Celebrate National Library Week with These 7 Librarian Picks

Recommendation #1 from Vanderbilt University Law Library: A compelling love story by Jane Austen, PERSUASION follows Anne Elliot, an unhappy and unmarried young woman. After pressure from Anne’s family, she broke off her engagement with Captain Frederick Wentworth, the man she loved because he was poor and lacked family connections. Devastated by this decision, Anne goes through the next eight years heartbroken. When the two finally reunite, Captain Wentworth is a wealthy captain of the navy. But despite his lack of a love life, he has still not forgiven Anne.

Recommendation #2 from Vanderbilt University Law Library: As the first novel in the Tradd Street series, THE TRADD HOUSE sets a chilling scene set in an old historical house. Melanie Middleton can see ghosts, and although she hates to admit it, she must accept this power. When an old man she knows dies, leaving her his historic home, there is a family of ghosts waiting inside, ready to unveil their secrets. When Jack Trenholm, a writer obsessed with unsolved mysteries, comes to town, he finds a reason to believe there are Confederate Treasury diamonds hidden in Melanie’s new home. As he tries to win over the secrets of the house, Jack realizes he has started to fall in love.  

Recommendation #3 from Vanderbilt University Law Library: Claudia Parr seems to have the perfect life. She is a top editor at a Manhattan-based publishing house, and this commitment to work has left her uninterested in becoming a mother – a hurdle she realizes is quite pivotal in marriage. When Claudia meets Ben, she feels a stroke of luck as she discovers he has similar feelings about parenthood. But as the years go by, one of them changes their mind and a baby is wanted after all. When soulmates want different things, how far will they go to hang onto their love?  

Recommendation #1 from Nashville Public Library: Zayneb is the only Muslim in a class where the teacher won’t stop reminding the other students how “bad” Muslims are. After she angrily confronts her teacher, Zayneb is suspended from school and heads to her aunt’s house in Qatar for an early spring break. In this new place where nobody knows her name, Zayneb vows to try out a newer, nicer version of herself. That is, until her life crosses paths with Adam, a boy diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Adam has stopped attending school since his diagnosis and has dedicated the remainder of his life to keeping his mother’s memory alive for his little sister, while keeping his diagnosis a secret from his grieving father. When Adam and Zayneb meet, their lives transform.  

Recommendation #2 from Nashville Public Library: Lillian and Madison were inseparable roommates at their elite boarding school, until Lillian unexpectedly leaves in the wake of a school scandal. Since then, the two have barely spoken. This is why it comes as such a surprise to Lillian when years later a letter arrives from Madison, pleading for Lillian’s help. Madison’s twin step kids are moving in with her family, but these children are not normal. They combust into flames whenever they get agitated. Although far-fetched sounding, this oddity is the truth and Madison needs Lillian’s help. Figuring she has nothing to lose, Lillian accepts and becomes the twins’ caretaker. A bond of trust begins to form between Lillian and these children, forcing her to confront the realization that maybe she needs these strange kids as much as they need her.  

Recommendation #3 from Nashville Public Library: 

Sadie was raised by her sister Mattie in a small town, desperately trying to maintain a normal life while the two attempt to keep themselves afloat on their own. But everything changes when Mattie is found dead. Equipped with only a few meager clues, Sadie hits the road to bring her sister justice and out her killer. Enter West McCray, a radio host working on a segment about small towns. After he overhears Sadie's story, he becomes obsessed with finding this missing girl. West starts his own podcast to track Sadie's journey, hoping to find her before its too late. 

Recommended by Culture Perth and Kinross Library When Zachary Ezra Rawlins discovers a mysterious book filled with tales of prisoners, key collectors, and acolytes, he is perplexed to also find a story from his own childhood. In a desperate attempt to uncover why his life has been recorded, Zachary finds a series of clues: a bee, a key, and a sword, leading him to a masquerade party in New York, a street club, and an ancient library hidden below the surface of the earth. Zackary finds more than old books in this library; he finds a portal to another realm. As he explores this lost city and uncovers his purpose, both in life and in the mysterious book, Zachary learns what people have sacrificed to protect this secret realm.