Wickson Librarians Recommend...

“So, what do I read next?” I ask this every time I finish a book. I have over 200 books on my TBR list, and over 50 of those are audiobooks in my Libby “Want to Read” tag, but sometimes I still want someone to say, “I just finished <insert title> and it was so good! You should read it!”

If you can relate to this experience and you also appreciate book recommendations, then this article is for you. The generous librarians at Wickson are the local experts on what to read, and they have shared some of their most recent recommendations with us.

Wickson Library Director Michelle Duclos shared three titles with me. The first is Before I Forget by Tory Henwood Hoen, which follows 26-year-old Cricket as she returns home to become her father’s caretaker after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. She said, “It is a quick read, but has some depth to it. [It] deals with family dynamics and how life doesn’t always go the way we plan, but there is good in everything.” She recommended it because the relationships feel real.

Michelle also recommended Theo of Golden by Allen Levi and The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. She said that both books “…make you want to value your relationships with one another and strangers; they make you want to be a better person.” The books center on characters who find ways to connect with others through stories and letters respectively.

Beth Emmons, Early Learning Specialist at Wickson, also highly recommended The Correspondent. She shared that it “actually reminds [her] of [her] grandmother who was an avid pen pal writer... This book is written completely in letters and emails…and the author has the gift of pulling at the heartstrings.” Beth also said that she thinks this book would be excellent as an audiobook with different voices for the various letters. I have heard this book recommended by many folks, and it is on my list!

Barb Barger, Youth Services Librarian, echoed Michelle on Theo of Golden, saying it is “absolutely excellent!” In Levi’s novel, “A stranger named Theo moves to Golden and starts buying portraits from a local coffee shop, giving them to the subjects and asking for their stories in return, which leads to deep connections and transformed lives.” With two librarian recommendations, it looks like my “Want to Read” list just got longer.

Finally, while I am not a librarian, I am always happy to recommend a book or two. I am currently listening to All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This is my second reading, and I am just as moved by it as the first time. Set during WW II, it offers a wholly different perspective than many other books about the same topic. Doerr brings a unique and moving view of the war through the experiences of a blind French girl and a young German soldier. This is also the Brews & Books club pick for May.

If any of these recommendations spark your interest, you will be able to find them at Wickson. Use the Libby app, try out the new Wickson Library app, or stop in and ask for even more suggestions from the wonderful librarians and staff.