GPL Blog

Staff Picks — Jane E.

Published on by Emily DuGranrut

I love a good series. If I find a series I love, I will reread it. Here are the first books in some of my favorite fantasy series. Jane, Assistant Director, Head of Adult Services

Visit the library, give us a call or search the catalog to put one of these great books on hold today.

A DEADLY EDUCATION by Naomi Novik

If you like stories about schools for the magically gifted, I recommend A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. The school has no teachers and terrible food, but it is full of monsters trying to kill the students. (Including monsters hiding in the food.) Lots of snark from the main character and really fascinating world building. Two books in this trilogy are out, with the third due in 2022.

ALL SYSTEMS RED by Martha Wells

Do you like robots? You’ve never met an artificial intelligence like Murderbot, the anxious and sarcastic main character of The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells.  A mechanical with organic components, all Murderbot wants to do is to watch episodes of its favorite serial, but saving the humans keeps getting in the way. The series opens with All Systems Red. Most of the books are novellas and quick reads.

EVERY HEART A DOORWAY by Seanan McGuire

Representation abounds in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series. This is another magical school series. Every Heart a Doorway is book one. The novellas are all about not fitting in and the search for the place that feels like your true home. Soon to be a series on SyFy!

HIS MAJESTY’S DRAGON by Naomi Novik

Imagine the Napoleonic Wars during the Regency era, only add dragons. Lots of dragons. All kinds of dragons. That’s the premise of Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, and it’s loads of fun. Lots of action and great characters (including the dragons). The first book is His Majesty’s Dragon.

THE GOLEM AND THE JINNI by Helen Wecker

I’ve never read another book like Helene Wecker’s The Golem and the Jinni. Set in turn-of-the-century immigrant New York, the main characters are a Golem (a woman fashioned of clay and brought to life by a sorcerer) and a Jinni (a creature of light accidentally released from a flask by a tinsmith). Both arrive in New York from far away lands. It’s a slow moving story but to me well worth the journey. So far there are only two books in the series, but a third is hinted at.

Curious what the staff of GPL likes to read? Every month we’ll share five titles we’ve read recently. All titles are available for checkout at the library — give us a call or visit the catalog to put one on hold!