Staff Picks for 2020
No better year than 2020 to get absorbed in a good book and let the distractions of the day fade away. The following is a list of books Whitinsville Social Library staff read during the year that they loved and wanted to share. Be sure to click on the book to place it on hold in the CWMARS catalog or search for it on Overdrive to get the ebook.
One by One by Ruth Ware
Picked by Samantha, Library Assistant
My favorite book this year was One by One by Ruth Ware. This book was told from the perspective of two women, one a worker in a Chalet, the other a corporate outsider. This book plays on our inability to see the full story and creates a great deal of suspense and mystery. This novel is a page turner I just couldn't put down.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Picked by Janyce, Senior Library Assistant
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter is another Holocaust story but somewhat different than most. This novel was inspired by the true story of three generations of a family of Polish Jews who were separated from each other when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. From the outset, you know that they all survive, so that’s not in question. What drives the plot is what each of the members of this amazing family go through to try to get back together again. It’s a story of gumption, smarts, grit and luck that shows that sometimes what really happened is more unbelievable than fiction.
Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle by Mary J. MacLeod.
Picked by Caryn, Senior Library Assistant
This was a delightful book about a very hearty group of Scotts through the eyes of the nurse who cared for them. The stories will bring out every emotion from sad to funny, moving to tragic.
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
Picked by Amy, Library Assistant
The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver was one of my favorite reads this year. It is a moving novel about love and loss. Lydia lives her awake life while experiencing a parallel life while she's asleep. The journey she takes is a powerful one to find her heart so she can love again after loss.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
Picked by Bethany, Library Assistant
The best thing to do in 2020 is to escape to a magical underground library. The Starless Sea lets you do just that. Erin Morgenstern's novel blends past and present, narrative and fable. She intertwines the story of present day graduate student Zachary Ezra Rawlings with myths of Fate and Time in this book about the power of stories.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Picked by Matthew, Senior Library Assistant
My favorite book I read this year was 'Leviathan Wakes' the first book of The Expanse series by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck writing together as James S.A. Corey. Ever since I finished George R.R. Martin's 'A Dance with Dragons' way back in 2011, I'd been looking for another deep multi-book epic to get into. When I saw a promotional photograph for Season 5 of the television show based on The Expanse series, I watched the pilot out of curiosity and knew I had to read the books. I loved Leviathan Wake's easy-to-get-invested-in characters, the politics of the worlds where it is set, and of course the pervasive science fiction elements. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of the series in the coming year!
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Picked by Rebecca, Library Director
Lily King’s Writers & Lovers follows an aspiring writer in her thirties living alone in Boston during the summer of 1997. She is grieving the loss of her mother, trying to date, dislikes everything about her serving job, and feels enormous pressure from her peers to be successful and in love. What millennial can’t relate to at least parts of Casey’s tale? I read many excellent books this year but this is the only one that touched me in a truly memorable way.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Picked by Mary, Library Assistant
This book gets my vote for best nonfiction of 2020. It is a groundbreaking, meticulously researched, thought-provoking work of scholarship that could not not be more relevant right now. This phenomenal book about race in the United States is an absolute must-read. I highly recommend the audiobook version.