Staff Picks

Though far from a hardened criminal, Anya has found herself arrested in Putin's Russia. Her crime is organizing an unsanctioned political protest. She is soon sentenced to ten days in a detention facility, but she is not alone. Five other women share women's cell number 3. Read more about The Incredible Events in Women's Cell Number 3 by Kira Yarmysh and other books with strong female characters that meet the Bechdel Test.

“What is permanent and important is the creations of the human mind….and the physical world. The first of those is what we call fantasy and the second of those is what we call science fiction.” - Gene Wolfe

When we think of the study of history, many draw images of strangely dressed figures from hundreds or even thousands of years ago. When learning about American History, we learn about the Founding Fathers and the Civil War. When learning about Florida history, we learn about the Seminole tribe, Ponce de Leon, Ribault, and the founding of St. Augustine

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend wasn’t Dan Santat’s literary debut, but it was the book that made him a kid lit superstar. The New York Times bestselling author and illustrator received the Caldecott medal for Beekle at the 2015 National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Dedicated to his oldest son, Alek, Santat has described the book as a metaphor for awaiting the birth of his first child. As a matter of fact, Beekle’s name comes from the way Alek would pronounce the word “bicycle” as a toddler.

Angeline Boulley’s critically acclaimed novel starts out with most of the things the average teenager is concerned with: dating, friendships, school, sports, and family relationships. The tone of the book switches about a quarter of the way through with a gunshot that takes away Daunis’ closest friend and the innocence of her small community

Whenever I am in the mood for a creepy read, I pick up a copy Joe Hill’s Heart Shaped Box. This is my scary story comfort food. In this story, the reader is transported into the very unsettling world of Jude Coyne, an aging rock musician with a macabre collection that will make your skin crawl.

Whether you're seeking captivating fiction, enlightening non-fiction, or engaging poetry, this sampling from the Jacksonville Public Library’s Local Author Collection celebrates the unique perspectives and stories that make our city a rich source of literary inspiration. With thought-provoking narratives and engaging poetry that resonates with the ebb and flow of the St. Johns River, these pages encapsulate the very essence of our city.

Founders of the Highly Sensitive Refuge site who tell visitors “high sensitivity can be strong” and “it’s okay to be a highly sensitive person”, Jenn Granneman and Andre Solo share their thoughts on how to develop the gift of sensitivity into a powerful tool to enhance your own life and the lives of others around you.

As Dr. Sudbury tells the junior doctors in her hospital, "a hospital is a dangerous place to be". This message is driven home by the unnamed narrator in Sometimes People Die. A Scotsman by birth, the young doctor has joined the staff of St. Luke's Hospital. A former opioid addict who used his role as a health care provider to fuel his addiction, the young protagonist opens up about the life of a doctor, particularly an overworked one in London's east end. Late nights, the pressure of career advancement, the deaths of patients and loved ones, and the stress of a job with the ever-present mantra to "do no harm" come through wonderfully in the narrator's candid dialogue with the reader.

One of my earliest memories of the Medusa comes from the 1981 classic stop-motion animation Clash of The Titans. A serpentine monster that kills indiscriminately, the Medusa of these earlier versions is without voice or childhood. An established author in the classics, Natalie Haynes gives a voice to Medusa and allows the reader to decide if the young gorgon really deserves the label of "monster"