Our October suggestions are a mix of fantasy, history, romance, health, and adventure—truly, something for everyone—and they’re all coming to a neighborhood library near you this month!
Young Children (Up to 2nd Grade)
Stretchy McHandsome is not only good looking with his ginger fur, but he has personality that shines as well. Leaving the safety of the McHandsome clan, he stretches himself away from home and all around town. Out and about, he is spotted by a girl with a kindred spirit, who makes him realize the one thing missing from his life is the warm lap of a loving person. How this gadabout finds his true girl makes for a story that is a little bit wild, but a whole lot wonderful. A new book by local author/illustrator Judy Shachner.
Older Children (3rd Grade to 6th Grade)
Wittenstein's free-verse narrative perfectly captures the tension leading up to the famous "I Have a Dream" speech, as each adviser urged his own ideas while remaining a supportive community. Pinkney's trademark illustrations dramatize this and the speech, adding power and further illuminating the sense of historical importance.
Teen Fiction
Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther–inspired Nigeria. The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky. In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life. Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more. Their lives have been marked by violence and political unrest. Still, they dream of peace, of hope, and a future together. And they're willing to fight an entire war to get there.
Adult Fiction
Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie's work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can't refuse. She's excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn't expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality. Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling. Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year's Day... or are they?
Adult Nonfiction
Wingate's bestselling novel, Before We Were Yours, focused on four Memphis siblings and told the horrific story of Georgia Tann's Tennessee Children's Home Society, which from the 1930s through 1950 kidnapped thousands of mostly poor children for sale in illegal adoptions countrywide. Here, together with journalist Judy Christie, she reveals true stories of Tann's victims, some of whom learned the truth of their lives from her book and were able to reunite with long-lost birth-family members.
Bryson, known for his travel narratives and, more recently, popular scientific works, turns his humorous and curious eye to the human body in his newest book. He takes us on a head-to-toe tour of the marvel that is the human body – a must-read owner's manual for everybody.
Adult DVD and Blu-ray
Peter Parker and his friends, Ned and MJ, go on a much awaited European vacation. Peter plans to leave the path of heroism and his alter ego behind for a while, but it's quickly dragged into a new adventure. Nick Fury shows up and recruits Spider-Man to investigate the attacks of Elemental creatures across the continent. Their detective work leads to a confrontation with the villain Mysterio, who engages Spider-Man and Nick Fury using hair-raising illusions and effects that make them question their own senses. Spider-Man is forced to look inward to try and defeat Mysterio and complete his adventure far from home.
You can find these new titles and many more great books, ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and music in our catalog and at a neighborhood library near you!
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