Patch Picks: Top Books as Told by Local Librarians

Welcome back to Patch Picks, which highlights editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off, and more. 

You’ll find useful lists to help you, your family, friends, and significant others find the best places for everything from Sunday brunch to New Year’s Eve celebrations, pumpkin patches, date night destinations, florists, girlfriend nights out, kids party places, parks and more.

In honor of National Read Across America Day, our latest installment is Local Librarian’s Picks for Top Books. We chatted with a few local librarians at the to see which books have been flying off the shelves lately — for kids and adults.

1.) "Freedom" by Jonathan Franzen

A portrait of the life of a couple in St. Paul, Minn. The book became an Oprah Book Club selection, and The New York Times called it “a masterpiece of American fiction.”

2.) "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand

Hillenbrand is also the author of "Seabiscuit: An American Legend." In “Unbroken,” she tells the story of World War II hero Louis Zamperini.

3.) "The Immortal Life of Henriettta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

In this book, Skloot focuses on the “immortal” cell line (known to scientists as HeLa) that came from Henriettta Lacks, a Southern tobacco farmer who died more than 60 years ago.

4.) "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney

 This popular “novel in cartoons” series for kids was recently made into a movie.

5.) The "Percy Jackson" series by Rick Riordan

 Another popular children’s series, these books detail the lives of modern demi-gods living in the 21st century.