From our bookshelves to yours: Here are ten books that the Kips Bay Library staff are currently reading. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do! If you are a New York State resident and don't yet have a NYPL card, you can get a digital card via our SimplyE app.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

After the second Civil War in the United States, a new totalitarian regime is in charge. Women who can bear children become slaves in order to produce children for high ranking men.  Offred is one of these women.  She must rely on her memories of the past and her inner strength in order to survive.  

 

 

 

 

The Color of Water by James McBride

A biography of Ruth McBride Jordan, who was raised an Orthodox Jew and ran away from her childhood home in Virginia to NYC where she married an African American minister and had 12 children, one of whom is the author, James McBride.

 

 

 

 

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Rose Gold Watts grew up thinking she was seriously ill.  She was confined to a wheelchair and relied on her mother, Patty, to care for her every need.  Until Rose Gold turned eighteen and Patty ends up in jail for lying about Rose Gold's medical conditions. Now Patty is back and Rose Gold has opened up her home to her. Is this a story of forgiveness or revenge? 

 

 

 

 

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

This novel tells the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle as they navigate German occupied France during WWII and resist the Nazi regime in their own ways. Each woman must embark on her own path to freedom. This book highlights the strength and resilience of women.

 

 

 

 

Becoming by Michelle Obama

An autobiography of the first African American First Lady, Michelle Obama. After growing up in Chicago, Mrs. Obama received her  education at Princeton and Harvard Law School. She met her husband, Barak Obama, and had to juggle her law career with motherhood and the demands of being the First Lady of the United States.

 

 

 

 

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson

Story of sixteen-year-old Melody at her "coming of age" ceremony in a brownstone in Brooklyn, New York and how the choices her family made years before this event has lead them all to this moment. 

 

 

 

 

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee is a princess. She grows up learning to speak with animals, but has more trouble with humans. After she is sent away to be married, a mutiny ensues, which leaves Ani alone and fleeing for her life. In order to survive, she takes on the role of Goose Girl, where she is able to talk to her animals and develop her own voice in the process.  

 

 

 

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

In this retelling of Cinderella, Ella was given the gift of obedience by a misguided fairy. This gift ends up being a curse however as Ella grows into a bright, headstrong young woman. After the death of her mother, Ella heads out to find the fairy that bestowed upon her obedience to undo the curse once and for all.  Along the way she runs into ogres, elves, and even a prince. 

 

 

 

It's Not All Downhill From Here by Terry McMillan

It is Loretha's 68th birthday and she wants to prove her best years are not behind her.  Unfortunately, life has other plans. While dealing with a devastating loss, her estranged children and sister, and an elderly mother, Loretha must forge a new path to happiness with the help of her best friends.

 

 

 

 

O's Little Book of Calm and Comfort by the Editors of O Magazine

From the editors of O, The Oprah Magazine this book features essays and interviews from famous authors and thinkers including Nora Ephron and Elizabeth Gilbert that provide comfort in times of need. 

 

 

 

 

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!