book

The cover of "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter" by Brandon Sanderson features an illustrated image of a male and a female in a floating, dramatic pose.

Yumi and the Nightmare Painter

By Brandon Sanderson

Rated by Gregg W.
Feb 19, 2024

Hello and welcome to #NoWaitWednesday, where we take a peek at a great book on the New Release shelves at one of our local Library branches that's hot, fresh, and eagerly waiting for someone to take a chance on it. Normally in this space we tend to look at newer authors who are lurking just under the surface - their books might be well-reviewed, but at the same time aren't household names or endorsed by certain book group-loving celebrities and thus aren't a part of a massively long hold list. Today, however, we take a look at an author who's not only acclaimed as one of the greatest names in

The book The Blue Monsoon on a shelf with other Library books

The Blue Monsoon

By Damyanti Biswas

Rated by Gregg W.
Feb 12, 2024

Hello and welcome to No Wait Wednesday, where our Readers Advisory Librarian Gregg spotlights a book that's ready and waiting on our New Release shelves in search of that one special patron to take a chance on it. We know that patrons don't like waiting on the holds list for that new celebrity-endorsed book, but if you take a peek at our collection - or just ask your local librarian - there's always a new discovery in several different genres to enjoy. Today we're going to take a look at The Blue Monsoon by Damyanti Biswas, the second in an electrifying police procedural set on the streets of Mumbai, India.

Read on for Gregg's review!

Cover of "Still Born" by Guadalupe Netter, translated by Rosalind Harvey. The cover is an abstract pattern made up of reds and oranges.

Still Born

By Guadalupe Nettel, translated by Rosalind Harvey

Rated by Gregg W.
Feb 5, 2024

Hello and welcome to this week's No Wait Wednesday, where we take a look at an item on our New Release shelves at one of our local branch Libraries that's available to check out right now that deserves a second look - and sometimes a first one, too. Hundreds of new books come into the library each week, and it's impossible to keep an eye on everything. This is where your friendly neighborhood Johnson County Library staff comes in - we're always available to recommend a book (or a movie, or an audiobook, or a video game) that you might possibly love. This week we'll look at a title in

Cover of "Cleat Cute" by Meryl Wilsner. The cover is a hand-drawn image of two female soccer players in purple and yellow uniforms looking seductively at each other.

Cleat Cute

By Meryl Wilsner

Rated by Gregg W.
Jan 29, 2024

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of #NoWaitWednesday, where we spotlight a book that's available from the New Release section at on one of our Library branches. We know how much patrons dislike waiting in line for the hot new book that everyone and their book club are talking about. (Trust us - we hate it, too!) However, at the library there's ALWAYS plenty of options for those who want something good to read that's available right now. You can browse the New Release section of your local Library branch, ask a staff member to recommend a title, or check out this week's pick for

The Cover of "The Roaring Days of Zora Lily" by Noelle Salazar

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily

By Noelle Salazar

Rated by Gregg W.
Jan 19, 2024

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of No Wait Wednesday, where we turn the spotlight on a book that's on the "New Release" section at one of our Library branches that we think absolutely deserves your attention. The best thing of all? There's no waitlist (at the moment!), so place your holds now!

Today's book is The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar. If you're a fan of historical fiction, then you might know that Salazar made some noise in the World War Two sub-genre a few years ago with her well-regarded 2019 debut about a group of female pilots, The Flight Girls, that combined

Cover of Drawing Class - Animals

Drawing Class - Animals

By Heegyum Kim
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Charles H
Jan 17, 2024

January is national hobby month and the perfect time to try out something new! I enjoy plenty of hobbies, but I was feeling the itch to try some drawing, and a quick search through the library catalog revealed a number of options for a variety of skill levels. "Drawing Class - Animals" was one of the titles I grabbed and it seemed approachable. A step-by-step guide to drawing cartoon animals, the concept of using simple shapes to build up to a finished product was quite appealing, so I tested a few designs on a scrap of paper. 

Book and sketch of boar, sheep, and bison

Drawing a sheep, wild boar, and bison gave me a sense of the

Cover of "The Caretaker" by Ron Rash

The Caretaker

By Ron Rash

Rated by Gregg W.
Jan 8, 2024

Hello and welcome to the first No Wait Wednesday post of 2024, where we take a look at a book that's on the New Release shelf at one of our local Libraries that might deserve a bit of extra attention. Nobody likes to wait in line for something good to read, so if the hold list for the latest bestseller might seem a bit daunting, come on over and check out a great book that's right here, ready and waiting for you.

Professor, poet, and novelist Ron Rash might be in the conversation as one of the best authors that many folks have never heard of. Critically-acclaimed, a regular on year-end best of

Book cover

Whalefall

By Daniel Kraus
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Chris K.
Jan 4, 2024

Wow! What a ride.

Everyone loved Mitt Gardiner, a crusty, self-reliant, friendly deep-sea diver with a reputation as one of the best. Everyone except his son, Jay, who only experienced him as a callous bully driven to force Jay into being a clone of himself. Jay fled home at 15 to escape Mitt, and stayed away as his father wasted away from cancer until throwing himself into the ocean to die. Now, 17-year-old Jay is hoping to get back into his family's good graces by retrieving his dad's bones from the bottom of Monterey Bay with a secret, possibly illegal, very dangerous dive, his first one in

Cover of "Vampires of El Norte" by Isabel Cañas

Vampires of El Norte

By Isabel Cañas

Rated by Gregg W.
Dec 18, 2023

Hello and welcome to another edition of No Wait Wednesday, where we take a look at a book on a New Release shelf at one of our branch Libraries that's available right now for lucky patrons to check out. There's nothing quite as disappointing than hearing about a good book from someone and then discovering that you'll have to wait weeks before it is available from the library. It's far better to skip the lines and try something that's available now and ready to go for you to enjoy. Today we'll be looking at Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, also the author of 2022's word-of-mouth hit, The

Cover of "An Inheritance of Magic" by Benedict Jacka

An Inheritance of Magic

By Benedict Jacka

Rated by Gregg W.
Dec 11, 2023

Hello and welcome to NoWaitWednesday, where we take a peek at a great book that's on the shelves at one of our local Library branches just waiting for a patron to come along and check it out. Why be number 342 in line for the newest celebrity-endorsed bestseller when there's all sorts of great new books available, on the shelf, right now?

This week's pick is An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka. This first in a promising new fantasy series is set in modern-day London where magic is real, however it's tightly controlled and available only to a lucky and powerful few, as wielding magic in

Cover of "How To Be Rememebered" by Michael Thompson

How To Be Remembered

By Michael Thompson

Rated by Gregg W.
Dec 5, 2023

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of No Wait Wednesday, where we take a look at a title on our New Release shelves at one of our Libraries that's sitting there, just ready and waiting for a lucky patron to discover it. Today's book is How To Be Remembered by Michael Thompson, a thoughtful, heartwarming debut novel with magical elements that draws comparisons to last years' breakout hit The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab as well as the book group smash The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. A book that both enlightens and entertains, excellent for book groups looking for deep

Cover of "Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up" by Charish Reid

Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up

By Charish Reid

Rated by Gregg W.
Nov 27, 2023

Hello and welcome to another edition of No Wait Wednesday, where we take a look at a title that's sitting on our New Release shelf just waiting on a lucky reader to check it out. (And the best part? Just like it says in the title: no waiting.) With the post-Thanksgiving season upon us and the days getting shorter and shorter, some of our patrons might need something bright, funny, and romantic to spice up those dark and chilly nights. Luckily, we have a delightful, charming, and refreshing romance novel in Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up by Charish Reid to do just that.

As the novel begins, Mickey

Cover of "Others Were Emeralds" by Lang Leav

Others Were Emeralds

By Lang Leav

Rated by Gregg W.
Nov 13, 2023

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of #NoWaitWednesday, where we look at a title on the New Release shelf at one of our Library branches that's just waiting for a lucky patron to check it out - all without worrying about a lengthy waiting list. 

Others Were Emeralds is the debut adult coming-of-age novel by internationally acclaimed writer and poet Lang Leav. A stunning novel about guilt, friendship, and loss, this story will move readers who love insightful and lush writing from authors like Etaf Rum or Ocean Vuong. The story begins in the 1990s with Ai, the daughter of Cambodian

Cover of Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly by Marie Bostwick

Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly

By Marie Bostwick

Rated by Gregg W.
Nov 6, 2023

Hello and welcome to #NoWaitWednesday, where we shine a spotlight on a book in the New Release section of one of our Library branches that's just sitting there ready for a lucky patron to check it out. Since we're getting deeper into November, some of you might be looking for a title that will bring some warmth into your lives, since the winter months are growing both shorter and darker. Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly by Marie Bostwick, this week's pick, will please readers who love warm, syrupy, emotional southern fiction novels by the likes of Mary Kay Andrews, Jill Shalvis or Susan Mallery

Spooky Story Winner

Spooky Story Youth Contest Winner, Age 15 and Up: "How Easter Was Born"

By Melinda C.
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Heather M
Nov 6, 2023

"How Easter was Born"

Have you ever heard the tale of the Easter Bunny? 

Sure, you may think you have, that you’ve been hearing the same tale since childhood. The Easter Bunny is the one that comes and leaves little goodies in your yard, the one that brings children joy. 

But that tale is a lie. 

The true story is one that isn’t told often, one that might spoil Easter Day for you. 

It all began on a cool spring night, back hundreds of years ago. Little Mary Ann was sitting outside on a green, grassy hill, the one that sat right up against the Dark Woods, waiting for her mother to come back from

Spooky Story Winner

Spooky Story Youth Contest Winner, Age 12-14: "Middle School Mayhem"

By Samuel K.
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Heather M
Nov 6, 2023

“Middle School Mayhem” by Samuel K., age 12/Grade 6 

The sound of misery, the sound of cries. 
This dreaded vault will not open before my eyes. 
I bang, I hit, I twist the lock. 
It will not open, no matter how hard I’ve fought. 
Oh, the agony! The woe! 
This locker is my sworn and forever foe! 

Then I remember in the locker this day 
there’s something scary, something chilling, something haunting locked away… 
Within the locked chamber is my library book; it’s centuries overdue. 
If I keep it any longer, I will definitely be sued! 
Banned forever from the library, 
like all those words trapped in the

Spooky Story Winner

Spooky Story Youth Contest Winner, Age 12-14: "Home"

By Shirley W.
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Heather M
Nov 6, 2023

A sigh left my lips as I kicked my feet softly against the sand. My chest constricted slightly at the sound of the waves crashing into the earth-thinking it was something else. 

I’ve always been paranoid about that type of stuff, always thinking a murderer will come out of nowhere and slaughter me. It’s very unlikely to happen obviously, I don’t know why it’s such a big fear. 

I finally felt the wet sand sink beneath me and stopped walking, standing there as I felt the ocean slip through my toes. It burned the tiny cuts on my feet slightly, at this point though I didn’t care. 

I took in a deep

Spooky Story Winner

Spooky Story Youth Contest Winner, Age 12-14: "Revenger Stops for Nothing"

By Ashlyn D.
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Heather M
Nov 6, 2023

The whole town of Aurora tells rumors about my grandfather's farm. Supposedly, the place is a hotspot for the deceased. 

Ironic, considering that my grandfather, the esteemed Gregory Wilson, rich beyond belief from his many years in the law department, recently passed. 

Everyone in town has a story about meeting a dead friend or relative that is seeking revenge on them in the afterlife. If it were up to them, they’d never have to visit the farm. Unfortunately for them, Gregory was the best lawyer in Aurora. The town has a reputation for getting into trouble, so lawyers were a valuable asset. 

My

Spooky Story Winner

Spooky Story Youth Contest Winner, Age 11 and Under: "Not Very Happy Halloween"

By Brody B.
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Heather M
Nov 6, 2023

Not Very Happy Halloween!

       Alone, scared, and injured, 7-year-old, Jane is one of the only humans still alive.  She whimpers as the zombies moan around her.  “Help us, help me”, they shriek.  The tombstones erupt with hands and heads.  Jane runs franticly to an abandoned cabin.  “Help us”!  She slams the door, bad idea.  Suddenly she’s in total darkness, she’s trapped herself with nowhere to run.  She hears them clawing at the door. “Help us”, they moan!  Then it all stops, the silence is eerie.  Out of nowhere a girl drifts through the wall, blood stains on her face and ghostly clothes. 

Spooky Story Winner

Spooky Story Youth Contest Winner, Age 11 and Under: "The Invitation"

By Theo C.
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Heather M
Nov 6, 2023

The Invitation

By Theo C., grade 4

(transcribed by his mom)

It was a dark and stormy night. I had gotten an invitation to this scary haunted house for free. I thought, “Oh, this is gonna be so lame, like the other haunted houses.” Then, something on the paper appeared in one of the blank spaces. It read “This is going to be like Nothing you have ever experienced.” So I thought, “Letters appearing out of nowhere? Maybe this will be a good haunted house after all. I might even scream.” 

So I went to the place, which looked like a very old Western town. A tumble weed was rolling in front of me

Cover of Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling

Where the Dead Sleep

By Joshua Moehling

Rated by Gregg W.
Oct 31, 2023

Hello and welcome to #NoWaitWednesday, where we turn the spotlight on a book on the New Release shelf that's hot, available, and ready for a lucky patron to check it out. No one likes waiting in line for the newest bestseller, but there's always quality authors that are lurking just under your nose at your local Library. 

Patrons love a good police procedural, and patrons really love a good rural police procedural, where the action is taken out of a big city with all of the security cameras and state-of-the-art forensic equipment and into a more rural setting, where resources are scarce and law

Cover of Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

Looking Glass Sound

By Catriona Ward
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Gregg W.
Oct 24, 2023

With the climax of the spooky season just around the corner, we thought it might be fun to spotlight a spooky read here at #NoWaitWednesday. For that, there were some recent horror novels that were excellent contenders for the spotlight, but Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward really jumped off the shelf, primarily because it isn't, technically, a horror novel - it's more of a dark, atmospheric psychological thriller with some horror elements lurking around the edges. Which makes it a great gateway read for those patrons who might like the idea of a horror novel this time of year but are

Cover of Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman

Charm City Rocks

By Matthew Norman

Rated by Gregg W.
Oct 17, 2023

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of #NoWaitWednesday, where we take a look at a title from our adult New Release shelf that's just waiting for a lucky patron to discover it. Fantasy, science fiction, mystery, thriller, horror - we look at all kinds of books here at #NoWaitWednesday, however it's been a while since we've looked at romance in this space. It seems all of Kansas City is buzzing about the relationship between Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Taylor Swift, one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. Even though Kelce is a star in his own right, Swift is several

Cover of "The Paris Deception" by Bryn Turnbull

The Paris Deception

By Bryn Turnbull

Rated by Gregg W.
Oct 10, 2023

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of #NoWaitWednesday where we take a look at a great book on the New Release shelf at a local branch that's just waiting for you to place your holds. We know that patrons don't like being 432nd in line for the latest New York Times blockbuster, but there's always plenty of great stuff to read right under your nose.  

Our patrons have a seemingly insatiable appetite for lush and vivid historical fiction set around World War II. From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr to "The Nightingale" by Kristen Hannah to "The Diamond Eye" by Kate Quinn

Cover of Chameleon by Remi Adeleke

Chameleon

By Remi Adeleke

Rated by Gregg W.
Oct 3, 2023

Hello and welcome to this week's #NoWaitWednesday where we look at a specific title that's ready for just the right patron to check it out in the New Release section at one of our branches right now. Hot, new, and best of all - no waiting! (If you're fast enough, that is! Make sure to click the green "place hold" button in the web catalog while logged in to reserve a copy.)  

For patrons who might like to read a good book but don't have the time, I like to recommend three specific genres: either a romance, a horror, or a thriller. These three genres in particular are engineered to hook readers

Cover of "Scent of a Garden" by Namrata Patel

Scent of a Garden

By Namrata Patel

Rated by Gregg W.
Sep 26, 2023

Hello and welcome to #NoWaitWednesday, where we spotlight a book that's ready and available on the New Release shelf at one of our Library branches. Hot, ready, and best of all - no waiting!

"Scent of a Garden" by Namrata Patel introduces us to Asha "Poppy" Patel, daughter of a family of successful hoteliers in Napa Valley, California. When Poppy was young, she discovered that while tending her grandmother's garden, she has a special gift for identifying scents - so much so, that as she grows up, her family steers her away from the family business and into a prestigious career working as a

hands planting in rich, dark soil

Grow Now: How We Can Save Our Health, Communities, and Planet - One Garden at a Time

By Emily Murphy
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Helen H.
Sep 26, 2023

“. . . we’re only as healthy as the environment in which we live.” This statement from the introduction to Grow Now is the underlying theme of this book. Every chapter makes a case for gardening beyond organic, rewilding your land, sequestering carbon, and supporting biodiversity. 

In the chapter on composting Murphy explains multiple techniques which might be right for you and your home. She leads with how compost sequesters carbon, protects soil and soil structure, decreases runoff, and keeps food waste out of landfills. Murphy says, “You may have heard it said that if food waste were a

Cover of Lone Women by Victor LaValle. A black woman stands alone on a prairie.

Lone Women

By Victor LaValle
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Allison M
Sep 20, 2023

Lone Women by Victor LaValle blends the best of several genres, giving us western, historical fiction, horror, thriller, and plenty of social commentary to boot. The year is 1914 and our heroine, Adelaide Henry, is fleeing California – her parents are dead and all she has with her is a suspiciously heavy locked steamer trunk. She makes her way to Montana where, thanks to the Homestead Act, single women were able to claim plots of land, work it for three years, and then “prove up” to owning the land. The harsh Montana environment is difficult enough for anyone to survive, let alone a young

Cover of "The Forgetting" by Hannah Beckerman. The cover is a boquet of flowers, representing suburban perfection.

The Forgetting

By Hannah Beckerman

Rated by Gregg W.
Sep 19, 2023

On Wednesdays we put a spotlight on a book on our Adult Fiction New Release shelf that's absolutely worthy of your attention. We call it #NoWaitWednesday, and we hope you take a closer look at any of our New Release shelves at your local Library branch the next time you come in, as there's always tons of great titles just waiting for you to check them out. 

Last week we looked a title that's a bit moodier and darker to match the approaching fall season. We're continuing the trend this week with an atmospheric psychological thriller for patrons who love novels from authors like Alice Feeney or R

Cover of "The Wonder State" by Sara Flannery Murphy

The Wonder State

By Sara Flannery Murphy
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by Gregg W.
Sep 12, 2023

Hello and welcome to #NoWaitWednesday, where we take a look at a title that's available on the New Release shelves at one of our branch libraries, just waiting for some lucky patron to place a hold on it.

With the official start of fall finally in the rearview mirror, some patrons might be looking for a novel that's a bit darker than some of the titles we've previously discussed in this space - something more moody to fit the changing weather, perhaps. Something that's written with an elegant yet gripping prose, with the kind of story where you never really know where it's going but it grabs