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Staff Picks

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The Benefits of Being an Octopus
by Ann Braden

Summary (Follett and Publisher): “Seventh-grader Zoey Albro focuses on caring for three younger siblings and avoiding rich classmates at school until her fascination with octopuses gets her on the debate team and she begins to speak out. This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward." NPR Best Book of 2018, Bank Street List for Best Children's Books of 2019

Why: Author,  Ann Braden brings awareness to how many families face tremendous obstacles everyday to succeed in school and life. Zoey, shunned by many of her classmates for the way she appears, tries to stay invisible like an octopus.  She observes how her classmates take love, privilege, basic hygiene, and nutritious food for granted. This is a timely, well written, important book. Great choice for reading groups and discussions.

Availability: 
Book in library - Place hold
ebook - hoopla
ebook - libby


Staff: Eleanor Schuster, Reference/Adult Services
Check out her blog! 



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Under Their Skin
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Summary: Twelve-year-old twins Nick and Eryn investigate why their mother and new stepfather are keeping secrets, why they are forbidden to meet their stepsiblings, and, most important, why their lives are in danger.

Why: Haddix is a perfect choice for upper elementary and middle school students. She writes accessible, exciting page-turners covering a wide range of thought provoking topics. This book in particular addresses the role of robots, as well as the consequences of prejudice, human error, decision-making, and secrets. You will want to read book two, In Over Their Heads when you finished with this one.


Availability: book - libby 
ebook - libby


Staff: Eleanor Schuster, Reference/Adult Services
Check out her blog! 



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Anna Karenina
by Tolstoy, translated by Richard Pevear & Larissa Volokhonsky   

Summary: Described by William Faulkner as the best novel ever written and by Fyodor Dostoevsky as “flawless,” Anna Karenina tells of the doomed love affair between the sensuous and rebellious Anna and the dashing officer, Count Vronsky.

Why: 
I've always been drawn to long, epic novels--even before this period of self-quarantine & social distancing. If you've shied away from tackling Tolstoy in the past, the time has come. No excuses. This classic will whisk you up and plop you down into the mesh of 19th Century Russian society -- love, betrayal, scandal, aristocrats in drawing rooms, peasants in the fields, philosopher farmers -- everything is there to help you forget the anxieties of our days as well as offer some perspective. Make sure to get this particular translation by these two modern masters. The liveliness, immediacy, and flow allows readers easy access to the inner lives of Anna, Count Vronsky, Levin, & Kitty as the plot winds its way to the devastating conclusion. So you know the ending  -- so what? The point is in the journey. Bonus--the latest film version starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law is available to stream on Netflix.

Availability: Ebooks & audiobooks - hoopla 
Audiobook - libby
ebook - libby

​Staff: Rosemary Farrell, Senior Librarian Programs & Community Engagement


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In Five Years: A Novel
by Rebecca Serle

​
Summary: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Dannie Kohan lives her life by the numbers. Her meticulous planning seems to have paid off after she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal in one fell swoop, falling asleep completely content. But when she awakens, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside her a very different man. Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future before she wakes again in her own home on the brink of midnight—but it is one hour she cannot shake.

Why: I read her 1st book ‘The Dinner List’ & both books have an intriguing story line.

Availability: ebook - libby
audiobook - libby

Staff: Irene Tricano, CRC staff


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Exodus: A Memoir
by Deborah Feldman

Summary: The author of the explosive New York Times bestselling memoir Unorthodox (now a Netflix limited series) chronicles her continuing journey as a single mother, an independent woman, and a religious refugee.
​
Why: Honest memoir written by a woman who was born into Hasidism. This book is rich in the ability to understand and empathize with the author.


Availability: ebook - libby
audiobook - libby

Staff: Irene Tricano, CRC staff




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You Never Forget Your First: a Biography of George Washington
by Alexis Coe

Summary: He took up arms against the British only when there was no other way, though he lost more battles than he on. After an unlikely victory in the Revolutionary War cast him as the nation's hero, he was desperate to retire, but the founders pressured him into the presidency–twice.

Why: "With irresistible style and warm humor, You Never Forget Your First combines rigorous research and lively storytelling that will have readers--including those who thought presidential biographies were just for dads--inhaling every page." - publisher. I'm still in the middle of reading it now, but I find in engaging, well written and anything but dry. History tends to be a predominantly male field so I love that a female author has tackled this.


Availability: ebooks & audiobooks - libby

Staff: Tracy Dunstan, Head of Reference


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Recommended by Anne
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Recommended by Paula
How Do I...?
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Book Discussion Groups
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Digital Resources
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​
Kindles
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Research & Databases
Lifelong Learning
NextReads
​
Niche Academy
Events
Calendar of Events
Highlighted Programs
Quarterly Newsletter
Carnegie Concerts
Rent a Room
Present a Program
Nyack Seed Exchange
Exhibits
Monthly Event Email
Local History
Local History Room
Images
Genealogy
Obituaries
Newspapers
​Oral Histories
About
​
About the Library
Policies & Budget
Hours
Support the Library
Board of Trustees
Technology Access
Jobs
​Contact Us
  • How Do I...?
    • Access My Account
    • Donate to the Library
    • Get a Document Notarized
    • Get a Library Card
    • Hold or Renew an Item
    • Rent a Room
    • Search the Catalog
    • Technology Access
    • Volunteer
  • Borrow a Museum Pass
  • About
    • About the Library
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
    • Donate
    • Hours
    • Jobs
    • Policies & Budget
    • Support the Library
    • Friends of the Library
  • Youth Services
    • Youth Digital Resources
    • Children
    • Teens
  • Adult Services
    • 2021 Rockland County Reference Guide
    • 55+ Resource Guide
    • Book Discussion Groups
    • Combating Racism
    • Curated Book Lists
    • ELL Resources
    • Homebound Delivery Service
    • Papercut: The Nyack Library Podcast
    • Request a New Purchase
    • Research Business and Employment Opportunities
    • Share Covid19 Story
    • Staff Picks
    • Sustainability
  • Digital Resources
    • Catalog Mobile App
    • Ebooks and Streaming Media
    • Hotspots
    • Kindles
    • Lifelong Learning
    • NextReads
    • Niche Academy
    • NY Crime Victims Legal Help
    • NYS Civil Service Test Guides
    • Novelist
    • Rockland Executive Order #203 Response
    • Research and Databases
  • Long-Range Plan
  • Events
    • Events Calendar >
      • How to Use Localhop
    • Carnegie Concerts
    • Dorothy Gillespie
    • Exhibits
    • Grants >
      • 2023 Black American Culture & Art Series
      • 2022 Black American Culture & Art Series
      • 2020-2021 Black American Culture & Art Series
      • Black American Culture & Art Series: The Legacy of Toni Morrison >
        • BACAS Oral Histories
    • Highlighted Programs
    • Program Recordings
    • Past Events >
      • American Creed
      • Librarian's Guide to Staying Home... and Sane!
      • Nation Must Awake
      • 2022 Nyack Poetry Walk
      • Nyack Poetry Walk
      • Nyack Schools Saturday Academy: Exhibit
      • September 11, 2001 The Day That Changed The World Exhibition
    • Public Notices
    • Present a Program
    • Quarterly Newsletter
    • Rent a Room
    • Weekly Event Email
  • Community Events
  • Board of Trustees
  • Local History
    • Local History Room
    • Genealogy
    • Images
    • Newspapers
    • Obituaries
    • Oral Histories
    • Scholarship
  • Tax Information
  • Nyack Seed Exchange
  • See what's New