Patch Picks: Scotts Valley Librarians' Top Five Favorites

Gail Mason, Scotts Valley Library branch manger, chooses the following adult fiction books:

1. Elegies for the Brokenhearted, by Christie Hodgen

This adult fiction story is about a woman by the name of Mary Murphy, who is searching for her identity and purpose. She tells the story of her erratic childhood, her runaway sister and the histories of people with whom she has crossed paths.

2. Secrets of Eden, by Christopher A. Bohjalian

Haunted by the final words of a newly baptized congregation member who was subsequently murdered by her husband, the Rev. Stephen Drew abandons his pulpit to spend time with an author who writes best-selling books about angels.

3. The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

In Jackson, MO, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. This fictional story tells of three women, Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter, who realize that they are suffocating within the lines. Aibileen is a black maid, raising her 17th white child. Her best friend, Minny, is the sassiest woman in Mississippi. Skeeter is just back from college. She is an educated white woman, but to her mother's dismay, has no ring on her finger. With the Civil Rights movement exploding all around them, the story tells how these women start a movement all their own, and as a result, forever change their lives and the town they live in.

Kari Gunn, youth services librarian at the Scotts Valley Library, makes the following choices for children and young adults:

4. Hope was Here, by Joan Bauer (young adult)

Sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who raised her, move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, WI. Hope goes to work as a waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways Diner. She and her aunt become involved with the owner of the diner and his political campaign to oust the town's mayor. This is a coming-of-age story about self-discovery and how to treat other people.

5. No More Dead Dogs, by Gordon Korman (youth)

An eighth-grade football hero, Wallace refuses to complete an assigned book report, claiming that animals on the covers of books always end up dead. As a result, he is sentenced to detention by attending rehearsals for the school play where, in spite of himself, he becomes wrapped up in the production. He begins to make suggestions that improve not only the play, but ultimately, his life.

What will you be reading for National Read Across America Day?