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Staff 
Recommendations

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Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

by Erik Larson

Recommended by Bratton DeLoach, Information Services Librarian

Intended audience: Adults

A serial killer is loose during the 1893 Chicago World Exposition.

Erik Larson is an excellent author and brings to life people, achievements, and events in Chicago during the last decade of the nineteenth century. This book can be found in the SCLENDS catalog.

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Frankenstein Lost Souls

by Dean Koontz

Recommended by Tina Mellen, Information Services Librarian

Intended audience: Adults

A twist on the legend of Frankenstein - Victor Leben (who was known as Frankenstein), a mad scientist, uses stem cells to create a race of super humans (a perfect combination of flesh and machine). The survival of the human race rests with five people to prove him wrong. The dangers they face are more than they have ever encountered in the past.

This book is a page turner and hard to put down. This book is available on SCLENDS.

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Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

by Grady Hendrix

Recommended by Cheryl A. Graffo, Library Assistant

Intended audience: Adults

A supernatural thriller set in South Carolina in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious stranger who turns out to be a real monster.

It's not a straight horror book - it addresses racism and economic disparity as well. It's available in SCLENDS and Hoopla.

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In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

by Erik Larson

Recommended by Bratton DeLoach, Information Services Librarian

Intended audience: Adults

FDR's ambassador to Berlin, William Dodd, has a front row view of the increasing fear and terror of Nazi rule in Hitler-led Germany of the mid1930s.

Erik Larson brings to life an obscure event in American diplomacy, occurring in Germany during the 1930s. SCLENDS.

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Grandma Garewood's Walk

by Ben Montgomery

Recommended by Angel Brown, Circulation Manager

Intended audience: Adults

Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than $200. The next anybody heard from her, this gentleel, warm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. And in September 1955, atop Maine's Mount Karahdin, she san the first verse of "America, the Beautiful" and proclaimed, "I said I'll do it, and I've done it." Grandma Garewood, as the perorates called her, became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone, as well as the first person - man or woman - to walk it twice and three times. The public attention she brought to the little-known footpath was unprecedented. Her vocal criticism of the lousy, difficult stretches led to bolstered maintenance, and very likely saved the trail from extinction.

I've always enjoyed true stories about ordinary people who do extraordinary things. As someone who loves the outdoors, I found her adventure fascinating and inspiring. This title can be found on SCLENDS and Hoopla.

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The Blue Line Down

by Maris Lawyer

Recommended by Katharine McKean, Library Manager

Intended audience: Adults

an excellent historical fiction novel set in both VA and SC during prohibition. Having moved a year ago from the mountains of Northwest Virginia to South Carolina, both settings resonated with me. The novel’s strengths include: well-drawn characters; soul searching themes about poverty, love and violence; suspense; and depiction of life during the early 20th century's labor riots and push towards unionization. Being a recent transplant from the mountains of northwestern Virginia to South Carolina the book’s settings were especially relevant to me.

But don’t just take my word for it. The Blue Line Down also received the following great reviews:

“Lawyer’s prose is suffused with the earthy, smoky atmosphere of Appalachia and is full of feeling without getting sentimental. This is worth a look.” —Publishers Weekly

"Life in the coal-mining communities of West Virginia a century ago was inconceivably hard...Change seems impossible, yet Jude and his friends are determined to make a difference. Readers of historical fiction will appreciate the well-drawn characters and setting." —Booklist

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The City of Brass

by S.A. Chakraborty

Recommended by Libby Voight, Senior Library Assistant

Intended audience: Adults

The City of Brass is the first book in the Daevabad trilogy, one of my absolute favorite fantasy series. Nahri is a con-woman in 18th century Cairo who accidentally summons an ancient djinn warrior and is introduced to a world of magic, court politics, and tribal feuds.

There’s action, adventure, romance, and fantastic world-building. The series is based on Middle Eastern mythology with a full cast of interesting and complex characters.

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The Ride of Her Life

by Elizabeth Letts

Recommended by Angela Brown, Circulation Manager

Intended audience: Adults

The triumphant true story of a woman who rode her horse across America in the 1950s, fulfilling her dying wish to see the Pacific Ocean.

A wonderful thought provoking story about courage, resolve, the kindness of others and the love animals and adventure. This title is available in SCLENDS.

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Devolution

by Max Brooks

Recommended by Darnell Glover, Circulation Manager

Intended audience: Adults

As the ash and chaos from Mount Rainier's eruption swirled and finally settled, the story of the Greenloop massacre has passed unnoticed, unexamined, until now. But the journals of resident Kate Holland, recovered from the town's bloody wreckage, capture a tale too harrowing and too death-shattering in its implications, to be forgotten. Because if what Kate Holland saw in those days is real, then we must accept the impossible. We must accept that the creature known as Bigfoot walks among us, and that it is a beast of terrible strength and ferocity.

I enjoyed this book because the story centered around the big foot lore. What if they truly exist and what if we are truly infringing on their territory? Are we really ready to live in nature not knowing what is out there? As we destroy more and more of nature we may be surprised at what we encounter. The book can be found in SCLENDS.

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Final Girl Support Group

by Grady Hendrix

Recommended by Cheryl A. Graffo, Library Assistant

Intended audience: Adults

In horror movies, the final girl is the one who's left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious, a victim and a hero. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?

I'm recommending this one because I grew up in the 80's watching the movies the book is based on. It's available on SCLENDS.

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Haunting of Hill House

by Shirley Jackson

Recommended by Traci Cox, Marketing & Communications Manager

Intended audience: Adults

The classic supernatural thriller by an author who helped define the genre. First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. The story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers--and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

It's a classic! It's the kind of good, old-fashioned scary story that makes your hair stand on end. Is the house haunted, or is it something else? Read to find out! Multiple copies of the book are available in the SCLENDS.

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Ninth House

by Leigh Bardugo

Recommended by Libby Voight, Senior Library Assistant

Intended audience: Adults

Alex Stern was the sole survivor of an unsolved multiple homicide back in California before she got a scholarship to Yale. She finds she doesn't really fit in there either, but she uses her ability to interact with ghosts to keep an eye on the mysterious secret societies full of the rich and powerful. Then her mentor disappears and a girl is murdered on campus.

I enjoyed how all of the mysteries wove together with the magical elements. Leigh Bardugo is better known for her young adult Grishaverse series but Ninth House is much darker and written for adults. It's perfect for readers who enjoy supernatural mysteries, dark academia, and unreliable narrators. Ninth House is available through SCLENDS and Hoopla.

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Toil & Trouble: a Memoir

by Augusten Burroughs

Recommended by Cheryl A. Graffo, Library Assistant

Intended audience: Adults

For as long as Augusten Burroughs could remember, he knew things he shouldn't have known. He manifested things that shouldn't have come to pass. And he told exactly no one about this, save one person: his mother. His mother reassured him that it was all perfectly normal, that he was descended from a long line of witches, going back to the days of the early American colonies.

I'm recommending this one because who hasn't wondered how they know things they shouldn't? It's available in SCLENDS and Hoopla.

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Bourdain: The Definitive Oral Biography

by Laurie Woolever

Recommended by Debra Henderson, Information Services Librarian

Intended audience: Adults

This unique approach to biography is a compilation of people associated with Anthony Bourdain in one form or another (brother, mother, wives, daughter, friends, coworkers, employees, etc.). Their contributions are pieced together in such a way that each chapter gives a voice to many individuals, all with experiences and insights into this charismatic and influential personality.

I highly recommend the in audiobook format for full effect of the prismatic views of this man's career and adult life. As one who has up until now not seen a full episode of any of Anthony Boudain's shows nor read any of his books, I am now half-way into the first season of A Cook's tour and Kitchen Confidential is on my To Read list. This work is available through the SCLENDS.

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The Widows

by Jess Montgomery

Recommended by Katharine McKean, Library Manager

Intended audience: Adults

Kinship, Ohio, 1924: When Lily Ross learns that her husband, Daniel Ross, the town’s widely respected sheriff, is killed while transporting a prisoner, she is devastated and vows to avenge his death. Hours after his funeral, a stranger appears at her door. Marvena Whitcomb, a coal miner’s widow, is unaware that Daniel has died, and begs to speak with him about her missing daughter.

“The Widows kept me on the edge of my seat. Montgomery is a masterful storyteller.” —Lee Martin, author of Pulitzer Prize-Finalist The Bright Forever

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Razorblade Tears

by S.A. Crosby

Recommended by Katharine McKean, Library Manager

Intended audience: Adults

Gritty, fast moving murder mystery with interesting, complex characters. Like Blue Line Down the main characters were complex and flawed. The fathers of a murdered homosexual couple come together to find out who killed them. Explores the complex nature of love, justice, and the importance of accepting ones you love despite their flaws before it’s too late.

“A visceral full-body experience, a sharp jolt to the heart, and a treat for the senses…Cosby's moody southern thriller marries the skillful action and plotting of Lee Child with the atmosphere and insight of Attica Locke.” —NPR

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One Hundred Years of Solitude

by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Recommended by Traci Cox, Marketing & Communications Manager

Intended audience: Adults

Tells the story of the Buendia family, set against the background of the evolution and eventual decadence of a small South American town.

This book introduced me to magical realism – not my typical go-to genre but I’m thankful to have ventured out. More often than not I found myself pausing to soak up and re-read many of Marquez’s elegant sentences. I read this book years ago, but it has stayed with me.

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Cat out of Hell

by Lynne Truss

Recommended by Thomas Schotter, Marketing Assistant

Intended audience: Adults

For people who both love and hate cats comes the tale of Alec Charlesworth, a librarian who finds himself suddenly alone: he's lost his job, his beloved wife has just died, and to top it all off, his sister has disappeared. Overcome by grief, he stands in his sister's kitchen staring at the only witness to what's happened to her: her cat, Roger. Who then speaks to him.

A book that truly shows us that cats know a lot more about us than they let on. And that they are minions of the devil. This book is available in SCLENDS.

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Suicide House

by Charlie Donea

Recommended by Darnell Glover, Circulation Manager

Intended audience: Adults

Inside the walls of Indiana's elite Westmont Preparatory High School, expectations run high and rules are strictly enforced. But in the woods beyond the manicured campus sits and abandoned boarding house, infamous among Westmont's students as a late-night hangout. Here, only one rule applies: don't let your candle go out-unless you want the Man in the Mirror to find you.

Ok so by now we have figured out I like the unexplained, however I also like a good mystery. This book was like a supernatural mystery. You guessed it I enjoyed it! This book can be found in SCLENDS.

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Spook

by Mary Roach

Recommended by Traci Cox, Marketing & Communications Manager

Intended audience: Adults

In an attempt to find out what happens when people die, the author of "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" brings her tireless curiosity to bear on an array of contemporary and historical soul-searchers: scientist, schemers, engineers, mediums, all trying to prove (or disprove) that there is an afterlife.

I enjoy Mary Roach's style and humor as she attempts to answer mysterious questions like "Do ghosts exist? Is there evidence that the soul weighs 21 grams? Is ectoplasm really a thing?" If you're interested in the subject matter, this is a fitting book to read during the month of October. This book is available in SCLENDS.

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