Charlestown-Clark County: Recommended Reads

Recommended Reads

Staff Picks

Dorisann's pick:

Joanna Fluke - Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

Margaret's pick:

Debbie Macomber - Cottage by the sea

Lisa's picks:

Diana Palmer - Wyoming True
Iris Johansen - Hindsight
Mary Balogh - Someone to Romance
Janet Evanovich - The Bounty

Michelle's picks:

Dark Sky by C.J. Box

Lori's pick:

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Most Checked Out & Requested Books in May at Charlestown-Clark County Public Library

books

The four winds - Hannah, Kristin
21st birthday - Patterson, James
A Gambling Man - Baldacci, David
Sooley - Grisham, John
It's better this way : a novel - Macomber, Debbie
Legacy - Roberts, Nora
Finding Ashley - Steel, Danielle
Golden Girl - Hilderbrand, Elin
Nine Lives - Steel, Danielle
The bullet - Johansen, Iris
The president's daughter - Clinton, Bill
Curse of Salem - Hooper, Kay
The Red Book - Patterson, James/ Ellis, David
Ocean Prey - Sandford, John
Notorious - Palmer, Diana
The Third Grave - Jackson, Lisa
The Unforgiven - Graham, Heather
Meant to Be - Deveraux, Jude
The Forbidden - Graham, Heather
The Last Night in London - White, Karen
The Russian - Patterson, James/ Born, James O.
Blind Tiger - Brown, Sandra
The Fiancee - White, Kate
The seashore book - Zolotow, Charlotte
Unfinished business : an Ali Reynolds mystery - Jance, Judith A.
Barbie fairytale collection
The Last Thing He Told Me - Dave, Laura
Vortex - Coulter, Catherine
Country Proud - Miller, Linda Lael
Eternal - Scottoline, Lisa
The Stepsisters - Mallery, Susan
Win - Coben, Harlan
Calder Brand - Dailey, Janet
Class act - Woods, Stuart
Complications - Steel, Danielle
Dark sky : a Joe Pickett novel - Box, C. J.
Devil in Disguise - Kleypas, Lisa
Dino-Thanksgiving - Wheeler, Lisa
Jackpot - Woods, Stuart
Murder at Sunrise Lake - Feehan, Christine
Neighbors : a novel - Steel, Danielle
No Way Out - Michaels, Fern
The House Guests - Richards, Emilie
The affair : a novel - Steel, Danielle
The newcomer - Andrews, Mary Kay
Before she disappeared : a novel - Gardner, Lisa
Dog Man - Pilkey, Dav
Dog Man unleashed - Pilkey, Dav
Dog man. Lord of the fleas - Pilkey, Dav
Faithless in death : An Eve Dallas Novel - Robb, J. D.
Family reunion : a novel - Thayer, Nancy
Hidden - Michaels, Fern
Malibu Rising - Reid, Taylor Jenkins
Pete the kitty and the groovy playdate - Dean, James
Someone to cherish - Balogh, Mary
The Peanuts book : a visual history of the iconic comic strip
The butter battle book - Seuss, Dr.
The good sister - Hepworth, Sally
The lady has a past - Quick, Amanda
A Distant Shore - Kingsbury, Karen
A kid's guide to sewing : learn to sew with Sophie & her friends - 16 fun projects you'll love to make & use - Kerr, Sophie
An Amish surprise - Gray, Shelley Shepard
Best friends - Hale, Shannon
Cat kid comic club - Pilkey, Dav
David goes to school - Shannon, David
Diary of a wimpy kid v.10 : old school - Kinney, Jeff
Diary of a wimpy kid v.12 : the getaway - Kinney, Jeff
Dog man 9 - Pilkey, Dav
Don't let the pigeon stay up late! - Willems, Mo
Local Woman Missing - Kubica, Mary
Miss Julia happily ever after - Ross, Ann B.
On the house : a Washington memoir - Boehner, John
Pete the cat and his magic sunglasses - Dean, James
Pete the cat and the bedtime blues - Dean, Kim
Pete the cat and the cool cat boogie - Dean, Kimberly and James
Pete the cat and the itsy bitsy spider - Dean, James
Shadow and bone v.1 - Bardugo, Leigh
Someone to watch over me - Atkins, Ace
Taste of home 5 ingredient healthy : simply delicious dishes for today's cooks.
The Bookstore on the Beach - Novak, Brenda
The Cottage on Lighthouse Lane - Bunn, Davis
The Law of Innocence - Connelly, Michael
The Perfect Murder - Martin, Kat
The bone code - Reichs, Kathy
The summer of lost and found - Monroe, Mary Alice
The sweet taste of muscadines : a novel - Terry, Pamela
There was a silly unicorn who wanted to fly - Geist, Ken
What a waste : trash, recycling, and protecting our planet - French, Jess
When I found you - Novak, Brenda
When Stars Collide - Phillips, Susan Elizabeth
A Time for Mercy - Grisham, John
A house for Hermit Crab - Carle, Eric
Allies & enemies - Vitale, Brooke
Bob books. Set 1, Beginning readers / Beginning Readers - Maslen, Bobby Lynn
Cottage by the sea - Macomber, Debbie
Danger in Numbers - Graham, Heather
Darkstalker v.1 - Sutherland, Tui
Diary of a wimpy kid v.1 - Kinney, Jeff
Diary of a wimpy kid v.11 : Double Down - Kinney, Jeff
Diary of a wimpy kid v.14 : wrecking ball - Kinney, Jeff
Diary of a wimpy kid v.8 : hard luck - Kinney, Jeff
Dog Man : Mothering heights - Pilkey, Dav
Dog Man and Cat Kid - Pilkey, Dav
Dog eat dog - Rosenfelt, David
Don't let the pigeon drive the bus - Willems, Mo
Dr. Seuss's horse museum - Seuss, Dr.
Emeraldalicious - Kann, Victoria
Everyone loves Cupcake - DiPucchio, Kelly
Feeding time at the zoo - Shahan, Sherry
Find You First - Barclay, Linwood
Goodnight beautiful : a novel - Molloy, Aimee
Hidden treasure : a Josie Prescott antiques mystery - Cleland, Jane K.
Horton and the Kwuggerbug and more lost stories - Seuss, Dr.
Horton hears a Who! - Seuss, Dr.
I survived the shark attacks of 1916 - Ball, Georgia
If you give a mouse a cookie - Numeroff, Laura Joffe
Llama Llama mad at mama - Dewdney, Anna
Llama Llama mess mess mess - Dewdney, Anna
Llama Llama time to share - Dewdney, Anna
Lover unveiled - Ward, J. R.
Max Meow : donuts and danger - Gallagher, John
Monsters, mind your manners! - Spurr, Elizabeth
Mother's Day surprise - Krensky, Stephen
Pack up the moon - Higgins, Kristan
Parting Shot - Barclay, Linwood
People we meet on vacation - Henry, Emily
Pete the cat and the perfect pizza party - Dean, Kim
Pokémon super deluxe essential handbook : the need-to-know stats and
acts on over 800 characters!
Rowley Jefferson's awesome friendly adventure - Kinney, Jeff
Say Goodbye - Rose, Karen
Silverlicious - Kann, Victoria
The Bounty - Evanovich, Janet/ Hamilton, Steve
The Darling Dahlias and the Voodoo Lily - Albert, Susan Wittig
The House on Olive Street - Carr, Robyn
The Hunger Games v.1 - Collins, Suzanne
The Palm Beach murders : thrillers - Patterson, James
The Paris library : a novel - Skeslien Charles, Janet
The awakening - Roberts, Nora
The bear who wasn't there - Pham, LeUyen
The crystal caverns v.2 - Charman, Katrina
The duckling gets a cookie!? - Willems, Mo
The ember stone v.1 - Charman, Katrina
The kaiser's web - Berry, Steve
The lost village : a novel - Sten, Camilla
The madness of crowds - Penny, Louise
The pigeon has to go to school! - Willems, Mo
The push : a novel - Audrain, Ashley
The wife upstairs - Hawkins, Rachel
Trees of North America : the complete identification reference to trees- with
Full-color photographs displaying leaf shape, bark, flowers, and fruit; updated range maps; and conservation status - National Audubon Society
Twenty - Grippando, James
Unicorns are the worst - Willan, Alex
Will you be my friend? : a Bunny and Bird story - Tafuri, Nancy
Wrong Alibi - Dodd, Christina
A million reasons why : a novel - Strawser, Jessica
A stranger in town : a Rockton novel - Armstrong, Kelley
All That Glitters - Steel, Danielle
All the colors of night - Krentz, Jayne Ann
Ancient remedies : secrets to healing with herbs, essential oils, CBD, and the most powerful natural medicine in history - Axe, Josh
Animal instinct - Rosenfelt, David
Barbie v. 1, : Fashion superstar - Kuhn, Sarah
Basil's War - Hunter, Stephen
Bees - Hodge, Deborah
Betty Bunny loves chocolate cake - Kaplan, Michael B.
Biscuit in the garden - Capucilli, Alyssa Satin
Biscuit loves the library - Capucilli, Alyssa Satin
Biscuit meets the class pet - Capucilli, Alyssa Satin
Biscuit's day at the farm - Capucilli, Alyssa Satin
Blood and treasure : Daniel Boone and the fight for America's first frontier - Drury, Bob
Chicka chicka 1, 2, 3 - Martin, Bill
Curious George visits the zoo - Rey, Margret
Deadly editions - Shelton, Paige
Destined for you - Peterson, Tracie
Diary of a wimpy kid v.13 : the meltdown - Kinney, Jeff
Diary of a wimpy kid v.7 : the third wheel - Kinney, Jeff
Dog man : Brawl of the wild - Pilkey, Dav
Dog man : Fetch-22 - Pilkey, Dav
Early morning riser - Heiny, Katherine
Egg shooters - Childs, Laura
Every vow you break : a novel - Swanson, Peter
Fallen - Castillo, Linda
False Witness - Slaughter, Karin
Fantastic beasts and where to find them - Rowling, J. K.
Fast ice : a novel from the Numa files - Cussler, Clive
Fire and ice v.2 - Hunter, Erin
Firefly Lane - Hannah, Kristin
Five little ducks - Dean, James
Gambit - Hagberg, David
Garfield goes bananas - Davis, Jim
Go, dog, go! - Eastman, P. D.
Haunted hibiscus - Childs, Laura
Her dark lies - Ellison, J. T.
Hot to Trot - Beaton, M. C./ Greene, Rod
I can be a ballerina - Webster, Christy
Intuitive fasting : the flexible four-week intermittent fasting plan to recharge your metabolism and renew your health - Cole, Will
It's mine! - Lionni, Leo
Legacy of War - Smith, Wilbur
Lightning game - Feehan, Christine
Little women v.1 : or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy - Alcott, Louisa May
Meet Shimmer and Shine! - Tillworth, Mary
Moana's big leap v.7 - Francis, Suzanne
Mother May I - Jackson, Joshilyn
Murder in an Irish Bookshop : A Cozy Irish Murder Mystery - O'Connor, Carlene
My family history - O'Connor, Jane
Night of the bats! v.2 - Eliopulos, Nick
Nypd Red 6 - Patterson, James/ Karp, Marshall
One by one - Ware, Ruth
Pete the cat : Super Pete - Dean, Kim
Pigeon finds a hot dog! - Willems, Mo
Piranhas don't eat bananas - Blabey, Aaron
Pup Fiction - Berenson, Laurien
Saving the Day! - Lagonegro, Melissa
Sea Monkey & Bob - Reynolds, Aaron
Seven days in June : a novel - Williams, Tia
Six Weeks to Live - McKenzie, Catherine
Snoopy came to play - Gallo, Tina
Something's wrong! : a tale of a bear, a hare, and some underwear - John, Jory
Sonic the hedgehog. v. 3, : Battle for Angel Island - Flynn, IanStick With Me! : Sunny Day - Carbone, Courtney
Summer Island - Hannah, Kristin
Summer color! - Murray, Diana
Sunflower sisters : a novel - Kelly, Martha Hall
T. Rex and the Mother's Day hug - Grambling, Lois G.
Tales from the not-so-perfect pet sitter v.10 - Russell, Rachel Renée
The Ask and the Answer v.2 - Ness, Patrick
The Cellist - Silva, Daniel
The Disney princess cookbook - Littlefield, Cindy A.
The Drowning Kind - McMahon, Jennifer
The Guest List - Foley, Lucy
The Ickabog - Rowling, J. K.
The Sneetches, and other stories. - Seuss, Dr.
The Vineyard at Painted Moon - Mallery, Susan
The Woman With the Blue Star - Jenoff, Pam
The great alone - Hannah, Kristin
The hidden rainbow - Matheson, Christie
The lightning thief v.1 - Riordan, Rick
The magical adventures of Phoebe and her unicorn - Simpson, Dana
The mark of Athena v.3 - Riordan, Rick
The midnight library - Haig, Matt
The path to Sunshine Cove - Thayne, RaeAnne
The sentinel - Child, Lee
The whispering oak v.3 - Charman, Katrina
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly - Taback, Simms
There was an old monkey who swallowed a frog - Ward, Jennifer
This book is cute! - Flynn, Sarah WassnerTruly Tyler - Libenson, Terri/ Libenson, Terri
What's your sound, Hound the Hound? - Willems, Mo
When the stars go dark : a novel - McLain, Paula
Wolfie the bunny - Dyckman, Ame
You don't want a dragon! - Dyckman, Ame
Zoo day - Rockwell, Anne F.

A Spotlight on Books about Social Equality

brown squares

Adult Nonfiction

The Black and the Blue by Matthew Horace
Veteran police officer and CNN law enforcement analyst Matthew Horace offers an unforgettable account of the racism, bigotry, and colorlines that permeate America's law enforcement culture, institution, and system, and lays out a blueprint for change.

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program.

And Still I Rise: Black America Since MLK by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
A timeline and chronicle of the past fifty years of black history in the U.S. in more than 350 photos.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder.

The Black List by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
Twenty-five prominent African-Americans of various professions, disciplines, and backgrounds offer their own stories and insights on the struggles, triumphs, and joys of black life in America and, in the process, redefine "black list" for a new century.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
An autobiography describing the early years of Maya Angelou’s life. The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma.

Adult Fiction

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy, the living embodiment of the New South, are settling into the routine of their life together when Roy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. An insightful look into the lives of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
A journey through Mississippi’s past and present that is both an intimate portrait of a family and an epic tale of hope and struggle. Grapples with the ugly truths at the heart of the American story and the power, and limitations, of the bonds of family.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The story of the enslaved Hiram Walker, who can't remember the mother he lost young but is blessed with mysterious powers and is determined to join the war on slavery, escape the plantation, and rescue the family he made for himself there.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Brings the unimaginable experience of slavery into the literature of today and into the reader's comprehension.

Teen Books

SLAY by Brittney Morris
By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the "downfall of the Black man,” Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?

Monster by Walter Dean Myers
As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, Steve, an amateur filmmaker, decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies. He writes it all down, scene by scene, the story of how his whole life was turned around in an instant. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred and his vision obscured until he can no longer tell who he is or what is the truth. This compelling novel is Walter Dean Myers's writing at its best.

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Rashad and Quinn—one black, one white, both American—face the unspeakable truth that racism and prejudice didn’t die after the civil rights movement. There’s a future at stake, a future where no one else will have to be absent because of police brutality. They just have to risk everything to change the world. Cuz that’s how it can end.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.
Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.

Stamped — Racism, Anti-Racism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
This is NOT a history book.
This is a book about the here and now.
A book to help us better understand why we are where we are.
A book about race.
Through a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative written by beloved award-winner Jason Reynolds, this book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas--and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. Insightful, unflinching, and full of heart, On the Come Up is an ode to hip hop from one of the most influential literary voices of a generation. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; and about how, especially for young black people, freedom of speech isn’t always free.

Children’s Picture Books

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
Famous African-American athletes, artists, and activists are highlighted in this book. Their accomplishments are celebrated while acknowledging the incredible hardships they had to overcome to reach those triumphs.

Ron’s Big Mission by Rose Blue
Future astronaut, Ron McNair, tells the story of his childhood and how he defied segregation laws to register for a library card in the whites’ only library of his South Carolina childhood.

Hair Love by Matthew Cherry
Black hair is celebrated in this adorable picture book where a father must learn to style his preschool daughter’s hair.

Granddaddy’s Gift by Margaree King Mitchell
In the segregated South, a young girl goes with her Grandfather to register to vote. Despite adversity and hardship because of his decision, he still teaches his granddaughter that the right to vote is precious.

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
This beautifully illustrated book tells the story of African Americans in America and how even though they experienced slavery and racism, they were able to fight for freedom, fight for their rights and continue fighting for equality.

Children’s Chapter Books

New Kid by Jerry Craft
This graphic novel of seventh-grader Jordan Banks who struggles to fit in at his new private school where he is one of the few African Americans attending.

A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee
12-year-old Shayla does not like making waves at her junior high school. She is a good student and a rule follower. However, she must decide whether or not following the rules is worth it when her school bans the BLM armband she begins wearing to show support for the movement.

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia Williams
13-year-old Genesis does not like her dark skin and is trying to lighten it as this novel begins. However, as her talent for singing begins to be encouraged she learns about other black musicians about how racist ideas of beauty are hurtful and untrue.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Garcia Williams
It is 1968 and three sisters, Delphine, Vonetta and Fern are visiting their mother for the summer in Oakland, California. When they arrive in Oakland, they learn their mother works for the Black Panther Party, a group of African Americans struggling for civil rights. The girls spend the summer attending the Black Panther-run community center and learning more about the struggle for equality Black Americans face and more about their mysterious mother who left their father when the girls were very young.

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Six diverse kids in Ms. Laverne’s sixth grade classroom are supposed to meet weekly in an unused art room for a book club. However, instead of talking about books, Ms. Laverne encourages them to talk and share about their lives. Through these conversations, the kids’ worries and fears emerge including racial profiling, deportations and gun violence. These conversations also bring the kids closer together and help them understand one another.