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Staff Picks

We love to read, and we've got some interesting recommendations. Check Staff Picks weekly for new titles!

The week of March 15, 2010

City at the End of Time bookjacket City at the End of Time by Greg Bear
How do three Seattle street kids affect a dizzyingly distant future? A complex, challenging treat for science fiction lovers.
Pond Circle bookjacket Pond Circle by Betsy Franco
In Anna's pond, algae is eaten by a mayfly nymph, who is eaten by a beetle, who is eaten by a bullfrog…

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A Bit on the Side bookjacket A Bit on the Side by William Trevor
Twelve haunting stories of men and women seeking respite from life's disenchantments, from a prizewinning Irish author.
The Monstrumologist bookjacket The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey
Gruesome supernatural horror, dressed up in a delicious Victorian gothic style.
Amarcord, Marcella Remembers bookjacket Amarcord, Marcella Remembers by Marcella Hazan
Marcella Hazan forever changed how Americans cook and eat Italian food. Here, she looks back, from her childhood in Emilia-Romagna to her career as a famous New York cooking teacher.
Mermaid Queen bookjacket Mermaid Queen by Shana Corey
A frail ugly duckling from Australia grows into a record-setting athlete, movie star and fashion icon.
Volk's Game bookjacket Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi
Chechnya veteran Alexei Volkovoy, gangster and military operative, is the antihero of this gritty, explosive thriller set in post-Soviet Russia.
Viola in Reel Life bookjacket Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani
When 14-year-old Viola is reluctantly sent to boarding school, she finds solace in new friends — and uses the unsettling ghost she keeps seeing as the subject of her first short film.
Holmes on the Range bookjacket Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
Old Red and Big Red, Montana cowboy brothers, bring their best deducifyin' to a couple of suspicious deaths at the mysterious Bar-VR Ranch. Smart and funny.
The Bog Baby bookjacket The Bog Baby by Jeanne Willis
When two sisters go fishing in a magic pond, they find a winged blue bog baby and take it home with them.
The Love Wife bookjacket The Love Wife by Gish Jen
Mama Wong inflicts a troublemaking Chinese cousin (or concubine?) on the household of her American-born son Carnegie and "Blondie," his Caucasian wife.
Destroy All Cars bookjacket Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson
The funny, bittersweet story of a teenage boy finding his voice.
Song Yet Sung bookjacket Song Yet Sung by James McBride
A beautiful runaway slave with the gift of foresight centers this big, action-filled novel set in 1850s Maryland.
Groundhog Weather School bookjacket Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub
Part comic-book, part science investigation, and all silly picture book fun.
The Best American Comics 2008 bookjacket The Best American Comics 2008 by Lynda Barry
Comics’ unique storytelling power shines in these 26 sophisticated choices from far outside the mainstream.
Say the Word bookjacket Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee
17-year-old Shawna finds her perfect world unraveling when she is unwillingly pulled into her estranged mother's life.
The Ghost Map bookjacket The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
A pioneering doctor in 19th-century London tracks deadly cholera outbreaks in this gripping true story of medical detection. Our 2010 Everybody Reads pick!
Dodsworth in London bookjacket Dodsworth in London by Tim Egan
Straight-man Dodsworth and his mischievous companion Duck take on Buckingham Palace in this gentle comedy of errors.
Carried Away bookjacket Carried Away by Alice Munro
A sampler of the best work of the Canadian short-story master who's been compared to Chekhov.
Flygirl bookjacket Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
A Sense of the World bookjacket A Sense of the World by Jason Roberts
The improbable-but-true story of a blind young British sailor and his years of solo travel adventures in the early 1800s.
You Are the First Kid on Mars bookjacket You Are the First Kid on Mars by Patrick O'Brien
A trip to the red planet, presented in vivid detail.