A True-Life Tale, Mysterious Disappearances and an Adventurous Pig: This Week’s Book Picks

Looking for something good to read?

Check out this week’s suggestions from the staff members at the . As an added bonus, public services assistant Rachel Vaughn featured the book for next month’s book discussion at the library for her first pick. Vaughn writes the adult book recommendations.

And Karen Schmidt, public services assistant II of the children’s department, wrote the children’s book recommendation.

For adults:

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
This non-fiction piece tells the amazing story of Louis Zamperini. His life was never ordinary—a troubled child that began stealing, drinking, and fighting at a very young age, he turned himself around to become a sober, record-breaking runner on a path that took him all the way to the Berlin Olympics. When WWII hit, he left his running shoes and dreams of another Olympic journey behind and joined the Army Air Corps. In 1943 Lt. Zamperini’s life would change forever—his bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and he was left to fight for his life drifting for 47 days. Get swept up in Louis Zamperini’s true story of fear, survival, and hope.

(Can’t wait to talk about this book? Join us at the Cuyahoga County Public Library Brecksville Branch on March 21st at 7:30 p.m. or March 22nd at 10:00 a.m. for a book discussion!)

The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
One by one people are disappearing from “The Hill” but how are the disappearances related? What does a 53-year-old woman have in common with a 22-year-old woman and an old man? New policewoman Freya Graffham is on the case with the more experienced Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler and Graffham believes there is a link. Green and ambitious, she starts to dig deeper into the lives of those that live on “The Hill,” uncovering things far darker than she could have ever imagined. Will Graffham’s ambition get the best of her? This book is the first of a series.

For kids:

Pig Pig Meets the Lion by David McPhail
Spunky little Pig Pig triumphs again—this time over an escaped circus lion that crawls through his bedroom window. While Pig Pig’s mother is preoccupied with her cell phone and her pots and pans, the lion and Pig Pig become friends and make plans to meet again. Recommended for ages 3 to 7.

Summaries may be based in part from information in the library's catalog.