Staff Picks: March & April 2023
Enjoy these Amherst Town Library staff picks!
 
Raquel's Picks
The breakdown
by B. A. Paris

Unable to forget a murder she witnessed when she was where she was not supposed to be, Cass struggles with an increasingly compromised memory before she begins receiving silent, sinister phone calls. By the best-selling author of Behind Closed Doors.
Find you first : a novel
by Linwood Barclay

Searching for the children he has never known, tech billionaire Miles Cookson, diagnosed with a terminal illness, discovers that, one by one, his potential heirs are vanishing - every trace of them wiped, like they never existed at all. 
The night she disappeared : a novel
by Lisa Jewell

One year after a young woman and her boyfriend disappear on a massive country estate, a writer stumbles upon a mysterious note that could be the key to finding out what happened to the missing young couple.
Sara M's Picks
The beantown girls
by Jane Healey

After her fiancé goes missing during the war, Fiona decides to volunteer overseas as a Red Cross Clubmobile girl and brings along her friends Dottie and Viviana, an adventure that has them encounter new friendships, new loves, and new danger
The girls in the picture
by Melanie Benjamin

An intimate reimagining of the powerful creative partnership between Hollywood superstars Frances Marion and Mary Pickford traces their friendship and boundary-breaking achievements against a backdrop of pre-World War I Hollywood. By the best-selling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue.
The things we keep
by Sally Hepworth

While a couple with early-stage Alzheimer's disease struggles to hold fast to their memories and growing relationship with one another, a chef at their assisted-living facility questions her willingness to help them in the wake of a tragic incident. By the best-selling author of The Secrets of Midwives.
We are all the same in the dark : a novel
by Julia Heaberlin

The discovery of an unknown girl found by the side of the road a decade after an unsolved disappearance compels a young police officer's investigation into dangerous local and personal secrets. By the best-selling author of Black-Eyed Susans
Sarah L's Picks
The bean trees : a novel
by Barbara Kingsolver

Taylor Greer leaves her poverty-stricken life in Kentucky and heads west, picking up an abandoned Native American baby girl whom she names Turtle and finds a home in Tucson with Mattie, a woman who takes in refugees
Breathing room
by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Having lost her fiance to another woman and her savings to a dishonest accountant, Dr. Isabel Favor seeks emotional shelter in Italy, where she encounters Hollywood actor Lorenzo Gage, with whom she finds renewal. By the author of This Heart of Mine.
The death of Mrs. Westaway
by Ruth Ware

After 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.
Fuzz
by Mary Roach

Join "America's funniest science writer" (Peter Carlson, Washington Post), Mary Roach, on an irresistible investigation into the unpredictable world where wildlife and humans meet. What's to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology. 
Tina's Picks
The art of fielding : a novel
by Chad Harbach

A baseball star at a small college near Lake Michigan launches a routine throw that goes disastrously off course and inadvertently changes the lives of five people, including the college president, a gay teammate and the president's daughter.
House of Trelawney
by Hannah Rothschild

Four women from an eccentric and dysfunctional family of English aristocrats navigate historical events, from wars to economic recessions, that have driven their once-grand Cornwall estate into ruin. By the author of The Improbability of Love.
Sankofa : a novel
by Chibundu Onuzo

When Anna, wondering who she really is, discovers that the African father she never knew is still alive, she embarks on a journey to a small nation in West Africa where she searches for her family's hidden roots.
Still life
by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of Canada's S–ret‚ du Quebec is called to Three Pines, a tiny hamlet south of Montreal, just north of the U.S. border, to investigate the suspicious hunting "accident" that claimed the life of Jane Neal, a local fixture in the village.
Alexa's Picks
Darling rose gold
by Stephanie Wrobel

Enduring decades of serious illness as a victim of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy before exposing her mother's behavior, Rose Gold invites her unrepentant mother back into her life to secretly settle the score.
Gideon the ninth
by Tamsyn Muir

When the Emperor invites all eight necromancer heirs, from all eight loyal Houses, to compete in unknown trails to possibly ascend into something that will make them immortal, no necromancer can compete without a skilled cavalier by their side, and Harrowhark has no choice but to get Gideon to help her and save the future of the Ninth House
The other Bennet sister : a novel
by Janice Hadlow

A reimagining of the story of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice spinster, Mary Bennet, finds her navigating limited cultural expectations before embracing her intellectual identity and making her own choices about her future.
The Program
by Suzanne Young

When suicide becomes a worldwide epidemic, the only known cure is The Program, a treatment in which painful memories are erased, a fate worse than death to 17-year-old Sloane, who knows that The Program will steal memories of her dead brother and boyfriend.
Amy's Picks
Always the last to know
by Kristan Higgins

After their father suffers a stroke, two sisters must return home and deal with the paths both their lives have taken as well as their parents relationship in this new novel from the author of Good Luck with That.
Flying solo : a novel
by Linda Holmes

Returning to her Maine hometown to handle her grandmother’s estate, Laurie investigates a love letter and a mysterious wooden duck she found at the bottom of a cedar chest and is swept up in a journey of self-discovery and antiques.
The Nordic knitting primer : a step-by-step guide to Scandinavian colorwork
by Kristin Drysdale

Gorgeous Scandinavian knitwear is within reach for knitters of all levels with this collection of timeless patterns and essential techniques. Kristin Drysdale, founder of Scandiwork, has taught countless knitters the art of colorwork with her innovative and approachable methods. If you've ever felt intimidated by ornate, multicolor patterns, Kristin's encouraging guidance, step-by-step photos, and foolproof instructions will make you fall in love with Nordic knitting.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton
by Julia Quinn

Secretly drawn to her best friend's brother for years, Penelope Featherington believes that she knows everything about Colin Bridgerton, until she stumbles upon his deepest secrets. By a #1 New York Times best-selling author.
Angela's Picks
I'll show myself out : essays on midlife & motherhood
by Jessi Klein

The New York Times best-selling author and Emmy Award-winning writer and producer hilariously destroys the cultural myths and impossible expectations of modern-day motherhood and explores the humiliations, poignancies and possibilities of midlife. 
 
Transcription
by Kate Atkinson

A BBC radio producer finds herself targeted by dangerous individuals from her past as a World War II espionage monitor for MI5. By the author of Life After Life. 
You look like a thing and I love you : how artificial intelligence works and why it's making the world a weirder place
by Janelle Shane

You look like a thing and I love you" is one of the best pickup lines ever... according to an artificial intelligence trained by scientist Janelle Shane, creator of the popular blog AI Weirdness. She creates silly AIs that learn how to name paint colors, create the best recipes, and even flirt (badly) with humans--all to understand the technology that governs so much of our daily lives. We rely on AI every day for recommendations, for translations, and to put cat ears on our selfie videos. We also trust AI with matters of life and death, on the road and in our hospitals. But how smart is AI really... and how does it solve problems, understand humans, and even drive self-driving cars?
Becky's Picks
The dinner list
by Rebecca Serle

In a novel imbued with magical realism, when Sabrina Nielsen arrives at her 30th birthday dinner in New York City, she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also her favorite professor from college; her father; her ex-fiance, Tobias; and Audrey Hepburn.
Ghosted : a novel
by Rosie Walsh

An idyllic romance between Sarah and her boyfriend, Eddie, is shattered when Eddie abruptly disappears, prompting Sarah to ignore her friends' advice and investigate what really happened. A U.S. debut.
Ikigai : the Japanese secret to a long and happy life
by Héctor García

Interviews with the residents of a Japanese village that has the world’s highest percentage of 100-year-olds reveals the secrets to happiness and longevity through ikigai, the intersection of passion, purpose and mission.
Me before you
by Jojo Moyes

Taking a job as an assistant to extreme sports enthusiast Will, who is wheelchair bound after a motorcycle accident, Louisa struggles with her employer's acerbic moods and learns of his shocking plans before demonstrating to him that life is still worth living. By the author of The Last Letter from Your Lover.
Julie's Picks
Blackbird House
by Alice Hoffman

An evocative, episodic novel by the author of Practical Magic presents a series of interlinking stories that capture the lives and fortunes of the various occupants of an old Massachusetts house over the course of two centuries.
The historian : a novel
by Elizabeth Kostova

Discovering a medieval book and a cache of letters, a motherless American girl becomes the latest in a series of historians, including her late father, who investigates the possible surviving legacy of Vlad the Impaler, a quest that takes her across Europe and into the pasts of her father and his mentor.
The peculiar miracles of Antoinette Martin : a novel
by Stephanie Knipper

In the spirit of Vanessa Diffenbaugh's The Language of Flowers--and with a touch of the magical--comes a spellbinding debut about a wondrously gifted child. Sisters Rose and Lily Martin were inseparable when they were kids. As adults, they've been estranged for years, until circumstances force them to come together to protect Rose's daughter. Ten-year-old Antoinette has a severe form of autism that requires constant care and attention. She has never spoken a word, but she has a powerful gift that others would give anything to harness: she can heal things with her touch.
Their eyes were watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston

When independent Janie Crawford returns home, her small African-American community begins to buzz with gossip about the outcome of her affair with a younger man, in a novel set in the 1930s South.
Lisa C's Picks
The Dutch house : a novel
by Ann Patchett

A tale set over the course of five decades traces a young man's rise from poverty to wealth and back again as his prospects center around his family's lavish Philadelphia estate. By the award-winning author of Commonwealth.
Lab girl
by Hope Jahren

A debut memoir by an award-winning paleobiologist traces her childhood in her father's laboratory, her longtime relationship with a brilliant but wounded colleague and the remarkable discoveries they have made both in the lab and during extensive field research assignments.
Riding the bus with my sister : a true life journey
by Rachel Simon

Chronicles the author's year-long series of bus journeys through a Pennsylvania city alongside her mentally disabled sister, during which she learned lessons in slowing down, living in the moment, reassessing life priorities, and family ties.
Lisa W's Picks
All creatures great and small

Follows the adventures of the staff at a veterinarian practice in early twentieth century Yorkshire
The Paris apartment : a novel
by Lucy Foley

Arriving in Paris to stay with her brother Ben, Jess learns that he has gone missing, and to find him, starts digging into his life, realizing even though she has come to the City of Lights to escape her past, it's his future hanging in the balance.
Reckless girls
by Rachel Hawkins

When they arrive at Meroe Island, a remote island paradise in the South Pacific despite a mysterious history of shipwrecks, cannibalism and murder, six people find their dream vacation turning into a nightmare when history starts repeating itself.
White Lotus

Set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, follows the exploits of the hotel guests and employees as tensions arise between them, revealing the complex truths of the seemingly picture-perfect reality
Pam's Picks
Clanlands : whisky, warfare, and a Scottish adventure like no other
by Sam Heughan

From their faithful camper van to boats, kayaks, bicycles, and motorbikes, join stars of Outlander Sam and Graham on a road trip with a difference, as two Scotsmen explore a land of raw beauty, poetry, feuding, music, history, and warfare. Unlikely friends Sam and Graham begin their journey in the heart of Scotland at Glencoe and travel from there all the way to Inverness and Culloden battlefield, where along the way they experience adventure and a cast of highland characters. In this story of friendship, finding themselves, and whisky, they discover the complexity, rich history and culture of their native country.
Fleishman is in trouble : a novel
by Taffy Brodesser-Akner

Divorcing his hostile wife when he concludes he could find genuine happiness elsewhere, a doctor is astonished when his ex abruptly disappears, making him unable to move on without acknowledging painful truths about his marriage.
Insomnia : a novel
by Sarah Pinborough

With her 40th birthday approaching - the same time her mother went insane - Emma Averell is unable to sleep, and loses time during the day, symptoms her mother showed, leading her to wonder if the madness is in her blood or is she slowly beginning to lose her mind. 
No time like the future : an optimist considers mortality
by Michael J. Fox

The award-winning actor shares personal stories and observations about illness and health, aging, the strength of family and friends, and how our perceptions about time affect the way we approach mortality.
Peg's Picks
Beneficence : a novel
by Meredith Hall

When tragedy strikes the close-knit Senter family, who, after World War II, created an Eden-like life on their isolated dairy farm, each must fight their own grief and guilt as they attempt to reclaim some semblance of their own life.
Bettyville : a memoir
by George Hodgman

In a powerful story of secrets, silences and enduring love, a veteran magazine and book editor returns to his hometown of Paris, Missouri, to take care of his aging mother, Betty, a strong-willed woman who speaks her mind and has never really accepted the fact that her son is gay.
The warmth of other suns : the epic story of America's great migration
by Isabel Wilkerson

In an epic history covering the period from the end of World War I through the 1970s, a Pulitzer Prize winner chronicles the decades-long migration of African Americans from the South to the North and West through the stories of three individuals and their families.
Page Picks
Caitlin's Picks
Swear on this life : a novel
by Renée Carlino

From USA TODAY bestselling author Renee Carlino (Before We Were Strangers), a warm and witty novel about a struggling writer who must come to grips with her past, present, and future after she discovers that she's the inspiration for a pseudonymously published bestselling novel. When a bestselling debut novel from mysterious author J. Colby becomes the literary event of the year, Emiline reads it reluctantly. As an adjunct writing instructor at UC San Diego with her own stalled literary career and a bumpy long-term relationship, Emiline isn't thrilled to celebrate the accomplishments of a young and gifted writer. Yet from the very first page, Emiline is entranced by the story of Emerson and Jackson, two childhood best friends who fall in love and dream of a better life beyond the long dirt road that winds through their impoverished town in rural Ohio.
The unhoneymooners
by Christina Lauren

Partnered with a nemesis best man on a paradise honeymoon when her bride twin gets food poisoning, a chronically unlucky maid of honor assumes the role of a newlywed before unexpectedly falling for her companion.
Ella's Picks
Challenger deep
by Neal Shusterman

A brilliant but troubled high school student pretends to engage in sports activities and uses his artistic talents to document his voyage to the world's most southern point while his friends observe his increasingly unbalanced behavior. 
Convenience store woman
by Sayaka Murata

A 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.
Julia's Picks
Conversations with friends : a novel
by Sally Rooney

Devoting herself to an intellectual life and the self-possessed lover with whom she performs spoken-word poetry readings, a college student is drawn into the lives of a sophisticated journalist and her husband before the increasingly intimate relationship tests the boundaries of her resolve.
Just kids
by Patti Smith

An artist and musician recounts her romance, lifetime friendship and shared love of art with Robert Mapplethorpe, in an illustrated memoir that includes a colorful cast of characters, including Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol, William Burroughs and more.
Lucie's Picks
Red, white & royal blue
by Casey McQuiston

After an international incident affects U.S. and British relations, the president's son Alex and Prince Henry must pretend to be best friends, but as they spend time together, the two begin a secret romance that could derail a presidential campaign
Maia's Picks
The book jumper
by Mechthild Gläser

While visiting her mother's childhood home in Scotland, Amy discovers that she is able to jump into books and experience their stories firsthand, but peril arises when she is confronted by a dangerous adversary who is stealing from the books she visits and threatening her life, in a first U.S. translation by an award-winning writer from Germany.
Dustborn
by Erin Bowman

When raiders sent by a man known as the General attack her village, Delta suspects he is searching for her. Delta sets out to rescue her family but quickly learns that in the Wastes no one can be trusted; perhaps not even her childhood friend, Asher, who has been missing for nearly a decade.
Meagan's Picks
If we were villains
by M. L. Rio

Entreated to tell his side of the story to a detective who put him in prison a decade earlier for a murder he may not have committed, Oliver describes his past as a Shakespearean actor whose rivalry with a castmate escalated in dangerous ways. 
 
Truly devious
by Maureen Johnson

A first entry in a new series by the best-selling author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes introduces sharp and funny detective Stevie Bell, whose first year at an elite boarding school finds her unraveling two mysteries, including one from the school's past and one in the present.
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Amherst, New Hampshire 03031
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