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RFPL Staff PicksNovember 2017 |
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 Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by Brenda Z GuibersonA lavishly illustrated introduction to the ocean's most superlative animals invites young readers to choose their favorites among sea creatures with the most venom, the greatest diving ability, the best rotating eyes and more. By an artist who has been awarded five gold medals from the Society of Illustrators and first prizes in both the Bologna and Barcelona International Book Fairs.
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What Makes a Baby by Cory SilverbergDescribes the processes of conception, gestation, and birth for young readers.
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Braced by Alyson GerberLooking forward to a promising new school year playing soccer and spending time with her crush, Rachel receives the terrible news that her scoliosis has gotten worse and that she will be required to wear a back brace that sets her apart from her peers and challenges her sense of self. A first novel.
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Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron ReynoldsThe celebrated team behind Caldecott Honor-winning Creepy Carrots! presents a humorous story about what happens when a decidedly brave Jasper Rabbit becomes spooked when he turns out the light and discovers that his new big-rabbit undies glow in the dark.
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Dear Martin by Nic StoneProfiled by a racist police officer in spite of his excellent academic achievements and Ivy League acceptance, a disgruntled college youth navigates the prejudices of new classmates and his crush on a white girl by writing a journal to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the hopes that his iconic role model's teachings will be applicable half a century later. A first novel.
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The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F. C YeeSixteen-year-old Genie's focus on getting into a top-tier college is destroyed when an enigmatic transfer student, Quentin, helps her transform into a demon-fighter.
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The Dry by Jane HarperReceiving a sinister anonymous note after his best friend's suspicious death, federal agent Aaron Falk is forced to confront the fallout of a 20-year-old false alibi against a backdrop of the worst drought Melbourne has seen in a century. A first novel.
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How to Impress a Marquess by Susanna Ives TAKE ONE MARQUESS: Proper, put-upon, dependable, but concealing a sensitive artist's soul. ADD ONE BOHEMIAN LADY: Creative, boisterous, unruly, but secretly yearning for a steadfast love, home, and family. SHAKE until a stuffy marquess and rebellious lady make a shocking discovery: the contents of their hearts are just alike. Take a sip. You'll laugh, you'll swoon, you'll never want this moving Victorian love story to end.
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Life Among the Savages by Shirley JacksonThe author offers a humorous account of her experiences as she, her husband, and their four young children moved from an apartment in the city to a big house in rural Vermont. |
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Roar by Cora CarmackGroomed to be an ideal ruler despite an absence of the magical abilities shared by her predecessors, Aurora is committed by her mother to an arranged marriage with a brooding prince from another kingdom whose secrets compel Aurora to investigate allegations of black-market magic. A first young adult novel by the author of the best-selling Losing It. |
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All the Things We Never Knew by Sheila HamiltonThe widow of a man who succumbed to bipolar disorder describes the sudden and tragic descent of her once-brilliant, passionate partner and reflects on how her young daughter and she recovered and learned to forgive throughout subsequent years.
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The Bright Hour : a memoir of living and dying by Nina RiggsThe author of Lucky, Lucky presents a full-length account of her experiences with terminal metastatic breast cancer as documented in her blog Suspicious Country, a journey that reshaped her views about marriage, motherhood, friendship and memory.
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Captivate : the science of succeeding with people by Vanessa van EdwardsA quirky playbook by "The Science of People" blogger shares her own difficulties with social awkwardness, outlining her discoveries into how people interact to offer confidence-bolstering strategies for taking control of social situations and overcoming anxiety.
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The ComebackFormer television sitcom star Valerie Cherish looks to revive her career by starring in a reality television show.
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The Resurrection of Joan Ashby : a novel by Cherise WolasA once-dedicated literary prodigy and career woman struggles with the sacrifices required by her marriage and motherhood before an unthinkable betrayal confirms her deepest fears two decades later. A first novel.
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Sisters : a novel by Lily TuckA new wife struggles with her unrelenting obsession with her husband's first wife. By a winner of the National Book Award.
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Young Jane Young : a novel by Gabrielle ZevinCruelly branded for her affair with her congressman boss, an intern and blogger changes her name and moves to a remote town in Maine with her young daughter before local prompting to run for public office forces her to reckon with the past. By the best-selling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. |
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This Beautiful Fantastic A young woman who hopes to be a children's author begins an unlikely friendship with a cranky, old widower. |
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Caraval by Stephanie GarberBelieving that she will never be allowed to participate in the annual Caraval performance when her ruthless father arranges her marriage, Scarlett receives the invitation she has always dreamed of before her sister, Tella, is kidnapped by the show's mastermind organizer. A first novel.
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Cruel Beauty by Rosamund HodgeA tale inspired by Beauty and the Beast finds Nyx, a girl betrothed since birth to the evil ruler of her kingdom, training to kill her intended and resenting the father whose foolish bargain sealed her fate, a situation that transforms when she discovers that the man she must marry is a charming being with a compelling secret. A debut novel. 75,000 first printing.
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Dividing Eden by Joelle CharbonneauWhen their father and older sibling are killed by assassins, a pair of royal twins who were never destined to rule are forced to compete against each other in a dangerous trial that is shaped by the schemes of a power-hungry ruling council. By the best-selling author of the Testing trilogy. 150,000 first printing.
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The Language of Thorns : midnight tales and dangerous magic by Leigh BardugoA collection of folklore-inspired stories set in the world of her best-selling Grishaverse novels includes three new tales of dark bargains, talking beasts and lovelorn quests, in a volume complemented by spot art and six richly detailed, full-spread illustrations.
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The Night Circus : a novel by Erin MorgensternWaging a fierce competition for which they have trained since childhood, circus magicians Celia and Marco unexpectedly fall in love with each other and share a fantastical romance that manifests in fateful ways. A first novel.
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Six of Crows by Leigh BardugoOffered a chance to participate in a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker recruits a team of talented associates to organize a plot that is threatened by their mutual enmity.
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The Wrath & the Dawn by Renée AhdiehComing of age in a land where the Caliph of Khorasan takes a new bride each night and executes her at sunrise, 16-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry him in order to break the cycle and exact revenge for the murder of her best friend. Inspired by A Thousand and One Nights. A first novel. |
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Best Day Ever by Kaira Sturdivant RoudaAs Paul and Mia Strom drive out of the city and toward the countryside, a spike of tension begins to wedge itself between them and doubts start to arise. How much do they trust each other? And how perfect is their marriage, or any marriage, really? By a USA Today best-selling author. 60,000 first printing.
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The Far Away Brothers : two young migrants and the making of an American life by Lauren MarkhamAn urgent chronicle of contemporary immigration follows the harrowing journey of a pair of teenaged twins from El Salvador who were forced by gang violence to see safety and a better life in the United States, an endeavor marked by family estrangement, a mounting coyote debt and America's complicated immigration policies.
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Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste NgFighting an ugly custody battle with an artistic tenant who has little regard for the strict rules of their progressive Cleveland suburb, a straitlaced family woman who is seeking to adopt a baby becomes obsessed with exposing the tenant's past, only to trigger devastating consequences for both of their families.
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Seven Days of Us : a novel by Francesca HornakLooking forward to a Christmas family reunion for the first time in years, the Birch family is upended by the news that their physician-activist daughter has been exposed to a foreign virus that forces the entire family into quarantine for a week also shaped by respective anxieties, past glory and a shocking secret. A first novel by the author of Worry With Mother.
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Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail HoneymanA socially awkward, routine-oriented loner teams up with a bumbling IT guy from her office to assist an elderly accident victim, forging a friendship that saves all three from lives of isolation and secret unhappiness.
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Her Body and Other Parties : stories by Carmen Maria MachadoBordering psychological realism and science fiction, a collection of stories explore the reality of women's lives and the violence inflicted upon their bodies.
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How to Behave in a Crowd : a novel by Camille BordasA misfit youngest child in a large French family of overachievers makes quiet observations about his world and becomes the only family member brave enough to help the others through their grief in the wake of a devastating tragedy.
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One Mixed-Up Night by Catherine NewmanUnbeknownst to their parents, twelve-year-olds Frankie and Walter spend the night in an IKEA store.
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Spinning by Tillie WaldenUnable to conceive of a life beyond her competitive training regimen, a teen figure skater begins to question her unrelenting lifestyle in the wake of a growing passion for art and a first love with a new girlfriend. By the award-winning creator of I Love This Part.
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Things We Lost in the Fire : stories by Mariana EnriquezA U.S. release of an anthology of stories by a debut writer from Buenos Aires explores macabre dimensions of life in contemporary Argentina, from women who set themselves on fire to protest domestic violence to a 9-year-old serial killer who acts out in gruesome ways in her classroom.
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And Then There Were None by Agatha ChristieConsidered one of the greatest mysteries of all times, ten strangers, each with a dark secret, are gathered together on an isolated island by a mysterious host. One by one, they die, and before the weekend is out, there will be none. |
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Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha ChristieOn a three-day journey through the snowbound Balkan hills, Hercule Poirot must weed through an array of international suspects to find the passenger who murdered a gangster on the Orient Express. |
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Gifted A mathematically gifted seven-year-old girl finds herself in the middle of a custody battle between her uncle and grandmother who have differing opinions on how she should be raised.
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The Heart's Invisible Furies by John BoyneAdopted by a well-to-do, if eccentric, Dublin couple that remind him that he is not a real member of their family, Cyril embarks on a journey to find himself and where he came from, discovering his identity, a home, a country and much more throughout a long lifetime.
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Since We Fell by Dennis LehaneRetreating from the world in the aftermath of a traumatizing reporting assignment, Rachel finds happiness with a raffish businessman before witnessing activities surrounding a conspiracy that tests the limits of her fragile psyche. By the best-selling author of Mystic River. 500,000 first printing.
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Their Finest During the bombing of London in World War II, a film crew puts together a movie to boost the country's morale and convince Americans to join the war.
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Vikings: First seasonFollows Viking Ragnar Lothbrok and his family as Ragnar rises to become King of the Viking tribes.
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The Nature Fix : why nature makes us happier, healthier, and more creative by Florence WilliamsAn investigation into the restorative benefits of nature draws on cutting-edge research and the author's explorations with international nature therapy programs to examine the relationship between nature and human cognition, mood and creativity. By the award-winning author of Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History.
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The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermottA portrait of the Irish-American experience is presented through the story of an Irish immigrant's suicide and how it reverberates through innumerable lives in early 20th-century Catholic Brooklyn. By the National Book Award-winning author of Charming Billy.
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Sing, Unburied, Sing : a novel by Jesmyn WardLiving with his grandparents and toddler sister on a Gulf Coast farm, Jojo navigates the challenges of his tormented mother's addictions and his grandmother's terminal cancer before the release of his father from prison prompts a road trip of danger and hope. By the National Book Award-winning author of Salvage the Bones.
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Out of Wonder : Poems celebrating poets by Kwame AlexanderA lyrical ode to poets by the Newbery Medal-winning author of The Crossover and the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Voice of Freedom features original poems crafted to honor 20 famed writers who have inspired and motivated their readers.
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Wishtree by Katherine ApplegateA wise old oak tree that stands as the neighborhood's "wishtree," where people write wishes on cloth and tie them to her branches, shares her days with her crow friend and helps the community embrace differences when new neighbors move in and are not warmly welcomed. By the Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan.
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Harriet the Invincible by Ursula VernonNever a conventional princess, Harriet becomes an adventurer after learning she is cursed to fall into a deep sleep on her 12th birthday, but after two years of slaying ogres, cliff-diving and more, things go awry at home and she must seek a prince to set things right. 75,000 first printing.
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A Properly Unhaunted Place by William AlexanderReluctantly moving with her librarian mother to the world's only ghost-free town, Rosa teams up with local kid Jasper, the son of Renaissance Festival performers, to appease angry spirits who thunder into the quiet community. By the National Book Award-winning author of Goblin Secrets.
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Sparkle Boy by Lesléa NewmanThree-year-old Casey wants what his older sister, Jessie, has--a shimmery skirt, glittery painted nails, and a sparkly bracelet--but Jessie does not approve. After two boys tease Casey about his appearance, Jessie evolves to a place of acceptance and celebration of her gender creative younger brother.
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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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What Happened by Hillary Rodham ClintonA new book of essays by the former secretary of state includes entries describing her experiences in the 2016 presidential campaign and incorporates hundreds of inspirational quotes that have shaped her life and work.
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