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A Zoo, a Plague and Amnesia: Hidden Gems from the Northbrook Public Library

Check out one of these great reads!

Are you looking for your next great book? Check out a few of the hidden gems located at the . Call 847-272-2958 or use our online catalog at www.northbrook.info to place a hold today.

 Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas French goes behind the scenes at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, documenting the zoo’s rise from one of the most notorious, to one of the best zoos in the nation. French examines the dichotomy between the mission to conserve, and the desire for revenue, and provides a fascinating look at lives of the inhabitants of the zoo – both the animals and the people. Nonfiction

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Songs for the Butcher’s Daughter by Peter Manseau

Frustrated by a career that stalled before it began, a young American writer becomes an unlikely translator for a ninety-something Russian Yiddish poet who recorded his life story in a series of notebooks, a job that is complicated by the younger man's affair and entanglement in a cumbersome lie.  This touching tale won the National Jewish Book Award. Literary Fiction

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Company of Liars by Karen Maitland

In 1348 England, as the plague ravages England, nine desperate strangers attempt to outrun the Black Death, revealing their individual stories as they travel away from the devastation, but one among them is hiding a far more sinister secret. A suspenseful spin on The Canterbury Tales. Historical Fiction

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

After a devastating accident, Christine is a victim of amnesia, and wakes up every morning not knowing what happened the previous day. Without her husband's knowledge, she begins treatment with a neurologist who helps her to remember her former self until inconsistencies emerge. With the movie rights secured by Ridley Scott, this thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat. Psychological Suspense

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

Celia, Bree, Sally, and April first meet as college freshmen and over a period of six years experience both happiness and disappointment as they to find fulfilling relationships, deal with changes within their families, and pursue successful careers. This coming-of-age tale is the perfect weekend read, both moving and entertaining. Contemporary Fiction

About this column: Each week, reader services librarian Leah White shares her top picks from the stacks at the Northbrook Public Library.

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