Staff Favorites

Patrons often ask our staff to suggest books to read.The titles on this list were compiled by asking our staff to recommend their favorite books and describe great books they have read and enjoyed.

Science Fiction

Place Hold Write a Review	All the Wind Cracked Stars by Elizabeth Bear Science Fiction Call#: F Bear Muire, the last surviving valkyrie of Norse mythology, vows to protect the last remaining humans in a post-apocalyptic world. Submitted by Cherie Bitter 1/09
Place Hold	Angel of Forgetfulness by Steve Stern General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction Call#: F Stern In 1969, a dying woman gives her 19 year old nephew an old unfinished manuscript about an angel who came to earth and fathered a child. Stern's ingenious novel, which encompasses a century, meshes heaven and earth, past and present, body and soul. Bright humor, colorful characters, strong sense of time and place, magic realism abound in this book. Submitted by Lee Alexander
Place Hold	Beginning Operations by James White Science Fiction Call#: F White Imagine a giant hospital floating in space on the edge of the universe. Which is more of a challenge, all the alien patients, or daily living with the even more alien staff? Submitted by Tina Bartholoma 10/06
Place Hold	The Best of Jim Baen's Universe 2006 Edited by Eric Flint Science Fiction Call#: SC Best Best collection of science fiction short stories I've read in years (half are science fiction and half are fantasy) Most of the stories use first person narrative and have a main science fiction concept. Submitted by Tina Bartholoma 9/07
Place Hold	The Dispossessed by Ursula Leguin Science Fiction Call#: F Leguin A modern classic by a thought provoking author. LeGuin writes about man(and woman), and how they act and react to each other and to society. If you want intelligent fiction that makes you think, this is a good place to start. Young adult readers should recognize her as the author of the Tales of Earthsea series. Submitted by Danene Peterson
Place Hold	Doomsday Book by Connie Willis Science Fiction Call#: F Willis For Oxford student Kivrin, traveling back to the 14th century is more than the culmination of her studies--it's the chance for a wonderful adventure. For Dunworthy, her mentor, it is cause for intense worry about the thousands of things that could go wrong. When an accident leaves Kivrin trapped in one of the deadliest eras in human history, the two find themselves in equally gripping--and oddly connected--struggles to survive. (From Recorded Books) Submitted by Darin Butler 4/07
Place Hold Write a Review	A Drowned Life by Jeffrey Ford Science Fiction Call#: F Ford An excellent short story collection containing science fiction, fantasy, realism and comedy by an acclaimed author. Submitted by Cherie Bitter 1/09
Place Hold	Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card Science Fiction Call#: F Card Ender is a child genius being trained to defeat a frightening alien race, the Buggers. Before he can save the world, he has to survive Battle School, and reconcile his understanding and love for the Buggers with his duty to kill them. Straightforwardly written, and explores themes of survival, fear and hatred of the 'others', and the ethics of war. Submitted by Sara Weikel
Place Hold	His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik Science Fiction Call#: F Novik Captain Will Laurence of the HMS Reliant finds a dragon egg on a French ship. When the dragon hatches, Will and the dragon, Temeraire bond. Will transfers into the Aerial Corps so he and Temeraire can stay together and train to combat Napoleon's invading forces. Submitted by Cherie Bitter and De Peterson 12/06
Place Hold Write a Review	I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore Science Fiction F Lore Adventure, mystery, romance and science fiction all rolled into one story. Submitted by Rose Marie Duncan 2/11
Place Hold	In Fury Born by David Weber Science Fiction Call#: F Weber This book is long and the part of the story which is described on the jacket doesn't start until page 500! But that's the way space opera fans like it. Based on a previously published novella, this is the full story of space marine extraordinaire, Alicia DeVries. Submitted by Tina Bartholoma
Place Hold Write a Review	Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder Science Fiction YF Snyder Trella's job is to keep the areas behind the walls clean;the pipes and the conduits. She doesn't like the work, but it keeps her out of the overcrowded quarters where all of her fellow "scrubs" live. Then an outsider, from the upper levels, needs something secretly retrieved. So, he seeks out the "Queen of the Pipes" for the job. Submitted by Tina Bartholoma 5/11
Place Hold Write a Review	Into the Storm by Taylor Anderson Science Fiction Call#: F Anderson Two U.S. four-stacker destroyers on the run from the Japanese in the spring of 1942 sail into a mysterious squall. The USS Walker emerges in alternate time, where dinosaurs walk the earth. Submitted by Rose Marie Duncan 5/09
Place Hold	The Jack Vance Treasury by Jack Vance Science Fiction Call#: F Vance An omnibus edition (over 600 pages) featuring short stories and novellas from one of the grand masters of 20th century scifi/fantasy, Jack Vance. A wonderful introduction for readers new to his work, with classic selections like "The Moon Moth" and "The Dragon master," and plenty for longtime fans of the author to enjoy. A must-read for fans of literary scifi. Submitted by Greg Near 05/07
Place Hold	The Lost Fleet: Dauntless by Jack Campbell Science Fiction Call#: F Campbell For military Sci Fi fans! The Alliance and the Syndics have been fighting a long war and now the Alliance's only hope is Captain John "BlackJack" Geary. Geary has just been awakened from a century long hibernation and now must save the fleet by living up to his legend. Submitted by Joan Christensen 08/06
Place Hold Write a Review	Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson Science Fiction F Anderson Best. Mary. Sue. Ever (Trekkies and other fans will understand) Funny, knowledgeable, and affectionate tale of a Star Trek convention gone horribly wrong; it has engaging characters, a tight plot, and tons of in-jokes for fans. Submitted by Lorna Payne 10/10
Place Hold	Revelations by M. Scott Byrnes Science Fiction Thriller Call#: F Byrnes In the very near future, a mission to Mars discovers life once existed on the planet, but only in small circular areas dotted around the planet...and when you think Da Vinci Code, the author gets you with a story even more interesting and satisfying. Submitted by Jewel Nelson 4/07
Place Hold	Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller Science Fiction Call#: F Lee Aelliana, shy mathematical genius bullied by her older brother, plays a game of chance and wins a starship. If she can learn to fly it she can escape her dismal future and the cruelty of her brother. She hires a Master Pilot as her instructor and becomes a quick study. Submitted by Cherie Bitter 05/07
Place Hold Write a Review	Second Genesis by Donald Moffitt Science Fiction F Moffitt This is the second book in Moffitt’s Genesis series (The Genesis Quest being the first) and it is outstanding. Even better then the first. The Nar, beings in a distant galaxy, intercept a radio signal containing extinct human’s DNA code and recreate us. This story is about us trying to return to our place of origin. Long distance, intergalactic travel of nearly whole civilizations. And, aliens! Strange, exotic aliens. What could be better than that? Submitted by Art Lang 10/10
Place Hold Write a Review	Sixth Column by Robert A. Heinlein Science Fiction Call#: F Heinlein The United States is conquered by Pan Asian Forces, leaving only six members of the American military to resist them. Since churches are the only organizations allowed by the conquerors to meet in groups of any size, the American resistance invents a religion to cover their operations. Submitted by Sara Weikel 6/09
Place Hold Write a Review	Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson Science Fiction/Cyber Punk Call#: F Stephenson This is a great book, combining dystopian visions of the future with mythology and ancient Mesopotamian viruses, along with issues of culture, language, and learning. Not a book to take itself too seriously, it pokes fun at the genre and literature in general (the main character is named Hiro Protagonist for example) without becoming a farce. Submitted by Jared Anjewierden 6/08
Place Hold Write a Review	Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child Science Fiction Call#: F Child Fast moving--scientists working in the Alaskan arctic under a grant from a television corporation find a mysterious creature frozen in the ice. The last of the local tribe warn them of the evil that the creature will unleash if they don't leave. They don't listen. . . Submitted by Jewel Nelson 4/09
Place Hold Write a Review	WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer Science Fiction Call#: F Sawyer An Internet savvy young girl is implanted with an experimental device that could allow her to see for the first time; but there a glitch, which allows her to see the world wide web instead. On the web, she sees something new, something that is growing smarter. Submitted by Tina Bartholoma 10/09
Place Hold Write a Review	The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi Science Fiction Call#: F Bacigalupi What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits? And what happens when said bio-terrorism forces humanity to the cusp of post-human evolution? Submitted by Cherie Bitter 12/09
Place Hold Write a Review	A World Too Near by Kay Kenyon Science Fiction Call#: F Kenyon Titus Quinn is sent to destroy an engine in an alternate universe that is designed to use the Earth's universe as a power source. Submitted by Cherie Bitter 1/09