Staff picks & popular titles
Updated daily, these lists feature many of the most popular new materials at the library.
Browse: The Star Collection what we're reading at SPL
"A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway. But when the storm hits, no one is getting away. It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing maybe even romantic weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge w…
Late one spring night, Driss Guerraoui, a Moroccan immigrant in California, is walking across a darkened intersection when he is killed by a speeding car. The repercussions of his death bring together a diverse cast of characters: Guerraoui's daughter Nora, a jazz composer who returns to the small town in the Mojave sh…
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek : a Novel
"Cussy Mary Carter is the last of her kind, her skin the color of a blue damselfly in these dusty hills. But that doesn't mean she's got nothing to offer. As a member of the Pack Horse Library Project, Cussy delivers books to the hill folk of Troublesome, hoping to spread learning in these desperate times. But not ever…
"Girl, Woman, Other is a celebration of the diversity of Black British experience. Moving, hopeful, and inventive, this extraordinary novel is a vivid portrait of the state of contemporary Britain and the legacy of Britain's colonial history in Africa and the Caribbean. The twelve central characters of this multi-voice…
"In the new novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of First Comes Love and Something Borrowed, a woman is forced to choose between her family and her most deeply held values. Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville's elite. Her husband's tech business is booming, and her adored …
Growing up in New York City in the 1910s, Luella and Effie Tildon realize that even as wealthy young women, their freedoms come with limits. But when the sisters discover a shocking secret about their father, Luella, the brazen older sister, becomes emboldened to do as she pleases. Her rebellion comes with consequences…
Jim Sams has undergone a metamorphosis. In his previous life he was ignored or loathed, but in his new incarnation he is the most powerful man in Britain--and it is his mission to carry out the will of the people. Nothing must get in his way: not the opposition, nor the dissenters within his own party. Not even the rul…
Forty-eight hours in the life of Captain Krause who had just 4 ships with which to protect the 37 merchantmen in the convoy.…
On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, (3z(BOnce that first stack got going, it was
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sophie Kinsella, an irresistible story of love and empowerment about a young woman with a complicated family, a handsome man who might be "the one," and an IOU that changes everything. Fixie Farr has always lived by her father's motto: "Family first." But ever since her dad pa…
Beautiful. Daring. Deadly. The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez-her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim th…
December 1940. In the disorderly evacuation of Southampton, England, newly married Ellen Parr finds a small child asleep on the backseat of an empty bus. No one knows who little Pamela is. Ellen professed not to want children with her older husband, and when she takes Pamela into her home and rapidly into her heart, sh…
Shining a light on a little-known piece of history, the Women Airforce Service Pilots, The Flight Girls is a sweeping portrayal of women
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unhoneymooners and the "delectable, moving" (Entertainment Weekly) My Favorite Half-Night Stand comes a modern love story about what happens when your first love reenters your life when you least expect it...…
"Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike. Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn't want to follow in her mother's foo…
Believing that he has achieved his purpose throughout several eventful lives, Buddy the dog is drawn to a vibrant but troubled teen who he struggles to help until they are separated.…
Midnight in Chernobyl : the Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaste
Journalist Adam Higginbotham's definitive, years-in-the-making account of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster--and a powerful investigation into how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the twentieth century's greatest disasters. Early in the morning of April 26, 1986, Reactor Num…
"Not since Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven and Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine has such a powerful and urgent Native American voice exploded onto the landscape of contemporary fiction. Tommy Orange's There There introduces a brilliant new author at the start of a major career. "We all came…
""In all ways a great novel, a nonstop pleasure brimming with charm, personal wisdom, and philosophic insight. This book more than fulfills the promise of Towles' stylish debut, Rules of Civility." - Kirkus Reviews (starred) From the New York Times bestselling author of Rules of Civility--a transporting novel about a m…
"Erica Bauermeister, the national bestselling author of The School of Essential Ingredients, presents a moving and evocative coming-of-age novel about childhood stories, families lost and found, and how a fragrance conjures memories capable of shaping the course of our lives. The Scent Keeper explores the provocative b…
A missing private investigator is found locked in a car hidden deep in the woods. Worse still - both for his family and the police - the body was in an area that had already been searched 10 years ago. Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is part of a new inquiry, combing through the mistakes of the original case. There …
At the edge of the continent, in the small town of Crosby, Maine, lives Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher who deplores the changes in her town and in the world at large but doesn't always recognize the changes in those around her.…
Shade : a Tale of Two Presidents
The former official White House photographer compares the most recent two administrations via photos of Barack Obama side-by-side with tweets, headlines, and quotes from the Trump administration.…
One of the most celebrated, beloved, and enduring actors of our time, Sally Field has an infectious charm that has captivated the nation for more than five decades, beginning with her first TV role at the age of seventeen. From Gidget's sweet-faced "girl next door" to the dazzling complexity of Sybil to the Academy Awa…
How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. The magazine where Willa worked has …
Rising out of Hatred : the Awakening of a Former White Nationalist
"From a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, a powerful account of Derek Black's journey from white supremacist hero to apostle of tolerance"--…
As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plan…
"A novel about a family of four, on the cusp of fracture, who take a trip across America--a story told through varying points of view, and including archival documents and photographs"--…
After her cat toy empire goes up in flames, Sophie Lane returns to Blackberry Island, determined to rebuild. Until small-town life reveals a big problem: she can
Well Nourished : Mindful Practices to Heal Your Relationship with Food, Feed You
There is much more to nourishing yourself than simply eating food. After a long day of feeling run down and exhausted, what you're really hungering for is other forms of nourishment. Well Nourished is here to show you how to live a life where feel nourished emotionally, intellectually, physically, socially, and creativ…
"Now published in the US for the first time, an early novel by the #1New York Timesbestselling author of Me Before You, After You, and Still Me"--…
The Rhythm Section : a Stephane Patrick Thriller
"Stephanie Patrick's life is destroyed by the crash of flight NEO027. Her family was on board and there were no survivors. Devastated, she drops out of college and her life spins out of control as she enters a world of drugs and prostitution--until a journalist discovers that the crash wasn't an accident. There was a b…
The Easy 5-ingredient Ketogenic Diet Cookbook : Low-carb, High-fat Recipes for B
"Keep up with keto on even your busiest days. Finding quick and easy keto recipes that fit with your lifestyle and schedule can be difficult. That's why Jen Fisch, the blogger behind 'Keto in The City' and a busy working mom, shares her favorite stress-free keto meals in [this book]. With 130 recipes that require no mo…
"From the two-time NBCC Finalist, a fiercely imaginative novel about a family's summer road trip across America--a journey that, with breathtaking imagery, spare lyricism, and profound humanity, probes the nature of justice and equality in America today. A mother and father set out with their kids from New York to Ariz…
Instant Loss : Eat Real, Lose Weight
"Incredibly easy Instant Pot and air fryer recipes from the best-selling author of Instant Loss"--…
Phoebe Siegler first meets Charles Heist in a shabby trailer on the eastern edge of Los Angeles. She
You Are the Girl for the Job : Daring to Believe the God Who Calls You
"You were made for life abundant and vibrant mission, yet it's easy to let comparison, self-doubt, and defeat take ourselves out of the running. Join bestselling author Jess Connolly in You Are the Girl for the Job to make a plan, make a move, and believe the One who has called you"--…
Josie Buhrman has spent the last ten years trying to escape her family and with good reason. After her father
The First Conspiracy : the Secret Plot to Kill George Washington
"In 1776, an elite group of soldiers were handpicked to serve as George Washington's bodyguards. Washington trusted them; relied on them. But unbeknownst to Washington, some of them were part of a treasonous plan. In the months leading up to the Revolutionary War, these traitorous soldiers, along with the Governor of N…
The Bluest Eye is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove, a black girl in an America whose love for its blonde, blue-eyed children can devastate all others, who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story …
"Nobody cuts deeper than family... Noah Alderman, a doctor and a widower, has remarried a wonderful woman, Maggie, and for the first time in a long time he and his son are happy. But their lives are turned upside down when Maggie's daughter Anna moves in with them. Anna is a gorgeous seventeen-year-old who balks at liv…
The Vagina Bible : the Vulva and the Vagina - Separating the Myth from the Medic
"OB/GYN, writer for The New York Times, USA Today, and Self, and host of the show Jensplaining, Dr. Jen Gunter now delivers the definitive book on vaginal health, answering the questions you've always had but were afraid to ask--or couldn't find the right answers to. She has been called Twitter's resident gynecologist,…
To Shake the Sleeping Self : a Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for
"From travel writer and Instagram phenomenon Jedidiah Jenkins, a long-awaited memoir of adventure, failure, and lessons learned while bicycling the 10,000 miles from Oregon to Patagonia. On the eve of turning thirty, terrified of being sucked into a life he didn't choose, Jedidiah Jenkins quit his dream job and spent t…
"Viann and Isabelle have always been close despite their differences. Younger, bolder sister Isabelle lives in Paris while Viann lives a quiet and content life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their daughter. When World War II strikes and Antoine is sent off to fight, Viann and Isabelle's father s…
Daisy Jones & the Six : a Novel
"Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go-Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it's the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she's twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has th…
For a trio of colleagues, an innocent night out after class ends in a deadly torture session. They vanish without a clue -- until a body turns up. With the safety of San Francisco's entire school system at stake, Lindsay has never been under more pressure. As the chief of police and the press clamor for an arrest in th…
"In his third collection of poems, Atticus takes us on an adventure to discover the truth about magic. Through heartbreak and falling in love, looking back and looking forward, he writes about finding ourselves, finding our purpose, and the simple joys of life with grace, wit, and longing. Whether it's drinking wine ou…
"An epic love story and family drama set at the dawn of World War II"--Provided by publisher.…
Code Girls : the Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War I
Recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than ten thousand women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved cou…
The Gown : a Novel of the Royal Wedding
London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation's recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman…
"Athene Forster embraced the Sixties like few others. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was spoiled, beautiful, and out of control. And within two years of her marriage, the rumours had begun again. Thirty-five years on, Suzanna Peacock finds refuge from her mother's shameful legacy in her shop, the Peacock Emporium. Within …
Hungry Girl Simply 6 : All-natural Recipes with 6 Ingredients or Less
People everywhere are craving super-simple recipes with short ingredient lists, and Hungry Girl has come to their rescue with Hungry Girl Simply 6: All-Natural Recipes with 6 Ingredients or Less! For the first time ever, chapters are organized by main ingredient
Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are here to get a reboot on life, some are here for reasons they can
The Dirty, Lazy, Keto Cookbook : Bend the Rules to Lose the Weight!
"You don't have to be perfect to be successful at weight loss-now you can bend the rules and still lose the weight. If your version of the keto diet includes a Diet Coke, low-carb beer, or the occasional chocolate-covered protein bar, The DIRTY, LAZY, KETO Cookbook is your roadmap for results. Bestselling author Stepha…
These Truths : a History of the United States
Written in elegiac prose, Lepore
A Well-behaved Woman : a Novel of the Vanderbilts
Marrying into the newly rich but socially scorned Vanderbilt clan, Alva navigates society snubs and dark undercurrents in the lives of her in-laws and friends while testing the limits of her ambitious rule-breaking.…
The romantic trials of the owner of a London record shop, after his girlfriend leaves him for another man. Rob is a pop music junkie who runs his own semi-failing record store. His girlfriend, Laura, has just left him for the guy upstairs, and Rob is both miserable and relieved. Rob seeks refuge in the company of the o…
Slavery is back. America, 1962. Having lost a war, America finds itself under Nazi Germany and Japan occupation. A few Jews still live under assumed names. The 'I Ching' is prevalent in San Francisco. Science fiction meets serious ideas in this take on a possible alternate history.…
Patroclus, an awkward young prince, follows Achilles into war, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they have learned, everything they hold dear. And that, before he is ready, he will be forced to surrender his friend to the hands of Fate. Set during the Trojan War.…
"The election happened," remembers Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, then deputy secretary of the Department of Energy. "And then there was radio silence." Across all departments, similar stories were playing out: Trump appointees were few and far between; those that did show up were shockingly uninformed about the functions…
"Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. The latest from legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting, extraordinarily eerie, and moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together--a timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences. Althou…
The 5 Love Languages : the Secret to Love That Lasts
Dr. Chapman explains how people communicate love in different ways, and shares the wonderful things that happen when men and women learn to speak each other's language.…
Who Killed the Fonz? : a Novel
"Late October, 1984. Prince and Bruce are dominating FM radio. Ron and Nancy are headed back to the White House. Crockett and Tubbs are leading men everywhere to embrace pastels. And Richard Cunningham? Well, Richard Cunningham is having a really bad Sunday. First, there's the meeting with his agent. A decade ago, the …