Here’s the list of 60 STAFF PICKS PROJECT acquisitions for January 2018. 

Staff Picks are on display in the library or checked out to a library patron. Come in to browse!

Check the Coos Library Coastline database to place your hold or ask the library staff to place your reservation for you.  Be sure to keep your patron record up to date so you can be notified by email when your hold is ready for pick-up. Donate to help this project achieve its goal of $10,000 for 12 months of Staff Picks acquisitions. If we go over our goal, donations will be used to extend the project until funds are depleted.

	TITLE	FIRST NAME	LAST NAME	DESCRIPTION (from Amazon.com unless otherwise noted)
1.	Modern Romance	Aziz	Ansari	(Audio) A hilarious, thoughtful, and in-depth exploration of the pleasures and perils of modern romance from one of this generation’s most popular and sharpest comedic voices…In Modern Romance, Ansari combines his irreverent humor with cutting-edge social science to give us an unforgettable tour of our new romantic world.
2.	Master Of None (Season one)	Aziz	Ansari	(DVD) Based on the comedic viewpoints of Aziz Ansari, Master of None follows the personal and professional life of Dev, a 30-year-old actor in New York who has trouble deciding what he wants to eat, much less the pathway for the rest of his life.
3.	Beatriz at Dinner	Miguel	Arteta	(DVD) Beatriz (Salma Hayek), an immigrant from a poor town in Mexico, has drawn on her innate kindness to build a career as a spiritual health practitioner in Los Angeles. Doug Strutt (John Lithgow) is a cutthroat, self-satisfied billionaire real estate developer. When these two opposites meet at a dinner party, their worlds collide and neither will ever be the same.
4.	Frida Kahlo at Home	Suzanna	Barbezat	Frida Kahlo at Home explores the influence of Mexican culture and tradition, La Casa Azul and other places Frida Kahlo called home, on her life and work.
5.	The Meaning of Birds	Simon	Barnes	A gorgeously illustrated and enchanting examination of the lives of birds, illuminating their wondrous world and our connection with them.
6.	Queen Sugar	Natalie	Baszile	A mother-daughter story of reinvention—about an African American woman who unexpectedly inherits a sugarcane farm in Louisiana
7.	You’ve Been Trumped	Anthony	Baxter, Director	(DVD) When controversial tycoon Donald Trump announces plans to build a massive golf course in the beautiful Scottish countryside, local residents fight back.
8.	Women & Power: A Manifesto	Mary	Beard	At long last, Mary Beard addresses in one brave book the misogynists and trolls who mercilessly attack and demean women the world over, including, very often, Mary herself. In Women & Power, she traces the origins of this misogyny to its ancient roots, examining the pitfalls of gender and the ways that history has mistreated strong women since time immemorial.
9.	The Eagle Huntress	Otto	Bell, Director	(DVD) 2016 Kazakh-language British-Mongolian-American documentary film … It follows the story of Aisholpan, a 13-year-old Kazakh girl from Mongolia, as she attempts to become the first female eagle hunter to compete in the eagle festival at Ulgii, Mongolia, established in 1999. (Wikipedia)
10.	Orphans of the Carnival	Carol	Birch	(Audio) [T]he extraordinary, moving, and unsettling tale of a woman, branded a freak from birth, who becomes an international sensation but longs for genuine human connection… Beneath the flashy lights and thunderous applause lies a bright, compassionate young woman who only wants people to see beyond her hairy visage—and perhaps, the chance for love.
11.	Lagom: The Swedish Art of Living a Balanced, Happy Life	Niki	Brantmark	Lagom is moderation, balance, and equality…By using the Swedish lifestyle as an example, Niki Brantmark offers insightful suggestions and bite-sized actions to help you make subtle changes to your life, so you too can make time for the things that matter most and find greater happiness.
12.	The Worry Trick (How Your Brain Tricks You into Expecting the Worst and What You Can Do About It)	David	Carbonell	Are you truly in danger or has your brain simply “tricked” you into thinking you are? In The Worry Trick, psychologist and anxiety expert David Carbonell shows how anxiety hijacks the brain and offers effective techniques to help you break the cycle of worry, once and for all.
13.	Need to Know	Karen	Cleveland	In pursuit of a Russian sleeper cell on American soil, CIA analyst Vivian Miller uncovers a dangerous secret that will threaten her job, her family—and her life. …Vivian has vowed to defend her country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. But now she’s facing impossible choices. Torn between loyalty and betrayal, allegiance and treason, love and suspicion, who can she trust?
14.	Three Worlds (Film Movement)	Catherine	Corsini, Director	(DVD) Al, a young man from a modest background, is ten days away from marrying the daughter of his boss, along with succeeding him as the head of the car dealership where Al has been working for most of his life. One night, while coming back drunk from his bachelor party, Al commits a hit-and-run when he hits a man by accident and is urged to leave the scene of the crime by his two childhood friends who are with him in the car.
15.	Astrophysics for People in a Hurry	Neil	deGrasse Tyson	(Audio)  [W]ill reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.
16.	The Art of the Bar Cart	Vanessa	Dina	From high-end magazines and design-inspiration websites to stores big and small, bar carts are a must-have piece of furniture. This book provides all the answers to the question—how can I get that look at home? The Art of the Bar Cart features 20 different styled bar setups—from tricked-out vintage carts to a collection of bottles tucked into a cabinet—themed around favorite libations, personal style, or upcoming occasions.
17.	The Dark Flood Rises	Margaret	Drabble	(Audio) One of the Washington Post‘s 50 Notable Works of Fiction in 2017 and a New York Times Notable Book of 2017.  From the great British novelist Dame Margaret Drabble comes a vital and audacious tale about the many ways in which we confront aging and living in a time of geopolitical rupture.
18.	McSweeney’s #51	Dave	Eggers, Editor	Issue 51 features eighteen brand-new stories so compelling that you’ll read through the night and far into the next day, until your boss calls and warns you that you’re on thin ice, buddy, and better get to the office right the {expletive} now―but we swear it’s well worth it.(atomicbooks.com)
19.	Journey: The Amazing Story of OR-7:  The Oregon Wolf that Made History	Beckie	Elgin	Join the adventures of the famous wolf OR-7, also known as Journey, as he trots across the landscape of the Pacific Northwest into territories that have not seen his kind for nearly a century.
20.	Walk with Me – A Journey Into Mindfulness	Marc J.	Francis and Max Pugh, Directors	(DVD) Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, Walk With Me takes us deep inside the world-famous monastery of Zen Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh and captures the life of a monastic community who have given up all their possessions for one common purpose – to practice the art of mindfulness.
21.	Small Homes, Grand Living		Gestalten, Publisher	Diminutive rooms, grand possibilities. Small Homes, Grand Living shows how to make use of a limited space and turn a small apartment into a design marvel.
22.	Mean	Myriam	Gurba	True crime, memoir, and ghost story, Mean is the bold and hilarious tale of Myriam Gurba’s coming of age as a queer, mixed-race Chicana. Blending radical formal fluidity and caustic humor, Gurba takes on sexual violence, small towns, and race, turning what might be tragic into piercing, revealing comedy.
23.	Colossal	Nacho	Vigalondo, Director	(DVD) Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an out-of-work party girl who, after getting kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend (Dan Stevens), is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown where she’s reunited with her childhood friend (Jason Sudeikis). When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, South Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this far-off phenomenon.
24.	Carol	Todd	Haynes, Director	(DVD) Academy Award®-winner Cate Blanchett and Academy Award®-nominee Rooney Mara star as two women in the 1950s from different backgrounds who find themselves in a life-changing love affair.
25.	One Square Inch of Silence: One Man’s Quest to Preserve Quiet	Gordon	Hempton	In the visionary tradition of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, One Square Inch of Silence alerts us to beauty that we take for granted and sounds an urgent environmental alarm. Natural silence is our nation’s fastest-disappearing resource, warns Emmy-winning acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, who has made it his mission to record and preserve it in all its variety—before these soul-soothing terrestrial soundscapes vanish completely in the ever-rising din of man-made noise.
26.	This Will Be My Undoing	Morgan	Jerkins	From one of the fiercest critics writing today, Morgan Jerkins’ highly-anticipated collection of linked essays interweaves her incisive commentary on pop culture, feminism, black history, misogyny, and racism with her own experiences to confront the very real challenges of being a black woman today
27.	The First Bad Man	Miranda	July	(Audio) Tender, gripping, slyly hilarious, infused with raging sexual obsession and fierce maternal love, Miranda July’s first novel confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic, and important voice today, and a writer for all time. The First Bad Man is dazzling, disorienting, and unforgettable.
28.	The Weight of Ink	Rachel	Kadish	Set in London of the 1660s and of the early twenty-first century, The Weight of Ink is the interwoven tale of two women of remarkable intellect: Ester Velasquez, an emigrant from Amsterdam who is permitted to scribe for a blind rabbi, just before the plague hits the city; and Helen Watt, an ailing historian with a love of Jewish history.
29.	Unforgettable	Emily	Kaiser Thelin	Unforgettable tells the story of culinary legend and author of nine award-winning cookbooks, Paula Wolfert, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2013. This biographical cookbook written by Emily Kaiser Thelin and photographed by Eric Wolfinger, shares more than fifty of her most iconic dishes and explores the relationship between food and memory. (forward by Alice Waters)
30.	Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution	Peter	Kalmus	Being the Change explores the connections between our individual daily actions and our collective predicament. It merges science, spirituality, and practical action to develop a satisfying and appropriate response to global warming.
31.	Unearthed	Amie	Kaufman and Meagan Spooner	From the New York Times best-selling author duo Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner comes a “literally breathtaking” new sci-fi series about a death-defying mission on an alien planet. When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution humanity has been waiting for. The Undying’s advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and their message leads to the planet Gaia, a treasure trove waiting to be explored.
32.	Underneath It All: A History of Women’s Underwear	Amber J.	Keyser	(Oregon author) Presents the history of women’s underwear while also revealing the intimate role lingerie plays in defining women’s bodies, sexuality, gender identity, and body image.
33.	The Sky is Yours	Chandler	Klang Smith	A sprawling, genre-defying epic set in a dystopian metropolis plagued by dragons, this debut about what it’s like to be young in a very old world is pure storytelling pleasure
34.	The Shadow Land	Elizabeth	Kostova	(Audio) Elizabeth Kostova’s new novel is a tale of immense scope that delves into the horrors of a century and traverses the culture and landscape of this mysterious country [Bulgaria]. Suspenseful and beautifully written, it explores the power of stories, the pull of the past, and the hope and meaning that can sometimes be found in the aftermath of loss.
35.	The Humane Gardener: Nurturing a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife	Nancy	Lawson	The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.
36.	The Best of Olympic National Park	Alan	Leftridge	Make the most of your trip to Olympic National Park! From the coast to the rain forest to the snowcapped mountains, this handy guide covers all the best hikes, best picnic spots, best places to see wildlife, best wildflowers, best waterfalls, best activities for kids, and more. Compiled by a former park ranger, with beautiful color photographs, locator maps, and clear, concise directions.
37.	A Ghost Story	David	Lowery, Director	(DVD) 2017 American supernatural drama film… It stars Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Will Oldham, Sonia Acevedo, Rob Zabrecky, and Liz Franke. Affleck plays a man who becomes a ghost and remains in the house he shares with his wife (Mara).
38.	Never Coming Back	Alison	Mcghee	Never Coming Back is a brilliant and piercing story of a young woman finding her way in life, determined to know her mother—and by extension herself—before it’s too late.
39.	The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes that Make America Great	Leyla	Moushabeck	In these times of troubling anti-immigrant rhetoric, The Immigrant Cookbook: Recipes That Make America Great offers a culinary celebration of the many ethnic groups that have contributed to America s vibrant food culture. This beautifully photographed cookbook features appetizers, entrees, and desserts some familiar favorites, some likely to be new encounters.
40.	The Family Cabin	Dale	Mulfinger	Voted best interior design book of 2017 by Library Journal…Over 300 lush, full-color photographs and 78 illustrations throughout the book capture the aesthetics of place and design that have allowed cabins to become an enduring symbol of rugged American individualism and self-reliance.
41.	The Milk Lady of Bangalore	Shoba	Narayan	In this charming true story about two women and the animal they share, readers are treated to an insider’s of view of India. The Milk Lady of Bangalore is also a window into our universal connection to food and its sources, the intricacies of female friendship, and our relationship to all animals.
42.	So You Want to Talk About Race	Ijeoma	Oluo	In So You Want to Talk About Race, Editor at Large of The Establishment Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the “N” word.
43.	The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully	Frank	Ostaseski	Awareness of death can be a valuable companion on the road to living well, forging a rich and meaningful life, and letting go of regret. The Five Invitations is a powerful and inspiring exploration of the essential wisdom dying has to impart to all of us.
44.	The Square	Ruben	Ostlund, Director	(DVD) A prestigious Stockholm museum’s chief art curator finds himself in times of both professional and personal crisis as he attempts to set up a controversial new exhibit. (IMBd.com)
45.	There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyonce	Morgan	Parker	One of Oprah Magazine’s “Ten Best Books of 2017.” Unrelentingly feminist, tender, ruthless, and sequined, these poems are an altar to the complexities of black American womanhood in an age of non-indictments and deja vu, and a time of wars over bodies and power. These poems celebrate and mourn. They are a chorus chanting: You’re gonna give us the love we need.
46.	Bird Brain – Discover the Intelligence of Birds		PBS	(DVD) Join NOVA to witness the brainpower of birds. Long mocked as empty-headed, our feathered friends hide surprisingly acute intelligence. But how smart are they? Watch as scientists test avian aptitude and challenge our basic notions of intelligence.
47.	The Book of Disquiet	Fernando	Pessoa	Published for the first time some fifty years after his death, this unique collection of short, aphoristic paragraphs comprises the “autobiography” of Bernardo Soares, one of Pessoa’s alternate selves. Part intimate diary, part prose poetry, part descriptive narrative, captivatingly translated by Richard Zenith, The Book of Disquiet is one of the greatest works of the twentieth century.
48.	Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic	Sam	Quinones	From a small town in Mexico to the boardrooms of Big Pharma to main streets nationwide, an explosive and shocking account of addiction in the heartland of America…Introducing a memorable cast of characters–pharma pioneers, young Mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, survivors, and parents–Quinones shows how these tales fit together. Dreamland is a revelatory account of the corrosive threat facing America and its heartland.
49.	It Occurs to Me That I Am America	Jonathan	Santlofer, Editor	In time for the one-year anniversary of the Trump Inauguration and the Women’s March, this provocative, unprecedented anthology features original short stories from thirty bestselling and award-winning authors—including Alice Walker, Richard Russo, Walter Mosley, Joyce Carol Oates, Alice Hoffman, Neil Gaiman, Michael Cunningham, Mary Higgins Clark, and Lee Child—with an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen.
50.	The Big Sick	Michael	Showalter, Director	(DVD) Based on the real-life courtship between Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Kazan) after one of his standup sets. (rottentomatoes.com)
51.	Dead Moms Club: A Memoir about Death, Grief, and Surviving the Mother of All Losses	Kate	Spencer	Kate Spencer lost her mom to cancer when she was 27. In The Dead Moms Club, she walks readers through her experience of stumbling through grief and loss, and helps them to get through it, too. This isn’t a weepy, sentimental story, but rather a frank, up-front look at what it means to go through gruesome grief and come out on the other side.
52.	Climate Changed	Philippe	Squarzoni	With the most complicated concepts made clear in a feat of investigative journalism by artist Philippe Squarzoni, Climate Changed weaves together scientific research, extensive interviews with experts, and a call for action. Weighing the potential of some solutions and the false promises of others, this groundbreaking work provides a realistic, balanced view of the magnitude of the crisis that An Inconvenient Truth only touched on.
53.	The Secret Gardeners: Britain’s Creatives Reveal Their Private Sanctuaries	Victoria	Summerley	The Secret Gardeners is a captivating photographic portrait of the private gardening passions of 25 of the UKs foremost artists, designers, actors, producers, composers, playwrights, sculptors and fashion designers. Accompanying meaty essays explaining the owners’ inspiration and passion are photographs revealing the beautiful gardens that the public rarely see.
54.	The End	Fernanda	Torres	With uncanny insight into the less virtuous corners of the male psyche, Fernanda Torres brings us five friends who once milked the high life of Rio’s Bossa Nova age and are now left with memories—parties, marriages, divorces, fixations, inhibitions, bad decisions—and the grim realities of getting old.
55.	The Sagrada Familia	Gijs	Van Hensbergen	A definitive and illuminating biography of one of the most famous – and most famously unfinished – buildings in the world, the Sagrada Familia of Barcelona. Its scaffolding-cloaked spires reach up to the heavens, dominating the Barcelona skyline and drawing in millions of visitors every year.
56.	Paladares: Recipes Inspired By the Private Restaurants of Cuba	Anya	Von Bremzen	Cuba is experiencing a cultural and culinary renaissance—and its paladares, the private restaurants, are leading the way. Paladares is a fascinating culinary and visual journey through the new Cuba.
57.	The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World’s Happiest People	Meik	Wiking	Weaving together original research and personal anecdotes, The Little Book of Lykke is a global roadmap for joy that offers a new approach to achieving everyday happiness that not only improve our own lives, but help us build better communities and a better world.
58.	Queen Sugar (first season)	Oprah	Winfrey, Ava DuVernay (Selma), and Melissa Carter, Producers	(DVD) [C]hronicles the lives and loves of the estranged Bordelon siblings in Saint Josephine, Louisiana…Their newly inherited farm forces the siblings to rely on one another as they rebuild both the land and their relationships.
59.	27 Hours	Tristina	Wright	In addition to its captivating humans-versus-monsters premise, the book features an admirably broad treatment of gender and sexuality–LGBT and asexual characters serve as the norm rather than the exception–in this futuristic world. […]  An open, imaginative work of YA science fiction. (Kirkus Reviews)
60.	Red Clocks	Leni	Zumas	Red Clocks is at once a riveting drama, whose mysteries unfold with magnetic energy, and a shattering novel of ideas. In the vein of Margaret Atwood and Eileen Myles, Leni Zumas fearlessly explores the contours of female experience, evoking The Handmaid’s Tale for a new millennium. This is a story of resilience, transformation, and hope in tumultuous-even frightening-times.