West Palm Beach Library Staff Picks For February

West Palm Beach FL

22 February, 2021

7:56 PM

Description

From the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach: February 22, 2021 by Emily & the Mandel Public Library Staff February is Library Lovers Month! There's nothing we library staff love more than to share our passions with you! This includes letting you know what books, movies, and more we've been loving so you can love them, too! We've got a diverse array of recommendations for February, from thrillers to charming animal tales. All of our recommended reads, watches, and listens are available at the library physically and/or digitally: Books Leah's Pick: A Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen Wow - I love this author! This is the third book in the Department Q series, and I've loved all of them. Detective Carl, along with his assistants Assad and Rose, are great characters solving diabolical cold cases based in Denmark.I especially like how Adler-Olsen portrays the foils to his protagonists - all of his characters are so fleshed-out and relatable. Thanks to Sandra for recommending it to me! Sandra's Pick: The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben The Boy From the Woods is an enjoyable and entertaining suspenseful novel. The characters are distinct and delightfully well-drawn. One such character is a 70-year-old lawyer, Hester, who is shrewd, sarcastic, and tough. The book is about a teen disappearing and Hester's grandson enlisting her help, along with the boy from the woods named Wilde, to find him. The novel is smart and full of terrific twists and turns. Antoinette's Pick: The O'Malley series by Dee Henderson It's an older series, but I decided to do a reread of them lately. The series follows a family of seven who were orphaned as teens and form their own family. During my reread, I'm at the age of most of the characters now, and I can appreciate them all in a different light. Their journeys through this inspirational thriller series hit home a lot between work ethic, drive, age, and situations in life. Sarah's Pick: Culture Warlords by Talia Lavin This is a really interesting deep dive into the internet communities of far-right extremists and white supremacists. Talia Lavin did a full year of research in these communities for this book, and it shows. It's a great read, but the audiobook is read by the author and is an even better listen. Janice's Pick: Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley If you like animals, you'll love it this book since it's told almost entirely from their point of view. Perestroika is a racehorse who wanders into Paris when her stall is left open, and she meets many other animals along the way, as well as a few special humans. It's a quick read, but I enjoyed it right to the end. Loved the different voices. Faith's Pick: Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero This is book was both hysterical and terrifying, a twist on what the Scooby-Doo gang would look like in their adult years, after unmasking a monster that didn't turn out to be so human! Jinkies! Theresa's Pick: Long Bright River by Liz Moore This novel is more than a mystery thriller – it's also a look at the opioid crisis and how it impacts two sisters. It's a memorable book, so don't let the number of pages intimate you. You will quickly want to read it to the end! Films Kristine's Pick: Love Between the Covers directed by Laurie Kahn (2015) I explored the romance genre this February and found this documentary about the romance novel industry on hoopla. I was inspired to learn about why the romance authors interviewed, such as Beverly Jenkins, write and how the romance novel industry supports the publishing industry. Recommended to book lovers! Emily's Pick: Contact directed by Robert Zemeckis (1997) When the Millennials Ruin Book Club's February topic was "books about space," we naturally started discussing our favorite space movies, too, and it turned out that not very many people had heard of this wonderful film. Contact is kind-of an earlier and (in my controversial opinion) better version of Interstellar, and also with Matthew McConaughey. Except for this time, a lady takes the lead (go women in STEM!) played by Jodie Foster, who is attempting to establish first contact with extraterrestrial life. This press release was produced by the Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. The views expressed are the author's own.