A biweekly selection from our shelves, as curated by your favorite SPL librarians!
For the week of May 10, 2022: Fiction | Nonfiction | Graphic Novels | Movies/TV, Music & More
Fiction
![]() |
If You Ask Me by Libby Hubscher
When an advice columnist's picture-perfect life implodes, she opts to go rogue in this hilarious, heartwarming romance from the author of Meet Me in Paradise. |
![]() |
The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land: Stories by Omer Friedlander
The Man Who Sold Air in the Holy Land announces the arrival of a natural-born storyteller of immense talent. Warm, poignant, delightfully whimsical, Omer Friedlander's gorgeously immersive and imaginative stories take you to the narrow limestone alleyways of Jerusalem, the desolate beauty of the Negev Desert, and the sprawling orange groves of Jaffa, with characters that spring to vivid life |
![]() |
My Annihilation by Fuminori Nakamura
What transforms a person into a killer? Can it be something as small as a suggestion? Turn this page, and you may forfeit your entire life. With My Annihilation, Fuminori Nakamura, master of literary noir, has constructed a puzzle box of a narrative in the form of a confessional diary that implicates its reader in a heinous crime. |
![]() |
Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak
For fans of The Secrets We Kept and American Wife, Our American Friend is a propulsive Cold War-era spy thriller crossed with a fictional biography of a First Lady. Spanning from the 1970s to the present day, traveling from Moscow and Paris to Washington and New York, Anna Pitoniak's novel is a gripping page-turner--and a devastating love story--about power and complicity and how sometimes, the fate of the world is in the hands of the people you'd never expect. |
![]() |
Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson
When fate and tacos bring Ramón and Julieta together on the Day of the Dead, the star-crossed pair must make a choice- accept the bitter food rivalry that drives them apart or surrender to a love that consumes them-perfect for fans of Jane the Virgin! |
![]() |
When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O'Neill
Traveling from a repressive finishing school to a vibrant brothel, taking readers firsthand into the brutality of factory life and the opulent lives of Montreal's wealthy, When We Lost Our Heads dazzlingly explores gender, sex, desire, class, and the terrifying power of the human heart when it can't let someone go. |
Nonfiction
![]() |
Don't Worry: 48 Lessons on Relieving Anxiety from a Zen Buddhist Monk by Shunmyo Masuno
Discover why 90% of your worries won't come true in this highly practical, internationally bestselling guide by the renowned Zen Buddhist author of The Art of Simple Living. |
![]() |
Funny Farm: My Unexpected Life with 600 Rescue Animals by Laurie Zaleski
Funny Farm is Laurie's story: of promises kept, dreams fulfilled, and animals lost and found. It's the story of Annie McNulty, who fled a nightmarish marriage with few skills, no money and no resources, dragging three kids behind her, and accumulating hundreds of cast-off animals on the way. And lastly, it's the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued. Although there are some sad parts (as life always is), there are lots of laughs. |
![]() |
Hell's Half-Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier by Susan Jonusas
A suspense filled tale of murder on the American frontier--shedding new light on a family of serial killers in Kansas, whose horrifying crimes gripped the attention of a nation still reeling from war. |
![]() |
Knit a Hat: A Beginner's Guide to Knitting by Alanna Okun
Knitting is an excellent handcraft and something people love the world over. But for the crafting faint of heart, knitting can appear daunting; you need needles (but what size?), yarn (but what weight?), and a pattern (but what kind?). Knit a Hat teaches you everything you need to know about the previously scary craft. |
![]() |
The Shortest History of China: From the Ancient Dynasties to a Modern Superpower--A Retelling for Our Times by Linda Jaivin
The Shortest History of China charts a path from China's tribal origins through its storied imperial era and up to the modern Communist Party under Xi Jinping--including the rarely told story of women in China and the specters of corruption and disunity that continue to haunt the People's Republic today. A master storyteller and exacting historian, Linda Jaivin distills this vast history into a short, riveting account that today's globally minded readers will find indispensable |
![]() |
This Long Thread: Women of Color on Craft, Community, and Connection by Jen Hewett
Celebrate the diverse work of people of color in the craft community and explore the personal, political, and creative potential of textile arts and crafts. |
Graphic Novels
![]() |
Call Me Nathan by Catherine Castro
A true coming-of-age story that explores transgender identity. |
![]() |
Captain America: Truth by Robert Morales
Based upon government experiments in the 1930s that left many African-American soldiers infected with syphilis, the author presents the story of one soldier, Isaiah Bradley, who survived and was called out for a dangerous mission as a substitute for Captain America. |
![]() |
Deep Beyond, Volume 1 by Mirka Andolfo
In an underpopulated future Earth, devastated by the dire consequences of the millennium bug, the survival of mankind--and,maybe, of the planet itself--is handled by a small number of people. These are talented scientists who, despite the adverse situation and the stupid feuds that continue to divide the small number of people still alive, try to understand and study what is hidden in the depths of the abyss--something mysterious and dangerous, which could eventually cause an even worse and more destructive catastrophe! |
![]() |
Hakim's Odyssey. Book 1, From Syria to Turkey by Fabien Toulmé
In Hakim's Odyssey, we see first hand how war can make anyone a refugee. Hakim, a successful young Syrian who had his whole life ahead of him, tells his story: how war forced him to leave everything behind, including his family, his friends, his home, and his business. |
![]() |
Hotel Diablo
Machine Gun Kelly revisit his 2019 album Hotel Diablo as he makes his debut in the world of comics! |
![]() |
When I Grow Up: The Lost Autobiographies of Six Yiddish Teenagers by Ken Krimstein
From the prize-winning author of The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt, a stunning graphic narrative of newly discovered stories from Jewish teens on the cusp of WWII. |
Movies/TV, Music & More
Movies/TV
![]() |
Monogamy. Season 3 by Ross Craig Jr. Format: DVD In the aftermath of tragedy, the four couples from the Swap Therapy experiment continue to try to find the happiness that has eluded them. |
![]() |
Old by M. Night Shyamalan Format: Blu-Ray A thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly reducing their entire lives into a single day. |
![]() |
Pennyworth. The Complete Second Season Format: DVD A year after the explosive events of last season, England finds itself embroiled in a devastating civil war, with the powerful, neo-fascist Raven Union, led by Lord Harwood threatening to control the entire country. North London remains one of the few resistance holdouts remaining. It's here in the West End Neutral Zone, that we find Alfred Pennyworth. Now running The Delaney, a black-market Soho club that welcomes everyone, regardless of their politics, Alfred, with his SAS mates, "Bazza" and "Daveboy", is now in search of a way out -- before London, and his country, burns itself to the ground. |
Music
![]() |
Peaceful Piano Moods Format: CD Become immersed in the most peaceful piano music from a range of genres. Each CD is themed around specific time of day – morning, afternoon, evening, night – and carefully curated to provide a halcyon soundtrack to the day. Features over 5 hours of calming piano pieces. |
![]() |
Rachmaninoff & Barber: Cello Sonatas by Jonah Kim Format: CD Cellist Jonah Kim and pianist Sean Kennard have been making music together since they were teenagers at the Curtis Institute of Music and have played almost every sonata in the standard repertoire. The music holds a special place for them: The Rachmaninoff was the first sonata they worked on together, and Kim’s teacher at Curtis was Orlando Cole, who premiered the Sonata with Barber himself at the piano. Both Sonatas shine as big, romantic works with broad, rhapsodic strokes and superb melodies. |
& More
![]() |
The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton Format: Spoken CD Wealthy, beautiful Naneé was born with a spirit of adventure that transcends her Midwestern roots. For her, learning to fly is freedom. When German tanks roll across the border and into Paris, this woman with an adorable dog and a generous heart joins the resistance. Known as the Postmistress because she delivers information to those in hiding, Naneé uses her charms and skill to house the hunted and deliver them to safety |