica at the same time he negotiates an alliance to protect his land from an imminent war.
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Phoenix Unbound by Grace DravenA woman with power over fire and illusion and an enslaved son of a chieftain battle a corrupt empire in this powerful and deeply emotional romantic fantasy. Every year, each village is required to send a young woman to the Empire's capital to be burned alive. For the last five years, one small village's tithe has been the same woman. Gilene's sacrifice protects all the other young women of her village, and her secret to staying alive lies with the magic only she possesses. But this year is different. Azarion, the Empire's most famous gladiator, has somehow seen through her illusion--and is set on blackmailing Gilene into using her abilities to help him escape his life of slavery.
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Little Moments of Love by Catana ChetwyndIt began with a chat about the mere-exposure effect in psychology, and became Chetwynd's internet comic series about following John around, trying to encounter him more. They're fueled by love, silliness, ponytail bears, finger guns, and good ol' snuggling-- and you just might find yourself (and your significant other) in the pages of this book.
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Renegades by Marissa MeyerIn a ruined world where humans with extraordinary abilities have become the world's champions of justice, a vengeance-seeking girl and a justice-seeking boy team up against a villain who has the power to destroy everything they have worked to protect. By the best-selling author of the Lunar Chronicles series.
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The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa SeeExplores the lives of a Chinese mother and her daughter, who has been adopted by an American couple, tracing the very different cultural factors that compel them to consume a rare native tea that has shaped their family's destiny for generations.
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The Man Who Couldn't Stop: OCD and the True Story of a Life Lost in Thought by David AdamDrawing on the latest research on the brain as well as historical accounts of patients and their treatments, an accomplished science writer shares his 20-year battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder and his unflinchingly honest attempt to understand the condition and his experiences. Includes notes and references.
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Harbor Me by Jacqueline WoodsonThe National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and author of the National Book Award-winning Brown Girl Dreaming traces the experiences of a group of kids who meet weekly to support each other through their struggles with racism, a parent's imprisonment, financial setbacks, and other challenges.
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Two Steps Forward by Graeme C SimsionAn artist reeling from her husband's sudden death and an engineer recovering from a messy divorce embark on the centuries-old Camino de Santiago pilgrim route from France to Spain, tackling unanticipated challenges and their own difficulties with trusting strangers along the way.
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Little Comfort by Edwin HillHarvard librarian Hester Thursby must track down charismatic—and deadly—con man Sam Blaine before he bilks another widow out of her life savings. A first novel.
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The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth WareAfter erroneously receiving a mysterious letter about a large inheritance, Hal attends the deceased’s funeral and realizes that something is very, very wrong. By the New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood.
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The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie ConnorAn oversized youth with challenging learning disabilities is wrongly suspected of having a hand in his best friend's death, a situation that compels him to create an underground haven for himself and a bullied new friend.
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50 After 50: Reframing the Next Chapter of Your Life by Maria Leonard OlsenAt 50, Maria Leonard Olsen was depressed and stuck. She set out on a crusade to make the most of whatever time she had left by doing 50 new things that were significant, at least to her. The list spanned physical challenges, adventure travel, and lifestyle changes. This follows her journey and shows readers how to make their own action lists - whether it be joining a knitting club or hiking the Himalayas. Accomplishing new things, learning new skills, deepening personal and spiritual relationships, and seeking out challenges will add the spice to a life that may feel repetitive, insignificant, inauthentic, or just plain boring.
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Florida by Lauren GroffA collection of stories spanning centuries of time in mercurial Florida examines the decisions and connections behind life-changing events in characters ranging from two abandoned sisters to a conflicted family woman.
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Nobu: A Memoir by Nobuyuki MatsuhisaThe acclaimed celebrity chef and international restaurateur shares the dramatic story of his life, from his devotion to his family to his struggles with depression, while reflecting on the Japanese philosophies and passion that have rendered him one of the world's most respected fusion culinary artists.
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L'appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home by David LebovitzThe professional chef presents an account of his life as an ex-pat in Paris, drawing on his maddening experiences in apartment renovation to present stories about French culture, food, and what it means to revamp one's life.
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Bat and the Waiting Game by Elana K ArnoldWhen austistic boy Bat's sister Janie gets a part in the school play, Bat's life regrettably changes as Janie cannot watch him after school, someone else has to care for his pet skunk, and Janie starts having sleepovers with new friends.
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A Measure of Darkness by Jonathan KellermanAttending the scene of a mass shooting at a West Oakland party, Alameda County Coroner's Deputy Clay Edison discovers a mysterious victim and is drawn into a bizarre counterculture world of blurred moralities. By the award-winning authors of Crime Scene.
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A Noise Downstairs by Linwood BarclayBattling PTSD and depression after an accidental stumble into a murder scene, a college professor begins writing his novel on a vintage typewriter that he comes to believe is possessed and somehow linked to the crime he survived.
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Sweet Little Lies by Caz FrearA London policewoman from a troubled family is forced to investigate dark secrets in her estranged father's past to solve the murder of a young housewife and the disappearance of a teen girl years earlier.
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Baby Teeth by Zoje StageAn ailing woman fights to protect her family from her mute daughter's psychologically manipulative schemes, which are complicated by her doting husband's denial about their daughter's true nature.
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Mr. Mercedes Season One The story of a psychopathic killer who drives a stolen Mercedes into a crowd and a recently retired detective who tries to bring him down.
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Paradox by Catherine CoulterWith unparalleled suspense and her trademark explosive twists, Coulter delves into the terrifying mind of an escaped mental patient obsessed with revenge in this next installment of her riveting FBI series. Paradox is a chilling mix of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, old secrets that refuse to stay buried, and ruthless greed.
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Homegoing by Yaa GyasiTwo half-sisters, unknown to each other, are born into different villages in 18th-century Ghana and experience profoundly different lives and legacies throughout subsequent generations marked by wealth, slavery, war, coal mining, the Great Migration, and the realities of 20th-century Harlem.
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The Great Believers by Rebecca MakkaiA 1980s Chicago art gallery director loses his loved ones to the AIDS epidemic until his only companion is his daughter, who, decades later, grapples with the disease's wrenching impact on their family. By the author of The Hundred-Year House.
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Sabrina by Nick DrnasoWhen Sabrina disappears, an airman in the U.S. Air Force is drawn into a web of suppositions, wild theories, and outright lies. Sabrina depicts a modern world devoid of personal interaction and responsibility, where relationships are stripped of intimacy through glowing computer screens. An indictment of our modern state, Drnaso contemplates the dangers of a fake news climate.
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My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa MoshfeghAfter losing her parents, a young college graduate in New York City spends a year alienating the world under the influence of a crazy combination of drugs.
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Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka MurataA Japanese woman who has been working at a convenience store for 18 years, much to the disappointment of her family, finds friendship with an alienated, cynical, and bitter young man who becomes her coworker.
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Heartbreaker: Stories by Maryse MeijerA debut collection explores the dark regions of the human psyche, touching on such themes as sex, femininity, and family in stories about people who demonstrate a willingness to commit violence in the name of love and survival.
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Please Be Mine Downhearted -- Wrong for You -- Please Forgive Me -- Try -- Loneliest Heart -- Torn to Pieces -- Fool -- Not Today -- Please Be Mine -- I Love You Still
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Against Memoir: Complaints, Confessions, & Criticism by Michelle TeaValerie Solanas, a lesbian gang, recovering alcoholics, and teenagers surviving at a shop: these are some of the figures populating America's borders. These essays include fights and failures and the uncovering of and documentation of these lives. Michelle Tea reveals herself through these stories.
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The Wizards of Once by Cressida CowellThe magically inept son of a wizard king and the magic-possessing daughter of a warrior queen meet on the wildwood trail of a deadly witch before embarking on an adventure that changes the fabric of their worlds. By the best-selling author of How to Train Your Dragon.
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Love Letters to Jane's World by Paige BraddockThis essential Jane's World collection debuts twenty years after Jane Wyatt first appeared in Paige Braddock's trailblazing comics strip about a young lesbian woman making her clumsy way in the world and the friends who help (or hinder) her along the journey. The Eisner-nominated Jane's World was the first syndicated comic strip with a lesbian main character to appear in many major newspaper markets. This new volume collects the most quintessentially "Jane" storylines from the strip's early, middle, and later years, and pairs them with "love letters" and notes of appreciation from notable fans.
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The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert MurdockBullied and marginalized because of the hump on his back and his tendency to talk to animals, Boy is engaged as a servant to a shadowy pilgrim who takes him on an expedition across Europe to steal seven religious artifacts from dangerous enemies.
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There There by Tommy OrangeTwelve Native Americans came to the Big Oakland Powwow for different reasons. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life together after his uncle's death and has come to work the powwow and to honor his uncle's memory. Edwin Frank has come to find his true father. Bobby Big Medicine has come to drum the Grand Entry. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil Red Feather. Orvil has taught himself Indian dance through YouTube videos, and he has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. Tony Loneman is a young Native American boy whose future seems destined to be as bleak as his past, and he has come to the Powwow with darker intentions -- intentions that will destroy the lives of everyone in his path.
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You Don't Know Everything, Jilly P! by Alex GinoWhen her new baby sister is born deaf, Jilly makes an online connection with a fellow fantasy fan, who happens to be black and deaf, and begins to learn about the many obstacles that exist in the world for people who are different from her.
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