It’s our favorite way to close out the year — by revisiting our checkout history, our Goodreads profiles, and our memory banks to find the books, DVDs, TV shows, podcasts and more that entertained, enlightened, and moved us.

This year’s list numbers more than 75 items, and–just like our small-but-mighty staff and volunteer corps–it’s nothing if not eclectic. Aside from a penchant for fiction in general, and mysteries in particular, the choices cover a wide spectrum.

We hope you’ll find some of your favorites there as well, and invite you to explore new territory by checking out something totally new and different from your usual fare.

Read on for the full list and see what you might like to add to your 2023 ‘to be read/viewed/listened to’ list!

Note: Items are listed in alphabetical order (skipping ‘a,’ ‘an,’ or ‘the’ at the beginning of titles) and published in 2022 or 2021 unless otherwise noted. Links will take you to the printed book format (or DVD) in the online catalog when possible, and you may place holds on items there from your online account. In some cases, titles link to digital versions in Libby or Hoopla when a physical copy is not available through the library or LCLC (Lehigh Carbon Library Cooperative).

If no link is provided, we may be able to request the item from a non-LCLC library through interlibrary loan (with the exception of some TV series that are not yet available on DVD); please ask at the desk. Podcast links take you to the respective podcasts.

ADULT READS

FICTION

  • 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard. Mystery fiction/thriller. No one knew they’d moved in together. Now one of them is dead. Fifty-six days ago, Ciara and Oliver meet in a supermarket queue in Dublin the same week Covid-19 reaches Irish shores. Thirty-five days ago, when lockdown threatens to keep them apart, Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him. Today, detectives arrive at Oliver’s apartment to discover a decomposing body inside. Will they be able to determine what really happened, or has lockdown provided someone with the opportunity to commit the perfect crime?
  • Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty. Domestic fiction/thriller. Joy Delaney once had a busy life raising her four children and running a successful tennis academy with her husband Stan. Now the couple is retired, their children are grown, and to Joy’s alarm, there are no grandchildren. When Savannah, a stranger showing signs she has been abused knocks on their door one day, the Delaneys take her in, setting off alarm among their children. Months later Joy goes missing, Savannah is nowhere to be found, and police question the one person who remains: Stan.
  • The Big Dark Sky by Dean Koontz. Suspense fiction/thriller. Through a bizarre twist of seemingly coincidental circumstances, a band of strangers now find themselves under Montana’s big dark sky. Their lives entwined, they face an encroaching horror. Unless they can defeat this threat, it will spell the end for humanity.
  • The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont (available through LCLC and on Libby). Historical fiction. [Reader’s note: Author Nina de Gramont was given a writing challenge: Write about the 11 days that Agatha Christie went missing after her husband told her he wanted to end their marriage. Gramont’s fictionalized account tells the tale from the point of view of the husband’s mistress, weaving a tale about loss from war and family. And yes, she throws in a murder mystery as well. I highly recommend this book.]
  • The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah. Psychological fiction/thriller. Jane and William are enjoying their honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort…until Jane receives a chilling note warning her to “beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours.” Five other couples are at dinner, and none of their tables are any closer or farther away, though. Nevertheless, someone in this dining room will be dead before breakfast, and all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could have possibly committed the crime.
  • Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney. Mystery fiction/thriller. The estranged Darker family reluctantly gathers at Nana’s dilapidated cottage on a tiny tidal island to mark her 80th birthday. When the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours. At the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. An hour later, the next family member follows. Low tide is still hours away. Which of the Darkers will survive until then?
  • Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (available through LCLC and on Hoopla). 1957, Fantasy fiction/coming of age. Set in 1928, Ray Bradbury’s semi-autobiographical novel is about the magical but too-brief summer of a 12-year-old boy in Green Town, Illinois (a fictionalized version of Bradbury’s childhood home of Waukegan).
  • The Favor by Nora Murphy (available through LCLC). Domestic fiction/thriller. [Reader’s note: How far would you go to help someone in a bad marriage? Would they do the same for you? The Favor explores this idea.]
  • The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix. Horror fiction/thriller. [Reader’s note: In horror movies, the final girl is the one who fought back and survived to the end. A handful of final girls start their own support group until members start getting killed. It’s up to these women to figure out what’s happening and who is behind it. This is a fast-paced thriller without gore for fans of 80s-90s slasher movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th.]
  • French Braid by Anne Tyler. Domestic fiction. [Reader’s note: Tyler’s engaging book follows the Garretts of Baltimore. They are one of those families where no one particularly likes one another. They find each other disappointing, yet somehow manage to stay connected — like a French braid. That is, except brother David. He moved to Philadelphia and rarely calls or visits. Tyler’s knack for everyday detail and keen eye of family dynamics is especially spot on in this book.]
  • Gwendy’s Final Task by Stephen King. Paranormal/horror fiction. When Gwendy Peterson was 12, a mysterious stranger named Richard Farris gave her a mysterious box for safekeeping. It offered treats and vintage coins, but it was dangerous. Pushing any of its seven colored buttons promised death and destruction. Years later, the button box entered Gwendy’s life again. A successful novelist and a rising political star, she was once again forced to deal with the temptation that box represented. Now, evil forces seek to possess the button box and it is up to Senator Gwendy Peterson to keep it from them. At all costs. But where can you hide something from such powerful entities?
  • Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell. Historical fiction. A novel about the death of Shakespeare’s 11-year-old son Hamnet–a name interchangeable with Hamlet in 15th century Britain–and the years leading up to the production of his great play. [Reader’s note: I could not put this book down. So well written with an intriguing tie to Hamlet and Shakespeare.]
  • Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak. Paranormal fiction. [Reader’s note: A nanny starts a job with a child who is strange and unusual. What secrets does he hold? Who are the people employing her? This book holds the reader and is hard to put down.]
  • A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. (available through LCLC). 1929, Historical fiction/adventure. This novel’s dreamlike action begins among the decayed plantation houses and natural abundance of late 19th century Jamaica, before moving out onto the high seas, as Hughes tells the story of a group of children thrown upon the mercy of a crew of down-at-the-heel pirates.
  • The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager. Suspense fiction/thriller. A recently fired Broadway star flees to a remote Vermont lake house, only to find out that the area has a history of missing women.
  • How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water by Angie Cruz. (available through LCLC). Fiction/Hispanic-American. A 56-year-old Dominican woman grappling with motherhood, acceptance and loss in the midst of the Great Recession in New York City. [Reader’s note: just keep swimming–seriously powerful truths in a “throw away” fiction format.]
  • In the Name of Salomé by Julia Alvarez. 2000, biographical fiction. The book follows the history of the Dominican Republic through the eyes and poetry of Salomé, voiced through her daughter Camila, whose history weaves together her mother’s life and her country’s turmoil, bonding mother and daughter together through time.
  • The It Girl by Ruth Ware. Psychological fiction/thriller. A woman searches for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.
  • Joan by Katherine J Chen. Historical fiction. France is mired in a losing war against England. Its people are starving. Its king is in hiding. From this chaos emerges a teenage girl who will turn the tide of battle and lead the French to victory, becoming an unlikely hero whose name will echo across the centuries. [Reader’s note: Really strong historical fiction about Joan as a human/girl, not just the stuff fairy tales are made of. SOOOO much good research that made me re-evaluate the frame I see Joan through.]
  • Late for His Own Funeral by Elaine Viets. Mystery. When a disgraced resident of Chouteau Forest—home of the one percenters—survives one car crash only to be killed in another, death investigator Angela Richman must confirm he is really dead this time, and whether both crashes were really accidents or if someone was doubly determined to kill him.
  • Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Historical fiction. This novel about women’s lives, careers, and struggle for empowerment in the late 50s and early 60s follows Elizabeth Zott, a one-of-a-kind scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show. [Reader’s note: This was a fabulous book. The main character showed what woman can do in the world of science and made opportunities to do this in a male-dominated world.]
  • A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz. Detective/mystery fiction. [Reader’s note: Horowitz is an amusing author who writes British murder mysteries. In this one, an author named Anthony Horowitz gets invited to a literary festival on the island of Alderney along with the detective who is the subject of his latest book. Of course, a murder happens.]
  • The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian. Historical fiction/thriller. It’s the early 1960s and Katie Barstow is one of the world’s most famous movie stars. To celebrate her recent marriage to her brother’s best friend from childhood, Katie takes a small group on an African safari. But what was supposed to be a Hollywood perfect trip complete with afternoon cocktails turns into a terrifying journey where the animals in the Serengeti aren’t the only predators.
  • Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (prompted by the PBS series). Detective/mystery fiction. A fatal accident, a gruesome murder, a drowning, a questionable suicide, and missing chapters from a manuscript are all connected in this mystery novel.
  • The Maid by Nina Prose. Thriller. A hotel maid quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception when she is targeted as a suspect in the murder of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black. [Reader’s note: There’s a reason this keeps hitting bestseller lists. A slightly off-center heroine who really does try to do the best for everyone in her life–(spoiler alert)–even the terrible man-dude-bro who abuses her friendship and frames her for murder.]
  • Marple: 12 New Stories by Agatha Christie, et al. A collection of original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, penned by 12 bestselling authors. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery. [Reader’s note: Must-reads for any fan of Christie or murder/mystery stories in general.]
  • Mercury Pictures Presents by Anthony Marra. Historical fiction. [Reader’s note: There have been many, many works of fiction in recent years dealing with World War II. This one is a beautifully written account of a quirky group of immigrants who work in Hollywood making propaganda pictures. Their backstories come alive as Marra chronicles their beginnings in Europe and the curfews, home searches and job losses they endure when they are feared to be enemy aliens.]
  • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. 1926, Mystery fiction. [Reader’s note: I had just read “The Christie Affair,” which is a fictionalized account of the 11 days that Agatha Christie went missing, so I decided to read one of her books. This one was published in 1926, the year she went missing, and is the one that pushed her to fame. In this one, Hercule Poirot has retired to an English village where there is a murder and a suicide. It was a fun read, and Christie’s writing is just wonderful.]
  • Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng. Dystopian fiction. Twelve-year-old Bird and his mother Margaret navigate an oppressive society that victimizes and separates them due to their Asian identity. Margaret, a poet, goes into hiding to help advocate against the government, while Bird follows messages encoded in stories to find her.
  • The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley. Psychological fiction/thriller. A young woman tries to escape turmoil in her personal life by seeking refuge at her half-brother’s home in a posh Parisian apartment building. But when she arrives, he’s not there. The longer he remains missing, the more she starts to dig into his situation, and the more questions she has. Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.
  • Quicksilver by Dean Koontz. Thriller. Three-day-old Quinn Quicksilver is abandoned on an Arizona highway, rescued by three men, and raised in an orphanage. As an adult, he’s content with his life until a ‘strange magnetic force’ draws him to a remote place where he finds a valuable coin. It practically saves his life when two government agents show up in pursuit of him. Now Quinn is on the run from those agents and who knows what else, fleeing for his life.
  • Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins. Psychological fiction/thriller. A young woman and her boyfriend think they’ve finally found their golden ticket to embark on the sailing trip of their dreams when they’re hired by two wealthy women to sail to Meroe Island, a remote, deserted island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Soon, though, the 20-somethings learn that island life is about the little things: Strong Drinks. Soft Sand. Cool Water. Murder.
  • Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger. Psychological fiction/thriller. A weekend getaway turns into a nightmare when three couples rent a remote luxury cabin in the woods. As long-buried secrets come to light, the friends must decide how much they can trust each other.
  • Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson. Historical fiction. The story of a family who runs several nightclubs in 1920’s London between world wars. [Reader’s note: Kate Atkinson does it again with a compelling plot and Dickensian characters with relatable observations. A must-read for Atkinson fans.]
  • Sparring Partners by John Grisham. Legal thriller. Two brothers, Kirk and Rusty Malloy, bicker over a pending inheritance—a dying, family-owned law practice—and a scheming father who won’t let go.
  • A Spindle Splintered by Alix E Harrow. Fantasy fiction. It’s Zinnia Gray’s 21st birthday, which is extra-special because it’s the last birthday she’ll ever have. When she was young, an industrial accident left Zinnia with a rare condition. Not much is known about her illness, just that no-one has lived past 21. [Reader’s note: Short-form retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Worth it alone for the amazing illustrations throughout.]
  • The Summer Place by Jennifer Weiner. Domestic fiction. When a family convenes at their Cape Cod summer home for a wedding, old secrets threaten to ruin everything.
  • This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. Domestic fiction/time travel. A woman who’s been drifting through life wakes up the morning after her 40th birthday to discover that she’s just turned 16 again. It isn’t her 16-year-old body that is the biggest shock, though, or the possibility of romance with her adolescent crush. It’s her dad: the vital, charming, 49-year-old version of her father – who is currently 73 and terminally ill — with whom she is reunited. Desperate to help him, she looks for a way in the past to save him in the present.
  • Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. Romance fiction. A modern love story about two childhood friends, Sam, raised by an actress mother in LA’s Koreatown, and Sadie, from the wealthy Jewish enclave of Beverly Hills, who reunite as adults to create video games, finding an intimacy in digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives.
  • Trust by Hernan Diaz. Historical fiction. [Reader’s note: Diaz is a brilliant literary writer who uses a book (the 1937 bestseller, Bonds) within his own book to lure the reader into the world of a reclusive titan of finance–who never makes a misstep in the stock market, even in 1929–and his equally reclusive wife. But then Diaz gives the reader another book–one that seeks to set the record straight. There is yet another story woven into Trust–that of the secretary who is older now and still wondering. Diaz keeps the reader wondering and reading as he recounts the couple’s beginnings with the detail of an historical eye. The only issue I had with the book is that it is heavy with detail on how the stock market works and how to game it. It wasn’t enough to stop me from reading the book, though; I just skimmed over that part.]
  • The Verifiers by Jane Pek. (available on Libby). Mystery. A lifelong mystery reader who wrote her senior thesis on Jane Austen, Claudia believes she’s landed her ideal job. But when a client vanishes, Claudia breaks protocol to investigate—and uncovers a maelstrom of personal and corporate deceit. [Reader’s note: not quite corporate counterfeiting but not far off, this quick-paced suspense read is great for domestic thriller lovers looking to branch out a bit.]
  • The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb. Thriller. Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise—until a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his lost family heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world. [Reader’s note: The underdog in this story is a violin player in a competition. But what happens when his violin is stolen? Who is behind it?]
  • The Winners by Fredrik Backman. Literary fiction. The third book and the conclusion to the Beartown series, The Winners returns to the close-knit, resilient community of Beartown for a story about first loves, second chances, and last goodbyes.
  • You Will Love What You Have Killed by Kevin Lambert. (available as audiobook on Hoopla). Horror fiction/magical realism. [Reader’s note: Quebec dark fiction; really twisted and creepy and good.]
  • The Younger Wife by Sally Hepworth. Suspense fiction. A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself. Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them.

NONFICTION

  • The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green. The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. This collection of essays is adapted and expanded from Green’s podcast. [Reader’s note: One of the most enjoyable and enlightening audio books I have ever listened to.]
  • The Facemaker: A Visionary Surgeon’s Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris. [Reader’s note: Surrounds the horrors of weapons designed faster than doctors and surgeons could care for the wounded on the wrong side of them. Also really interesting side notes and great bibliography.]
  • The Nerd’s Guide to Being Confident by Mark Manson. [Reader’s note: A funny, laugh-at-yourself way to earn some extra confidence without the impostor syndrome or guilt trip.]
  • The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey. [Reader’s note: This book took me into a fun headspace as I tried to imagine these people and their lavish world. The description made it impossible not to read this book: “After the Ninth Duke of Rutland died alone in a cramped room in the servants’ quarters of the ancestral castle in 1940, his heir ordered the room, which contained the Rutland family archives, sealed. Sixty years later, Catherine Bailey became the first historian given access. What she discovered was a mystery: the Duke had painstakingly erased three periods of his life from all family records–but why?”]
  • The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl. [Reader’s note: This is a biography from superstar musician Dave Grohl, formerly of Nirvana and The Foo Fighters. The audiobook available on Libby (also available on Hoopla) was a treat. It was entertaining to hear him tell his own stories of his close relationship with his mother, friendships with Kurt Cobain and Taylor Hawkins, and rubbing elbows with the likes of Iggy Pop, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Joan Jett, and Little Richard. You will like this if you have even a passing interest in music.]
  • Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby. [Reader’s note: I knew I would love this book, but I was unprepared for the heartbreak and drive to learn more about the backstory and history from the time frame. Americans are messed up, but sometimes I think the Aussies/Tasmanians, New Zealanders have us beat. This book reads like her stand up sets–-raw, sometimes disturbing, usually funny, and leaves you wanting to know more. Also terribly NSFW in the best of ways.]
  • Tim: The Official Biography of Avicii by Måns Mosesson, Brad Harmon (translator). [Reader’s note: A heartbreaker; truly a talented DJ and music content creator.]
  • Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation by Linda Villarosa. [Reader’s note: This expertly researched book details how we are all affected by racism when it comes to health care.]

BIOGRAPHY

  • Crying in H Mart by Michele Zauner. [Reader’s note: This personal story of growing up Korean-American, grief, and coming to terms with her relationship with her mother was humorous and heart-wrenching.]
  • This Much is True by Miriam Margolyes. Margolyes is a BAFTA-winning British-Australian actor, writer, and TV personality who has created and played a myriad of unforgettable characters, including Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films. Now at the age of 80, she’s telling the story of her extraordinary life. [Reader’s note: Sooo good – this woman can and has played everyone everywhere with a side of reality and heaping dose of kindness; truly underrated and amazingly talented.]

YOUNG ADULT READS

  • All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (available through LCLC). Realistic fiction. A family extending from Pakistan to California deals with generations of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness. [Reader’s note: So real, so good, we can all empathize with these teens.]
  • Crushing by Sophie Burrows (available through LCLC). Graphic novel. Life is full of connections–if you know how to make them. Crushing follows two people–one determined and a bit awkward, the other unsure where to begin–longing to find out where they belong. Their intersecting and overlapping journeys reveal hidden connections and the unpredictable and unexpected ways we may find each other. [Reader’s note: Super sweet and plainly depicted, with just enough sass to keep you interested.]

TELEVISION, PODCASTS & MUSIC

TV SERIES

  • Abbott Elementary (ABC; first season available at EPL/LCLC). TV sitcom created by Quinta Brunson, who stars as a second-grade teacher at Abbott Elementary, a fictional predominantly Black school in Philadelphia. [Viewer’s note: so good and so true and so funny.]
  • Better Call Saul (Netflix; all seasons available on DVD at EPL; final season on order). [Reader’s note: This show is a spinoff of AMC’s TV series Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul shows how the Saul Goodman character (played by Bob Odenkirk) betrayed his better nature and legal ethics to become a sleazy enabler of criminals. Most of the cast is made up of character actors who I simply cannot believe aren’t better known based on the performances they turned out. Controversial opinion time: I think it’s better than Breaking Bad.]
  • Big Sky (ABC). Crime drama thriller series based on The Highway series of books by C. J. Box, now in its third season. [Viewer’s note: Less good this season but I can’t quit yet.]
  • Cobra Kai Season 5 (Netflix; seasons 1-4 available on DVD at EPL). [Viewer’s note: I watched and reminisced about the Karate Kid, Ralph Macchio, who has an autobiography out now titled Waxing On that I must read!]
  • The Dropout (Hulu). [Viewer’s note: Local talent Amanda Seyfried (as Elizabeth Holmes) deserves every award. This was creepy and enjoyable to watch, even when you know what is about to happen—and even weirder with the trial results in.]
  • Fleishman Is in Trouble (FX/Hulu). [Viewer’s note: The book was good, but the show might be better. Casting is spot on and I still can’t decide whether I love them or hate them.]
  • Holiday Baking Championship (Food Network). [Viewer’s note: Duuuude – Carla Hall, need I say more?]
  • House of the Dragon (HBO). Based on George R.R. Martin’s book, Fire & Blood, the series House of the Dragon takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of House Targaryen. [Viewer’s note: Had to do it, the set design and costumes alone are worth it.]
  • Minx (HBO/YouTubeTV). In 1970s Los Angeles, an earnest young feminist joins forces with a low-rent publisher to create the first erotic magazine for women. [Viewer’s note: Love me some Jake Johnson, from New Girl to now; he is a great louse and secret feminist.]
  • Never Have I Ever (Netflix): A comedy-drama series based loosely on the life of Mindy Kaling and narrated by John McEnroe. [Viewer’s note: Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is a bold, overachieving first-generation Indian American teenage girl trying to navigate high school and cope with her father’s untimely death. It’s funny and warm. The cast has such great chemistry.]
  • Severance (Apple TV). This science fiction, psychological thriller follows an employee of Lumon Industries who agrees to a ‘severance’ program in which his non-work memories are separated from his work memories.
  • The Sinner (Netflix). [Viewer’s note: Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) is an ace detective near retirement. He has a haunting past that drives him to go to extremes to solve cases. Each season focuses on a case he is trying to solve so you get in-depth story arcs rather than one-off episodes. It’s unpredictable, engrossing, and ultimately hopeful.]
  • Wednesday (Netflix). While attending Nevermore Academy, Wednesday Addams attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a killing spree, and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents 25 years ago. [Viewer’s note: OK, I love this so much more than I was prepared for; so much fun and great casting all around.]

PODCASTS

  • Ghosthoney’s Dream Machine. Do you like delightful nonsense? Then this fiction podcast is for you. The adorable host Tyler Gaca creates a fantasy world full of “gentle chaos” with goblins, fairies, and vampires. This is a good dose of escapism.
  • Scamfluencers. Hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi cover the hair-raising true stories of modern scammers who use the influence they gather on the internet and social media at the expense of others. Some of the best stories include a fake Saudi prince, a ballet company startup scam, and a Florida teenager who faked his way into a medical career.
  • Unwell, a Midwestern Gothic Mystery: This fiction podcast is my absolute favorite this year. The cast is so talented. The plot is intriguing. The production on each episode is top notch. The story centers around Lillian Harper, who returns to small-town Ohio to care for her mother and help her run the town’s boarding house. Lillian uncovers an unsettling supernatural side to the town, which is just the beginning of the story.

MUSIC

  • Alt-J — The Dream (available on Hoopla). The fourth studio album by Mercury-Prize-winning (and multiple Grammy and Brit Award-nominated) English indie rock band Alt-J.
  • Arctic Monkeys — There’d Better Be a Mirrorball. The lead single and opening track from Arctic Monkeys’ seventh studio album, The Car.
  • Gorillaz— Cracker Island. Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London.
  • Kendrick Lamar — Mr Morale & the Big Steppers (on Hoopla). Regarded as Lamar’s most confessional body of work, Morale & the Big Steppers is a concept album that analyzes and reflects on his life experiences during his therapy journey. Includes the single N95.
  • My Chemical Romance — The Foundation of Decay. The band’s first release since their reunion in October 2019 (after a 2013 breakup), and the first single since “Fake Your Death” from their greatest hits album May Death Never Stop You (2014). [Listener’s note: MCR IS BACK!!!]

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Whew — there you have it! Now we’re excited to start finding the great reads, DVDs, podcasts and more of 2023!