Staff Picks: Our Favorite Books for Gifting | Santa Barbara Public Library

1) My heart fills with happiness

Author

Smith, Monique Gray

Formats:

Board Books - Not Holdable, eBook

Description

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Invites young readers to reflect on what makes them happy.

2) The anthropocene reviewed: essays on a human-centered planet

Author

Green, John

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Large Print

Description

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"The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, John Green reviews different facetsof the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Staphylococcus aureus to the Taco Bell breakfast menu - on a five-star scale. John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this...

3) Hither, Page: a romance

Author

Sebastian, Cat

Series

Page and Sommers volume Vol. 1

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle

Description

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A jaded spy and a shell-shocked country doctor team up to solve a murder in postwar England.

4) The starless sea

Author

Morgenstern, Erin

Formats:

Book, Audiobook on CD, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle, Large Print

Description

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"Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a rare book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues--a bee, a key, and a sword--that lead him...

5) The wolves of Yellowstone: a rewilding story

Author

Barr, Catherine

Description

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"This is the true story of how wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park"-- Provided by publisher.

6) Heart talk: poetic wisdom for a better life

Author

Wade, Cleo

Description

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"A beautifully illustrated book from Cleo Wade--the artist, poet, and speaker who has been called "the Millennial Oprah" by New York Magazine--that offers creative inspiration and life lessons through poetry, mantras, and affirmations, perfect for fans of the bestseller Milk & Honey. True to her hugely popular Instagram account, Cleo Wade brings her moving life lessons to Heart Talk, an inspiring, accessible, and spiritual book of wisdom for the...

7) All the colors of life

Author

Aisato, Lisa

Description

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"Enter the breathtaking world of internationally acclaimed artist Lisa Aisato with this heartwarming book featuring her most beloved illustrations. Celebrated artist Lisa Aisato distills the many stages of life, in all their rainbow hues, into a lushly illustrated book that will inspire and comfort readers at all moments of their journeys. More than one hundred beautiful images, stunning in their diversity, each illustration an exuberant story unto...

8) Murder is bad manners

Author

Series

Formats:

Description

At an English boarding school in the 1930s, crime-solving friends Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells struggle to find an exciting mystery to investigate and hit pay-dirt when Hazel discovers the dead body of Miss Bell, the science teacher.

9) You were born for this: astrology for radical self-acceptance

Author

Nicholas, Chani

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook

Description

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"A revolutionary empowerment book that uses astrology as a tool for self-discovery, success, and self-care from the beloved astrologer Chani Nicholas, a media darling with a loyal following of 1 million monthly readers"-- Provided by publisher.

10) A dream for every season

Author

N'jie, Haddy

Description

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"The beauty of each season of the year...the change each season brings...the passage of time and its special charm come to life in poetic rhyme, accompanied by gorgeous illustrations in this bedtime book"-- Provided by publisher.

11) The life-changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing

Author

Kondō, Marie

Series

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

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This best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing.

12) Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking

Author

Acuff, Jon

Description

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Overthinking isn't a personality trait. It's the sneakiest form of fear. It steals time, creativity, and goals. It's the most expensive, least productive thing companies invest in without even knowing it. And it's an epidemic. When New York Times bestselling author Jon Acuff changed his life by transforming his overthinking, he wondered if other people might benefit from what he discovered. He commissioned a research study to ask 10,000 people if...

13) An elderly lady is up to no good: stories

Author

Tursten, Helene

Series

Elderly Lady

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

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"Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and... no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Huss investigations, features two-never-before translated stories that will keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home. Ever since her darling father's untimely death, Maud has lived in the family's spacious apartment in downtown Gothenburg, Sweden,...

14) All systems red

Author

Wells, Martha

Series

Murderbot diaries volume 1

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

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A murderous android discovers itself in "All Systems Red", a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial intelligence. In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest...

15) The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse

Author

Mackesy, Charlie

Formats:

eComic, Graphic Novel, Kindle

Description

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"A modern, illustrated fable for readers of all ages that explores life's universal lessons from beloved British illustrator Charlie Mackesy"-- Provided by publisher.

16) Dragons love tacos

Author

Rubin, Adam

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

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Explores the love dragons have for tacos, and the dangers of feeding them them anything with spicy salsa.

17) Twelve Kinds of Ice

Author

Obed, Ellen Bryan

Description

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In 20 short chapters, Obed introduces the many kinds of ice that follow one family through winter. Whether enjoying the first thin sheet in a sheep's pail or a frozen streambed perfect for skating, this family finds excitement and fun in each new appearance.

18) Three tasks for a dragon

Author

Colfer, Eoin

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook

Description

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"Studious Prince Lir is next in line to become the Wolfhound King, but he can't ride a horse, lift a sword, or summon the fabled wolfhounds. So his stepmother decrees that her own son will inherit the crown instead, sending Lir away on a seemingly impossible--and assuredly fatal--quest: to rescue the maiden Cethlenn from the once-fearsome dragon Lasvarg. Rather than wage battle, Lir insists that Lasvarg, now decidedly past his prime, honor tradition...

19) A wizard of Earthsea

Author

Le Guin, Ursula K

Series

Earthsea volume 1

Formats:

Book, eAudiobook, eBook, Kindle

Description

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A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to the Master Wizard.

20) Street names of Santa Barbara

Author

Graffy, Neal

Series

Santa Barbara pocket history

Formats:

Book, Reference

Description

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"In 1851 the Town Council of Santa Barbara appointed a committee to apply names to the fifty-two new streets being created ... they gave names to our streets that portrayed the geography and botany of our town, honored the Chumash, early settlers, governors, and showed a distinct sense of humor ... Author and local historian Neal Graffy shares with us the stories behind the names."--P. [4] of cover.