Best Reads of 2013 (11th in a Series)

Doing Hard Time
Stuart Woods

Robert B. Parker's Damned If You Do
Michael Brandman

Waking Up In Heaven
Crystal McVea

From A Grieving Mother's Heart
Terri Ann Leidich

The Husband List
Janet Evanovich

A Hard Day's Fright
Casey Daniels

Mistress
James Patterson

Killer Crust
Chris Cavender

Daddy's Gone A Hunting
Mary Higgins Clark

Arsenic and Old Puzzles
Parnel Hall





Sharon Anderson
Information Specialist

Best Reads of 2013 (10th in a Series)

Tenth of December by George Saunders

This short story collection is a bit on the dark side. The characters find themselves in various circumstances that force them to make tough choices between acting compassionately and self-preservation. Like all great short stories, these are compelling and thought provoking.

Mary White
Information Specialist

Best Reads of 2013 (9th in a Series)

Wisp of a Thing: a novel of the Tufa
by Alex Bledsoe

The Other Typist
by Susan Rindell

The House Girl: a novel
by Tara Conklin

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
by Sheryl Sandberg

Life After Life
by Kate Akinson

Maya's Notebook: a novel
by Isabel Allende

As Sweet As Honey: a novel
by Indira Ganesan

The Interestings: a novel
by Meg Wolitzer

The Aviator's Wife: a novel
by Melanie Benjamin

The Rosie Project: a novel
by Graeme C. Simsion


Ann Decherd
Branch Manager

Best Reads of 2013 (8th in a Series)

Tell me a story about...

The illustrations in Chris Van Allsburg's wordless and nearly wordless books are so evocative, you can't help trying to figure out what happens next.  Hollywood certainly couldn't resist pulling out all the special effects stops for The Polar Express and Jumanji.
 

The illustrations in The Mysteries of Harris Burdick proved irresistible to the imaginations of 14 authors, including Stephen King, Gregory Maguire, and Kate DiCamillo.  Working from the titles and captions in the picture book, they created 14 short stories for The Chronicles of Harris Burdick (cover art caption: "Even with her mighty engines in reverse, the ocean liner was pulled further and further into the canal.")

Try this as a family activity: start with the picture book and discuss the illustrations together.  Then read aloud from the short story collection.  Finally, and you'll want to record this part, encourage everyone to share their own stories about each picture.  I guarantee it will be one of your                             best holiday memories.

Mary Kretsch
Information Specialist

Best Reads of 2013 (7th in a Series)

I love anything by David Ezra Stein, and Dinosaur Kisses is an adorable story about a baby dinosaur who discovers how to kiss in her own special dinosaur way. 

Loki's Wolves, the first book in the Blackwell Pages series, is a must read for fans of Rick Riordan.  This novel is based on Norse Mythology and follows Matt Thorsen, a decendent of Thor, as he assembles a group of misfit descendants of Norse gods and goddesses in an effort to save the world.

Game is the sequel to Barry Lyga's thriller I Hunt Killers.  Not for the faint of heart, Game delivers plenty of action and gore with complex character development. 

Andrea DelValle
Information Specialist - Youth Services

Best Reads of 2013 (6th in a Series)

Tom Angleberger's new book, ART2-D2's Guide to Folding and Doodling features familiar characters from the Origami Yoda series.  There are several fun origami ideas and other crafty activities in this book. 

Code is the third book in the Virals series.  Fans of Kathy Reichs will enjoy this series starring Tory Brennan, the niece of famed forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan.

Andrea DelValle
Information Specialist - Youth Services

Best Reads of 2013 (5th in a series)

I wasn't surprised that of my ten favorite books of 2013, nine of them were fiction.  But I was surprised that about half of my favorites could be categorized as historical fiction.  Although the librarian in me won't allow them to be listed in any other order but alphabetical, I can say that my number one book would be The Son by Philipp Meyer--it was an extraordinary read.

& Sons
by David Gilbert

The Dinner
by Herman Koch

Dissident Gardens
by Jonathan Lethem

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery

The Good Lord Bird
by James McBride

The Interestings
by Meg Wolitzer

Life After Life
by Kate Atkinson

March:  Book One
by John Lewis

The Son
by Philipp Meyer

TransAtlantic
by Colum McCann





Stephen Kight
Assistant Director for Public Services

Best Reads of 2013 (4th in a series)

Librarians LOVE sharing their favorite books, and 2013 definitely brought some new titles to add to my “All Time Favorites” list. It was an impossible task to narrow down the list to just one, but I was finally able to select three favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin

Did you know raccoons love pizza? But would you want to invite a raccoon to eat pizza with you? Of course not! So, it’s up to the raccoon in this book to plan a secret pizza party to get his hands on his favorite food. A hilarious new book by an always fabulous author/illustrator team. 

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

This book is a true gem. Set shortly after the end of WWII, Jack Baker is sent to a boarding school on the coast of Maine and soon finds an unlikely friend in Early Auden, an eccentric boy in his class. When the two set off on a quest along the Appalachian trail, Jack learns there is more behind Early’s odd ways than he previously thought. A perfect book for advanced elementary readers, and a great audio title for the whole family. 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

In a year when young adult publishing continued to explode, Rainbow Rowell is an author to watch. She published two novels this year, and although her first of 2013, Eleanor and Park was a pitch perfect—star crossed romance, Fangirl was by far my favorite teen novel of the year. A wonderfully written, realistic, standalone novel (a rarity in the teen publishing world), Fangirl follows the ups and downs of Cath’s first year of college, complete with family drama, boy trouble, and of course, lots and lots of fan fiction.

Cleo Slaughter
Youth Services Supervisor

Best Reads of 2013 (3rd in a series)

A Tale for the Time Being
by Ruth Ozeki

Longbourn
by Jo Baker

Dinosaur Kisses
by David Ezra Stein

 Battle Bunny
by Jon Scieszka, Mac Barnett and Matthew Myers

Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love & Karaoke
by Rob Sheffield



Meredith Bowermeister
Information Services Supervisor

Best Reads of 2013 (2nd in a series)

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
After a party, Tana wakes up to find all of the other partygoers victims of a vampire attack. She discovers two other survivors: her ex-boyfriend and a mysterious vampire. The three then travel to the nearest Coldtown: a city where the vampire population is quarantined inside. This is a thrilling book mixed with a bit of romance and is my pick for favorite book of the year! 

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
This is a hilarious, feel good romance with a twist. Don Tillman, a genetics professor, approaches life methodically and scientifically. He sets up a “The Wife Project” to find the “perfect” wife. But then he meets Rosie who needs his help to find her biological father. Rosie is everything he is not looking for in a wife: she is passionate, spontaneous, and fiery. Meeting Rosie shows him that love isn’t always logical.

Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen
Frances Osgood is a writer and poet struggling to sell her work in 1845, New York City. She makes an unexpected connection with Edgar Allan Poe whose poem “The Raven” is hugely successful. As her relationship with Poe becomes more complicated she fears she has become the object his young wife’s dangerous schemes.  

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
This is the second book in the Lunar Trilogy. I recommend reading the first book in the series before this one, Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Scarlet is a fantastic sequel which focuses on a different character in the same world. This series is a futuristic retelling of classic fairytales. Cinder, based on Cinderella, is a gifted mechanic and cyborg. Scarlet, based on Little Red Riding Hood, is searching for her grandmother with the help of a street fighter named Wolf.

Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman
This is the full text of Neil Gaiman’s inspiring commencement address at Philadelphia’s University for the Arts in May 2012. In this speech he encourages everyone to think outside the box and make good art.

Jennifer Anderson
Information Specialist