Staff Picks

Crazy Rich Asians meets murder mystery for a brilliant, outrageous and truly hilarious adventure. Welcome to the wedding event of the decade, perfect location on an island resort, true the bachelor party got a bit out of hand, but it is now the big day, the guests have all gathered, the cake is baked and decorated, the flowers are ready, there is just the small matter of the dead body to deal with.

Read Alike: Crazy Rich Asian by Kevin Kwan
Reviewed by: Robin Pope

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read
  • A Diverse Pick (with a diverse author and or characters)

This is the story of a bank robbery turned hostage crisis, but it isn’t really about that. It is really a story about people trying to find their way in the world, the unseen connections between people and the kindness of strangers.

Read Alike: The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
Reviewed by: Robin Pope

This book is:

  • A Good Winter Read
  • A Diverse Pick (with a diverse author and or characters)
  • A Work in Translation

A fun ride through space with an amnesiac science teacher.

Read Alike: Crazy Rich Asian by Kevin Kwan
Reviewed by: Barbra Huntting

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read

Linus Baker is a caseworker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and he has just been given his latest case by the mysterious and elusive Extremely Upper Management and it is top secret. His highly classified assignment takes him to the Marsyas Island Orphanage, where he will meet all manner of strange characters: a gnome who appears to be obsessed with death, a sprite, a wyvern, a boy who turns into a small dog whenever he gets scared, a green blob who no one can identify and wants nothing more than to be a bellboy – and – the Antichrist, who might just bring about the end of the world.

Read Alike: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
or Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Reviewed by: Robin Pope

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read
  • A Diverse Pick (with a diverse author and or characters)

Excellent! Witty dialog, lovable characters and an engaging mystery. Plus a curmudgeonly octopus named Marcellus.

Read Alike: A Man Called Ove by F Bachman
The World According to Garp, by J Irving
Reviewed by: Barb

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read

An orphan who sees dead people finds her family. Almost like a dark retelling of The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) mixed with the Upside Down in Stranger Things.

Read Alike: Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Secret Garden
Six of Crows
Reviewed by: Barb

This book is:

  • A Retelling (fairytales, classic literature etc.)

We was first published in 1924 – pre-dating Brave New World by Huxley. A Dystopian, anti-Utopian novel that inspired 1984 by Orwell. The book was considered a “malicious slander on socialism” in the Soviet Union and was not published in the Soviet Union until 1988.

Read Alike: 1984 (Orwell)
Handmaids Tale (Atwood)
The Hunger Games (Collins)
Reviewed by: Barb

This book is:

  • A Good Fall Read

Utopia is hard to maintain. The ending was not as bad as Lost TV series

Read Alike: The Beach, Lord of the Flies, Lost (TV series)
Reviewed by: Barb

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read

Staff Picks

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read
  • A Diverse Pick (with a diverse author and or characters)

Crazy Rich Asians meets murder mystery for a brilliant, outrageous and truly hilarious adventure. Welcome to the wedding event of the decade, perfect location on an island resort, true the bachelor party got a bit out of hand, but it is now the big day, the guests have all gathered, the cake is baked and decorated, the flowers are ready, there is just the small matter of the dead body to deal with.

Read Alike: Crazy Rich Asian by Kevin Kwan
Reviewed by: Robin Pope

This book is:

  • A Good Winter Read
  • A Diverse Pick (with a diverse author and or characters)
  • A Work in Translation

This is the story of a bank robbery turned hostage crisis, but it isn’t really about that. It is really a story about people trying to find their way in the world, the unseen connections between people and the kindness of strangers.

Read Alike: The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson
Reviewed by: Robin Pope

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read

A fun ride through space with an amnesiac science teacher.

Read Alike: Crazy Rich Asian by Kevin Kwan
Reviewed by: Barbra Huntting

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read
  • A Diverse Pick (with a diverse author and or characters)

Linus Baker is a caseworker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth and he has just been given his latest case by the mysterious and elusive Extremely Upper Management and it is top secret. His highly classified assignment takes him to the Marsyas Island Orphanage, where he will meet all manner of strange characters: a gnome who appears to be obsessed with death, a sprite, a wyvern, a boy who turns into a small dog whenever he gets scared, a green blob who no one can identify and wants nothing more than to be a bellboy – and – the Antichrist, who might just bring about the end of the world.

Read Alike: Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
or Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Reviewed by: Robin Pope

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read

Excellent! Witty dialog, lovable characters and an engaging mystery. Plus a curmudgeonly octopus named Marcellus.

Read Alike: A Man Called Ove by F Bachman
The World According to Garp, by J Irving
Reviewed by: Barb

This book is:

  • A Retelling (fairytales, classic literature etc.)

An orphan who sees dead people finds her family. Almost like a dark retelling of The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) mixed with the Upside Down in Stranger Things.

Read Alike: Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
The Secret Garden
Six of Crows
Reviewed by: Barb

This book is:

  • A Good Fall Read

We was first published in 1924 – pre-dating Brave New World by Huxley. A Dystopian, anti-Utopian novel that inspired 1984 by Orwell. The book was considered a “malicious slander on socialism” in the Soviet Union and was not published in the Soviet Union until 1988.

Read Alike: 1984 (Orwell)
Handmaids Tale (Atwood)
The Hunger Games (Collins)
Reviewed by: Barb

This book is:

  • A Good Summer Read

Utopia is hard to maintain. The ending was not as bad as Lost TV series

Read Alike: The Beach, Lord of the Flies, Lost (TV series)
Reviewed by: Barb