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Devolution

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Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks
Format: Book, eBook, Digital Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

If you’ve read World War Z, you know Max Brooks is the master of writing imagined violent disasters as if they were non-fiction, and his latest book Devolution continues the tradition.

The novel is presented as the diary entries of Kate Holland, resident of Greenloop, a secluded environmentally-conscious neighborhood of telecommuting professionals in the vast forested area of Washington state, interspersed with interviews of other individuals impacted by mysterious events that occurred there in the wake of a volcanic eruption at Mount Rainier.

Kate’s diary begins when she arrives in Greenloop, and the first few entries consist of descriptions of her quirky new neighbors, complaints about her husband Dan, and observations about the elegant “smart” homes. She goes for invigorating nature walks, attends a cathartic meditation class, pretty standard stuff. But after Rainier erupts, and Greenloop is completely cut off from civilization, it becomes apparent that a group of enormous bipedal primates are living in the woods surrounding her community. Sasquatches are real. And they are hungry.

If you like fast-paced adventure, survival stories, or have always been fascinated by the legend of Bigfoot, you should definitely make this your next read.

Find Devolution in the catalog

The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez

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The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, by Adrianna Cuevas
Format: Book
Who is it For: Kids

The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez is an honor for the 2021 Pura Belpré Award in the Children’s Author category. First established in 1996, the Belpré Award is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

Nestor, a young boy who has moved to a new town, must not only navigate going to a new school and having a father deployed overseas, but he also struggles to keep his gift of talking to animals a secret. But as animals start disappearing in the woods around his house, Nestor finds himself trying to uncover the truth behind a mysterious creature and put a stop to it before it’s too late.

Adrianna Cuevas draws on Panamanian and Costa Rican myths to present to a thrilling adventure for young readers.

Find The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez in the catalog.

Love Lettering

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Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Love Lettering follows Meg, a calligrapher and social media sensation, as she’s confronted by a client from her past who believes she’s included a hidden message for him in the work he’s commissioned. After an awkward conversation, Meg can’t seem to get him out of her head, and she asks to see him again. What begins as an odd encounter turns to friendship, and possibly something more. 

This book was a little hard to get into in the beginning, but once Meg and Reid begin their adventure around New York City, it’s hard to put down! What makes this book great and worth a read is that it doesn’t follow your average plot for romance novels, so it was exciting to see the way Clayborn added some variety to the genre!

Find Love Lettering in our catalog!

Rabbits

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Rabbits by Terry Miles
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

There’s a game being played – an ancient and dangerous game – but the vast majority of us have no idea it exists. If you’ve ever noticed a strange coincidence – you check your clock twice in a day, and both times it’s 4:44 – or a discrepancy – you see a famous work of art in a museum, but were sure the house in the painting had 2 windows, not 3 – you probably experienced a brief moment of déjà vu, maybe the Mandela effect, then moved on with your life. People who obsess over these connections, and investigate these conspiracies, are playing the game, which is called Rabbits.

K is one of these people. In fact, K’s a bit of an expert on Rabbits, which is played in numbered iterations. K’s approached by mysterious billionaire Alan Scarpio, rumored winner of the sixth iteration. Scarpio tells K there’s a problem with the game, they need to fix it, and the world as we know it is at stake if they can’t. Within the next few days Scarpio is reported missing, and K is thrust deep into the latest iteration of the increasingly deadly game of Rabbits. Follow the clues to save the world with K in this unique and fast-paced thriller.

Find Rabbits in the catalog

Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds

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Arlo & Pips: King of the Birds by Elise Gravel
Format: Book
Who’s it for: Kids

Arlo is a bird, and not just any bird- he’s a crow! And as Arlo loves to explain, a crow is the King of the Birds! Arlo can’t wait to tell readers, and his tiny new songbird friend Pips, all about how amazing a crow can be. Arlo is smart! Arlo can imitate almost any sound! Arlo has one of the biggest brains of all birds! Arlo has beautiful glossy black feathers! Arlo can count to 6, remember up to 4 hiding places, play dead, and play tricks on other birds! Arlo knows EVERYTHING! Or does he? It turns out that Arlo is new to living in the city, and maybe little Pips knows some things about humans and city life that Arlo really needs to learn. Will Arlo learn a little humility along the way? …probably not. But he might just learn to be a good friend. This early reader is the 2020 Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award winner for Beginning Fiction.
Find it (and other Arlo & Pips books) in the catalog!

The Silver Arrow

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The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Dear Uncle Herbert,
You’ve never met me but I’m your niece Kate, and since it’s my birthday tomorrow and you are super rich do you think you could please send me a present?
Warmly,
Kate

Kate has no idea when she writes this letter to her Uncle Herbert, whom she has never met, but is told is very rich and very irresponsible, that he will actually show up on her birthday with a present.

She certainly has no idea that the present will be an actual steam engine called “The Silver Arrow.”

She really couldn’t have guessed that tracks would suddenly appear from her backyard into the woods beyond, and that the train will take off along them.

She couldn’t have even had an inkling that talking animals will be waiting with tickets at magic train stops all over the world, and she and her little brother Tom are expected to conduct them to their destinations.

These are the first of many surprises for Kate as she embarks on an adventure filled with thrills and chills in this novel for children by Lev Grossman (author of The Magicians novels for adults) which makes a wonderful read-aloud for families to share together.

Find The Silver Arrow in the catalog