Patron Picks : Kate Dennis

In addition to Staff Picks, I have asked a few patrons to let us feature their recommendations.  If you would like your picks featured, contact Julie at jbaxter@co.franklin.tx.us or 903-537-4916.   

Kate's September Picks

Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess by Dr. Caroline Leaf is a self-help book that is well worth the time to read.  The book begins with an explanation of  the physical repercussions of  "toxic" thoughts that made total sense to this novice.   Dr. Leaf has formulated a 5 step process to enable one to thwart the mental takeover by these toxic thoughts and thus live a healthier life.  This is not a quick fix.  It is a daily exercise in mindfulness, patience, and self-control, (and a lot of chocolate).

Billy Summers by Stephen King is a fictional account of the life of a paid assassin.  King deftly weaves the story with glimpses of the assassin's character.  The assassin definitely operates on the dark side but he also plays monopoly with the neighborhood kids.  You can't help but root for him.

Every Thing Is Fine by Vince Granata is a powerful memoir about a family dealing with the mental illness of one of their own.  The book chronicles the evolution of the disease and the tragedy that eventually befalls the family.   The author poignantly relates how he and his family have been affected by the manifestation of the disease. 

Staff Picks : Jeltje

We are launching a new feature on this blog in which every week or so a different staff member will feature a few books or movies that they have enjoyed recently.  The selections may not all be brand new, but we hope it will help you find something you like.  

Jeltje's September Picks

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

I am not a fan of slasher movies, but if you like the slasher movies from the 80’s and 90’s (Halloween through Scream) you would appreciate the references to those kinds of movies. There is a support group for “Final Girls,” or the girls who survived bloody and gruesome attacks like in those movies mentioned and they are now in their late thirties to forties, but someone seems to be trying to kill them off. Throughout the book, you will follow one of the Final Girls and her attempts to figure out who is trying to kill them and stay alive at the same time.

 

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

The story is in the point of view of a woman who is agoraphobic and watches her neighbors to pass her time, but she witnesses a murder through the window of one of her neighbor’s houses. As you read the book, you will wonder if she really did see someone killed and also, why is she so afraid to leave the house over the last several months? This book was interesting enough for it to be made into a movie as well.

 

The French Girl by Lexie Elliot 

In the point of view of Kate, she remembers when 10 years ago, she and a group of friends went to France for a vacation and met a young French girl who disappears. Now, the body of the French girl has been found and there are questions as well as tensions within their friend group with new information coming up that also upsets her personal and professional life.

Staff Picks : Christian

We are launching a new feature on this blog in which every week or so a different staff member will feature a few books or movies that they have enjoyed recently.  The selections may not all be brand new, but we hope it will help you find something you like.  

Christian's September Picks

All Souls Series by Deborah E. Harkness

A Discovery of Witches

Shadow of Night

The Book of Life

Time’s Convert

A fascinating and intelligent Sci Fi/ Fantasy series, it will keep you thinking as you navigate the world of “creatures.”  We also have Seasons 1 & 2 of A Discovery of Witches, the television show based on this series (also fabulous).

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

The Invisible Library

The Masked City

The Burning Page

The Lost Plot

The Mortal Word

The Secret Chapter

                                    The Dark Archive

This is another action packed and intriguing Sci Fi/Fantasy series.  Visit an interdimensional library, many other worlds, and meet dragons, fae, and Librarians (oh my!) as you join Irene and Kai on their often harrowing adventures.

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly

This dual time-line book is centered around the gardens of Highbury House in England and the people who care for them, in 1907 and 1944

Staff Picks : Julie

We are launching a new feature on this blog in which every week or so a different staff member will feature a few books or movies that they have enjoyed recently.  The selections may not all be brand new, but we hope it will help you find something you like.  

Julie's September Picks

My Southern Journey by Rick Bragg

Short essays about life in the South, specifically Alabama. Some of the stories are funny and some are poignant. I related to almost all of them, except the football ones. Just a nice book to read about home. 

The Escape Room by Megan Goldin

Have you tried an escape room?  This one takes place in an elevator, and not everyone will make it out alive!

Bellewether by Susanna Kearsley

I have enjoyed everything Susanna Kearsley has written and may have featured her before on the blog.  She writes dual time-line books, sometimes with a supernatural twist.  Bellewether is the first of her books to take place in the Americas.  I'm looking forward to her new book coming this fall, The Vanished Days.  

Staff Picks : Lisa

We are launching a new feature on this blog in which every week or so a different staff member will feature a few books or movies that they have enjoyed recently.  The selections may not all be brand new, but we hope it will help you find something you like.  

Lisa's September Picks

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Based on a true story, this is an insightful look at the remarkable life of Bell da Costa Greene. Bell became one of the most influential and powerful people in the art and book world, all while hiding her true identity.  I cannot imagine the fear of living everyday “on stage”. 

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Soon to be a motion picture!

The Osage Indian Nation of Oklahoma, were the richest people per capita in the world in the 1920s.  Murder, destruction, and a massive coverup followed this little-known conspiracy in American history. 

The Survivors by Jane Harper

I love Jane Harper and she didn’t disappoint in this gut-wrenching story of murder, secrets, and consequences.