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Home » Looking For A Good Book or Film? » Staff Picks

Staff Picks

Looking for a Good Book or Film?

Try something highly recommended by a Library staff member:

catalog link to "Murder on the Red River"

Murder on the Red River

Set in 1970, a young Ojibwe woman helps the town sheriff identify who murdered a Native American farmhand. Uses spare prose to create well-developed characters and to explore the coming of age of a young Native American woman. For readers who liked 'Bluebird, Bluebird.'

Sarah D

Arlington Public Library
2025-11-07T16:15:27-05:00

Sarah D

catalog link to "Murder on the Red River"
Set in 1970, a young Ojibwe woman helps the town sheriff identify who murdered a Native American farmhand. Uses spare prose to create well-developed characters and to explore the coming of age of a young Native American woman. For readers who liked 'Bluebird, Bluebird.'
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/murder-on-the-red-river/
link to catalog entry for Spooked

Spooked!

Fake news might be a trending topic today, but in 1938 (when radio was a major source for news), a Sunday night drama started a national panic. This look at "The War of the Worlds" is perfect for families, it's exciting, has just enough background & lots to talk about.

Nico P

Arlington Public Library
2025-07-03T13:32:58-04:00

Nico P

link to catalog entry for Spooked
Fake news might be a trending topic today, but in 1938 (when radio was a major source for news), a Sunday night drama started a national panic. This look at "The War of the Worlds" is perfect for families, it's exciting, has just enough background & lots to talk about.
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/spooked/
catalog link to "Tell Me I'm Worthless"

Tell Me I’m Worthless

A visceral horror story about the rise of fascism, for fans for Shirley Jackson and Clive Barker.

Heather W

Arlington Public Library
2025-11-07T16:12:03-05:00

Heather W

catalog link to "Tell Me I'm Worthless"
A visceral horror story about the rise of fascism, for fans for Shirley Jackson and Clive Barker.
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/tell-me-im-worthless/
catalog link to "A Match Made for Thanksgiving"

A Match Made for Thanksgiving

When Nick Wong goes home for Thanksgiving, he discovers his parents have set up blind dates for him and his siblings! If a blind date at Thanksgiving isn't awkward enough, his brother's been matched with the girl Nick can't get out of his head.

Jennie R

Arlington Public Library
2025-11-07T16:09:42-05:00

Jennie R

catalog link to "A Match Made for Thanksgiving"
When Nick Wong goes home for Thanksgiving, he discovers his parents have set up blind dates for him and his siblings! If a blind date at Thanksgiving isn't awkward enough, his brother's been matched with the girl Nick can't get out of his head.
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/a-match-made-for-thanksgiving/
catalog link to "Banned Book Club"

Banned Book Club

A college freshman in 1983, Kim Hyun Sook learns all art is political, even her traditional dance group and Shakespeare. After joining a book club that reads books banned by the repressive South Korean government, she starts to fight back. A gripping true story!

Jennie R

Arlington Public Library
2025-11-07T16:08:21-05:00

Jennie R

catalog link to "Banned Book Club"
A college freshman in 1983, Kim Hyun Sook learns all art is political, even her traditional dance group and Shakespeare. After joining a book club that reads books banned by the repressive South Korean government, she starts to fight back. A gripping true story!
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/banned-book-club/
catalog link to "You Dreamed of Empires"

You Dreamed of Empires

This is the palace-intrigue, Maya-Aztec revenge fantasy that I didn't know I needed. Beautifully human characters, and transporting descriptions of Tenochtitlan. If you enjoy Spanish literature, check it out for the allusions to Borges and Calderón de la Barca.

Charlotte M

Arlington Public Library
2025-11-07T16:06:43-05:00

Charlotte M

catalog link to "You Dreamed of Empires"
This is the palace-intrigue, Maya-Aztec revenge fantasy that I didn't know I needed. Beautifully human characters, and transporting descriptions of Tenochtitlan. If you enjoy Spanish literature, check it out for the allusions to Borges and Calderón de la Barca.
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/you-dreamed-of-empires/
catalog link to "The Beautiful Game"

The Beautiful Game

Valeria "Magic" Salomón, a soccer prodigy, faces loss, rejection, and change when she is kicked off her team after a tough match, experiences shifting family dynamics, and feels the challenges of growing up. A genuine story of resilience, friendship, and finding belonging.

Sarah D

Arlington Public Library
2025-11-07T16:04:34-05:00

Sarah D

catalog link to "The Beautiful Game"
Valeria "Magic" Salomón, a soccer prodigy, faces loss, rejection, and change when she is kicked off her team after a tough match, experiences shifting family dynamics, and feels the challenges of growing up. A genuine story of resilience, friendship, and finding belonging.
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/the-beautiful-game/
catalog link to "Time Ages in a Hurry"

Time Ages in a Hurry

Tabucchi's stories glimpse into an old world without succumbing to nostalgia. Combining an elegant cosmopolitanism, lustrous melancholy, and bending of time, these stories account for those marginalized by 20th century violence while bravely confronting the present moment.

Theodore R

Arlington Public Library
2025-09-11T14:36:53-04:00

Theodore R

catalog link to "Time Ages in a Hurry"
Tabucchi's stories glimpse into an old world without succumbing to nostalgia. Combining an elegant cosmopolitanism, lustrous melancholy, and bending of time, these stories account for those marginalized by 20th century violence while bravely confronting the present moment.
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/time-ages-in-a-hurry/
catalog link to "orbital"

Orbital

16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in a single day, and yet time itself can become lost? Travel along with a team of astronauts aboard the International Space Station and revel in the wonder of Earth while simultaneously reflecting on the humanness of it all.

Bridgette W

Arlington Public Library
2025-09-11T14:39:52-04:00

Bridgette W

catalog link to "orbital"
16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in a single day, and yet time itself can become lost? Travel along with a team of astronauts aboard the International Space Station and revel in the wonder of Earth while simultaneously reflecting on the humanness of it all.
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/orbital/
catalog link for "the sparrow"

The Sparrow

Father Emilio Sandoz is sent to investigate the source of otherworldly music originating 17 light years from Earth. He returns as the sole survivor of the expedition. How this happens is a story of faith, relationships, and the unintended consequences of first contact.

Cuong V

Arlington Public Library
2025-09-11T14:41:51-04:00

Cuong V

catalog link for "the sparrow"
Father Emilio Sandoz is sent to investigate the source of otherworldly music originating 17 light years from Earth. He returns as the sole survivor of the expedition. How this happens is a story of faith, relationships, and the unintended consequences of first contact.
https://library.arlingtonva.us/testimonials/the-sparrow/
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Arlington Public Library

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