Patch Picks: Good Reads

Patch Picks is a feature that runs each Thursday, highlighting editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off, and more. 

In honor of March being reading month, this week's theme is "Good Reads." We're highlighting five books for youth and adults that librarians at the are raving about. Do you have a favorite book right now? Let us know in the comments.

• The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. Librarian Sue Patterson, who does the adult fiction purchasing at the library, recommends this fictionalized tale of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway's first wife. "It's been getting very good reviews," Patterson said.
• True Grit by Charles Portis. According to Patterson, this 1968 novel is regaining popularity due to the success of the 2010 film by the same name.
• Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. The latest novel from the popular fiction writer is quickly gaining fans at the Plymouth District Library, according to Patterson.
• Blood, Bones and Butter: The Inadvertant Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton. One of Patterson's non-fiction recommendations, this book follows the author through her life as a struggling, and then successful, chef in New York City.
• A Widow's Story by Joyce Carol Oates. Another of Patterson's non-fiction suggestions, this memoir delves into the grief the author feels after the sudden death of her husband.

• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. Youth librarian Lauren Baker says this book for kids from preschool to second grade has a permanent wait list at the Plymouth District Library.
• Silverlicious by Victoria Kann. Another book for the younger crowd (recommended for kids ages 4-8), this is the latest installment in the author's popular "Pinkalicious" series.
• A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Christian Stead. This children's picture book is written by an Ann Arbor resident and won the 2011 Caldecott Medal.
• The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. The first book in a new series by the Percy Jackson author, the story is heavily based on Egyptian mythology and is for the older reader. According to Baker, the second book, The Throne of Fire, is due out in May and is already heavily anticipated.
• Bartimaeus by Jonathan Stroud. Due to popular demand, the Plymouth District Library has recently started carrying graphic novels for teens. One of the most popular ones right now is this trilogy about spirits and magicians.

Next week's Patch Picks: Summer camps in the local area. Put your suggestions in the comments box. And be sure to come back to see our Patchers' picks.