Thanks for the Recommendation

One of the great benefits of working at the circulation desk for the Mercer County Library System is getting to interact with our patrons.

As patrons come in and out of the library to pick up their materials, you get to know what they like to read, watch and listen to by the materials they have reserved and that they check out during their visit. Many patrons return a book or a DVD and let us know it was a great book to read or a show they really enjoyed watching. And because of that, one of the perks of working at the circulation desk is picking up recommendations from patrons.

Talking with fellow circulation workers at the branches around the county, we all have the same situation of a growing list of must-read books and new DVDs to watch - many based on the recommendations of patrons.

With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of books and DVDs that have been recommended over the past year or two. So, in essence, look at this as suggestions from the people that utilize the library the most - our patrons.

Among the books that have recently been suggested to me are:

The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh, which is a juvenile fiction book. In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, thirteen-year-old Matthew discovered a shocking secret about his great-grandmother’s past as he learns about her life during the Holodomor famine in Soviet Ukraine. While this book is classified as a J Fiction book, it can be read by all age groups. 

The Witching Year by Diana Helmuth. This book is a memoir in which Diana Helmuth, 33, is skeptical of organized religion. She’s also skeptical of disorganized religion. But, more than anything, she is tired of God being dead. So, she decides to try the fastest growing, self-directed faith in America: Witchcraft. The result is 366 days of observation, trial, error, wit, and back spasms.

The Fury by Alex Michaelides. This book is quite popular right now and comes from the author of The Silent Patient, which was the biggest selling debut novel in the world in 2019. His newest book is a thriller that will keep people guessing from beginning to end.

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide by Rupert Holmes. If the author’s name looks familiar and you just can’t put a finger on how you know the name, it’s because he’s probably more well known as the man who brought us Escape: The Pina Colada Song back in 1979. Turns out he’s also a writer as well. This book is a mystery with an interesting twist.

Be Not Far from Me by Mindy McGinnis. This is a YA book about a girl who gets lost in the Great Smoky Mountains and her attempts to get back to safety.

Over the last few weeks there have also been plenty of books that everyone who returns them does so with the standard line of “You need to read this book.” Among these are The Women by Kristen Hannah, Iron Flame by Rebecca Yaros, The House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, and First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston.

Patrons also love to latch on to a DVD series and come back to the branch singing the praises of many.

Among those series are:

Foyle’s War. This British drama series ran from 2002-2015 and features Michael Kitchen as DCS Christopher Foyle in 1940s England. Foyle solves murders with the backdrop of the war. One of the great aspects of this series is the supporting characters, including Sam Stewart and Paul Milner.

Endeavour. This series is a prequel to the Inspector Morse series that ran for many years. It details how Morse got started with the police in and around Oxford. The show stars Shaun Evans and Roger Allman and is set in the late 60s and early 70s. 

The Chelsea Detective. Another British drama, this one revolves around DI Max Arnold, who lives on a houseboat and solves crimes in and around Chelsea. The series started in 2022 and the first two seasons are already in the books.

Poker Face. Another relatively new series, this one features Charlie Cale, who has the uncanny ability to determine when someone is lying to her. She travels the roads in her Plymouth Barracuda and encounters new and strange cases each episode.

Abbott Elementary. Set in the Philadelphia Public School System, the show follows a group of elementary school teachers doing their best to help their students succeed. Starring Quinta Brunson and an excellent cast of characters. 

- by Bob N., Hopewell Branch