Please enjoy the following list of books, DVDs, and CDs recommended by MPL staff! If you’ve read or watched any of the items here, leave us a comment to tell us what you thought.
January Staff Recommendations
Fiction
- The Street Lawyer, by John Grisham. “In this fast-moving plot, a successful young lawyer’s investigations raise serious questions about his firm’s role in evicting homeless people during a cold winter.” ~Gabriel
- The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, by Ernest Hemingway. “Any fan of Hemingway will enjoy reading from his extensive collection of short stories, many of which are classics!” ~Rudy
- No One Gets Out Alive, by Adam Nevill. “Bone chilling from the beginning with a paranormal creepiness.” ~Esther
- Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell. “Orwell’s first full-length work chronicles his time as a struggling writer, often among the homeless and poor, in two of Europe’s busiest cities.” ~Rudy
- The Mouse That Roared, by Leonard Wibberley. “A comedic look at the ridiculousness of Cold War era politics, especially regarding the atomic superweapons that were built during that era – extremely funny.” ~Robert B.
Young Adult Fiction
- The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin. “This is the book that introduced my 10-year-old self to the thrill of mystery and suspense! I recently re-read this book and discovered that the story and characters could still surprise and delight me. Highly recommended for all ages!” ~Elizabeth
Juvenile Fiction
- Mister Max: The Book of Secrets, by Cynthia Voigt. “Book 2 of Cynthia Voigt’s MISTER MAX series, of which I recommended Book 1 back in May 2015, continues the search for Max Starling’s lost parents while solutioneering problems for the citizens of his hometown. A great mystery/adventure series for kids and teens alike.” ~ Rolando
- Mister Max: The Book of Kings, by Cynthia Voigt. “Book 3 of the Mister Max series that concludes the saga of Max Starling’s missing parents. Max finds out [spoiler!] and he plans a heroic rescue mission with the help of his new found friends. This is a great mystery/adventure series for kids and teens.” ~ Rolando
Picture Books
- Mudball, by Matt Tavares. “A delightful ‘underdog wins’ story for baseball fans.” ~John
Science Fiction
- Roadside Picnic; Tale of the Troika, by Arkady and Boris Strugatski. “A short novel of Soviet science fiction about an alternate history where alien visitors landed on earth and promptly left, and now men risk their lives exploring the sites of their arrival to scavenge rare devices.” ~Robert B.
Mystery
- Perchance to Dream : Robert B. Parker’s sequel to Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep, by Robert B. Parker. “Parker serves as an excellent ghostwriter for Chandler in detailing the further services of Phillip Marlowe to the Sternwood family a few years after the events detailed in The Big Sleep.” ~John
Graphic Novels
- Blankets, by Craig Thompson. “A cold-weather comic about brothers, first loves, and falling out of faith..” ~Dylan
Nonfiction
- Letter to a Christian Nation, by Sam Harris. [277.3 Har] “A short read (less than 100 pages) which is addressed to American Christians. It’s a call to reason and logic.” ~Bobby
- Cerebro de Pan, by Dr. David Perlmutter. [SP 613.26 Per] “El doctor Perlmutter nos lleva de la mano por un tour detallado sobre los efectos destructivos que los ‘carbohidratos complejos y saludables’ tienen en nuestro cerebro.” ~Ema
- El Metodo MELT, by Sue Hitzmann. [SP 616.0472 Hit] “Para las personas que deseen retardar el proceso de envejecimiento, reducir el estrés y la tensión, mejorar la postura, descansar y dormir mejor, y gozar de una buena salud general.” ~Ema
- A History of Baseball in 100 Objects, by Josh Leventhal. [796.357 Lev] “The archivist in me is thrilled to read about the history of the great sport of Baseball as told through photographs, memorabilia, and documents like the 1919 ‘Agreement to transfer Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees.’ Truly a goldmine of amazing stories and facts!” ~Elizabeth
BLU Ray/DVDs
- Inside Llewyn Davis, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. [BLU 791.43 Ins] “We all know him from the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but Oscar Issac starred in this recent Coen Brother’s film about a struggling musician in the 1960’s. ” ~Bobby
- High Fidelity, directed by Stephen Frears. [DVD 791.4372 Hig] “A self-involved, middle-aged record store owner replays his past relationships and slowly realizes that he’s been a terrible person. Also the soundtrack is super good.” ~Dylan
Happy New Year from all of us at MPL!
