Readers > Booklists > Staff Picks

Staff Picks

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

2008 July–December

The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs: Can nations cooperate to end the poverty that kills 20,000 people a day worldwide by 2025? This UN economic advisor says yes.
Adèle & Simon in America by Barbara McClintock: When Aunt Cécile takes Adèle and Simon on a train trip around the U.S., Simon keeps losing his belongings. Can you spot them?
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly: At the start of World War II, 12-year-old David's dying mother tells him that stories are real — and soon after, the books at his stepmother's house come terrifyingly alive.
The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll by Patricia McKissack: During the Depression, three young sisters get one baby doll for Christmas and must find a way to share.
Art in America by Ron McLarty: A New York author arriving in Colorado is quickly enmeshed in hilarious small-town dramas.
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller: Life becomes more interesting for Ananka Fishbein when, at the age of 12, she discovers an underground room in the park across from her New York City apartment.
The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford: An exploration of the economic forces, large and small, at work in our everyday lives. Witty and informal.
Incantation by Alice Hoffman: During the Spanish Inquisition, Estrella discovers her family's true Jewish identity, and when their secret is betrayed by Estrella's best friend, the consequences are tragic.
The Professor's Daughter by Joann Sfar: A whimsical graphic novel set in Victorian London describes the romantic adventures of a young woman and her beau, an Egyptian mummy.
Tracks of a Panda by Nick Dowson: A mother panda teaches her cub how to survive in their mountain habitat, but as the sound of villagers clearing the forest approaches, she knows they must look for a new home.
The Seventy Great Journeys in History edited by Robin Hanbury-Tenison: Short, illustrated accounts of epic trips with worldwide impact.
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen: Annabel finds an ally in classmate Owen, whose honesty and passion for music help her to face and share what really happened at the end-of-the-year party that changed her life.
On the Couch by Lorraine Bracco: The actress who played Dr. Melfi, TV psychiatrist to Tony Soprano, analyzes herself in a candid memoir.
Terrier by Tamora Pierce: Beka uses her police training, natural abilities and a touch of magic to help solve the case of a murdered baby in Tortall's Lower City.
Death Benefits by Thomas Perry: A data analyst in a shadow world of hackers and missing persons is the unlikely hero of this suspense thriller set in the high-stakes insurance industry.
Nic Bishop Spiders by Nic Bishop: Up close and personal with spiders.
Pompeii by Robert Harris: Thrilling, well-researched historical novel set in an ancient city on the brink of catastrophe.
Dirty Joe, the Pirate by Bill Harley: Dirty Joe and his pirate crew terrorize the seven seas in their quest for dirty socks, but they meet their match in Stinky Annie, whose favorite loot is pilfered underwear. See the storyteller.
She May Not Leave by Fay Weldon: A smart young couple, their first baby, and the perfect Polish nanny: what happens when immigration problems loom is fuel for Weldon's dry British wit.
Born on a Blue Day: A Memoir by Daniel Tammet: Get inside the extraordinary mind of an autistic savant.
The Jungle by Peter Kuper: Upton Sinclair's grisly tale of the Chicago stockyards in a graphical adaptation. Dark and stunning.
Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes: Easy-to-read, rhyming text about Halloween night incorporates Spanish words.
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell: Find out which one of the Lincolns is called "Jinxy McDeath" in this quirky account of a history nut's research wanderings.
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni: A picture book biography of Rosa Parks. Meet the illustrator.
The Diezmo by Rick Bass: A novel of the bloody days of the Texas Republic, when a rogue militia crossed into Mexico for revenge: the doomed Mier Expedition. The captured Texans paid a tithe (diezmo) in lives.
Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus: A tiny tadpole grows into a frog, feeling just as strong and powerful as the huge tyrannosaurus rex that stomps through the mud.
The Half-Life by Jonathan Raymond: Parallel Oregon stories — a young cook in an 1820 fur trappers' camp, and two girls in a 1980s Portland-area commune — unexpectedly converge.
There Is a Bird on Your Head by Mo Willems: Gerald the elephant discovers that there is something worse than a bird on your head — two birds on your head!
Darkness & Light by John Harvey: Solitary British policeman Frank Elder is called out of retirement to investigate a murder and confront his own past relationships.
Golden Legacy by Leonard Marcus: How Golden Books won children's hearts, changed publishing forever, and became an American icon along the way.
Sister Emily's Lightship and Other Stories by Jane Yolen: Award-winning fantasy favorite Yolen's first book for adults: 28 not-quite-folktales of wisdom and magic.
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson: When a new, white student nicknamed "The Jesus Boy" joins her sixth grade class, Frannie's growing friendship with him makes her start to see some things in a new light.
The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón: The findings of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, accurately rendered in a powerful visual way by two graphics masters.
Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler: Baby and his family make some jazzy music.
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt: The Irish author of Angela's Ashes recalls his 30 years in New York public high schools with poignant humor.
Malcolm X by Andrew Helfer: A graphic biography.
The European Dream by Jeremy Rifkin: Twenty-five nations came together to form "the united states of Europe" — could the EU model help the U.S. toward a happier, more sustainable way of life?
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis: In 1859, Elijah Freeman is the first free-born child in Buxton, Canada, which is a haven for slaves fleeing the American south.
Kampung Boy by Lat: This graphic novel paints a richly detailed portrait of small-town Muslim life in 1950s Malaysia.
Ballerina Dreams: A True Story by Lauren Thompson: True story of five little girls with cerebral palsy or other physical disabilities who were determined to become ballerinas.
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch: A 13–year–old boy spends a summer on the south end of Puget Sound collecting marine specimens - one of which may be a giant squid.
Red Glass by Laura Resau: Sophie discovers her true strength during a journey through Mexico.
Dishwasher by Pete Jordan: A true original, zinester and pearl diver Dishwasher Pete chronicles his working travels with deadpan humor and sharp social observation.
Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns: Flotsam, jetsam and the science of ocean motion.
Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu by Laurence Bergreen: A colorful, readable account of the Italian explorer's life and amazing 23-year journey to the court of Kublai Khan at the end of the 1200s.
Dog and Bear by Laura Vaccaro Seeger: Two friends, three stories.
4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie: An elderly lady claims she's witnessed a strangling in a passing train — only there's no body! Luckily, the one person who believes her is her friend Miss Marple.
Tamar by Mal Peet: A novel of espionage, passion and betrayal.
Cruddy: An Illustrated Novel by Lynda Barry: This Northwest author's uncanny recall of adolescence makes her sad, funny, violent novel of family dysfunction and really bad trips unforgettable.
Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood by Ibtisam Barakat: The moving memoir of a Palestinian girl's experiences during the Six-Day War.
And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey by Studs Terkel: Sparkling interviews from Pulitzer-winning oral historian Terkel reveal the creative essences of famous musicians from every genre.
Lance in France by Ashley MacEachern: Lance Armstrong is the fastest, most famous bike rider in the world, so what could go wrong on the Tour de France? Plenty! Meet the author.