George Hail Free Library

Ada Sibelius is raised by David, her brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single father, who directs a computer science lab in 1980s-era Boston. Home-schooled, Ada accompanies David to work every day; by twelve, she is a painfully shy prodigy. The lab begins to gain acclaim at the same time that David's mysterious history comes into question. When his mind begins to falter, leaving Ada virtually an orphan, she is taken in by one of David's colleagues. Soon after she embarks on a mission to uncover her father’s secrets: a process that carries her from childhood to adulthood. What Ada discovers on her journey into a virtual universe will keep the reader riveted until The Unseen World's heart-stopping, fascinating conclusion. (2016, recommended by Meredith)

 

Praise:

Best Books of 2016 listed by: New Yorker, BBC, Publisher's Weekly, Audible.com, Vox, American Library Association

"Fiercely intelligent...Moore evocatively renders the remoteness of even our closest loved ones."
—Louisa Hall, New York Times

​

In the solar cities of the future, the humans relax in the sun and the animals work in the shadows. Genetically engineered Little Helpers, serving humanity—unseen, unheard. Meet Skotch. Raccoon, PI—yours for a few buttons as long as the job isn't too illegal, whatever that means. A mouse has gone missing. Normally this wouldn't raise any hackles, nor any alarms, but this mouse has something that everyone seems to want, though nobody appears particularly eager to say what that something is. The fee is good—perhaps too good. Certainly not something Skotch can easily turn down. If only Skotch can work out where the mouse is hiding, what he’s hiding, and why his secrets are upsetting a lot of animals caught up in the Green City wars. (2026, recommended by Matt)

 

Praise:

“[A] charmingly bizarre SF noir….Interstitial fiction at its most engaging and mind-bending.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Perfect for adult fans of Redwall, hard-boiled detective stories and Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, Green City Wars embodies the best of both solarpunk and mystery stories.” —BookPage, starred review

​

​

At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this new fantasy series by internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington. (2023, recommended by Michaela)

 

Praise:

"Islington’s worldbuilding is exceptionally detailed and thoughtful, making suspending disbelief effortless. Perfectly balancing character development and plot momentum, this will have fantasy fans clamoring for more.”

―Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Ancient Roman politics, dark academia, and epic fantasy coalesce in this brilliant and gut-churning masterpiece from Islington… This is powerful storytelling at its finest, and the mind-blowing ending opens the series to so much more potential.” 

―Library Journal, starred review

​

A moving novel that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love. As a child, Kathy, now 31, lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside, where the sheltered children were brought up to believe that they were special, and that their well-being was crucial not only for themselves but for the society they would eventually enter. Kathy had long ago put this idyllic past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham friends come back into her life, she stops resisting the pull of memory. (2005, recommended by Kate)

​

Praise: 
Publishers Weekly’s Top Ten Best Books of 2005
Seattle Times’s Top Ten Best Books of 2005
Finalist in the National Book Critic Circle Award
One of TIME’s 100 Best Novels (from 1923 to the Present)​

"Ishiguro’s elegant prose and masterly ways with characterization make for a lovely tale of memory, self-understanding, and love."
—Library Journal, starred review