Reading Recommendations for adults from the staff of Oshkosh Public Library.
January Staff Picks from Adult Services:
Winter has found us! Curl up with these cozy reads recommended by the Oshkosh Public Library staff! –Sarah Read
Recommended by Joe.
Check out this title on Libby as an ebook and audiobook.
I finally picked up Plainsong, 25 years after it was first published, and was rewarded with just the quiet and contemplative novel I was in the mood for. Set in fictional Holt, Colorado, it tells the interconnected stories of a handful of the town’s residents over the course of a year. This is a story about the struggles – and occasional triumphs – of ordinary people in small-town America set against the stunning backdrop of eastern Colorado. It calls to mind the work of other authors whose work explored the lives of people in the middle of the country, including Willa Cather, William Maxwell, and Wallace Stegner. It’s a perfect winter read.
A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver – First in a series
Recommended by Joan.
Check out this title on Libby as an ebook.
Ooh, what fun! The star of this historical mystery series is Electra (Ellie) McDonnell, a 25-year-old woman who makes a living as a safecracker thief in World War II London. But, she and her Uncle Mick, from whom she learned the safecracking/locksmith picking craft, are caught in a setup. They are offered their freedom if they agree to help the war effort to catch Nazi spies. Romantic interests Major Ramsey and childhood friend, and forger, Felix, add to the interesting tangle of Ellie using her talents to help save Britain from the Germans. One Final Turn: Book 5, will be the last in the series, to be published in June, 2025.
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan
Recommended by Lila.
When Rae, a terminal cancer patient, is given the wild chance to enter her favorite book series, she takes it. Unfortunately, she is immediately cast as the wicked stepsister, locked in her tower on the eve of her execution. With the help of an overly serious future axe murderer, a frivolous spymaster decked in illegal frippery, and a terrifically stab-happy bodyguard who is definitely the author’s favorite (and mine too - I love him so much!!!), Rae embraces her new aesthetic and dives headfirst into notoriety. She has goals: Survive her execution (check), protect the plot (oh wait… she’s already changed it…) and save the princess from a horde of undead ghouls. Snappy and delightful, this novel is just as much fun the second time around, when you know how it all plays out. If you’ve ever found yourself wishing to enter the world of your most beloved story – or found yourself crushing on a villain – this one’s for you.