29 Dec Youth Services staff’s favorite reads of 2020
While 2020 has undoubtedly been a strange year, the Youth Services staff have found some comfort in a good book. Here are a few favorites that we’ve read this year! Check out any of the books below by clicking on the titles to place a hold in Evergreen.
Aubrey recommends
Behind the Canvas by Alexander Vance (ages 8-12, 2016)
When Claudia Miravista encounters a real, living boy stuck in an old painting, she finds herself caught up in a world of masterpieces, adventure, and magic! Can she save the boy in the painting? Or will she become part of the painting herself?
Lauren recommends
My Calamity Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows (teen, 2020)
I had never heard of Calamity Jane before reading this book and am never intrigued by westerns, but this author trio made it easy to get invested in the story. I loved the characters, and the snarky and fun writing style kept me coming back to The Lady Janies. Plus, in the midst of all of the truly historical elements of the books, the authors wove in an engaging tale of werewolves. It’s not every day that you get to read a book that’s historical, hilarious, and paranormal.
Maureen recommends
Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (adult, 2020)
Part of the Tor.com fantasy novella line, this is a fascinating, complex story told through the eyes of an empress’s handmaiden. It starts off quietly but ends up becoming a truly thought-provoking and emotional story. I love stories that look at the aftermath of big, epic events and this one does so in a really unique way. And if you like this one, the sequel is out this month!
Jan recommends
Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King (adult, 2020)
It’s summertime on the Riviera, where the Jazz Age is busily reinventing the holiday delights of warm days on golden sand and cool nights on terraces and dance floors. Just up the coast lies a more traditional pleasure ground: Monte Carlo, where fortunes are won, lost, stolen, and hidden away. So when Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes happen across the Côte d’Azur in this summer of 1925, they find themselves pulled between different worlds.
We hope you give one of these a try soon!
