Melissa's Staff Picks

I'm a librarian at Southeast Regional Library, and these are some of my favorite reads! Feel free to email me at melissa.schultz@wakegov.com if you enjoyed one of these books!
 

Showing 41 - 51 of 51  There are a total of 208 valid entries on the list.

41. The stranger in the woods: the extraordinary story of the last true hermit

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Author:
Finkel, Michael
Average Rating:
4 stars
Formats:
Book, Audiobook, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
"In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water to avoid freezing to death ... Based on extensive interviews with Knight...

42. Talking to strangers: what we should know about the people we don't know

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Author:
Gladwell, Malcolm, 1963-
Average Rating:
4 stars
Formats:
Book, Audiobook, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
The popular podcast host and author explores how people interact with strangers and why these exchanges often go wrong, offering strategic tips for more accurate and productive interactions.

43. Taste: my life through food

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Author:
Tucci, Stanley
Average Rating:
4.3 stars
Formats:
Book, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
"From award-winning actor and food obsessive Stanley Tucci comes an intimate ... memoir of life in and out of the kitchen"--

44. These precious days: essays

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Author:
Patchett, Ann
Average Rating:
4.1 stars
Formats:
Book, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
A literary alchemist, Ann Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer's eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be.

45. Unbroken: a World War II story of survival, resilience, and redemption

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Author:
Hillenbrand, Laura
Average Rating:
4.7 stars
Formats:
Book, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared--Lt. Louis Zamperini. Captured by the Japanese and driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor.

46. Uncanny valley: a memoir

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Author:
Wiener, Anna, 1987-
Average Rating:
3.5 stars
Formats:
Book, OverDrive eAudiobook
Description:
"The story of Anna Wiener's time spent working in Silicon Valley as the tech industry went through monumental changes"--

47. Vanderbilt: the rise and fall of an American dynasty

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Author:
Cooper, Anderson
Average Rating:
3.7 stars
Formats:
Book, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
Anderson Cooper chronicles the rise and fall of a legendary American dynasty--his mother's family--the Vanderbilts.

48. The Wager: a tale of shipwreck, mutiny, and murder

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Author:
Grann, David
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Formats:
Book, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon and The Lost City of Z, a mesmerizing story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty's...

49. Wintering: the power of rest and retreat in difficult times

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Author:
May, Katherine
Average Rating:
4.4 stars
Formats:
Book, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
"Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it...

50. A woman of no importance: the untold story of the American spy who helped win World War II

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Author:
Purnell, Sonia
Average Rating:
4.3 stars
Formats:
Book, Large Print, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, the Seattle Times, the Washington Independent Review of Books, PopSugar, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, BookBrowse, the Spectator, and the Times of London
Winner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography

“Excellent…This book is as riveting as any...

51. Yes please

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Star rating for Yes please
Author:
Poehler, Amy, 1971-
Average Rating:
3.8 stars
Formats:
Book, Audiobook, OverDrive eAudiobook, OverDrive eBook
Description:
The actress best known for her work on "Parks and Recreation" and "Saturday Night Live" reveals personal stories and offers her humorous take on such topics as love, friendship, parenthood, and her relationship with Tina Fey.