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Here are some books that staff members at Polk County Public Libraries have read and enjoyed recently!

 

$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America by Kathryn Edin and H. Luke Shaefer (recommended by Wanangwa)

After two decades of brilliant research on American poverty, Kathryn Edin noticed something she hadn’t seen before—households surviving on virtually no cash income. She teamed with H. Luke Shaefer, an expert on calculating incomes of the poor, to discover that the number of American families living on $2.00 per person, per day, was one and a half million households, including about three million children. Through eye-opening analysis and many compelling profiles, this book delivers provocative ideas to our national debate on income inequality.

 

Long Island by Colm Toibin (recommended by Marcie)

Eilis is Irish, married to Tony, a plumber and one of four Italian American brothers, all of whom live in neighboring houses on a cul-de-sac in Long Island, with their families and Tony’s parents. It is the spring of 1976 and Eilis is now forty with two teenage children. One day, when Tony is at work, an Irishman comes to the door asking for Eilis by name. He tells her that his wife is pregnant with Tony’s child and that when the baby is born, he will not raise it but instead deposit it on Eilis’s doorstep. It is what Eilis does—and what she refuses to do—in response to this stunning news that makes the novel so riveting and suspenseful.

 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay (recommended by Allie)

In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick. While only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, Horror Movie nevertheless grew a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot. There is only one surviving cast member, who remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay and the bizarre events of the filming. As memories flood back in, the boundaries between reality and film, and past and present start to blur. 

 

Hitchcock’s Blondes by Laurence Leamer (recommended by Alan)

An engrossing account of the enigmatic director Alfred Hitchcock that finally puts the dazzling actresses he cast in his legendary movies at the center of the story. Journey into the lives of eight legendary actresses whose stories helped chart the course of the troubled, talented director’s career. 

 

The Husbands by Holly Gramazio (recommended by Amelia)

Lauren’s life spirals as she questions her marriage to a man she can’t remember meeting. This exuberant, time-bending debut novel asks: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?

 

Secrets of the Octopus by Sy Montgomery (recommended by Maryann)

This beautifully illustrated book explores the alluring underwater world of the octopus—a creature that resembles an alien lifeform, but whose behavior has earned it a reputation as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet. 

 

Jen Pace Dickenson is the Youth Services Librarian for Polk County Public Libraries. For information about the library’s resources, programs, and other services, visit polklibrary.org or call (828) 894-8721.