2021 was a great year for books! Take a look at some gift book recommendations from our Adult Services librarians.
MOST LOVED BOOKS BY WPL PATRONS
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
A powerful American epic about love and heroism and hope, set during the Great Depression.
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The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
When a devoted husband and father disappears, his wife and daughter set out to find him.
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The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
A novel following four boys who travel the country in search of a fresh start.
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The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
A woman must search within herself to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
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THE CHICAGO CONNECTION
When I Grow Up: The Lost Autobiographies of Six Yiddish Teenagers by Ken Krimstein
A stunning graphic narrative of newly discovered stories from Jewish teens on the cusp of WWII.
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Three Girls From Bronzeville: A Uniquely American Memoir of Race, Fate, and Sisterhood by Dawn Turner
A powerful memoir of family and friendship in a historic Chicago neighborhood.
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Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara
The story of a young woman searching for the truth about her older sister's death after her family is released from a Japanese internment camp.
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Refugee High: Coming of Age in America by Elly Fishman
A year in the life of a Chicago high school that has one of the highest proportions of refugees of any school in the nation.
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A BIT OF INTRIGUE
Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York by Elon Green
The gripping true story, told here for the first time, of the Last Call Killer and the gay community of New York City that he preyed upon.
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Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge.
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The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb
Dr. Thomas Neill Cream murdered as many as ten people. Poison was his weapon of choice. A villain as brazen as Jack the Ripper.
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Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
A devastating portrait of three generations of the Sackler family, whose fortune was built by Valium and whose reputation was destroyed by OxyContin.
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DELICIOUSLY COZY AT HOME
The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma's Kitchen by Joanne Lee Molinaro
A collection of the author's favorite Korean dishes, some traditional and some reimagined.
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Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora by Bryant Terry
A groundbreaking book exploring Black foodways within America and around the world.
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Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food in America by Mayukh Sen
America’s modern culinary history told through the lives of seven pathbreaking chefs and food writers.
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Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan and Mark Weinberg
The renowned author of thirteen cookbooks offers a collection that celebrates the sweet, the savory, and the simple.
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EYE-OPENING READS
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib
Told with sharp insight, humor, and heart, A Little Devil in America exalts the Black performance that unfolds in specific moments in time and space.
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Poet Warrior: A Memoir by Joy Harjo
Three-term poet laureate Joy Harjo offers a vivid, lyrical, and inspiring call for love and justice in this contemplation of her trailblazing life.
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What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
A beautifully written, unrelentingly dramatic, and profoundly moving novel that looks at the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child.
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Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
A lively, entertaining philosophical guide to time and time management in favor of finding joy in the finitude of human life.