Staff Recommendations, Week of March 10, 2026 (Plus A Bit of Previous)

 Did I promise upon the staff rec blog's return that it would be updated in a timely or regular manner? Well, I hope not! But here are some great new books to check out that have been released over the past couple of weeks along with this one. Yay, books!

Daniel recommends A Good Animal by Maurer: "It’s breeding season on Lindt family sheep farm in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and the family is readying their flock for market. Oldest son Everett’s in his senior year of high school and thinking about the future. Everyone around him plans to leave for greener (or should I say, less green) pastures further south, but farming is in his blood. The only problem? His new crush, whose arrived with her Coast Guard father, doesn’t plan to stay either. Sara Maurer captures the emotional highs and lows not just of first love, but of friendship and family too. And she impressively ratchets up the tension - the story leads to a shocking climax. I just might not hand-sell this book to a vegan. But on the upside, you also learn a lot about sheep farming."

Maurer will be at Books & Company in Oconomowoc on Wednesday, April 1. More info at https://booksco.com/event/2026-04-01/sara-maurer-conversation-laura-anne-bird.

Greta recommends Westward Women, a debut novel by Alice Martin: "Westward Women is a marvelous speculative fiction novel. It has the freedom and restraints of its setting in the 1970s, but as men are drafted, women are leaving their homes and going westward in droves. Readers wonder, who is benefiting from this movement, and who will get lost in its current? The novel follows multiple narrators, each jaded yet still searching for someone or something to hold onto. At times the words are raw, pulsating like blood beneath one's veins. There is a call for agency that people can relate to, given life's uncertainties."

In YA, we've got Her Hidden Fire by Cliodhna O'Sullivan. McKenna says: "In this debut novel that takes place in an alternate version of Ireland, Éadha, a servant girl in love with a boy in a higher-ranking family, makes a decision that changes the fate of her and Ionáin's lives forever. Swept into an academy of magic, Éadha begins to see first-hand the societal norms that come with being a magic wielder as well as the cost of using the power she has. Will Éadha and Ionáin's love survive the secrets and pressures thrusted upon them? Or will Éadha find something much more powerful within herself? Dark, intense, and captivating from the very first page, Her Hidden Fire is full of high-stakes forbidden romance and an epic journey I cannot wait to continue on!"

And Jenny says: "In Cliodhna O'Sullivan’s YA romantasy debut, Éadha is a servant whose unexpected magical talent thrusts her into a patriarchal world of the wealthy and influential. Compelled to study at an academy of magic, she faces hostility and jealousy while keeping a secret that could alter her path and destroy the boy she loves. Dazzling, Irish-inspired world building and a meaningful look at what it means to be powerful make Her Hidden Fire an unforgettable read."

McKenna also has a great picture book rec - that's Bartleby by author/illustrator Matt Phelan. McKenna says: "Sometimes Bartleby "prefers not to" even when everyone else is having fun. But when he wants to participate, he contributes something special. An instant classic and charming picture book about being yourself and moving at your own pace. Bartleby has captured my heart!!!"

Over to Kay and back to the adult fiction section for Bloom, a novel by Robbie Couch. Kay says: "Sloan impulsively steps out of her comfort zone and stops at her recently dead father’s house, where her father’s second partner still lives. Morris was roundly rejected by her entire family from day one. Sloan’s visit sets in motion events ranging from serious to silly, heartbreaking to joyful, nearly deadly to life affirming; the resolution is perfect. Bonus: Morris's front room contains chatty, cranky houseplants bemoaning the loss of caretaker First Sapien, and an old oak tree outside evokes its last magic trick in First Sapien’s honor. Bloom is bewitching."

Then there's Judy Blume: A Life, the new biography of the living literary legend by Mark Oppenheimer, which both Daniel and Tim recommend. Daniel says: "For so many kids, reading as a child meant Judy Blume - in one 1979 B Dalton bestseller list, seven of the top ten books for kids were Blume novels, from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret. Her path to writing was not straightforward and filled with rejection. This biography is authorized but is not wart free. And the exhaustive research shows in the insightful details about Blume’s own life, the influences on her work, the regular attempts to pull her books from schools and libraries, and the history of children’s book publishing. And then there’s the footnote of her four adult novels, three of which were bestsellers, and one, the Fear-of-Flying-esque Wifey, outsold all her books for kids at the time, yet are now mostly forgotten. If you read Judy Blume in your own childhood, or as an educator, librarian, or parent, you’ll devour Judy Blume: A Life. And if you didn’t, you’ll be tempted to read some of her kids books to find out what you’ve been missing."

Tim says: "Using perfectly placed anecdotes and quotes, many from Blume's own abandoned memoir, Oppenheimer delivers the beautifully paced and fascinating life story of an iconic American author. The teachers I worked with all understood the magnetism of her characters in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Are You There God? It's me, Margaret. Our students found children just like themselves in Blume’s books. I'm only now learning that the dozens of books she’s written also include four adult novels, that she still runs a nonprofit bookstore with her third (and best!) husband, and that many thousands of children have written to her and often received a deeply concerned surrogate mom’s support. Her defense of other authors is equally tireless. Yet Oppenheimer isn’t shy about showing the difficulties involved with her full life, including when people remember their days with Blume differently than she does. The depth of his research reveals a woman of strong, unflinching, often book-banned ideas that match the 70s, when her writing career suddenly bloomed. She was an avid reader of sophisticated literature from an early age, and Oppenheimer’s infusion of the evolving American literary world (for children and adults) during Blume’s career is itself a reason to love this biography. If you’ve read Judy Blume at any point in your life or you just want to live in the times of a beloved woman, an American writer who has created some of our most beloved books, you’ll be thrilled by this story."

Boswell presents Mark Oppenheimer at the Milwaukee Public Library Centennial Hall for a conversation about this book on Wednesday, March 18. More info and registration at https://boswellbooks.com/event/2026-03-18/oppenheimer-judy-blume.

Over to Greta, who keeps us reading nonfiction with Delusions: Of Grandeur, of Romance, of Progress by Cazzie David. Greta says: "Everyone is getting older every day. Isn't it frightening when there are these patriarchal ideas and conventions present in the minds of most Americans? Cazzie David writes witty observations about the aging process and the experience of turning 30. Her voice will resonate with many. Although, she does approach the elephant in the room that she comes from a place of privilege, being that she is the daughter of legendary Seinfeld creator Larry David."

Now, Daniel brings us a mysterious novel - The Star from Calcutta by Sujata Massey: "This time out, Perveen and her father Jamshedji are courting a film studio head, who is concerned that his new star (and recent spouse) Rochana might have some legal obligation to her old studio back in Calcutta. Contract, what contract? Perveen invites her best buddy and film buff Alice to a studio party, but by the next morning, there’s a dead body to contend with, and being that he’s unliked and perhaps doing some blackmail, there’s plenty of intrigue and no end of suspects, including Alice. The nascent film industry is a great backdrop for this exciting mystery, with the burgeoning independence movement once again factoring into the exciting story, along with Anglo prejudices, religious differences, patriarchal norms, and suppressed and sometimes not suppressed desires." 

We had a great event with Massey for this novel last week. Signed copies available now!

You'd prefer a little romance? Ingrid suggests No Matter What by Cara Bastone: "In No Matter What, Cara Bastone somehow takes two of hardest tropes to execute, second chances and miscommunication, and creates a beautiful, sad, hopeful romance novel that explores the relationship between love and trauma. Main characters Roz and Vin have been happily married for years when, in one devastating instant, the rhythm of their relationship is irreparably altered. While the book is thoughtful and colorful, the real reason it shines is Bastone's ability to cast aside the traditional romance novel plot structure and writing style while still crafting a narrative filled with love. Bastone's latest is the story of Roz and Vin trying to find their way back to each other, but it is also a snapshot of how art, community, and friendship help people grow, heal, and come back together."

Finally, Kay offers a global creepfest with this multinational anthology of ghost stories - I Was Alive Here Once: Ghost Stories, edited by Sarah Coolidge. Kay writes: "The translated stories in this collection are written by authors from eight different countries. The stories eerily reflect how each writer’s culture intimately and uniquely inform the manifestation of ghosts. This is a fantastic, diverse collection of creepy-good ghost stories."

We'll be back (soon? I sure hope so!) with more recommendations. Until then, read on.