The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson

Title: The Feather Thief

Author: Kirk Johnson

Genre: True Crime

What an intriguing and bizarre read! I don't even know where to start with this book! It was so strange (in the best way possible). An American college student studying flute at London's Royal Academy of Music with a fly-tying hobby planned and executed a heist to steal rare and valuable feathers from the British Museum of Natural History. He never went to jail, and was only required to pay a fine that was just a fraction of the actual value of the stolen goods. Only one third of what was stolen was returned, and even then they were unusable to the museum because they had informational tags removed. What possesses a flute player with a fly-tying hobby to steal feathers? How did he get off so easy? What happened to all the missing feathers that were never returned? What makes feathers so valuable, anyway? What even is fly-tying and who even cares?

I'd highly recommend checking out this book. It is well-researched and well-written, and answers most of these bizarre questions, leaving only a few unanswered. I'm not much for true crime, but this was fast-paced (especially towards the end) and was really interesting.

- Sarah P.

Check out The Feather Thief @ the library.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Title: Before We Were Yours

Author: Lisa Wingate

Genre: Historical Fiction

In this book two stories are told. 

Memphis, TN, 1939: Rill Foss is the oldest of five who live in a shantyboat on the Mississippi River. After a health crisis forces Rill's parents to seek out a hospital, Rill and her siblings are captured and end up in a Tennessee Children's Home Society Orphanage. Rill struggles to keep her siblings together and safe as they are given new names and displayed to would-be adopters.

Aiken, SC, Present: Avery Stafford, the daughter of a prominent senator, is now being groomed to take her father's place as his health is failing. With her life of privilege, her law-degree, and her long-time fiance, it seems as though everything is being planned for her. A surprise meeting during a photo op at a nursing home makes her dig deeper into her family's history and what she learns may just derail all of her family's political plans.

This book was selected as the 2017 Goodreads winner for Historical Fiction. 

- Sarah R.

Check out Before We Were Yours @ the library.

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker

Title: The Dreamers

Author: Karen Thompson Walker

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian Fiction

In a small town in southern California, a student comes home late from a party and falls asleep... but does not wake up. Then a few more students catch this mysterious illness and others outside of the college do, too. What follows is the stories of those who dream and those who are awake, and the stories that entertwine. Fans of Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven will enjoy this one. 

- Elizabeth

Check out The Dreamers @ the library.

Chloe Flavor by Chloe Coscarelli

Title: Chloe Flavor

Author: Chloe Coscarelli

Genre: Cookbook

Chloe Flavor is a cookbook filled with vegan recipes. Unlike many vegan cookbooks, the recipes in this book are fairly simple to make. Many of the recipes contain ingredients that do not require tracking down anything "special".  There are spins on popular commercial food items (i.e. Goldfish crackers) but also hearty comfort meals and pasta dishes. This would be a great cookbook for someone interested in adding more quickly assembled meatless meals to their life.

- Jamie

Check out Chloe Flavor @ the library.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before

Author: Jenny Han

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Lara Jean has lived a pretty quiet life, until she crosses her younger sister, Kitty. Kitty found the love letters that Lara Jean had written and stowed away - just a way for her to vent her feelings. Everything gets mixed up when Kitty mails the letters and Lara Jean is confronted by the guys she's crushed on. 

There is currently a movie on Netflix of the story, but it doesn't exactly follow the book so even if you've seen it, it is worth a read. This is also book one of a trilogy, so if you like it, you can read more and see how the story continues.

- Sarah R.

Check out To All the Boys I've Loved Before @ the library.

Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

Title: Radio Girls

Author: Sarah-Jane Stratford

Genre: Historical Fiction

Radio Girls is set in pre-WWII England, as the BBC is just beginning to reach airwaves. The novel explores many topics, women's rights being the main one. Maisie takes a secretarial job at the BBC to earn some much needed income, and ends up falling into the career path of her dreams. Maisie is taken under the wing of Hilda Matheson and learns many different things, least of all how to put on broadcasts for the BBC Talks programming. An excellent read that inspires comparing the past to today's world, through the lens of journalism.

- Jamie

Check out Radio Girls @ the library.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Title: The Library Book

Author: Susan Orlean

Genre: True Crime, Journalism, Libraries

Here is a non-fiction, true crime suspense that reads like great fiction. Investigative journalist and author Susan Orlean tells the story of the seven hour fire that destroyed almost three quarters of the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library on April 28, 1986. She delves into the unique characters of the library's history and the world of librarianship and then into the history of Harry Peak's 'fumbling' possible involvement in the fire. She leaves no stone unturned so that the reader gets the most detailed and wide-ranging context for the fire in the history of the Los Angeles Public Library. The narrative from beginning to end is spellbinding and will leave you wanting to read more from Orlean as well as to visit and appreciate your local library again.

- Elizabeth

Check out The Library Book @ the library.