May 2025 staff picks

Amee: Lulu Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

This book was recommended by a patron and is not available at our library. However, last year I picked up an advanced copy at a conference (and yes, it has been sitting on my TBR pile for a year.) It is appropriate to be reading this title since it coincides with National Library Week, (April 6-12) and our visit to the Ohio Statehouse to advocate for public libraries.

Lulu Dean spearheads a campaign to remove books from the local library. Lulu places in her front yard a little library filled with books she deems more appropriate. However, someone disagrees and replaces Lulu’s choices with the banned books. What follows is the impact and importance books have on the community.

Although the library does not own a copy, I am very willing to share mine.

Megan: My Grammie’s House by Lana Button

This sweet picture book about a child welcoming new people into her Grammie’s old house will warm your heart.

Jennifer: The Air Between Us by Deborah Johnson.

Author's 1st novel about the citizens, black and white, of a small Mississippi town as they prepare for the coming integration of their schools in 1966. Revere, Mississippi, is not unlike many small towns in the South during the 1960s, with black people living on one side of town and whites on the other. Both groups have their fair share of mysterious and interesting characters, and everyone has something to hide, or something they’re hiding from. When a poor white man is injured in what looks to be a typical hunting accident and is brought to the segregated Doctors Hospital and later dies, many truths long hidden begin to reveal themselves.

Dawn: Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White

This book has great ideas and strategies to transform your home.

Karen: Downton Abbey television series

Love the costumes and Maggie Smith