Once or twice a year the TBBL staff comes together to recommend some of our most recent favorite books. In this list you’ll find brave animals and their people, perilous futures, thrilling mysteries in exotic times and places, heart-touching families, and friends, and even a ‘Wicked’ witch.
After achieving his dream of becoming a knight, a small owl protects the castle from a hungry dragon. For Preschool-grade 2. 2023
In a letter to his daughters, Barack Obama reflects on the traits of thirteen groundbreaking Americans, such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Jackie Robinson, and George Washington, and shares how children embody them. For grades K-3. 2010.
At first eleven-year-old Jimmy is discouraged by losing his sight in a firecracker accident. Gradually he learns to read braille, use a cane, and do things for himself. But working with his own guide dog, Leader, makes the biggest and best change. For grades 4-7. 2010.
Traces the life of the witch Elphaba from the Wizard of Oz (DB051047), both before and after Dorothy arrives. After attending a university with her roommate Glinda, Elphaba learns that a despotic Wizard is threatening animal rights in Oz. Some explicit descriptions of sex. For senior high and older readers. 1995.
After moving to Colorado, seventeen-year-old Maya, who is deaf, is forced to attend a hearing school. As she navigates her new life, Maya proves that her lack of hearing will not stop her from pursuing her dreams. For senior high and older readers. 2019.
Though her mom knows she's bisexual, Leah hasn't mustered the courage to tell her friends--not even her openly gay BFF, Simon. But then her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture, causing all sorts of problems. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. For senior high and older readers. 2018.
"V" from Vegan Virgin Valentine (BR015649) falls in love with Sam but destroys their relationship by cheating. V drives to Texas to reconnect with her neglectful mother and to gain insight into her own behavior. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. For senior high readers. 2007.
Shy, convent-raised Princess Marra plans a mission to rescue her sister from an abusive prince. To receive the tools she needs, she must complete three seemingly impossible tasks: build a dog of bones, sew a cloak of nettles, and capture moonlight in a jar. 2022.
In the near future, a civil servant receives her dream salary when she starts a new job. A government ministry is gathering historical figures, called "expats", to see if time travel is possible. She is assigned as a "Bridge" to assist and monitor Commander Graham Gore, an expat from 1847 who is confused by modern life. Despite his initial discomfort with her lifestyle, he gradually adjusts with the help of other quirky expats. By the time the true shape of the Ministry's project comes to light, the Bridge has fallen in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the Bridge must finally reckon with how and whether she believes what she does next can change the future. 2024.
Tess and Orla have been best friends for many years. After facing challenges and disappointments from their loved ones, they opened a dressmakers shop together. However, at sixty-two, Tess feels that her life needs more excitement. She decides to focus on herself and wants to have an adventure that brings her joy. Encouraged by lively Orla, Tess joins a dating agency, and they book a singles cruise in the Mediterranean. And that's when their adventure of a lifetime really begins. Some strong language. 2024.
After her people perish in an earthquake during the Ice Age, Cro-Magnon woman Ayla is adopted by a beetle-browed Neanderthal clan. Banished several times for flouting taboos, Ayla finally realizes that she must leave the group, doomed to extinction, and seek out her own kind. Some explicit descriptions of sex. 1980.
Lissa Bachner, a young blind woman, and Milo, a scared horse, formed a strong bond that led them to become a successful show jumping team. Lissa loved horses from an early age, winning awards early on. However, she faced challenges when she lost her sight in her teens. Despite this, her trainer encouraged her to adopt Milo, a neglected horse. Lissa promised him kindness, and in return, Milo supported her during their training. Through surgeries and hard work, they created an inseparable bond based on trust and love, leading to their success together. 2022.
A London street musician and recovering drug addict recounts his 2007 discovery of an injured stray cat he named Bob, with whom he became inseparable. Describes the ways the companions have helped each other and become known around the world. 2013.
The Overland Trail, 1853. Eager to leave her grief behind, young widow Naomi May sets off with her family for a life out West. On the trail, she forms an instant connection with John Lowry, a half-Pawnee man straddling two worlds. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2020.
Cairo, Egypt, 1910s. Captain Owen, head of the secret police, investigates when a body is found on the new railway line near the Tree of the Virgin. While trying to determine the murderer's motive, which may be political, Owen becomes entangled in an ownership dispute over the sacred tree. 1996.
Australia, 1928. Private detective Phryne Fisher saves all but one--elderly Mrs. Henderson--of her fellow first-class train passengers from death by chloroform poisoning. A teenage female survived but suffers from amnesia. Phryne is hired to investigate. Some explicit descriptions of sex. 1991.
England, 1950. Eleven-year-old aspiring chemist Flavia de Luce overhears her father in a heated argument with a stranger, who turns up dead in the garden of the Luces' decaying estate. When Flavia's father is charged with murder, she seeks clues in their village and his past to exonerate him. 2009.
This is a fast-paced, gripping story that educates, entertains, and gives a sneak peek into the secret life of a well-known species. Part science, part travelogue, and an enthusiastic plea for bear conservation, Grizzly Confidential is a lively account for anyone who loves the outdoors and learning about the natural world. 2024.
A memoir detailing the author’s profound and deeply personal relationship with a fiercely independent, half-wild Siberian Forest cat named Masha, whom he rescued from a shelter. The book chronicles their extraordinary bond, where Masha, despite her wild nature, became a source of unwavering love and support for Caleb, particularly during times of illness and personal struggle. 2024.
When Lula Dean, trying to rid public libraries of "pornographic" books, starts her own lending library in front of her home, Lindsay, the daughter of Lula's arch nemesis, sneaks in nightly, secretly filling it with banned books wrapped in "wholesome" dust jackets, changing the lives of those who borrow them in unexpected ways. 2024.
Harvard archivist Jane, returning to Maine after a terrible mistake, is hired to research the history of a Victorian house and the women who lived there, uncovering a story of lost lovers, romantic longing, shattering loss, and the long shadow of colonialism that is even older than Maine itself. 2024.
Maggie Holt returns to the house made famous by her father's bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound and dangerous secrets hidden within its walls? 2020.
Florida is falling apart due to severe weather and rising sea levels. As Kirby Lowe prepares for the arrival of a powerful hurricane, his two sons go missing. While he searches for them, his wife Frida goes into premature labor and gives birth to Wanda. Wanda grows amidst the continuing unraveling of Florida. Moving from childhood to adulthood, adapting not only to the changing landscape, but also to the people who stayed behind in a place abandoned by civilization, Wanda loses family, gains community, and seeks adventure, love, and purpose in a place remade by nature. 2024
Tess, a teacher at a prestigious prep school, finds her life thrown into chaos when her son Rudy is discovered near the location of a dead student, his girlfriend Lila. This spurs Tess to uncover a dark past connected to the school and her own buried secrets as she tries to prove his innocence while navigating suspicions surrounding her and her husband. 2023.
Hannah Rokeby is a law student who joins an Innocence Project with the hidden agenda of sabotaging the case of a man her mother believes is guilty. This legal thriller explores themes of revenge, justice, and the complexity of family ties. 2023.
After she attempts suicide, Nora wakes up in a mysterious library. The shelves are full of books, each the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with other books for the other lives you could have lived. Strong language. 2020.
Middle-aged Scott Carey has discovered he is losing weight but--oddly--not mass. As he confides to his retired doctor friend, nothing he wears or carries adds to his weight. Meanwhile, Scott enjoys life and is determined to mend fences with his new prickly neighbor and her wife. Strong language. 2018.
It is almost Christmas, and Gabriel, short on angels to answer prayers, must rely upon angels Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy, who have made serious mistakes in the past. Leah, married ten years, desperately wants a child. Monica wants a husband, but her lack of faith stands in the way. And Jody must get over the death of her husband and find a new father for her son. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. 1993.
British writer and former editor of the New Yorker interviews colleagues and friends of the late Princess Diana (1961-1997) to provide a personal profile of Her Royal Highness. Discusses Diana's marriage to Prince Charles, their divorce, and assertions of her manipulation of the press. Some strong language. 2007.
Felines Joe Grey and Dulcie, along with librarian Wilma and bachelor Clyde, investigate a double murder in their dangerous village of Molena Point, California. In addition to a kitten they've adopted, the two must contend with a fierce cougar and an escaped murderer. 2017.
The odds had always been stacked against Homer, the little blind kitten nobody wanted. But destiny took a hand the day he met Gwen Cooper, and with the publication twelve years later of the international best seller Homer's Odyssey, Homer went from beloved housecat to world-wide star. As a media-darling, he greeted fame with his usual joie de vivre and occasional "catitude." He became a spokes-cat for the cause of special-needs animals everywhere, and eventually the wise older mentor to the new special-needs kitten who would enter his and Gwen's lives. Most importantly, Homer taught those who loved him best how to live and die with strength, dignity, and joy-and left behind a rescue community of "Homer's Heroes" that continues to save lives in his name. 2022.
Portrait of actor Christopher Reeve (1952-2004) and his singer-actress wife Dana (1961-2006) and their deepening bond following a 1995 riding accident that caused Chris's quadriplegia. Discusses their advocacy for spinal-cord research, Chris's therapy and unexpected death, and Dana's death from lung cancer seventeen months later at age forty-four. 2008.
William Waters grew up in a tragic home where his parents struggled to show him love. In college, he meets Julia Padavano, a lively and ambitious girl, whose close family includes her three sisters: Sylvie, a dreamer; Cecelia, an artist; and Emeline, the caregiver. William finds happiness in their loving chaos. However, dark issues from his past threaten Julia’s plans for their future and the sisters' strong bond, leading to a major family conflict. This homage to Louisa May Alcott's timeless classic Little Women explores whether a family’s loyalty to one another can bring them back together after generations of discord. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex. 2023.
Emily Springer wants to be near her daughter in Boston for Christmas, while Charles Brewster seeks a quiet place to work on his book. The two strangers swap homes over the Internet, and surprises follow at their respective houses as unsuspecting holiday visitors arrive. 2004.
An inspiring memoir tells the story of Laurie Zaleski and her life with 600 rescue animals. Laurie's mother, Annie, dreamt of running an animal rescue, which Laurie wanted to fulfill. After buying a 15-acre farm in South Jersey, Laurie planned to move there with Annie and their rescue animals. Sadly, Annie passed away just two weeks before the move. In her grief, Laurie founded the Funny Farm Animal Rescue in 2001, continuing her mother's mission. The memoir captures promises kept, dreams fulfilled and includes many uplifting and humorous moments amid the sadness. And lastly, it's the story of the brave, incredible, and adorable animals that were rescued. Some strong language. 2021.