“Cute story, likable characters, snappy dialogue, and lots and lots of references to delicious-sounding Filipino food. My mouth was watering as I read!” – Nancy, ATS

Lila Macapagal moves back to Shady Palms, Illinois to help her aunties run Tita Rosie’s Kitchen, a small-town Filipino restaurant. When Derek Winter, Lila’s ex-boyfriend, drops dead in the restaurant and Lila is a prime suspect, it is up to her to figure out whodunit!

“It was such a page-turner, it kept me engaged and I could not put it down.” – Lauren, IT

Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to a coastal island in Maine when their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie.

“Clark and Division immerses the reader in Japanese-American culture in addition to providing a great sense of place for 1940’s Chicago.” – Lora, ATS

When Aki Ito discovers that her older sister, Rose, has committed suicide, she does not believe that Rose would kill herself and vows to discover what happened to her.

“An unputdownable chilling dystopian tale that gives the reader a lot to ponder.” – Lora, ATS

Frida Liu is struggling. She doesn’t have a career worthy of her Chinese immigrant parents’ sacrifices. She can’t persuade her husband, Gust, to give up his wellness-obsessed younger mistress. Only with Harriet, their cherubic daughter, does Frida finally attain the perfection expected of her. Harriet may be all she has, but she is just enough. Until Frida has a very bad day. The state has its eyes on mothers like Frida. The ones who check their phones, letting their children get injured on the playground; who let their children walk home alone. Because of one moment of poor judgment, a host of government officials will now determine if Frida is a candidate for a Big Brother-like institution that measures the success or failure of a mother’s devotion. Faced with the possibility of losing Harriet, Frida must prove that a bad mother can be redeemed. That she can learn to be good.

“Well-researched and non-exploitative, with illustrations in a drab grey, the book traces Gein’s life from growing up with an alcoholic father and verbally abusive mother, carving out a hermit-like existence as an adult except for handyman jobs, and all the while moving forward in his psychosis, driven by an unwavering devotion to his mother.” – Karen, Adult & Teen Services

A true crime graphic novel rendition of the necrophile serial killer Eddie Gein, who, in the 1950s, killed women and robbed graves to create household items. His life was the basis for films such as Psycho and Silence of the Lambs.

“A great new addition to the historical mystery genre. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!” – Lora, Adult & Teen Services

It’s 1946 and journalist Billie Walker is back home in Sydney running her father’s private investigation agency. Most of Billie’s cases involve marital disputes, but client Mrs. Brown hires her to find her son, Adin, who is missing. Billie’s investigation leads her through both the upper and lower classes of society along with providing a great sense of place in post-war Sydney for the reader in addition to the fashions of the time.

“Boulley tackles so many large ideas including grief and balancing two cultures and identities, but with grace and intrigue as she weaves them with a drug investigation and mystery. I just couldn’t put this book down. The characters are wonderful and there are so many twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. Grab some snacks and hot cocoa and prepare to spend your whole night reading this book!” – Amanda, Adult & Teen Services

Daunis, who is part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother and reluctantly becomes involved in the investigation of a series of drug-related deaths.

“I love a good Gothic tale, especially when it involves a haunted house, and this book has it all. It reminds me of Netflix’s version of The Haunting of Hill House, but with its own spin. I could not put it down!” – Katelyn, Administration. 

Maggie returns to her childhood home made famous by her father’s horror memoir. She is determined to find out what really happened the night her family fled the house for good and she resolves to bring to light the secrets, or evil, that is hiding in the house.

“It’s psychologically thrilling! Naomi Watts delivers one of the finest performances of her career.” – Jack, Circulation

The director of the critically acclaimed show “Twin Peaks” delivers a mind-bending film about a woman who struggles with the nature of reality as she navigates her acting career in Hollywood.

“For me to say that this book is carried by its ridiculous premise would be a disservice to the quality of its writing, but the truth is that it has so much thoughtful and adult humor that eventually you take it for granted, and it becomes the natural setting for the mystery our detective is uncovering. When I’m reading, my emotions bounce back and forth from moments of laugh-out-loud comedy about human-suit wardrobe malfunctions to cringing at tense and believable drama. And if you love a story with a great late-game twist, this one has you covered.” – Max, IT

This is a detective novel in the tradition of Dashiell Hammet or Raymond Chandler. A hard-boiled and disillusioned private investigator just wants answers, but gets wrapped up in a conspiracy that could cost him his life. Oh, and did I mention that he’s a velociraptor? Wait, I should also explain that dinosaurs didn’t go extinct, but instead have evolved into more humanoid shapes stuffed uncomfortably into human disguises. It’s very important that humans don’t discover the existence of dinosaurs among them, that might shake society to its core. Anyway, it’s really a detective story about our private eye trying to uncover the truth, seek justice, and navigate the treacherous path between dangerous criminals, manipulative politicians, and mad visionaries, all while keeping the two worlds apart.

This quote hooked me immediately! “Out of the darkness, no more light, now it comes to steal your life. On this day you’ve sealed your fate, by playing what it loves to hate. Once you’re tagged, then you’ll know, the mark appears, it’s your time to go. Now you’re in the final count, it’s closer to the set amount.” – Traci, Kids Room

A simple game of hide and seek turns into a horrible nightmare for Justin and his friends!

“I’m a married woman in my 30s, and my husband and I (like Nate and Elena) often wonder whether life is merely a series of bills to be paid. Uncharted 4 resonated with me on so many levels. The globe-trotting is thrilling, the scenery is gorgeous, the puzzles and secret passages are atmospheric. There are car chases, cliff-scaling, (non-gore-y) gunfights, consistently funny quips and banter, bro-time with the guys, and romance. It’s Indiana Jones + Tomb Raider + Jason Bourne + Pirates of the Caribbean (the 1st one, of course!) all rolled into one. But more than that, it’s a cinematic story about being yourself while accepting new phases of your life.” – Kelly, Circulation

Nathan Drake is an ex-treasure-hunter who’s been out of the game for years. Though his marriage to journalist Elena is a happy one, the tedium of staying in one place is wearing him down. He eagerly throws himself back into an adventure to help someone from his past… even if that means lying to his wife and putting himself and (fan-favorite) Victor “Sully” Sullivan back into bad guys’ cross-hairs.

“The story is tense and fascinating, indulging my love for mystery, conspiracy, and speculative fiction. But my true admiration comes from the author’s thorough understanding of ant species; their biology, society, and behavior. There were many moments where I would stop to research an outlandish claim the book would make, such as ants keeping herds of domesticated livestock, only to discover that it’s not only true but far more complex than the book chooses to explore. The book’s ability to portray the characteristics of these tiny insects while drawing accurate comparisons to human analogs makes the narrative all the more chilling and relatable.” – Max, IT

This novel is a thriller told both from the perspective of a man who moves into his eccentric uncle’s house and from the perspective of an ant that is part of a nearby colony. As each is compelled to investigate different mysterious occurrences, their worlds draw closer together.

“Glorious animation, emotional voice acting (I watched the original Japanese version), a perfect soundtrack, and a surprisingly-edge-of-your-seat teen romance collide in Your Name. At a certain moment, I began crying… and basically cried all the way through to the credits. Empathetic tears, nervous tears, sad tears, happy tears. A beautiful roller coaster of a film experience!” – Kelly, Circulation

Mitsuha and Taki are strangers. She lives in a rural town and he’s in faraway Tokyo. Yet they begin regularly waking up in each other’s bodies. Navigating their swapped daily lives, friendships, families, and jobs… they grow to know one another intimately. Is this Fate? The tug of the Universe itself? Will they ever meet one another as their true selves?

“This book really held my interest with a lot of plot twists.” – Mary, Circulation

A riveting story set in two time periods surrounding the disappearance of a young boy. It kept me guessing until the end!