Based on the fairy tale of the Little Mermaid, The Salt Grows Heavy, continues where the tale left off. The mermaid marries a human prince, but this mermaid is not beautiful and gentle. She has teeth and an insatiable hunger. The children that she gives birth to are more like her than the prince - - they eat the prince and burn down the kingdom.
Now the mermaid is on the run with a mysterious plague doctor. This book follows them on their journey through a new and terrifying land. Part horror, part love story, this novela is a quick read at only 100 pages. It is unlike anything I’ve ever read before.
This book caught my interest because it went viral on TikTok. People have said that this book is one of the few horror books to actually cause a scare so it sparked my interest considering the season we are in. This book is so much more than a horror book though. It is in the perspective of a young girl that is being haunted by a paranormal spirit, but while the spooky side of the book is very intriguing, the author has also been able to capture, in my opinion, the genuine perspective of a child. The author shows how intelligent kids can be, specifically in comparison to adults. It goes into family dynamics and how it affects kids. What adults think they won’t notice and what they actually observe. I would suggest this book even to people that don’t like or typically read horror. I really appreciated the different perspective and the overall striking horror in this book. If allowed, this book could change your opinion on horror, it certainly changed mine.
Recommended by Annie
Recommended by Christa
Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself by Crystal Hefner
Crystal Hefner candidly talks about her decade living in the Playboy mansion, which quickly became a toxic prison. She became jaded, along with a revolving door of women whose physical, mental and emotional health deteriorated. Playboy and its founder professed to be a forward thinking bastion of sexual liberation, while built and maintained by misogyny. On his deathbed, Hugh Hefner made his wife Crystal promise to essentially keep up the facade and “only say good things.” She obliged for a while, until hiding the hard truth became unbearable.
I’m a certified bear lover–my ID lanyard, my wallet, my phone, even my socks are decorated with images of bears. This book was a wonderful glimpse into the reality of bonding with and protecting wildlife. It’s also a display of where one’s passions can lead them, as well as the sacrifices we make to pursue them. Searles discusses his subject in a direct and no-nonsense way that I found quite refreshing. If there’s anything to take away from this book: protect our bears.
This is the first book in the Stormlight Archive, a series regarded by many as a cornerstone of modern fantasy. If you like your fantasy books thick and your worldbuilding deep and whimsical then this is the series for you. It’s got eternal storms, it’s got giant swords that cut through souls, it’s got big ol’ land crustaceans with gemstones for hearts, and so so much more. The fifth and final book in part one of this series came out December 6th of this year so fret not if you’re worried about getting into yet another unfinished epic fantasy series. This is my personal favorite of Sanderson’s work. It’s just a fun time, one of those books you can really sink into the world and get to know the characters.
What Time is Noon: Hilarious Texts, Ridiculous Feedback, and Not-So-Subtle Advice from Teenagers by Chip Leighton
Teens. What are they thinking? Chip Leighton started his own social media channels to capture the crazy things his teens said and texted. Other parents jumped in and shared some doozies from their own kids. What Time is Noon Is a fast and fun read that will make you chuckle out loud, probably drawing the ire of your teen. Here’s one of my favorites from the chapter on clothes, “I don’t like having the type of mom who wears glasses.” Ouch. The book also contains teen mortification scales on various topics, teen language decoding and advice for parents. Chip’s words of wisdom in the “Vacation” chapter, “Vacations offer the chance to spend a lot of money and still be criticized by your teenagers.” Although amusing, some of the texts are so snarky, they make me appreciate my own, less-snarky teens even more. Enjoy this book, but don’t smile too much. That’s embarrassing.
I don’t know why, but I am such a SUCKER for camp romance novels. If you love enemies to lovers, and campfire fun, then this book is for you! In “Wish You Weren’t Here,” Juliette attends her beloved Fogridge Sleepaway Camp as her last year as a camper. This is her special place, where she feels secure as a human being and seen, unlike at home, where popular girl Priya Pendley is constantly upstaging her and blinding everyone with her charisma at a moments notice. Camp is supposed to be her place, and yet, guess who shows up to camp? You guessed it, Priya Pendley. Priya Pendley, the girl who dressed in white to go camping, but apparently, is also a girl who knows how to light a fire, forage for food, and make everyone forget Juliette exists. This is the kind of drama that promises PEAK romantic development, and this book does not fail to supply. I love these characters, and I think you’re gonna love cozying up to this campfire romance just as much as I did!
Quentin Tarantino has gone on record that his next movie will be his last and from here on out he wants to focus on other ventures, such as writing. He’s already started off this career shift in 2021 with a novelization of his most recent movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and then, in 2022, he followed it up with Cinema Speculation, a collection of essays centered around 70s cinema Tarantino watched growing up. The films Tarantino discusses in this work range all the way from award-winning masterpieces to low budget action flicks. Some standout essays for me include: a very in-depth analysis of Taxi Driver; a story of Tarantino’s reaction to watching Deliverance at only nine years old; an essay about just how cool Steve McQueen was. As his last movie was about the end of the 60s, and this book is all about the rise of New Hollywood, the “Movie Brats” (Scorsese, De Palma, Bogdanovich), and B-movie legends like Robert Corman, this book ended up being a great follow-up to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Mix together a new town, a little mystery, a book club, and a lot of nosy townspeople, The Pumpkin Spice Café is a happy romance novel reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. When Jeanie inherits a café from her aunt, she ditches her old job and moves to Dream Harbor to make a new start. However, at night, there are some creepy sounds plaguing Jeanie and the shop, making her think someone is up to no good. After a plea for help at a town meeting, she teams up with a local farmer named Logan, who agrees to go on a stakeout with her. Will Jeanie’s pleasantness melt Logan’s grumpy exterior? Will they find out who – or what – is keeping Jeanie up late at night? This book is the first in a new series that is trending on TikTok, and is followed byThe Cinnamon Bun Book Store andThe Christmas Tree Farm. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone novel, but each story takes place in Dream Harbor. The audiobook is wonderfully narrated, if you prefer to listen over read!
The Grey Wolf is the 19th Louise Penny novel to feature Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. In the first novel, Still Life (2005), we were introduced to the village of Three Pines, so remote it does not even appear on a map of Quebec. We were also introduced to Jean-Guy Beauvoir and Isabelle Lacoste, Gamache’s close associates on the homicide team. In 2024, Gamache becomes aware of a possible terrorist attack that could kill or sicken tens of thousands of Canadians. Except for Beauvoir and Lacoste, Gamache cannot trust anyone, even in the upper echelons of government. The team’s efforts to stop the attack will take them to a remote monastery in the Canadian wilderness, Washington D.C., a monastery in France, and the Vatican itself. I am always up for a visit to Three Pines with Gamache and his crew.
This silent film, directed by German Expressionist artist F.W. Murnau, was adapted illegally from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The Stoker estate did not like this, and quickly sued for copyright infringement and won their lawsuit against the production. Many copies of this film were destroyed but lucky for us, a few survived and went on to influence filmmakers like Robert Eggers, whose adaptation of the film comes out this month!
This album is my ultimate transitional album for this kind of weather we are currently having. If you like indie folk mixed with rock vibes, this album will give you just that. The lyrics are universal, but he will make you feel like he wrote them about your life. I think one of my favorite things he did with this album was actually collaborate with people he looked up to, ranging from Post Malone to Brandi Carlile, creating unique twists on his original songs, both of which you’ll be able to hear on this album. Bringing already fan favorites to another level.
Even if I don’t go into the city limits often, when I do I want it to be worth it. The Chicago Magazine describes events, restaurants, and city lore with inspiring flair. The November issue has a mouth-watering picture of an Italian beef sandwich, and the accompanying article notes many worthy establishments and lots of stats about Italian beef. Blackhawk fans should check out the December issue with a cover story about Connor Bedard. Use your browser or the Libby App with your library card to read current and past, full digital versions of Chicago Magazine. These checkouts do not impact your total Overdrive limit, so load up. If you download them, you can read while away from wi-fi.
Join our virtual film discussion. Watch the movie beforehand on Kanopy or Hoopla and then join us on Zoom to talk about it. If you need help using Zoom, see our guide here.
Join us to discuss all things non-fiction, from books to movies to podcasts, and more. We’ll share some of our favorites and new releases, and hope you’ll do the same. Meet in the 4th floor Forum.
