by Emily & the Mandel Public Library Staff

One of my favorite things about collecting monthly picks from our library staff is the diversity of choices. Our library staff truly reads widely and voraciously, and I love sharing their enthusiasm on our blog. From thrillers to fantasies to nonfiction about wildlife law-breakers, I hope you find something to enjoy in this month's round-up!

Emily's Pick: Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach

Ever wonder what happens to animals who attack people, steal things, or otherwise break laws intended for humans? Mary Roach explores the wide and weird world of animal-human conflict management, from mischievous mackacks in India to the silent and ever-present California mountain lions. Along the way, Mary recounts her meetings with experts on specialized areas like tree felling, mountain lion tracking, and wildlife CSI - all fascinating people made more so through Mary's descriptive and often hilarious storytelling - and what they teach her about our relationship to wild animals.

Faith's Pick: The Poirot mysteries by Agatha Christie

With the newDeath on the Nile movie coming out, I was curious to read more of Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries. A classic detective series in perfect bite-sized books! I've listened to about 7 of them this month! The narration is excellent.

Tara's Pick: The Maid by Nita Prose

A neurodivergent hotel maid is the first to discover the dead body of the hotel's wealthiest guest. She excels at cleaning and attention to detail but not at reading people. Were there nefarious goings-on at the Regency Grand Hotel? And how much was Molly the maid involved, even if unwittingly? Recommended for folks who enjoyed The Good Sister and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

Antoinette's Pick: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom since her birth, but she has also been training to kill him. I loved the way this book weaved together "Beauty and the Beast," Greek mythology, and the supernatural. It was a different spin on the tale with both main characters being cruel and figuring out if they were going to work together or against each other.

Jennifer's Pick: The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

This won a ton of awards, and I can see why. It's a wonderful story of a young girl, Petra, who wants to be a storyteller like her abuelita. Earth has been destroyed by a comet. Is Petra able to survive the trip and life on another planet? Petra alone carries the stories of our past on Earth - can she help humanity to live again?

Natalia's Pick: The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I need to come clean about something – I have pretentiously avoided the thriller genre in the past, but this week, I have found myself putting off chores and avoiding my friends in order to find out what happens next in The Secret History by Donna Tartt. A middle-class student from California is accepted at a liberal arts college in Vermont and becomes tied up in some dark matters when he joins a closely-knit group of wealthy students studying Greek under a charismatic professor. The characters’ bonds are developed intricately, the prose style is beautiful, and expectations for a foreshadowed event are just absolutely toyed with. Read this book.

Luckas's Pick: The Black Hammer series by Jeff Lemire

We have a group of superheroes pretending to be a family in a small town where heroes do not exist. They can’t leave the town, nor do they have access to the outside world. They don't know how they got there, and going home doesn't look like an option. Even with its somewhat zany moments, there is a much more centered story on the human experience than you would think.