LibGuides: Staff Picks: Recommendations from the OIT Library: Emma's Book Recommendations

June 2025 Recommendations

Smash and Grab by Maz Maddox
Call Number: Popular Reading ; PS3613.A336 A6 2020

ISBN: 9798682463350

Publication Date: 2020-07-17

This might be one of the most unique and entertaining books I have read in a long time. Even when you take into account everything I read on a regular basis.
Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu; Carmen Maria Machado (Editor)
Call Number: PR4879.L7 C3 2019

ISBN: 9781941360385

Publication Date: 2019-11-26

This definitely deserves to be called the original vampire classic. (And if anyone says the original was Dracula, just remember that this was published over a century before Dracula.)
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Call Number: Popular Reading ; PS3603.L36843 R56 2020

ISBN: 9781250767028

Publication Date: 2020-10-13

This was remarkable. Simply remarkable.
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
Call Number: New Books Area ; PS3604.I49 D86 2024

ISBN: 9780593820247

Publication Date: 2024-08-27

This book is crazy, and disturbing, and oddly entertaining. I can't wait to see where it will go next.
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Call Number: Klamath Falls, Popular Reading ; PS3612.E5788 T45 2024

ISBN: 9780593815915

Publication Date: 2024-11-05

This was an absolute pleasure to read. Cozy and comforting, with so much heart and one of the best found families you can find in literature.
The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy
Call Number: Klamath Falls, Circulating Books ; PS3611.I45 L36 2017

ISBN: 9780765397362

Publication Date: 2017-08-15

Demon summoning anarchists; really, what more could you ask for in a book?

May 2025 Reading Recommendations

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
Call Number: Popular Reading ; PS3607.A35943 U67 2020

ISBN: 9781250213587

Publication Date: 2020-02-04

This is a story of bravery, perseverance, and hope. It has made a firm home on my favorites shelf, and I don't see it leaving for a long time.
When the Tiger Came down the Mountain by Nghi Vo
Call Number: PS3622.O23 W54 2020

ISBN: 9781250786135

Publication Date: 2020-12-08

I always appreciate when the secon (or third or fourth) book in a series lives up to the expectations left by the first. And this novella definitely lives up to the reputation of the first.
Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente
Call Number: Popular Reading ; PS3622.A4258 C66 2021

ISBN: 9781250816214

Publication Date: 2021-11-09

This was an apple scented mind trip. Seriously, I have never read anything like it before, and probably won't ever again...
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite
Call Number: New Books Area ; PS3623.A3565578 M87 2025

ISBN: 9781250342249

Publication Date: 2025-03-18

This might be one of the most charming novellas I have ever read. And it has one of the most unique takes on a library as a bonus!

April 2025 Reading Recommendations

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
Call Number: PR9530.9.K49 S35 2023

ISBN: 9781250830913

Publication Date: 2023-05-02

This was far more gory than I would normally go for. And yet, somehow, it was so, so satisfying.
Graveyard Shift by M. L. Rio
Call Number: New Books Area ; PS3618.I564 G73 2024

ISBN: 9781250356772

Publication Date: 2024-09-24

This was a very entertaining little book. While I do feel like there were loose ends, the mystery was still enjoyable and satisfying.
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Call Number: Popular Reading ; PS3612.Y5427 L54 2024

ISBN: 9780593725429

Publication Date: 2024-08-27

Gritty and twisty, this book has more layers than the proverbial onion. I am looking forward to getting lost in the next book.

March 2025 Reading Recommendations

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9781250765352

Publication Date: 2021-10-05

If you have ever read a fairy tale and wished there were a feminist or LGBTQIA+ version where the princess takes back her autonomy, then this is the novella for you.
Crypt of the moon spider by Nathan Ballingrud
Call Number: Popular Reading ; PS3602.A623 C79 2024

ISBN: 9781803368818

Publication Date: 2024-08-27

Gritty and gothic, this was a captivating, mind bending book.

January 2025 Reading Recommendations

Down among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9780765392039

Publication Date: 2017-06-13

This is a delightful combination of Frankenstein, Dracula, and Alice in Wonderland, and will be hard to beat.
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9780593110348

Publication Date: 2021-04-06

Creepy and beautifully written, this dark fairy tale explores how far a person will go for their loved ones.
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
Call Number: PS3602.E66455 T35 2024

ISBN: 9781984820709

Publication Date: 2024-02-06

This left me staring at the wall in shock, it was so good. completely different from anything I was expecting (or anything I have read before), it more than lives up to the rave reviews it has been getting.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Call Number: PS3622.O23 E47 2020

ISBN: 9781250750303

Publication Date: 2020-03-24

Despite being so short, I loved this. The characters spoke to my soul, and the interpersonal bonds were heart warming (and heart breaking).

December Reading Suggestions

Terminal Alliance by Jim C. Hines
Call Number: Request from ILL

ISBN: 9780756412746

Publication Date: 2017-11-07

A fast paced, highly entertaining book, this was what confirmed that there were sci-fi books I would like.
What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9781250830852

Publication Date: 2024-02-13

While not as creepy as its prequel, this novella was more influenced by legends, which made it just as enjoyable.

November Reads

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei
Call Number: Request via ILL

ISBN: 9781250875372

Publication Date: 2024-06-11

If you had to make a choice between your best friend, practically family, and your world's survival, then what would you chose?
What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9781250830753

Publication Date: 2022-07-12

A dark, gothic retelling of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, which had all of the atmosphere and tension that you want for something verging on horror. A wonderful novella!
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9781250236210

Publication Date: 2021-07-13

This might be the most comforting book I have ever had the pleasure to read.
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Call Number: PS3618.O283 T73 2018

ISBN: 9781534413504

Publication Date: 2018-06-26

Fast paced and absorbing, this took a look at a dystopian world where Native American gods and monsters walk the Earth.

October Recommendations

Relic by Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9780812563580

Publication Date: 1996-08-01

Start Halloween off with a delightfully atmospheric thriller! Imagining this creature lurking about certainly gave me chills.
The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross
Call Number: Request via ILL

ISBN: 9780441013654

Publication Date: 2006-01-03

Quite possibly the strangest thing that I have ever read. But in a good way.
Old Bones by Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9781538747223

Publication Date: 2019-08-20

Old, beloved characters return to us in a whole new, fascinating adventure full of murder, mayhem, and mystery.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9780765385505

Publication Date: 2016-04-05

This brought life to my childhood dreams of traveling to other realities, and spoke to my heart and soul.
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9781982102548

Publication Date: 2021-09-07

This was amazing. Simply amazing.

September Recommendations

Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston; Lincoln Child
Call Number: Request via ILL

ISBN: 9780446564328

Publication Date: 2011-02-22

With the proverbial sword of Damocles hanging over his head, Gideon is shafted into doing a job that might give him exactly what he wants.
Camino Island by John Grisham
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9780385543026

Publication Date: 2017-06-06

Sun, Sand, and Stolen multi-million dollar manuscripts, oh my!
Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9781250244093

Publication Date: 2023-08-15

Short, but heartwarming in the best of ways.

August Recommendations

Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler; Grant Blackwood
Call Number: Request via ILL

ISBN: 9780425229910

Publication Date: 2009-09-01

Am I a sucker for Cussler books? Yes. Yes I am.

July Recommendations

The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft
Call Number: Request via ILL

ISBN: 9780316443302

Publication Date: 2023-09-26

With more plot twists than I know what to do with, Hexologists is a crazy fun read. (Emphasis on crazy).
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9780765389220

Publication Date: 2023-09-19

You know it's going to be interesting when cats talk and the dolphins go on strike.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Call Number: PS3573.E4932 A79 2019

ISBN: 9781250214713

Publication Date: 2019-01-22

A short, fast paced, and engaging read, this novella deserves all of the praise it has been receiving and more.
Sandstorm by James Rollins
Call Number: Request via ILL

ISBN: 9780060580674

Publication Date: 2005-04-26

Fast paced and exciting, this book is the start to a brilliant series.

June Recommendations

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9780062963505

Publication Date: 2023-02-28

A retired pirate heads out for one last journey... but there might be more to this adventure than first expected.
Witch King by Martha Wells
Call Number: Request via Summit

ISBN: 9781250826794

Publication Date: 2023-05-30

Murder, mayhem, betrayal. Full of intrigue and adventure, this quest will capture your imagination and refuse to let go.