Top 5 Library Staff Book Reviews 2024

Top 5 most liked #WhatToReadWednesday staff book reviews of 2024. Add these to your TBR list ASAP.

In January 2024, we asked followers on Instagram, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter) what kind of content you wanted to see from us in the new year. Many of you asked for more book recommendations and reviews by library staff. (We're flattered!) #WhatToReadWednesday is our answer to that call.

We used the already popular bookstagram hashtag #WhatToReadWednesday to make our staff book reviews easily accessible for all book lovers online. This is an ongoing content series we're excited to carry into 2025!

1) True Biz

Josephine, our Senior Library Assistant at Main Library, recommends True Biz by Sara Nović. 

Josephine writes: "I don't usually give books a numerical rating, but True Biz, a powerfully emotional novel focused on the Deaf community, gets 1,000 stars out of 10. The author, who is deaf herself, takes us on a journey with a compelling cast of characters and shows us the beauty of Deaf culture and its intersectionality with other identities. An absolutely stunning read." 

2) I Never Thought of It That Way

Brian Guenther, Senior Librarian at the Rockridge branch, recommends I Never Thought of It That Way by Monica Guzman.

Brian writes: "I Never Thought if It That Way is an inspiring call to action for civility when it seems so much easier to dismiss or demonize those who think differently than us. Using an engaging, conversational tone, Guzmán goes deep into how to open your mind, be curious, and have meaningful conversations that otherwise may be contentious."

3) Counterpoints

We dug up an older review from former Senior Librarian at Main Library, Steven Lavoie. The anti-eviction mapping project and book, Counterpoints: A San Francisco Bay Area Atlas of Displacement and Resistance, is relevant and essential text for people living in the Bay Area.

Steve says the following in praise of Counterpoints: "This fascinating drill-down on the racial and socio-economic realities underlying the Bay Area's rapid demographic changes presents a chilling, sorrowful picture of where we are headed culturally in this area. Using computer-enabled methods to build maps and to pinpoint the impacts of greed and speculation in the real estate industry and the acts of brave resistance in response, the participants in the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project have produced a monument to the unrelenting struggle between workers and landowners and greedy investors."

Read Counterpoints during your next visit to the Oakland History Center or borrow a digital copy from our catalogue.

4) How to Say Goodbye

Librarian Miriam recommends the nonfiction book, How to Say Goodbye: The Wisdom of Hospice Caregivers by Wendy MacNaughton. 📖

Miriam writes: "Elegantly illustrated, simple guidance for how to say goodbye to a loved one who will soon pass away. I appreciated the author's clarity and candor, and was quite moved by this brief little book." ❤️‍🩹

5) The Sentence

Librarian Christy recommends the paranormal fiction novel, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. 📖

Christy writes: "Tookie is a formerly incarcerated bookseller with a wicked sense of humor who is haunted by the ghost of her most annoying customer in the year of COVID’s beginning and George Floyd’s death. There are so many people to love in this book, so many laughs, some tears, and so many tender, finely wrought sentences." 💕📚

You can find the archive of #WhatToReadWednesdays on our social media pages by searching the hashtag with our username (@oaklibrary). Otherwise, you can find Oakland Public Library staff book reviews by selecting an item in the catalogue, scrolling down the item's page, then looking under the "From my library staff" subheading. 

You can also check out our 2024 staff favorites booklist and and staff favorites from previous years.