 Grady Hendrix is one of those writers who can have you laughing out loud one minute and then staring at the ceiling wondering why your eyes are leaking the next. How to Sell a Haunted House nails that weird, wonderful balance. On the surface, it’s a story about a brother and sister stuck cleaning up their parents’ house after a loss, except the house is crammed with creepy puppets and dolls that may or may not be alive. Sounds ridiculous, right? And it is. Hendrix leans all the way into the absurd, and you’ll find yourself laughing at how over-the-top some of it gets.
But then, right when you’re laughing, he sucker-punches you with something hard: grief, regret, the way siblings wound each other and carry those scars into adulthood. The haunted house is really just a stand-in for all the baggage that gets passed down in families, the secrets, the grudges, the unspoken hurt. It’s generational trauma wrapped up in a horror-comedy package, which makes it hit that much harder. I think that’s what makes Hendrix so good. You go in for the campy horror, some killer puppets, spooky house vibes, but you leave with your heart a little bruised. This book is hilarious, creepy, and surprisingly moving all at once. Check out the book at the library or download the eBook or audiobook with your SPL card. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian
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 Okay, so let me just say it: this book destroyed me. Like, ugly crying, tissues everywhere, the whole thing. Human Acts is not the kind of book you breeze through on a lazy Sunday, it’s the kind of book that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.
Han Kang, who, by the way, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024 (well deserved) takes us straight into the Gwangju Uprising of 1980 in South Korea. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone. Most Americans know nothing about it, which makes this book even more of a gut punch. She’s basically saying, “Look. Remember this. Don’t turn away.” And you can’t. The book is broken into different voices, people who lived it, suffered it, survived it, or didn’t. Every chapter feels like peeling back another layer of grief. Sometimes the writing is so sharp and raw that I had to stop, stare at the wall for a while, and then talk myself into picking it back up. It’s not easy. It’s not comforting. But man, it’s powerful. Han Kang builds this sort of memorial out of words, and reading it feels like standing in front of a monument where silence and tears are the only possible response. So yeah, this book devastated me. It broke me apart and left me different than when I started it. But isn’t that what great literature is supposed to do? Get the book at the library or download the eBook with your SPL card. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian  Reading My Dark Vanessa was an extremely difficult and unsettling read. Russell doesn’t just tell a story; she dissects the decay beneath the surface of a power imbalance, carving into the marrow of consent, memory, and grooming until you’re left raw and unsettled.
Vanessa, the protagonist, is both victim and unreliable narrator of her own life. She’s fifteen when her teacher, Strane, begins his predatory “romance,” but the brilliance of the novel lies in how Russell captures the long echo of that abuse. The way Vanessa clings to the idea of being “special” even as her adult self unravels under the weight of truth. You want to shake her, you want to protect her, and sometimes you even want to believe her rationalizations, which is the exact trap Russell sets: she forces us to experience the seduction and the horror side by side. I had to put this down a few times. The book holds a mirror to the way society excuses powerful men and shames girls for their own exploitation. It makes you complicit in Vanessa’s struggle, and that’s the point. It’s supposed to be uncomfortable. The language is sharp, the atmosphere suffocating, and the emotional honesty is almost unbearable at times. At the end, you don’t walk away with neat answers or triumphant catharsis. Instead, you’re left with jagged edges, anger at Strane, grief for Vanessa, and maybe a gnawing reflection on the blind spots in your own perception of abuse. Dark, devastating, and unforgettable, My Dark Vanessa is less a novel than an autopsy of trauma, and reading it feels like opening wounds you didn’t know you had. It's a great book, but it's very upsetting. This book is available for download as an eBook or audiobook. Ask us for interlibrary loan if you prefer a physical copy. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian  Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak is one of those books that sticks with you long after you turn the last page. It follows Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman who becomes an outcast after calling the cops at a summer party. What no one knows is that something terrible happened to her that night, something she can’t bring herself to talk about. As the school year drags on, she withdraws more and more, struggling with trauma, isolation, and the weight of staying silent.
Anderson’s writing is raw and honest, perfectly capturing what it’s like to feel unheard and alone. Melinda’s journey is heartbreaking but also incredibly powerful as she slowly finds her voice through art. It’s a tough read at times, but that’s what makes it so important. Despite its message, Speak has been challenged and banned in schools because of its themes of sexual assault and mental health. Some argue it’s “too mature” for teens, but honestly, that’s exactly why it should be read. Pretending these issues don’t exist doesn’t protect kids, it just leaves them unprepared to deal with them in real life. This book is a must-read, not just for teenagers but for anyone who’s ever felt silenced or ignored. Speak is about survival, resilience, and the power of speaking up, which makes banning it all the more frustrating. Instead of taking it off shelves, we should be making sure everyone has access to stories like Melinda’s. because they matter. Get the eBook or audiobook with your SPL card. The library has the graphic novel available for checkout, and you can get the eBook graphic novel. Aimee Clark, IT Librarian |
The SPL StaffWe work here at the library, and we’re into all kinds of books! How Do I Get These Books?See our Quickstart Guides page for information on how to use the online catalog and how to get eBooks and audiobooks for your specific device. You can also contact us there if you need more help!
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