2024 was a great year for books! Our staff has been reading, listening, and watching to books and more all year and are ready to give our recommendations. Whether you're looking for one of the hottest hold list titles of the year, like Kristin Hannah's The Women, or something a little more off the beaten path like Wenyan Lu's The Funeral Cryer, our list of staff favorites should have something for everyone. If you're looking for titles for kids and teens, be sure to scroll down toward the end of the list for those.
December 2024 Mid-Month Sudoku
We present the last Sudoku of 2024 with another groaner from master storyteller Steven King:
Book of the Month Picks for 2024
2024 was a great year for the Book of the Month program 2023 was pretty good too Lets see what 2025 brings Borrow me January Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Borrow me February Solito by Javier Zamora Borrow me March Firekeepers Daughter by Angeline Boulley Borrow me April Still Life by Sarah Winman Borrow me May Pineapple…
C is for Cookie
Winter is a great time for baking cookies! Whether you just want an excuse to warm up your kitchen or you're looking for a new recipe to appease a jolly home invader, here are some cookie-centric cookbooks that might be just what you're looking for this season.
Artist of the Month: December 2024 – Garima Parakh
Garima Parakh Impressionist Landscape and Still Life Oil Paintings www.garimaparakh.com garima.parakh@gmail.com Phone: 339 227 2540 BIOGRAPHY Garima Parakh, born and raised in India, lives in Andover, MA. She is an Electronics Engineer and worked in the IT industry for 13 years before switching to art. Since 2011, she has been painting daily and never looked back.
2024 National Book Awards
The National Book Foundation recently announced this year's National Book Awards. You can check out the winners here through MHL, or go to the National Book Foundation website to read the long lists of of nominees in each category.
December 2024 Book of the Month
For the December Book of the Month, we’re taking a heartwarming journey with The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Follow Harold, an ordinary man who embarks on an extraordinary walk across England to visit an old friend, and discover a story about life, love, loss, and the power of unexpected connections. Pick up your copy today while supplies last!
December 2024 Puzzle: Wonderfully titled books from the Pancake House Mystery series by Sarah Fox
If you are partial to cozy mysteries like those of Canadian mystery writer Sarah Fox, or just like hilarious wordplay in book titles, be sure to check out this great tool for finding read-alikes: NoveList Plus. Just enter the title or author of a book you like, and NoveList Plus will give you suggestions of books that are similar. Of course you can also get personalized book suggestions from our library staff by visiting https://mhl.org/advice.
Books for Fans of Wicked
Are you a fan of Wicked? (The movie, or the musical the movie is based on, or the book the musical is based on, or the movie that book was based on, or even the book by L. Frank Baum that kicked off the whole saga?) Then here are some other books to check out! If you're a fan of the musical and/or musical but haven't read the book by Gregory Maguire, you could start with that (although be advised that the book's tone is rather different from the musical). Or try one of these other fantasy books that have a similar style of worldbuilding and/or are adapted from other classic stories.