Reading Recommendations for adults from the staff of Oshkosh Public Library.
July Staff Picks from Adult Services:
Summer reading is in full swing, and we are well on our way to meeting our community reading goal of a million minutes logged! Here are a few good reads to help you cross the finish line! –Sarah Read
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Recommended by Sarah.
Also available in large print, and as an e-book and e-audiobook on Libby!
Set in the Wellwood House in 1970s Florida, this is the story of three pregnant teen girls sent away by their families to have their babies in secret shame. At Wellwood House, they are given fake names and little kindness. When a bookmobile driven by a librarian named Miss Parcae arrives at the home, Fern is given the book How to Be a Groovy Witch. She and her new friends Holly and Zinnia try one of the spells—and it works. They’re determined to use magic to save Holly from Pastor Jerry, the man who hurt her and wants to take her baby. But magic has a price, and it might be too much to pay.
This book is at times horrifying and touching, enraging and heartwarming. Steeped in Appalachian folk legends and 70s vintage nostalgia, this is a horror novel with a big heart.
The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County by Claire Swinarski
Recommended by Sarah.
Also available in large print, and as an e-book and e-audiobook on Libby!
This book is the perfect cozy summer read. Set in a small Wisconsin town, it tells the story of Esther Larson and her friends—the funeral ladies—who cook for the bereaved at their church every weekend. When a famous TV chef comes to grieve the loss of his wife, Esther’s cherry pie soothes his soul. But Esther is in financial trouble, and may lose the house their family has treasured for generations. Will the Funeral Ladies cookbook save the day? And will Esther’s granddaughter fall for the TV chef’s handsome but troubled son? This is pure Wisconsin Hallmark. Best read in a Northwoods cabin with a slice of pie or three.
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley
Recommended by Michael.
Also available as an e-book on Libby!
Los Angeles, 1948. After being fired from his job, Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins takes work as a PI after a friend introduces him to the shady character DeWitt Albright. Easy must find Daphne, a white woman who frequents the African American clubs, and has disappeared with a large sum of money. When an old friend of Easy’s shows up dead, he becomes the prime suspect.
There is so much here that is just iconic noir. Great characters that are both archetypal and fresh. Lots of twists and turns as “Easy” navigates violent foes (and friends), a mysterious client, racist cops, and scheming femme fatales in a city where the odds are always stacked against a black man just trying to pay his mortgage.
Walter Mosely’s debut is a classic.