2021 Staff Picks for Adults

And last but not least, we're sharing our favorite Adult picks! With unique titles that span across several different genres, it's our hope that this list offers a little something for everyone. Click through the links below to learn more about each title.

Still not finding a good fit? We're here to help! Contact us and we'll help you find a book that’s right for you. Or, try My Next Read! Submit a request and receive a custom list of book recommendations from our expert librarians.

Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

• Arsenic and Adobo  by Mia P. Manansala - recommended by Deborah L. at Tuckahoe
• Eight Perfect Murders  by Peter Swanson – recommended by John M. at Twin Hickory
• The Good Sister  by Sally Hepworth – recommended by Gina F. at Gayton
• Last Girl Ghosted  by Lisa Unger – recommended by Honor Z. at North Park
• The Man Who Died Twice  by Richard Osman – recommended by Greta Sterlace at Twin Hickory
• Please See Us  by Caitlin Mullen – recommended by Erica T. at Glen Allen
• The Plot  by Jean Hanff Korelitz – recommended by Emily L. at Libbie Mill
• Razorblade Tears  by S. A. Cosby – recommended by Lauren M. at Libbie Mill
• The Thursday Murder Club  by Richard Osman – recommended by Drew C. at Gayton
• We Begin at the End  by Chris Whitaker – recommended by Julianne S. at Glen Allen
• The Windsor Knot  by S.J. Bennett – recommended by Seana T. at Glen Allen

Romance

• Dial A For Aunties  by Jesse Q. Sutanto - recommended by Alicia A. at Library Administration
• The Love Hypothesis  by Ali Hazelwood – recommended by Emily H. at Fairfield
• Real Men Knit  by Kwana Jackson - recommended by Barbie B. at Tuckahoe

Literary Fiction/Contemporary Fiction

• Detransition, Baby  by Torrey Peters by Lindsey H. at Libbie Mill
• Pizza Girl  by Jean Kyoung Frazier – recommended by Amy B. at Libbie Mill

Historical Fiction

• Eternal  by Lisa Scottoline – recommended by Melanie J. at Libbie Mill
• The Four Winds   by Kristin Hannah – recommended by Denise S. at Glen Allen
• Hamnet  by Maggie O'Farrell – recommended by Barbara J. at Libbie Mill
• The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh  by Molly Greeley - recommended by Kristyn S. at Libbie Mill
• Mary Jane  by Jessica Anya Blau – recommended by Logan F. at Gayton
• Personal Librarian  by Marie Benedict and Christopher Murray - recommended by Lisa K. at Glen Allen
• The Secret Keeper of Jaipur  by Alka Joshi – recommended by Naila P. at Tuckahoe

Fantasy

• The Adventure Zone series by Clint McElroy - recommended by Kendall H. at Library Administration
• The Angel of the Crows  by Katherine Addison - recommended by Hannah T. at Fairfield
• The House in the Cerulean Sea  by T.J. Klune – recommended by Gay Lynn V. at Twin Hickory
• The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina  by Zoraida Cordova – recommended by Ame H. at Library Administration
• Piranesi  by Susanna Clarke – recommended by Kristina C. at Library Admnistration

Science Fiction

• Black Sun  by Rebecca Roanhorse – recommended by Courtney W. at Libbie Mill
• Remote Control  by Nnedi Okorafor – recommended by the Reader’s Advisory Committee

Horror

• The Only Good Indians  by Stephen Graham Jones – recommended by Lea M. at Fairfield

Non-Fiction

• All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake  by Tiya Miles - recommended by Demetria E. at Sandson/Varina
• The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet  by John Green – recommended by Rachel S. at Fairfield
• Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of Life Interrupted  by Suleika Jaouad - recommended by Courtney M. at North Park
• Crying in H-Mart  by Michelle Zauner - recommended twice by Susan L. at Libbie Mill & Aimee H. at Glen Allen
• Four Lost Cities: a Secret History of the Urban Age  by Annalee Newitz – recommended by Savannah C. at Library Administration
• Happiness will Follow  by Mike Hawthorne – recommended by Barbra S. at Fairfield
• No Common Ground: Confederate Monuments and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice  by Karen L. Cox – recommended by Tracey B. at Tuckahoe
• Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness  by Kristen Radtke – recommended by Rick S. at Library Administration
• Somebody’s Daughter: A Memoir  by Ashley C. Ford - recommended by Nideria B. at Sandston/Varina
• Subpar Parks: America's Most Extraordinary Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors by Amber Share – recommended by Amy C. at Tuckahoe
• The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation  by Anna Malaika Tubbs – recommended by Kelsey C. at Varina