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Tag: staff pick

--Staff Picks

We Were Dreamers

We Were Dreamers: An Immigrant Superhero Origin Story by Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience, Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) is a powerful story about growing up as a second-generation Chinese Canadian that is equal parts humorous, inspiring, and heartbreaking. Born in Harbin, China, Simu spent the first four years of his life […]

--Staff Picks

“Book Lovers” by Emily Henry

Literary agent Nora knows better than anyone that character archetypes can be found in real life – she’s the embodiment of the put-together career woman who the male lead dumps after meeting his true love in a small town.  But she doesn’t understand the appeal of “loosening up” or “slowing down to enjoy life” when […]

--Staff Picks Teens

Messy Roots

This coming of age graphic memoir tells how Laura Gao immigrated to Texas from Wuhan, China when she was about 4 years old. It was quite the culture shock – no one could pronounce her name or where she was from. She eventually decided she wanted an Americanized name and chose Laura for herself. Growing […]

--Staff Picks

Delilah Green Doesn’t Care

After having lost both parents at a young age and being left in the care of her unloving stepmother and snooty stepsister, Delilah left the tiny town of Bright Falls, Oregon as soon as she could and rarely looked back. Now, 12 years later, her dear stepmother has requested she return to be the photographer […]

--Staff Picks Kids

Ron’s Gone Wrong

“Ron’s Gone Wrong is a computer-animated film set in a world where it’s the norm to have B-Bots, digitally connected robot companions. Barney is a shy middle-schooler who is the last one in his city to finally get Ron, his B-Bot. Unfortunately, his “Best Friend Out of the Box” becomes a major pain, malfunctioning on […]

--Staff Picks

Love in the Library by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Inspired by how Tokuda-Hall’s maternal grandparents met and fell in love in a Japanese internment camp, Love in the Library follows Tama, who works in the camp library, and George, who visits her each day. Life in Minidoka isn’t at all where Tama expected to be and she has no idea when, if ever, she’ll […]

--Staff Picks

“Hunt the Stars” by Jessie Mihalik

It’s only been a few years since the war with the Valovians ended and Octavia Zarola is trying to move past the difficult memories that keep her up at night.  She has enough to worry about keeping her bounty hunting crew alive and her ship in the air.  So when Torran Fletcher, a former Valovian […]

--Staff Picks

Love & Other Disasters

Are you a fan of reality cooking competitions? Have you ever wanted two of the contestants to fall for each other? Then this book is for you! Dahlia Woodson decides to try her hand at the reality show Chef’s Special, hoping to further her cooking skills and reinvent herself – plus the cash prize would […]

--Staff Picks

The Green Knight (DVD)

Are you looking for a holiday film that actually suits the mood of 2021? Do you secretly wish that more Christmas movies would harken back to the old yuletide storytelling traditions of hauntings, murder, and contemplation of human mortality? We may have something for you that fits the bill. The Green Knight doesn’t aim to […]

--Staff Picks

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

The Handmaid’s Tale meets Chinese folklore meets mecha in this fantasy reimagining of the rise of the historical Chinese Empress Wu Zetian. Humanity is under attack by alien creatures, and the greatest weapon in that fight is, obviously, giant robots powered by human life force. These robots are designed to be piloted by two people—specifically, […]