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A wonderful mix of folktale, mystery, romance and historical fiction, The Fox Wife (2024) checks all the boxes for a fascinating read. Set in China and Japan in the early 1900s, author Yangsze Choo brings to life the folklore of the fox spirits; beautiful young men and women who can transform into foxes, bewilder and trick people and feed off the life force of humans.

Over the holidays I listened to the audiobook of Pineapple Street (2023), Jenny Jackson's debut novel. Jackson happens to be a Vice-President and Executive Editor at Knopf Doubleday and has edited the likes of Emily St.

Set in the cozy English countryside, The Wake-Up Call (2023) is a charming story about love, found family, and misunderstandings. The staff of the Forest Manor hotel are desperate to save their beloved workplace from closure or bankruptcy. Rivals Izzy and Lucas have barely spoken for over a year, but now are forced into an uneasy partnership to quickly raise funds.

If you loved the award-winning Korean movie Parasite (2019), then you should check out the Korean drama series Little Women (2022) on Netflix. It’s a rollercoaster of suspense and mystery following the dramatic lives of a group of sisters in Seoul, Korea. Similar to Parasite, it tells the story of a poor family who become embroiled in the lives of a powerful, wealthy family.

Strange Sally Diamond (2023) by Liz Nugent begins like a darker Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, but soon takes a turn into a much more sinister, disturbing story.

With her most recent novel, The Book of Goose (2022), author Yiyun Li gives us a coming of age story that explores the fraught friendship of two girls growing up in an impoverished village in rural France during the aftermath of World War II.

American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI (2020) by Kate Winkler Dawson recounts the life and career of Edward Oscar Heinrich (1881-1953), one of the founding fathers of forensic science in the United States.

If you enjoy sweeping historical novels then you may want to dig into A Long Petal of the Sea (2020), one of the most recent books by the prolific Chilean-American author Isabel Allende. And if you especially appreciate books that shed light on dramatic past events less likely to be on our reading radar than, say, World War II, A Long Petal of the Sea just might be calling your name.

Join us each month as we interview a Readers' Advisor at WPL so you can get to know the team a little better! This month we are featuring Adult Services Librarian, Veronica. Continue below to find out Veronica’s favorite series, her tip for incorporating reading into your busy day, and more.

How long have you worked in libraries?

Almost 7 years

What is your favorite genre, series, or book?

Ann Patchett probably needs no introduction. I have always loved how she fills her books with such relatable characters and a delightful sense of place and Tom Lake (2023) is no exception. This novel is told in the voice of Lara, a wife and mother to three daughters, all living back at home on their Michigan cherry farm to wait out the pandemic.

Everyone in this historical fiction novel seems to have a secret. The expats living in Malaysia in the early 1900s live a life reminiscent of The Great Gatsby; parties, illicit love affairs, murder and an added touch of revolution. When the author, W.

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant (Think Again, 2021 and Originals, 2016) returns with a readable, engaging work on potential, success, and talent.