Spotlight On

Uri Shulevitz

This Caldecott Honor picture book is short on words, but big on images. Kids (and their abiding faith in a big snowstorm) will enjoy the repetition and visions of a snow-blanketed city.

Molly Knox Ostertag

The final book in the “Witch Boy” series, it’s a great pick for young lovers of realistic fantasy (like Harry Potter). While it’s a tale of adventure, the cozy community setting and familiar characters make this a cozy read. (Middle grade)

Richard and Florence Atwater

New readers (first and second grade) will love this funny story about an ordinary man who quickly finds himself the owner of 12 pet penguins. A snowy winter day may be perfect for a double feature: after you finish the book, you can also rent the film starring Jim Carey.

Karina Yan Glaser

A new classic that appeals to fourth-sixth graders, this is a heartwarming story with high stakes that will grab children’s attention while sharing a subtle message about empathy and community.

Alice Oseman

Heartstopper fans, this one’s for you! This brief novella focuses on Charlie and Tori, as well as their little brother Oliver. If winter can be a tough time of year for you and your family, this book will be relatable. Sad but sweet at the same time – Alice Oseman’s specialty.

Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert

A delightful book containing favorite recipes of family and friends which had its beginning during the pandemic when everyone was cooking at home. The Colbert family enjoyed making cooking a fun experience and invite readers to share recipes from their South Carolina home.

Emily Weinstein

Highlights 100 favorite dishes curated from the NY Times recipes. Some can be prepared in as little as 10 minutes. Includes stunning photos that are sure to make your mouth water!

Joe Yonan

Joe Yonan is a longtime food and dining editor for the Washington Post and a James Beard award winning food writer.

Ideal for those interested in vegan and vegetarian recipes, it includes over 300 recipes for weeknight meals as well as for special occasions. Beautiful photos showcase sumptuous recipes.

Caroline Chambers

This was an instant New York Times bestseller. Each recipe is a complete meal containing protein, vegetables and starch. Organized by cooking times, you can choose a recipe that takes as little as 15 minutes to prepare. Written by a busy mother, it’s a simple cookbook with flavorful recipes for busy people.

Nok Suntaranon

If you are interested in trying something different and gourmet, this could be the one. It offers the world of Thai cooking with its spicy, bold and fragrant recipes suitable even for beginners with its easy to follow instructions. Stunning photographs enhance the experience.

Jeanne Dams

After retiring from a career in both teaching and copywriting, Jeanne Dams started writing mystery novels set in England. Her first main character is Dorothy Martin, recently widowed, in her sixties. Her scholarly husband, Fred, had planned to relocate them to England and she proceeded on her own after his death. The first Dorothy Martin mystery, The Body in the Transept (December 1995) won The Agatha for best first novel. Dorothy is a fan of big hats.

Fredrik Backman

The widower Ove is a very cranky man who is disagreeable to anyone and everyone he meets. When a lively young family moves in next door, an association that begins with a run-over mailbox –might just end with everyone’s life being changed forever. Millions have loved this charming novel by Swedish author Backman.

Paulette Jiles

A post-Civil War novel set in Texas in the late 1870’s. Retired Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd is an older widower who has fought in two wars and now travels around north Texas reading the news to the hordes of illiterate settlers. The itinerant life suits him fine. He charges ten cents a person for admission and makes a living along with his pension. Captain Kidd sets out on a 400-mile journey from Wichita Falls, Texas to San Antonio to deliver a young orphan to her uncle. Kiowa raiders have killed her parents, and the girl is being raised Kiowa. The US Army pays Kidd a fifty-dollar gold piece for the job and they set off. A road story with an old military man and a little girl who speaks no English but is pretty tough. After a rough start the two survivors begin to trust each other and travel the treacherous land together. Beautiful story.

Richard Osman

Richard Osman published the first novel in this series, The Thursday Murder Club, in September of 2020. There are now 4 novels. People magazine said, “an amusing debut that finds gold in getting older.” Four 70-ish residents of a retirement village called Cooper’s Chase, located in southern England, are amateur detectives. The four friends meet every Thursday to help the police solve cold cases. You guessed it! One case becomes the real thing and the four lovable, quirky elders are, it turns out, very good at their detective work.

Kathleen Rooney

Lillian Boxfish is 85 years old. Lillian has been a career woman, a married woman, a mother, a divorced woman and a woman who has experienced emotional exhaustion. Lillian experienced The Jazz Age and The AIDS Epidemic. Lillian decides to take a 10-mile walk in her beloved city on New Years Eve, 1984. “She encounters a variety of people, including bartenders, bodega clerks, security guards, criminals, children, parents, and parents-to-be.” Along the way she gives a lot of her stuff away, including her mink coat. (I was walking in Manhattan New Years Eve, one year later–a 30 year old about to have a baby, I walked from Gramercy Park to Mulberry St.)