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2023 Picks | Liz vonTauffkirchen

Liz vonTauffkirchen, Library Specialist

 

A book cover titled "Bookshops & Bonedust" by Travis Baldree, featuring an illustration of a green-skinned character, a cat, and a raccoon in a bookstore.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

This cozy fantasy book is a prequal to the Legends & Lattes book which I also read and loved this year. In my opinion, one could read either book first and enjoy them equally as much. These books have a warm ambiance and a cozy feel—perfect for fall and winter weather and a nice, hot bevvy.

 

A book cover titled "System Collapse" by Martha Wells, featuring a figure overlooking a desolate landscape with ruins and a large moon.

System Collapse by Martha Wells

This long-awaited installment in the Murderbot Diaries series is exactly the next book we’ve all been waiting for! This continuing story of a construct’s search for self is a fascinating character study placed amid super fun pew-pew space battles and I’m so here for it!

 

A book cover for "House of Earth and Blood" by Sarah J. Maas, from the "Crescent City" series, with intricate designs and a fiery palette.

The House of Earth and Blood and The House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #1 & #2) by Sarah J. Maas

If you’ve read the A Court of Thorns and Roses series or the Throne of Glass series by Maas, then you are probably familiar with her particular style of “Romantacy.” This new series does not disappoint and follows her usual formula of sexy Fae males and strong female lead characters.

 

A book cover of "Good Talk" by Mira Jacob featuring a collage of illustrated conversations.

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations by Mira Jacob

This touching and thought-provoking graphic memoir was a quick read/listen but also compelling and engaging. In this book, a woman explores what it means to be American in a series of conversations with her young son.

 

A book titled "Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yarros with an intricate cover design featuring a compass and a bird.

Fourth Wing and Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

These fun new Romantasy books are not to be missed! If you are a fan of Sarah J. Maas, these books will definitely appeal to you! The action takes place in an academy for dragon riders and it combines the danger and excitement of The Hunger Games with the fantasy elements and romance of a Sarah J. Maas title. These books have action, adventure, romance, Dragons, and so much more!

 

A book cover titled "Hideout" by Louisa Luna, depicting a foggy road with a car’s lights visible.

Hideout by Louisa Luna

This third book in the Alice Vega series is the best so far! Alice Vega is a private detective who, in this installment, is chasing down a missing person cold case from the mid-1980s. These mysteries are gritty and our protagonist is tough and resilient, the stories well plotted, and the conclusions satisfying.