Linda's Staff Picks

Fortunately, the Milk

“Looking for a fantastic audiobook that will keep your whole family entertained? Look no further than this beautiful example of humor and imaginative storytelling from none other than Neil Gaiman himself. At 58 minutes long, it was short enough for my four-year-old to tune in and get the humor, and long and detailed enough to hold the attention and entertain the 9-, 6- and 40-year-olds who were also along for the ride. I highly recommend this great tale.”

Jessica Fowle, Bookbug

From New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon, a gripping narrative history of the largest manmade detonation prior to Hiroshima: in 1917 a ship laden with the most explosives ever packed on a vessel sailed out of Brooklyn’s harbor for the battlegrounds of World War I; when it stopped in Halifax, Nova Scotia, an extraordinary disaster... Read more »

Killers of the Flower Moon

“In "Killers of the Flower Moon", David Grann recounts the tragic tale of the Osage Indian Nations decimation and deceit at the hands of their government appointed guardians. Motivated by money, morally corrupt and masterfully manipulative, the true role of these benevolent benefactors, perpetrators of mass murder, is still a mystery today. Granns detailed, yet deeply disturbing detective work, back to the birth of the FBI and the rise of J. Edgar Hoover, unveils an unimaginable injustice overlooked for 85 years. Let’s not allow this atrocious act against the Osage to slip back into obscurity ever again.”

Kristin, McLean & Eakin Booksellers

 “We've got a long history of resistance in Vermont and this book is testimony to that fact.”
–Bernie Sanders

A book that's also the beginning of a movement, Bill McKibben's debut novel Radio Free Vermont follows a band of Vermont patriots who decide that their state might be better off as its own republic.
 
As the host of Radio Free... Read more »

An impassioned memoir of saving extraordinary plants on the brink of extinction, by a scientist who has been called a "codebreaker" (Telegraph) and "an inspiration" (Jane Goodall)

Carlos Magdalena is not your average horticulturist. He's a man on a mission to save the world's most endangered plants. First captivated by the flora of his native... Read more »

The Poison Squad

“Let us harken back to the turn of the twentieth century, when coffee was a mix of scorched sawdust and peas, meat was preserved by formaldahyde-fueled additives, and “brown sugar” consisted of ground-up bugs. Let us then meet Dr. Harvey Wiley, who faced a nation that believed people should eat what they want and took the renegade position of “Hey, maybe poisoning ourselves is a bad thing?” While there are shiver-inducing descriptions of the food people were consuming, the more terrifying fact exposed here is that businesses were willing to bribe, lie, and threaten the government in order to save costs and continue manufacturing poisoned food. (Terrifying but not surprising, and an activity that continues to lurk in our politics.) The writing is deft, and I highly recommend this book.”

Rachel, Bookshop Santa Cruz

In the frozen waters of the Arctic, Marine bioterror expert Joe Rush races to save a submarine crew from a lethal threat.

“The pleas for help stopped coming just after five in the morning, Washington time. The Pentagon staffers cleared for handling sensitive messages sat in horror for a moment and then tried other ways to reach the victims.... Read more »

Lab Girl

“This book has it all: nature, love, science, drama, heartbreak, joy, and plenty of dirt. Not since Cheryl Strayed's Wild have I read such a rich and compelling nonfiction narrative. Lab Girl is the story of Jahren's life in science, and her writing on the wonders of nature will renew your sense of awe. But more than that, it is an exploration of friendship, mental illness, parenthood, and the messiness of life. The only flaw -- these pages fly by too quickly, leaving you wondering what you could possibly read next that will be just as good.”

Pete Mulvihill, Green Apple Books

"Narrator Henry Leyva keeps listeners on the edge of their seats with his delivery of a story with more murder suspects than Maine has pine trees...This is an excellent, chilling story and performance." — AudioFile Magazine on The Precipice

"[Henry Leyva's] understated performance makes even minor characters' motives and personalities... Read more »

"Robert Bathurst's intelligent narration captures every nuance, every emotion, and each of Louise Penny's subtle revelations about the unique, completely engaging residents of Three Pines." — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

Catastrophic spring flooding, blistering attacks in the media, and a mysterious disappearance greet Chief... Read more »

An Irish Country Wedding is another heart-warming addition to New York Times bestselling author Patrick Taylor's Irish Country series.

Love is in the air in the colourful Ulster village of Ballybucklebo, where Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly has finally proposed to the darling of his youth, Kitty O'Hallorhan. There's a wedding to be planned, but... Read more »

The first book in the New York Times bestselling Pout-Pout Fish series from Deborah Diesen and illustrator Dan Hanna!

Deep in the water,
Mr. Fish swims about
With his fish face stuck
In a permanent pout.

Can his pals cheer him up?
Will his pout ever end?
Is there something he can learn
From an unexpected friend?

Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he... Read more »

"Narrator Brad Sanders's baritone voice bestows deserved gravitas on this remarkable story...Hoops and history fans won't be the only ones appreciating this inspirational listen." — AudioFile Magazine

Attucks! is the true story of the all-black high school basketball team that broke the color barrier in segregated 1950s Indiana, masterfully told... Read more »

Caesar's Last Breath

“In the beginning there was no earth and no air as we know it today. Kean takes us through the billions of years of changes with how the atmosphere became full of air! He tells biographical stories of early scientists who discover oxygen, hydrogen, etc. down the periodic table in an engaging form. Basically, Caesar's last breath is still around, molecules of air move and may stay in our atmosphere unless an "event" makes a big commotion. But outer space "air" adds to us daily and humans have even added more troublesome chemicals to our air. Think of the atomic bomb, nuclear testing, and forms of pollution. And ALIENS? This is a serious book on chemistry BUT enjoyable because of the presentation of facts - with historical references, personalities, trials & errors (lots of those!) and the author's sense of humor! Bravo, Sam Kean.”

Linda, The Bookloft

An important, groundbreaking book--two decades in work--that tells the story of the unlikely but history-changing twenty-eight-year bond forged between Pauli Murray (granddaughter of a mulatto slave, who, against all odds, as a lesbian black woman, became a lawyer, civil rights pioneer, Episcopal priest, poet, and activist) and Eleanor Roosevelt... Read more »

Caleb Carr, bestselling author of The Alienist and The Angel of Darkness, has created a contemporary psychological thriller haunted by the shadowy hands of established power.In rural, impoverished Burgoyne County, New York, a pattern of strange deaths begins to emerge: adolescent boys and girls are found murdered, their corpses left hanging in... Read more »

From Pulitzer Prize–winning author and esteemed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, an invaluable guide to the development and exercise of leadership from Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The inspiration for the multipart HISTORY Channel series Abraham Lincoln and Theodore... Read more »

A rescue dog, an ex-Marine, and an ex-convict are caught in the crosshairs of a ruthless gang in remote Washington state in this "first-rate thriller" (Associated Press) for "fans of CJ Box and Michael Koryta" (Booklist).
Former US Marine Jess Winslow reenters civilian life a new widow, with little more to her name than a broken-down house, a... Read more »

The award-winning and surprisingly hopeful story of one woman's search for resiliency in a warming world

Several years ago, ecologist Lauren E. Oakes set out from California for Alaska's old-growth forests to hunt for a dying tree: the yellow-cedar. With climate change as the culprit, the death of this species meant loss for many Alaskans. Oakes... Read more »

The Cuckoo's Calling

“The literary world received quite a shock in 2013 when it was revealed that Robert Galbraith, who recently published a well-reviewed mystery novel entitled The Cuckoo's Calling, was none other than J.K. Rowling - author of the Harry Potter series - writing under a pseudonym. Sales skyrocketed, and Potter fans who picked up the book entered a world very different from Harry's, but filled nonetheless with rich characters and storytelling. The Cuckoo's Calling focuses on Cormoran Strike, a private investigator and disabled war veteran who takes up the case of a supermodel who fell to her death in an apparent suicide. Urged by her adopted brother to take a closer look, Strike and his new - but surprisingly adept - temporary secretary Robin delve into the glamorous, high-pressure world of fashion to uncover a darker truth. Cormoran's world is more adult and less magical than Harry's, but I felt the same intrigue and thrill while reading his story. After all, Rowling wove great mysteries into the Potter novels. I recommend this book to all Harry Potter fans who grew up, but still feel the urge to get lost in a world of words.”

Marcus, The Book Tavern