Staff Picks
April 2026
Amie recommends:
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
The first of the MurderBot Diaries introduces us to MurderBot after it’s hacked its government nodule and secretly gone rogue. In order to stay under the radar, it pretends nothing has changed and is contracted to free-thinking people from outside the greedy company’s realm. Employed as security, it spends the majority of its time watching soap operas until an accident hits its clients hard and it’s forced to interact with its human clients no matter how much it hates it. MurderBot is hysterical. I love them!
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (DVD)
This movie was crazy fun! Sam Rockwell NEVER disappoints!
Sarah recommends:
Skip and Loafer Vol 1 by Misaki Takamatsu
A Japanese girl leaves her small town to go to high school in Tokyo where she meets an interesting cast of characters, including popular boy Sosuke who happens to help her on her first day. If you want something sweet, funny, and lighthearted, this is a great ongoing manga series!
March 2026
Amie recommends:
I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
In a post-pandemic-dystopian world where billionaires have succeeded in taking over the world, a lovely man named Rainy loses everything that matters to him except his spirit. Beautifully written with only a few sob sections.
Surprisingly fun cop show. I thought it was going to be formulaic (and it was a bit), but the relationships and the characters were well written and endearing. 7 seasons, worth it.
Jasmine recommends:
“A few Love Muffins and a few dozen Cookies of Truth couldn’t cause too much trouble . . . could they?”
Bliss is the first book in a trilogy that follows the Bliss kids who come from a family of magical bakers. My favorite is the second book, “A Dash of Magic”, where they go to Paris for a baking competition and run around the city with a talking cat and a turncoat mouse searching for ingredients like “the secret behind Mona Lisa’s smile”. These books are just a delicious (pun intended), full of heart, and the magic is clever and beautifully written. I read them as a kid and still think about them to this day.
Kim recommends:
Are You a Horse? is a laugh-out-loud story about a cowboy who gets the gift of a saddle, without knowing what a saddle is, or a horse! He talks to everyone and everything he meets, in his bumbling but scientific way asking, “Are you a horse?” He starts with a rusty wagon telling him, “A horse is a living thing,” and comes closer and closer, until he meets a four-legged creature eating grass. But when he hears, “I’m not a horse, I’m a zebra,” he becomes very upset. In the last five pages, he and the readers get surprises.
This picture book works well in a group setting but would also be a good fit for a parent (especially one who likes to do funny voices) and child (ages 2 to 7) looking for a silly but educational Year of the Horse read-aloud.
John recommends:
Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L Trump
This book may explain the progression of recent events. The author is related to the President and is a Doctor of Psychology.
The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett wrote this book with Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart, both mathematicians. It is part fiction and part non-fiction and is hilarious in both aspects. Having read all the Discworld books I welcome this addition written shortly before his death due to Altzheimer’s disease. It will be a fine reminder of the joy that Terry Pratchett brought to his readers.
Peggy recommends:
The Green Gardening Handbook by Nancy Birtwhistle
This book written by Great British Bakeoff winner, Nancy Birtwhistle, is filled with great ideas on how to grow your own vegetables without damaging the earth.
The Vegan Creamery by Miyoko Nishmoto Schinner
So many yummy things!
Rumor has it the genius behind our favorite vegan butter (Miyoko’s Butter) was so dissatisfied with the company who purchased her brand that she decided to share all of her secret recipes with the world. This book is the result of that choice. The recipes are tried and true and very easy to follow. If you’re vegan now or trying to be, this is a perfect place to start. I highly recommend.
Sarah recommends:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
This book follows Christopher, an autistic fifteen-year-old, as he investigates the death of his neighbor’s dog. It’s a quick read, but one with a lot of heart.
February 2026
Peggy recommends:
The Smiling Land by Alan Doyle
In The Smiling Land, Alan Doyle, former front man for one of Canada’s favorite folk rock bands, Great Big Sea, and current front man for his own Beautiful, Beautiful band, takes us on a journey in and around his beloved Newfoundland. Along the way, he shares bits of history concerning each place visited, his own stories from growing up on The Rock and the joy of sharing the travel with his wife and 18-year-old son. Altogether, we get the unique experience of touring this beautiful island with Alan as our tour guide and it’s a kick!
The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
In this follow-up to The Grey Wolf, a near deaf Inspector Gamache is trying to prevent another major catastrophe with international connections and implications. Our favorite characters from Three Pines return, but only in brief moments. And while this is ventures away from Three Pines a bit, it is still a good read.
Fiddler on the RoofOne of my all-time favorite musicals whose storyline reflects on a lot of what’s happening culturally in the world today.
Jasmine recommends:
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
Groundhog Day DVD
Amie recommends:
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
Ryland Grace is a Junior High science teacher who wakes from a coma to find himself 12 light years away on a small spaceship. And then it gets worse. I accidentally spoiled it for myself because I looked up the movie, BUT it was still wonderful! Absolutely worth the read. Everything Andy Weir writes is wonderful and educational. I could totally survive on a spaceship 12 light years away. AND I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE MOVIE!
Recipes for Love and Murder Season 2 DVD
Picks right up where we left off. Fun for all, sweet little murders and lovely recipes.
January 2026
Kim recommends:
Cats in Construction Hats by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen & Leeza Hernandez
The Dog Who Followed the Moon
by James Norbury
This book is beautifully heartbreaking. I love it so much. Sob!
The Princess Bride (DVD)
Jeeves and the King of Clubs by Benn Schott
Jeeves and the King of Clubs is a novel in homage to P. G. Wodehouse It took me two tries to get through this book but I’m glad I did. This book by Ben Schott is very well written. Mr. Schott is a scholar, and the book was extremely capably researched by him. In fact, I recommend reading the notes on the text before reading the book. It would also be a good idea to keep a dictionary handy, preferably an Oxford English Dictionary.
Anyone who has read a Jeeves and Bertie book by Wodehouse knows that the Jeeves character is clever almost to the point of genius. In this book he is in form and the plot, which involves the British government, has Jeeves and Bertie recruited to foil a fascist villain and unrepentant jerk. One amusing aside is that if you ever saw the Blues Brothers movie you will recognize the scene with Nazis on the bridge, which in the movie were routed by the Blues Mobile. Schott creates a much more amusing route.
There have been other parody tributes to P.G. Wodehouse, but this one is the best. It was written and published with the permission of the Wodehouse estate. And the ending … the perpetual bachelor, Bertie Wooster, meets a young lady who may have real potential for matrimony. It seems to demand a sequel, but when?
Marina recommends:
Rebel Blue Ranch series by Lyla Sage
Sometimes you just need a lighthearted small-town cowboy romance to escape to on these stormy days, and the Rebel Blue Ranch series is a great option. As a complete four book series, you will have enough reading material for a few rainy days and won’t have to wait for the next book to be published.
Sarah recommends:
