Laura's Staff Picks


Showing 1 - 17 of 17  There are a total of 37 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for "Best friends, occasional enemies"
Star rating for Best friends, occasional enemies
Description:
A mother and daughter present personal essays that explore life through their close bond, in a volume inspired by their weekly column, "Chick Wit," that discusses such topics as their relationship, their carb counts, and the green jacket that almost caused a catfight.
Book cover for "City of girls"
Star rating for City of girls
Average Rating:
3.9 stars
Description:
"[A] unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s. Told from the perspective of an older woman as she looks back on her youth with both pleasure and regret (but mostly pleasure), City of Girls explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity, as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love. In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance....
Book cover for "The dream daughter"
Star rating for The dream daughter
Average Rating:
3.9 stars
Description:
"From bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes an irresistible new novel. When Caroline Sears receives the news that her unborn baby girl has a heart defect, she is devastated. It is 1970 and there seems to be little that can be done. But her brother-in-law, a physicist, tells her that perhaps there is. Hunter appeared in their lives just a few years before--and his appearance was as mysterious as his past. With no family, no friends, and a background...
Book cover for "Drop dead healthy"
Star rating for Drop dead healthy
Average Rating:
2.5 stars
Description:
"Having sanctified himself in The Year of Living Biblically and sharpened his mind in The Know-It-All, A. J. Jacobs had one feat left in the self-improvement trinity: to become the healthiest man in the world. He didn't want just to lose weight, or finish a triathlon, or lower his cholesterol. His ambitions were far, far greater: Maximal health from head to toe.The task was massive. He had to tackle a complicated web of diet and exercise advice, much...
Book cover for "Eight perfect murders"
Star rating for Eight perfect murders
Average Rating:
3.8 stars
Description:
Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre's most unsolvable murders, those that are almost impossible to crack--which he titled "Eight Perfect Murders"--chosen from among the best of the best including Agatha Christie's A. B. C. Murders, Patricia Highsmith's Strangers on a Train, Ira Levin's Deathtrap, A. A. Milne's The Red House Mystery, Anthony Berkeley Cox's Malice Aforethought, James M. Cain's Double...
Book cover for "The good sister"
Star rating for The good sister
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Description:
"From the outside, everyone might think Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be: Rose is the responsible one, with a home and a husband and a fierce desire to become a mother. Fern is the quirky one, the free spirit, the librarian who avoids social interaction and whom the world might just describe as truly odd. But the sisters are devoted to one another and Rose has always been Fern's protector from the time they were small. Fern needed...
Book cover for "Happy-go-lucky"
Star rating for Happy-go-lucky
Average Rating:
4.1 stars
Description:
The bestselling author offers a collection of satirical and humorous essays that chronicle his own life and ordinary moments that turn beautifully absurd, including how he coped with the pandemic, his thoughts on becoming an orphan in his seventh decade, and the battle-scared America he discovered when he resumed touring.
Book cover for "I see life through rosé-colored glasses"
Star rating for I see life through rosé-colored glasses
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
The "mother daughter duo are back with more hilarious, witty, and true tales from their lives. Whether they are attempting to hike the Grand Canyon, setting up phone calls with their dogs, or learning what adulting means, Lisa and Francesca are guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and appreciate the funniest moments in life"--
Book cover for "It looked like spilt milk"
Star rating for It looked like spilt milk
Average Rating:
5 stars
Description:
Illustrations show that a cloud may look like spilt milk, an ice cream cone, a tree, a mitten, a rabbit, or many other objects. A mystery book for young children presents a continuously changing white shape silhouetted against a blue background that challenges them to guess what it is.
Book cover for "The little book of hygge"
Star rating for The little book of hygge
Author:
Average Rating:
3.4 stars
Description:
"The Danes are famously the happiest people in the world, and hygge is a cornerstone of their way of life. Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) loosely translates as a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. You know hygge when you feel it. It is when you are cuddled up on the sofa with a loved one, or sharing comfort food with your closest friends. It is those crisp blue mornings when the light through your window is just right. It is about gratitude...
Book cover for "One day in December"
Star rating for One day in December
Average Rating:
3.9 stars
Description:
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Get ready to be swept up in a whirlwind romance. It absolutely charmed me.”—Reese Witherspoon (A Reese’s Book Club Pick)
“The perfect book to get lost in . . . Josie Silver’s characters sneak their way into your heart and stay.”—Jill Santopolo, author of The Light We Lost

Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love
...
Book cover for "Queen bee"
Star rating for Queen bee
Average Rating:
3.8 stars
Description:
"Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank's Carolina Lowcountry in this evocative tale that returns at long last to her beloved Sullivan's Island. Beekeeper Holly McNee Kensen quietly lives in a world of her own on Sullivan's Island, tending her hives and working at the local island library. Holly calls her mother The Queen Bee because she's a demanding hulk of a woman. Her mother, a devoted...
Book cover for "Reunion Beach"
Star rating for Reunion Beach
Average Rating:
3.3 stars
Description:
"Inspired by the title Dorothea Benton Frank planned for her next book--Reunion Beach--these close friends and colleagues channeled their creativity, admiration, and grief into stories and poems that celebrate this remarkable woman and her abiding love for the Lowcountry of her native South Carolina--a land of beauty, history, charm, and Gullah magic she so brilliantly brought to life in her acclaimed novels."--
Book cover for "Something in the water"
Star rating for Something in the water
Average Rating:
3.8 stars
Description:
"Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough, Mark a handsome investment banker with big plans. Passionately in love, they embark on a dream honeymoon to the tropical island of Bora Bora, where they enjoy the sun, the sand, and each other. Then, while scuba diving in the crystal blue sea, they find something in the water. Suddenly the newlyweds must make a dangerous choice: to speak out or to protect their secret. After...
Book cover for "Tap the magic tree"
Star rating for Tap the magic tree
Average Rating:
4.7 stars
Description:
Invites the reader to tap, rub, touch, and wiggle illustrations to make an apple tree bloom, produce fruit, and lose its leaves.
Book cover for "Theft by Finding"
Star rating for Theft by Finding
Average Rating:
4.5 stars
Description:
For nearly four decades, David Sedaris has faithfully kept a diary in which he records his thoughts and observations on the odd and funny events he witnesses. Anyone who has attended a live Sedaris event knows that his diary readings are often among the most joyful parts of the evening. But never before have they been available. Now, Sedaris brings listeners his favorite entries. From deeply poignant to laugh-out-loud funny, these selections reveal...
Book cover for "Winter in paradise"
Star rating for Winter in paradise
Series:
Average Rating:
4.2 stars
Description:
Irene Steele's idyllic life--house, husband, family--is shattered when she is woken up by a late-night phone call. Her beloved husband has been found dead, but before Irene can process this tragic news, she must confront the perplexing details of her husband's death. He was found on St. John island, a tropical paradise far removed from their suburban life. Leaving the cold winter behind, Irene flies down to the beautiful Caribbean beaches of St. John...